A strong start from Jeremiah Arnett and timely power hitting from the bats gave Rice baseball plenty of support in their midweek win over Purdue.
Cole Green broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth inning with a solo shot to left field, the first run for Rice baseball since their Sunday finale against Northwestern. It would not be the last. Colin Robson added two more to the total in the fifth, passing the baton to Kutter-Gage Webb and then Garet Boehm, extending the Owls’ edge to 5-0 through six.
Last Weekend: Rice Baseball Takes Opening Series over Northwestern
The five run edge felt particularly secure given the tremendous start from Jeremiah Arnett. The Wichita State transfer tossed 6.1 innings of shutout ball, allowing just four hits with four strikeouts along the way. He left the game with trouble in the top of the seventh. The Boilermakers scored a pair in that frame, but Ty Thames would eventually settle things down, cruising through the next 2.2 innings without further incident.
Arnett earned his first win of the season. Thames picked up the save. With the victory, Rice baseball improves to 3-2 on the season after splitting their midweek matchups following a loss to Louisiana on Tuesday.
What it means | Power Surge
Even when accounting for the nature of small sample sizes, it might be time to start considering the 2026 Rice Baseball offense could have a flair for the big swing. The Owls hit four home runs in their opening game, two more in the next three and added a pair to that tally on Wednesday against Purdue.
More: 2026 Rice Baseball Season Preview
All told, that’s eight home runs in five games. Not an unheard of pace, but one that would put Rice on the path for roughly 30 more jacks than they had last season. For an offense in search of some pop, early returns are largely positive.