It wasn’t the deepest group, but those who were called upon made a big difference for Rice baseball in 2026, providing the Owls with a largely reliable relief corps.
One wouldn’t have to dig too far into the Rice baseball history books to find less than stellar bullpen performances. A challenged starting pitchless-than-stellaring staff, save an arm or two, often contributed to those problems. But the Owls’ rotation was particularly strong in 2026 and, perhaps not coincidentally, the bullpen was as well.
More: 5 Takeaways from Resurgent Rice Baseball Season
For the purposes of this discussion, we look at the arms that saw the most use, some in specific parts of the season and others throughout the year. A clear hierarchy emerged as the year progressed, but head coach David Pierce was still working to extend that depth in the final games of the season.
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** Photo credit: Maria Lysaker **