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Rice Baseball swept by “three clean games” from East Carolina

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Rice baseball dropped three close games to East Carolina over the weekend, making progress while still making it clear this team has a ways to go.

FRIDAY | ECU 4, Rice 2

Davion Hickson set the tone on Friday night, reaching season-highs in innings (eight), pitches (121) and strikeouts (9), battling against ECU. He allowed four runs, three earned, and while not a perfect night, the length was instrumental in limiting the Owls’ bullpen exposure for the remainder of the weekend.

More: Why Wait? David Pierce hired as Rice baseball head coach

Hickson’s lone run support came in the fifth inning via a two-run home run from Blaine Brown, turning a 4-0 deficit into a more manageable two run game. That margin would stay at two, though, with Rice producing just one more base runner for the remainder of the game, unable to do further damage against ECU starter Ethan Norby or his relief, Brad Pruett.

SATURDAY | ECU 5, Rice 3 (11 inn)

Rice baseball had every chance to even the series on Saturday, opening the game with two runs in the first inning to support JD McCracken, who turned in a marvelous outing. McCracken kept ECU off the board until the eighth, but still left the game as the pitcher of record in line for the win. McCracken had reached that place thanks in part to a crucial sac fly from Blaine Brown in the seventh, the difference in the score to that point.

Last Weekend: Rice Baseball takes one of three from FAU in Pierce’s AAC debut

Unfortunately, the bullpen could not close things out as ECU tied the game off Jack Ben-Shoshan in the ninth. Rice got the winning run into scoring position with one out in the bottom of the inning, but couldn’t bring him around. ECU would take the game with two runs in the 11th, their first lead of the game.

SUNDAY | ECU 8, Rice 5

It was death by paper cut in the early innings for Rice in the series finale. ECU leaned on bunts and singles to cobble together a 3-0 lead through three, not delivering an extra-base hit until a double that made it 5-0 in the fourth. All of those runs were charged to Rice starter Tucker Alch.

On the brink of falling out of the game, head coach David Pierce turned to pinch hitter Jacob Devenny with two outs and two men on in the fourth. Devenny responded with a three-run shot down the right field line to get the Owls back within two.

Both teams traded runs in the fifth before ECU tacked on two more in the seventh, leaving Rice in a three-run hole by the time the bottom of the ninth arrived. Rice would load the bases for Michael Zito who drove a ball to right center field but saw it fall harmlessly into the glove of an ECU outfielder to end the game.

THREE FOR THE ROAD

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Rice Football 2025 Spring Practice Notebook 4: QB Battle and Scrimmage Thoughts

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The three-man quarterback race is heating up as Rice football pushes past the midpoint of spring practices, making progress with the new offensive scheme.

With more than half of Rice football spring practice in the books, the Owls’ offense is beginning to materialize. Several weeks of installs have led to the beginnings of a pecking order with a few skill players making their names known alongside a heated battle in the quarterback room.

More: Spring Practice Notebook 3 — The Rice Football defense takes shape

The second scrimmage of the spring wrapped up on Saturday with plenty to be gleaned from that side of the ball. This update dives into what scrimmages (and the upcoming Spring Game) will look like under head coach Scott Abell, how the quarterback race is shaping up and more as we cross the midpoint and get into the final weeks of spring practice.

Rethinking the word scrimmage

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Rice Football 2025 Spring Practice Notebook 3: Defense takes shape

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The first signs of a hierarchy within the Rice football defense are beginning to form as the Owls work through the first few weeks of spring ball.

So much focus has, understandably, been given to the Rice football offense as it installs a new scheme under head coach Scott Abell. And while that has been fun to watch and filled with unexpected twists and developments, the relatively smooth deployment of the defensive scheme under first-year DC Jon Kay has begun to crystallize.

More: Spring Practice Notebook 2 — Unpacking the offense and QBs

This update digs into what potential starting roles on defense are nearly secured, which pieces are fighting for meaningful depth spots and a host of other spots still up for grabs as spring progresses.

Early contenders for First Teamers

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Rice Baseball surges past Texas Southern

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A close game in the early innings tilted heavily in favor of Rice Baseball late as the Owls scored eight in the final four innings to beat Texas Southern.

