Sam Houston State Bearkats baseball
| Sam Houston State Bearkats | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Founded | 1906 |
| University | Sam Houston State University |
| Conference | Southland |
| Location | Huntsville, TX |
| Head coach | Matt Deggs (1st year) |
| Home stadium |
Don Sanders Stadium (Capacity: 1,164) |
| Nickname | Bearkats |
| Colors | White and Orange |
| National Championships | |
| NAIA: 1963 | |
| College World Series appearances | |
| NAIA: 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1974, 1975 | |
| NCAA Tournament appearances | |
| NCAA Division II: 1984, 1985, 1986, NCAA Division I: 1987, 1989, 1996, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016 |
|
| Conference tournament champions | |
| Southland: 1996, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2016 | |
| Conference champions | |
| Lone Star: 1954, 1955, 1981, 1982 Gulf Star: 1985, 1986, 1987 Southland: 1989, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016 |
|
The Sam Houston State Bearkats baseball team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, United States. The team is a member of the Southland Conference, an athletic conference in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The team plays its home games at Don Sanders Stadium. Following the 2014 season, Matt Deggs replaced head coach David Pierce, who left for the same position with the Tulane Green Wave.
The first Sam Houston State baseball team was fielded in 1906 and was the university's first collegiate athletic team. The modern era for the Bearkats baseball team began in 1949, and the Sam Houston State athletic department does not include any statistics prior to the season in the program's record books. Since 1949, however, Sam Houston State baseball has been one of the most productive sports out of all the university athletic programs. The Bearkats boast an overall 1732-1134-7 (.604) WLT record from 1949 through the 2012 season. The Bearkats claim one national title from the NAIA World Series in 1963.
To begin the modern era, Hayden "Hap" Malone, former graduate and professor of Physical Education at SHSTC was hired as the head baseball coach in 1949. As a NAIA independent in baseball, Hap Malone's Bearkats saw mixed results in his first 6 years as the Bearkats head coach. The program was quite successful from 1949 through 1950 as the Bearkats posted a combined 24–14 record in those two seasons (15–5 and 19–9 respectively). The next two seasons saw two losing records, (11–13 and 11–14). The 1953 and 1954 seasons were both winning seasons, with the Bearkats posting a 20 win record in 1954. However, the roller coaster ride was not over and the Kats once again fell into mediocrity in 1955–56. After the 1956 season resulting in 10–18 record, their lowest win total to date, Coach Malone was relieved of his duties. Hap Malone was inducted into Sam Houston State's Hall of Honor in 1971.
To right the ship left by Hap Malone, Sam Houston hired Ray Benge as the new head coach of the Bearkats. Ray Benge formerly pitched for Sam Houston State in the early twenties before being drafted by the Phillies and playing 12 years in the Major Leagues. Benge proved to be the cure to ail all of the Bearkats woes as his teams never saw a losing record. Benge took the Bearkats to six straight NAIA Baseball World Series appearances including one national championship win in 1963 over Grambling. He finished with a 237–102 record and was inducted into SHSU's Hall of Honor with Hap Malone in 1971.
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