The Teams: Tarleton State (25-20, 15-9 WAC) vs. Sam Houston (24-21, 7-11 C-USA)
Where: Huntsville, Texas
Ballpark: Don Sanders Stadium
Day and Time: Friday- 6:30 p.m., Saturday- 3 p.m., Sunday- 1 p.m.
Streaming Platform: No live video broadcast, audio and live stats only
 
About the Matchup
 
Game Notes
 
• In the most recent meeting between the two, the Texans held off the Bearkats from the WAC regular season title after taking two games of the three-game series, with Sam Houston needing a pair of wins to secure the title, but falling short as the Texans took the rubber match 6-4. The couple of victories marked the first ever wins over Sam Houston for Tarleton State.
• The first meeting between the pair took place in 2022 in the form of a three-game series where the Bearkats swept the Purple and White in Huntsville. Later that season, the Texans hosted SHSU and dropped another trio of games to the Bearkats.
• Tarleton State is headed into the weekend series after a loss to No.1 Texas A&M during the midweek with a 10-6 final.
• Sam Houston is coming in on a five game losing streak after a midweek loss to Texas with a 16-9 final.
• Fuller Smith has led the Texans to their best WAC record in program history and most wins thorugh 45 games since 2018 at 25-20.
 
Quick Hits
   • Grant Garza and Reese Bassinger are ranked amongst the top 25 in the nation for best ERA. Garza is placed 22nd in the nation with a 2.42 ERA. Bassinger falls in 25th with an ERA of 2.49. Tarleton State is the only team within the WAC to have multiple arms in the within the top 50. 
•  Garza is also in a three-way tie for second most wins without a loss in the nation at 8-0.   
• Ike Shirey is in second in the WAC for stolen bases with 44. Tyson Drake follows closely behind with 43 stolen bags to take third place in conference.
• The Texans welcome a new head coach in the 2024 season, Fuller Smith. Smith is accompanied by Nick Zaleski, RD Spiehs and Cody Semler in their inaugural year with the Texan Baseball program. 
•  In his first season with the Purple and White, Coach Smith is on track to share a seat at the table with some of the best season records of previous coaches in their first year at Tarleton State at 25-20. Lee Driggers amassed 37 wins in his inaugural season at Tarleton State. Bill Clay and Trey Felan secured 31 wins each in their first season, while Jack Allen tallied 29 and Bryan Conger finished with 28. 
• Right handed pitcher, Will Stevens was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 15th round of the MLB Draft in 2023. Stevens takes the slot as the ninth Texan in program history to be selected in the MLB's first year player draft.
 
Fuller Smith Era
       On June 8, 2023, Fuller Smith was named the newest leader of Tarleton State's Baseball program. The Alabama, native, has had a hand in the success of various programs, several of which the Texans will face in conference play. In the previous season, Smith wrapped up his three-year stint as an assistant coach for Sam Houston State University. Prior to his time in Huntsville, Smith spent six seasons at UT Arlington as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. The 2008 Ole Miss graduate has a plethora of experience that will be a core source of success for the Purple and White this season. The Fuller Smith Era (on the field) will officially commence with the weekend series against the SLU Lions. 
 
 
In the Box
         A handful of returners have put up some impressive stats in the 2024 season and have proven to be a leading force for the Texans at the plate. Tyson Drake leads the team in several categories including runs (51), home runs (8), and slugging percentage (.534) and is tied for most triples (2) and sits in third in hits (47). Trace Morrison is tied for fourth in doubles (9) and fifth in RBI (25) and is one of five Texans that have tripled this season. Kooper Shook is tied for fifth in doubles (8) and has one homer on the season and a .370 on-base percentage. Cole Miears leads the Texans in hits (50) and the highest batting average at .323. Miears also has five home runs, six doubles, 34 RBI, and is sitting at a .458 slugging percentage and .478 on-base percentage. Mason Hammonds has also found his stride in the box as one of the Purple and White's leaders in doubles (11). Hammonds has four home runs on the season, is second in hits (49) and has tallied 26 RBI on the season. Cris Enriquez leads the team in RBI (42) and is sitting at .313 at the plate. Enriquez has 47 hits, 11 doubles, one triple, and four homers on the season. He has a .480 slugging percentage and a .393 on-base percentage. 
 
Strength in Numbers
        With a 40-man roster in the 2024 season, the Texans have a great balance of experience within the program. The Tarleton State roster is made up of nine freshman, five sophomores, 15 juniors, and 10 seniors. Out of the 25 upperclassmen on the team, only nine are new to Texan Nation. 
 
 
Next Up
After the weekend in Huntsville, the Texans will head to Waco, Texas for a midweek matchup with Baylor on Tuesday afternoon.
 
 
Recognition
         To kick off the season, Senior, Zach Poe found his name on the 2024 Preseason All-WAC Team. The Madisonville, Texas, native is a strong arm for the Texans leading the team with the best ERA and WHIP. The right-handed pitcher also leads the team in appearances for the third consecutive season with 23, all out of the bullpen. The most recent recognition for the Texans came on Feb. 26 with Brandon Howell taking the WAC Player of the Week title. In the home opener for the Purple and White, Howell had one of his best collegiate career games with two home runs, one tying the game for the home team and the second winning the game with a walk-off grand slam. Howell also received The Grove Student Athlete of the Month for the month of February. He also took the Purple Thursday Special Performance of the Month for February. Reese Bassinger earned The Grove Student Athlete of the Month award for April after a phenomenal month on the mound. 
 
       
Broadcasting On the Worldwide Leader
       Part of the latest renovations to the Tarleton Baseball Complex and Tarleton Softball Complex included the capability to match ESPN standards of multiple camera angles on the broadcast. With that, Tarleton will stream select 2024 baseball and softball home games on ESPN+. All games that are not broadcasted
on ESPN+ will be broadcasted on WAC International. 
 
WAC Preseason Poll
       Tarleton was chosen to finish 9th out of 11 schools in the WAC preseason poll. The poll was released on February 6.  The Texans received 34 total votes and slotted in ahead of Stephen F. Austin and Utah Tech. Grand Canyon was picked to win the league, followed by Utah Valley and California Baptist. The Purple and White are currently in 6th.
 
 
Hometown hero
         Trace Morrison is a Stephenville, Texas, native, that has made a large impact on the Texan Baseball program. The sophomore made some stellar contributions on the field in his first season with Tarleton State. In the 2024 season as a sophomore, Morrison is batting .293 with 26 runs on 46 hits, nine doubles, one triple, one homerun and 25 RBI.