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Jose Cruz Jr. and the trajectory Rice Baseball: April 2024 Q&A

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Rice Baseball head coach Jose Cruz Jr. has hit a rough spot midway through the 2024 season. Can he right the ship?

It’s been an up-and-down season for Rice baseball, which has only recently started to rebound after a tough stretch during the spring. As come with any stretch of defeats, questions came in regarding the future of Rice baseball and what to make of the program under head coach Jose Cruz Jr. This month’s Q&A digs into those concerns and offers some potential answers for the future of one of the Owls’ historic programs.

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Q: I know you try to accentuate the positive and the Cruz family is a famous part of Rice baseball but can Jose Cruz, Jr. fix the Rice baseball program?

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Rice Basketball Recruiting: G Denver Anglin commits to Owls

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A familiar face has followed Rob Lanier to South Main. SMU transfer Denver Anglin is the newest member of the incoming 2024 Rice Basketball recruiting class.

The roster restocking continues. Following a busy week of new additions from the Transfer Portal, the 2024 Rice Basketball Recruiting class has added a more familiar face. Guard Denver Anglin, who was with current Owls’ head coach Rob Lanier at SMU, has committed to the Owls.

During Lanier’s introductory press conference, he was asked whether or not the Transfer Portal would help him add some “familiar faces” to the Owls’ current roster, clearly imploring Lanier to divulge whether or not he would have interest in bringing any additional players beyond his son Emory with him from SMU to Rice. Lanier’s offered a one-word response: “Yes”.

Lanier’s response wasn’t a promise that he’d be bringing his roster with him. And those players had their own choices to make, too. But it was clear from that point the family atmosphere he’d created in Dallas might see some of his former players seek to reunite with their former coach. Anglin is the first former Mustang to make the leap.

A former four-star recruit, Anglin is a New Jersey native who signed with Georgetown out of high school. He transferred to SMU in the summer of 2023 with three seasons of eligibility remaining but did not see action for the Mustangs this past season as he was forced to take a redshirt due to injuries.

Anglin is the seventh offseason addition to the roster, which is slowly beginning to take shape. The Owls should have room for a couple more additions before the frenzy of additions slows down.

More: Rice Basketball Roster Tracker

Anglin doesn’t have a ton of tape to review, but what is out there impresses. He’s a good shooter with tremendous athleticism. His arrival on South Main is clearly indicative of how much the coaching staff believes in his ability.

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Rice Baseball 2024: MLB Owls Update – Apr 24

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The 2024 MLB season is underway and Rice baseball alums are busy on the mound and at the plate. Here’s the latest from the MLB Owls.

Tyler Duffey – Kansas City Royals

Duffey was called up to the big leagues for the first time this season on Monday, April 22, appearing in a game that evening against the Toronto Blue Jays. The outing marked the third different major league team he’s pitched for in his 10-year career, spending nine years with the Twins before appearing in one game with the Cubs last season. On Monday, Duffey threw two scoreless innings, striking out three and walking two.

Duffey joined Bally Sports Kansas City after his 2024 debut for a brief interview:

Through April 24, Duffey has a 0.00 ERA with a 1.000 WHIP. He’s averaging 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

Injured List

J.T. Chargois – Miami Marlins

Last week Chargois thew a one-inning, 20-pitch live batting practice session as part of his rehab. He has been out since March 25 with neck spasms.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

Rendon’s scorching red-hot stretch of the season came to an abrupt halt on Sunday when the Halos’ third baseman was put on the injured list with a left hamstring strain suffered on Saturday while running out an infield single. It was a frustrating development for Rendon to say the least.

Through April 24, Rendon is hitting .267 with three extra-base hits, six walks and 15 strikeouts. His OPS is .632 and he’s collected three RBI.

Glenn Otto – San Diego Padres

Prior to the beginning of the season, Otto was placed on the 15-Day Injured List on March 19 with a right teres major strain.

Knocking on the Door

The following Owls began the season in AAA:

  • Matt Canterino – St Paul Saints (Twins)
  • Tyler Duffey – Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals) *promoted
  • Jon Duplantier – Syracuse Mets (Mets)
  • Tristan Gray – Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Marlins)
  • Evan Kravetz – Louisville Bats (Reds)
  • Lucas Luetge – Worcester Red Sox (Red Sox)
  • Dane Myers – Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Marlins)
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Rice Football 2024 Spring Notebook 10: Unanswered Questions

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A few outstanding questions remain for Rice football after the conclusion of spring practice. Let’s address a few unknowns and potential concerns.

It was largely an encouraging spring for Rice football. Both sides of the ball had their moments. New quarterback EJ Warner looked poised and productive in just a few short weeks. The coaching staff walked away happy, for the most part. But no football team is ever perfect after spring practices and they’ll have a few months to address the concerns that remain as best they can. What are those potential pain points? We highlight a few from the totality of spring practices below.

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A wide receiver room in transition

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Rice Basketball Recruiting: F Caden Powell commits to Owls

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The incoming 2024 Rice Basketball recruiting class just got bigger, landing a commitment from 6-foot-10 Wyoming transfer Caden Powell.

Days removed after a flurry of additions to the 2024 Rice Basketball recruiting class, the Owls have continued their roster rebuild with the pickup of an important big man. Forward Caden Powell, a Waco, Texas native, has committed to transfer from Wyoming to Rice.

Powell was a fixture for the Wyoming Cowboys last season, starting in 31 games and averaging 5.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. He also blocked 24 shots. The second-year player took a step forward as a sophomore not long removed from being a top 25 player in the state of Texas, according to 247 Sports, when he signed with the Cowboys.

At that time, Powell had some interest from Texas A&M and offers from North Texas and others. He’s turned into a reliable contributor since and seems to be on an upward trajectory as he arrives at South Main with two years of eligibility remaining.

Powell joins a growing roster that has taken heavily from the Transfer Portal with the arrival of the new coaching staff. That class currently includes another Powell (Aaron), Emory Lanier, Kellen Amos, Trey Patterson and Trae Broadnax. There’s room for at least a few more given the current state of the roster. Don’t expect Powell to be the last.

More: Rice Basketball Roster Tracker

On the court, Powell’s presence in the interior is his biggest differentiator from what Rice has on its roster right now. He’s a rim protector with the ability to challenge opponents’ shots and is willing and able to crash the glass on the offensive side. He’s another important building block as this staff retools the Owls’ roster.

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