The stage is set at Constellation Field in Sugar Land for No. 1 Sam Houston State baseball as they prepare to face the No. 4 University of Incarnate Word Cardinals in an elimination game. The Bearkats have their backs against the wall after a disappointing 2-1 loss to No. 8 Texas A&M Corpus Christi on the opening day of the tournament.
UIW suffered a similar fate, getting upset 2-1 by No. 5 McNeese.
The Bearkats and Cardinals met each other earlier in the season in the middle of March for a three-game series in Huntsville. SHSU took two out of three from UIW, winning Sunday’s rubber match 13-8.
SHSU and UIW were tied for the Southland lead in all-conference team selections, with each club placing seven players on All-SLC teams.
Junior Nick Mikolajcak will toe the rubber for the Kats with a 4.21 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 57 2/3 innings pitched. He will be opposed by senior right-hander Bernie Martinez, who finished the 2019 campaign 9-2 with a 2.12 ERA.
First pitch is at 12:50 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and audio can be heard on KSAM 101.7 FM (online). Follow @HoustonianSport on Twitter for live updates and videos throughout the game.