Houston’s Romero Suspended

Houston sophomore lefthander Seth Romero is suspended for a violation of team rules and will not pitch this weekend as the No. 12 Cougars open the season against Villanova.

Romero was named a Freshman All-American last season after going 7-4, 1.94 with 92 strikeouts in 83 1/3 innings. He pitched during the summer for USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team, making four appearances (one start). He went 1-1, 5.68 with nine strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.

Romero is a well-regarded prospect for the 2017 draft, pairing a low-90s fastball with a sharp slider. Houston, the reigning American Athletic Conference champions, expected him to pair with ace Andrew Lantrip to form a solid 1-2 punch at the top of its rotation.

Without Romero, Houston will likely turn to righthanders Marshall Kasowski and Mitch Ullom to fill out the rotation. Kasowski, a junior, went 1-0, 2.12 in nine relief appearances last season, while Ullom is a freshman from Sweeny (Texas) High. The Cougars could also use junior college transfers Nick Hernandez and Nathan Jackson as starters.

Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball.com was the first to report Romero’s suspension.