Reed Gallant set the tone for Rice baseball on Wednesday night, battling through 4.1 innings before a two-run RBI single forced him from the game. His ability to navigate through eight hits while allowing just two runs was instrumental to the Owls’ chances. Case in point, by the time he turned the ball over to Garret Stratton, his teammate had already built a four-run cushion.

Those four early runs came in two pairs, each via two-out hits in successive innings. Landon West got things started by scooping a double to shallow left center field that just slipped under the glove of a diving outfielder to plate two in the third. Blaine Brown followed with a single through the left side of the infield in the fourth, stretching the Owls’ advantage from 2-0 to 4-0.

Last Weekend: Rice baseball takes one from FAU in David Pierce’s first series

After knocking Gallant out in the fifth and getting two runs back, Texas Southern nearly leveled the score in the sixth, loading the bases and scoring once off Von Baker, who loaded the bases with one out. The defense came to his rescue with Max Johnson rifling a grounder to Aric Anderson at home to turn an inning-ending 5-2 double play to preserve the Owls’ lead. That was one of several superb defensive moments from Rice.

A double from Cole Green and a groundout from Trey Duffield put Rice back in front by four and that’s as close as Texas Southern would get for the rest of the night. The Owls scored three in the sixth and five in the seventh, turning a close game into a much-needed, one-sided home win.

What They’re Saying

What it means | Off the mat

The overall record isn’t going to look pretty this season, but that’s to be expected after Rice baseball bottomed out at 2-16, making a coaching change in the process. However, Rice is 4-4 over their last eight, their first stretch of .500 baseball since winning two of three in their initial homestand of the season, with wins over Sam Houston and USC.

David Pierce was hired to quell the storm and make this team respectable again. But even though eyes have, understandably, already begun to peek ahead at next season, his impact on this current roster cannot be understated. Those around the program have commented on the team’s renewed energy and passion and the results are starting to speak for themselves.

Podcast: Unpacking the Pierce hire and midseason start

Pierce is now officially 2-3 as the Owls’ manager. That’s in a week’s worth of baseball with a team he didn’t build and is only now beginning to understand. Nevertheless, it’s better than where the Owls have been and if this recent stretch is any indication, it means Rice baseball will be competitive this season after all. Given how rocky the start of the year was, that’s a win in itself.

ON DECK | vs ECU x3 (Fri-Sun)

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Rice Baseball clipped by Lamar in narrow defeat

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Rice Baseball drops one-run game against Lamar despite a continued resurgence on the mound.

Runs were at a premium on Tuesday evening in Beaumont, TX as Rice baseball battled Lamar in a razor-close game for nine innings. Jackson Blank drew the start and went four innings, limiting the Cardinals to just four hits while striking out five.

The Owls fell behind in the second when Lamar tagged Jackson Blank with a two-out, two-RBI double to pull ahead. That margin would hold for some time before Rice got one run back via a two-out triple from Trey Duffield, which drove in Cole Green to cut the Owls’ deficit in half.

More: Rice baseball hires David Pierce as head coach

Rice had some big swings in this one, but the Duffield triple was the only one put to good use. The Owls were unable to capitalize on earlier doubles from Blaine Brown and Michael Zito.

The Rice pitching kept them within striking distance, but Rice went down quickly in the eighth and once again in the ninth, dropping the midweek bout by a final score of 2-1.

What it means | In Arms We Trust

The advance of the Owls’ pitching since Jose Cruz was relieved of his duties roughly two weeks ago has been a sight to behold. Rice pitching allowed 9.31 runs per game across those first 16 contests, serving as batting practice for the vast majority of their foes and posing little threat to anyone on the mound, regardless of the caliber of opponent.

Since Parker Bangs became the interim and, presumably, was given similar latitudes to manage the staff by new head coach David Pierce, the pitching staff hasn’t just gotten better, it’s improved by leaps and bounds.

Podcast: Unpacking the Pierce hire and midseason start

Rice allowed 9.31 runs per game through their first 16 games. In nine games since, including Tuesday against Lamar, Rice has allowed 4.22 runs per game, a 50 percent reduction. Rice hasn’t allowed double-figures once over that span. They did so six games in a row during their prolonged losing streak.

The bats haven’t seen the same degree of resurgence. Until they do, Rice baseball will have to rely on their arms, something that seems more plausible now than it did a few weeks previously.

ON DECK | vs Texas Southern (Wed), vs ECU x3 (Fri-Sun)

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