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The Roost Podcast | Ep 198 – Rice Football Spring Review

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The first set of Rice football spring practices under head coach Scott Abell have come to an end and y’all have questions. We field them in this show.

After reviewing an intra-season coaching hire for Rice baseball, The Roost podcast pivots back to Rice football, discussing the Spring Game and general takeaways from the first spring under head coach Scott Abell. Rather than reiterate things we’ve mentioned before, we opened the mailbag and solicited questions from our listeners.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 198.

Episode Notes

DCTF

The Roost Podcast is now part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You’ll still get the same content with the same hosts, but now under the DCTF banner.

Homefield

We’re thrilled to partner with Homefield Apparel, the premier proprietor of college football clothing. First-time buyers can use the code ROOST for 15% off their order. The Owls hoodie is a personal favorite as is the Luv-Ya-Owls shirt. Make sure you check out the brand-new sailor hat (pictured below) as you shop the Rice collection or pick up something else (or both)!

Homefield

Patreon

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Rice Football Spring Q&A from our listeners. Topics include:

  • The passing game
  • Injuries
  • Depth charts
  • The quarterback battle
  • Scheme and tempo
  • The offensive line
  • Surprises, standouts and closing thoughts

Where can you find us?

The Roost Podcast is part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You can find this podcast and all of our partner podcasts on Apple, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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Rice Baseball drops Silver Glove finale to Houston

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Rice Baseball dropped the final game of the Silver Glove series against Houston without much protest in their penultimate midweek game of the season.

Any aspirations of stealing the final game of the Silver Glove series from Houston were quickly cast aside on Tuesday night when Rice baseball head coach David Pierce was forced to pull starting pitcher Marco Fuentes before he recorded an out in the first inning. Neither Austin Eppley, who followed him, nor Mark Perkins, who came next, were able to keep the Cougars in check, and not entirely by fault of their own.

The Cougars recorded just five hits in the first three innings against that trio, but three errors and three hit batters proved too much to overcome. Houston scored eight in the first three frames, thrusting Rice into catch-up mode early in the game.

Last Weekend: Rice baseball posts emphatic series win over USF

Rice did scrape together a few runs, getting one run back on a single from Hiram Bocachica in the second. Bocachica scored on a wild pitch in the fourth and Treyton Rank lifted a home run to left field in the fifth. Each accounted for a single run, not nearly enough to spur a serious comeback.

The Cougars scored four in the seventh, three on a home run off Matt Zatopek, putting the game out of reach. They went on to win 15-3. Houston swept the Silver Glove series with the win, but Rice still leads the all-time series 62-40

What it means | Playing the long game

Rice baseball pulled out all the stops to secure a conference win against South Florida this weekend, masterfully piecing together a somewhat unconventional combination of pitchers to secure the necessary outs. Rather than taxing those same arms against a non-conference opponent, the coaching staff opted to trot out some lesser-used hurlers. The results went about as well as one might expect.

Podcast: Unpacking the Pierce hire and midseason start

After Fuentes failed to record an out, Eppley and Perkins were the next to be summoned to the mound, neither of whom ranks highly on the Owls’ leverage inning circle of trust. By the time Von Baker arrived with one out in the third, the damage had been done and Rice found itself in an 8-1 hole. Rice would go on to use a season-high 10 pitchers in the contest, most of which won’t be featured on weekends.

For better or worse, each arm can only wear so many innings and throw so many pitches. Tuesday’s utilization was reflective of that and made it quite clear the staff is putting all of its eggs in the conference wins basket rather than selling out to win a midweek game in a season series that had already been decided.

Up Next: at Memphis x3 (Thr-Sat)

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Rice Football Recruiting: OL Clay Mitchell commits to Owls

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The second pledge of the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class is on the board. Offensive lineman Clay Mitchell has committed to the Owls.

The beginnings of the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class are taking shape. With one pledge already in the fold, the Owls hosted a whole flock of recruits during the Blue and Gray weekend, landing at least one commit thus far. Offensive lineman Clay Mitchell has committed to the Owls.

