HOUSTON – HCU baseball is set to host former Southland Conference rival Sam Houston in the 2026 home opener on Tuesday evening at 6:30 p.m. at Husky Field.
The Huskies (0-4) faced a tough test on the season's opening weekend, dropping four games on the road at Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs are expected to contend for the Conference USA title this season.
Senior outfielder
Rhett Hendricks finished the weekend batting .417 (5-for-12) with a team-high four runs scored. He went 4-for-4 in game three of the four-game set. Senior infielder
Jeremy Rader hit safely in all four games and currently owns a .385 average and, including the end of last season, has hit safely in 12-straight games.
Sam Houston (2-1), meanwhile, opened the year by taking two-of-three at McNeese this past weekend. Senior infielder Ryan Franden earned CUSA Hitter of the Week honors after turning in three multi-hit, multi-RBI games for the Bearkats. He batted .429 (6-for-14) for the season with a .467 on-base percentage with nine RBI.
The Huskies are expected to start senior RHP
Jett Feltman while Sam Houston counters with junior LHP Jakob Holzer. Feltman finished the 2025 season with a 5.90 ERA and a 2-2 record. He tossed 29 innings across 14 appearances, including three starts. Feltman gave the Huskies 5.1 innings with one unearned run allowed on six hits with one strikeout and no walks in the team's SLC Bracket play win over UT Rio Grande Valley to earn a spot in the league's championship series. Holzer, meanwhile, posted a 2.64 ERA with an 8-1 record at Murray State College last season.
Tuesday's game will mark the first meeting between the two teams on the HCU campus since 2019.
HCU will remain at home this weekend to host a three-game series against Alcorn State from Friday through Sunday, Feb. 20-22, with a special Southland Conference Championship ring presentation scheduled to take place 20 minutes following the conclusion of Saturday's game which has a 2:00 p.m. start time.
