Cougars’ season ends short of Big 12 tournament as Arizona State takes series

For the second time in three seasons as a Big 12 member, Houston baseball will not qualify for the conference tournament.

Houston was officially eliminated Thursday night following its 4-3 loss to No. 22 Arizona State at Schroeder Park.

Long-tenured coach Todd Whitting, who has an expiring contract, and the program entered with hopes of building off last season’s Big 12 tournament appearance, where they upset Kansas State 9-2 in the opening game.

“The end of every season sucks,” Whitting said on Sunday. “There’s only one team that ends the year that doesn’t lose. Win a national championship, that’s the only team that doesn’t end with a loss.”

This time around, the Cougars entered the series requiring plenty of fortune: to sweep No. 22 Arizona State, with No. 25 Cincinnati sweeping Texas Tech at home.

Cougars’ Big 12 tournament bid is cut short

Texas Tech’s 13-1 defeat to open its series left the door ajar for Houston, which failed to capitalize on senior outfielder Irvin Weems III’s leadoff walk in the ninth inning, which put the tying run on base.

Sophomore starting pitcher Kendall Hoffman tossed seven innings of two-run baseball on 92 pitches before senior reliever Ryne Rodriguez came in relief to open the eighth frame.

Hoffman handed him a 3-2 lead in which he had tossed four scoreless innings from the fourth onward, allowing only two hits in that span.

Back-to-back doubles from fifth-year outfielder Dean Toigo and junior infielder Dominic Smaldino greeted Rodriguez to begin the inning, evening the score at three.

A sacrifice bunt allowed Smaldino to advance to third, before a throwing error home from junior infielder Tyler Cox on a fielder’s choice skirted past home plate to relinquish the lead.

Following a sacrifice bunt from redshirt sophomore infielder Xavier Perez, Houston recorded consecutive strikeouts to strand Weems on second base.

Junior reliever Derek Schaefer notched his eighth save of the season, with Rodriguez picking up the loss, his second of the season.

Boushele sets scene for Fields

Freshman outfielder Blake Fields found himself in a familiar position Friday night, having worked yet another favorable count at the plate.

Instead of adding onto his already two walks in the contest, extending his team-leading season total to 34, he opted to hit a go-ahead home run to left field, helping deliver Houston’s 5-3 win in the middle game.

“He threw two sliders in the dirt,” said Fields of the at-bat with junior reliever Alex Overbay in the seventh frame. “I kind of knew a fastball was coming, so I cheated to it.”

It was just his third home run of the season, where he was the only everyday starting freshman, while being taken under the wing of his seniors, who were recognized throughout the three-game season finale.

“Coming in, just them leading us, guiding us, us freshmen… It means the world. And I just want to thank them all,” Fields said. “And I’m glad I’m able to do that: thank them all.”

One of Houston’s seniors, reliever Harrison Boushele, blanked Arizona State’s offense, which put up three runs in four innings against senior starter Paul Schmitz.

Boushele, who came in relief of Schmitz following the fourth frame, tossed a career-high five innings, allowing only three baserunners in the form of two hits and a walk.

His shutout performance earned him the win, his second of the season.

Schmitz’s outing opened with back-to-back home runs allowed to Golden Spikes semifinalist sophomore infielder Landon Hairston and redshirt junior infielder Nu’u Contrades.

Schmitz retired six of the next eight batters before once again allowing a home run to Contrades, to give Arizona State a  3-0 lead in the third inning.

Arizona State staff ace, junior left-handed pitcher Cole Carlon, exited after 1 ⅔ innings with an apparent injury, opening the door for Houston.

A Fields walk in the third frame set the table for senior infielder Tyler Cox, who tripled to right-center to put the Cougars on the board. 

Junior outfielder Tre Broussard singled Cox home before being lifted from the game with an injury of his own. Senior outfielder Irvin Weems III stole second during the ensuing at-bat, putting senior infielder Cade Climie in position to drive him home with a double down the right field line, evening the contest at three.

The win prevented Houston from being swept for a sixth time this season in conference play.

Early lead not enough in season finale

A sacrifice fly from Perez to plate Cox with one out in the first inning stood as the lone score for 3 ⅓ innings.

However, freshman starting pitcher Caden Cooper’s second turn through the Arizona State rotation wouldn’t bode the same results as his first, allowing an RBI single in the fourth and a sacrifice fly in the fifth, putting Houston behind 2-1.

In that same span, the Cougars saw 10 of their last 11 batters sent down, with the lone baserunner being senior infielder Carsten Sabathia III, who drew a one-out walk in the third inning.

Arizona State would tack four more runs in the sixth inning, off of junior reliever Alex Solis. Hairston capped it off, hammering a two-run home run to right field and tying the Sun Devils’ single-season program record of 27.

Houston managed to trim an 8-1 deficit in the ninth inning with Perez scoring on a wild pitch and Fields singling in senior infielder Antonelli Savatterre, the final run in its 8-3 loss to end the season.

The Cougars finish 2026 with a 24-31 overall record and a conference-worst 7-23 mark in Big 12 play.

Houston is expected to announce the future of Whitting in the coming days, before entering the offseason with numerous departing seniors.