Mitchell had offers from UTEP, where current Rice football Director of Player Personnel Chad Johnson came from prior to arriving at South Main, as well the services academies and Georgia State. For Mitchell, it was the presence of head coach Scott Abell and his culture that made the difference.

“Coach Abell also is very easy to talk to and makes me and my family feel like we are a part of his own family,” Mitchell told The Roost, later adding that “Coach Abell is known for turning around programs and I am all in to help make that happen.”

Mitchell joins Sulphur (OK) tight end Colten Cole as the initial members of the 2026 class, which has seen dozens of offers extended to targets in the last few week, many of which were on campus this past weekend.

Premium: Rice Football Recruiting Offer and Commitment Tracker

When it comes to the tape, Mitchell’s prowess in the trenches sticks out. He told The Roost he prides himself in his run blocking and his “ability to dominate at the line of scrimmage and make people want to quit.” The physicality sticks out and should make him an exciting piece to watch in the trenches when he arrives on South Main.

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Rice Baseball posts emphatic series win over USF

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For Rice baseball, their first series win of the season was a big one, taking two of three from South Florida which entered the weekend atop the AAC standings.

FRIDAY | USF 14, Rice 3 (7 inn)

With Davion Hickson completing his suspension, JD McCracken drew the Friday night start for Rice baseball this week. He worked calmy through the first and the second inning before USF ambushed him with a three-run, four-hit third inning. He’d managed just one more out before being lifted in the fourth in favor of Garrett Stratton with the Owls trailing 4-1.

More: 59 Minutes — David Pierce Challenges Rice baseball to grow

Landon West had done his part to get Rice on the board with a solo home run in the second and proceeded to cut the deficit in half with a sac fly in the fourth. Stratton kept the Owls in the game, working into the seventh before surrendering a three-run home run to put Rice behind 7-2.

Treyton Rank got one back with a home run in the bottom of the frame before USF opened the floodgates in the eighth. Nolan Roycraft recorded one out and was charged with seven runs. Micah Davis gave up two of those, enough to push the Owls’ deficit to 11 and end the game via a run rule.

SATURDAY | Rice 15, USF 3 (7 inn)

Tucker Alch delivered 4.1 innings of no-hit baseball, leaving the game with a 4-0 advantage after hitting the first two South Florida batters to open the fifth. His relief came in the form of Davion Hickson, who collected the next two outs, albeit with USF scoring on an overthrown ball from catcher Aric Anderson on a stolen base attempt.

Last Weekend: Rice Baseball swept at Tulane

Hickson would work through an uneventful top of the sixth before spending a lengthy time on the bench as he watched the Rice bats pile on seven more runs. Anderson, Graiden West, Colin Robson, Blaine Brown and Michael Zito had RBI in the inning, setting Rice up for a potential run-rule win. They’d earn that early ending with a walk-off grand slam from Brown.

SUNDAY | Rice 5, USF 2

Perhaps still reeling from Saturday’s shellacking, South Florida didn’t play clean baseball in the rubber game and Rice baseball took advantage of those miscues. Graiden West scored on an error in the second to put Rice in front, setting up another unearned run in the same frame. The Bulls got one back in the top of the third, but another error in the bottom half of the inning allowed Rice to add two more to its total.

On the mound, Jackson Blank worked through traffic to allow just two runs in four innings, giving way to Jack Ben-Shoshan in the fifth who would allow just two hits in his five innings of relief, stymying the USF offense. Neither side would score after the fifth as Ben-Shoshan slammed the door, earning the win and clinching the first series win for Rice baseball under head coach David Pierce.

THREE FOR THE ROAD

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New-look offense shines at 2025 Rice Football Spring Game

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The 2025 Rice football spring practices concluded on Saturday with the spring game, a more condensed version this year, but still rich with things to learn.

An open quarterback competition, a new offense and plenty of new faces made for an exciting night at Historic Rice Stadium for the Owls’ first spring game under head coach Scott Abell on Saturday night. Marketed as more of an open practice, the Owls went through some drills before going through a handful of drives in front of the assembled crowed.

More: Spring Practice Notebook 6 — Big moves in the trenches

This update focuses on what took place in that scrimmage, hitting on some takeaways from the game and how those items compare to the totality of the spring.

Mission Accomplished

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