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Conference USA Baseball sends four to 2021 NCAA Regionals

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The Road to Omaha begins now. Conference USA Baseball is sending four teams to NCAA Regionals where they’ll vie for a trip to the 2021 College World Series.

Conference USA Baseball had four ranked teams entering its conference tournament. After a thrilling week of postseason play in Ruston, Old Dominion punched its automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament, but each of the other three teams earned an at-large bid as expected. The four bids are the most from Conference USA since 2016 and more than all but three conferences.

Here’s when are where C-USA teams will see action this week with all opening round games taking place on Friday, June 4:

Ruston Regional hosted by Louisiana Tech

  • No. 2 NC State (30-17) vs. No. 3 Alabama (31-24), 3 p.m., ESPN3
  • No. 1 Louisiana Tech (40-18) vs. No. 4 Rider (23-16), 7 p.m., ESPN3

One of the conference’s two No. 1 seeds, Louisiana Tech is the only C-USA program hosting in their own ballpark. NC State, the No. 2 seed in their regional, was one of the hotter teams in the country down the stretch. With Tech being the lowest-seeded host, that would have made NC State next in line in the pecking order. Alabama is right alongside NC State in RPI (No. 35 compared to NC State’s No. 33).

Columbia Regional hosted by South Carolina

  • No. 2 South Carolina (33-21) vs. No. 3 Virginia (29-23), 12 p.m., ESPN2
  • No. 1 Old Dominion (42-14) vs. No. 4 Jacksonville (16-32), 7 p.m., ESPN3

Although they’ll be the top seed in name, Old Dominion will visit South Carolina for the regional debut. The Gamecocks scuttled in the final weeks of the regular season whereas their first round opponent, Virginia, was white-hot down the stretch.

Oxford Regional hosted by Ole Miss

  • No. 2 Southern Miss (37-19) vs. No. 3 Florida State (30-22), 3 p.m., ESPNU
  • No. 1 Ole Miss (41-19) vs. No. 4 Southeast Missouri State (30-20), 8 p.m., ESPN3

This regional is going to be phenomenal. Southern Miss might have the most impactful pitching corps of these four teams, but they’ll be tested by two top-flight clubs in Ole Miss and South Carolina. For a team as talented as the Golden Eagles, the seeding committee did them no favors.

Greenville Regional hosted by East Carolina

  • No. 1 East Carolina (41-15) vs. No. 4 Norfolk State (25-26), 12 p.m., ESPN3
  • No. 2 Charlotte (39-19) vs. No. 3 Maryland (28-16), 6 p.m., ESPN3

Charlotte was bounced quickly from the conference tournament, but their body of work was enough to secure a No. 2 seed where they’ll be paired with East Carolina. The pirates were upset by UCF in their conference tournament, but both squads will be ready to bounce back with the stakes elevated even further.

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Rice Baseball: 2021 MLB Owls update – May 29

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The 2021 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 from this week.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

Rendon was somewhat quiet at the plate this week, collecting a pair of doubles and two RBI over the last six games. That didn’t stop him from adding value elsewhere. Rendon’s range and head’s up baseball smarts led to a rather peculiar double play combination against the A’s.

Through May 29, Rendon is hitting .228 with seven extra-base hits, 14 walks and 24 strikeouts. His OPS is .657 and he’s collected 14 RBI.

Brock Holt – Texas Rangers

Roughly a week and a half removed from a stint on the injured list, Holt started four of six games for the Rangers this week while also making one pinch-hit appearance.

Through May 29, Holt is hitting .238 with three extra-base hits, 11 walks and 15 strikeouts. His OPS is .693 and he’s collected seven RBI.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

Duffey was nearly spotless in three outings this week. He faced 10 batters over 3.0 innings, striking out seven, walking two while allowing no hits. He lowered his ERA by nearly a full point over that time period.

Through May 29, Duffey has a 4.66 ERA with a 1.309 WHIP. He’s averaging 9.0 strikeouts per nine innings.

Lucas Luetege – New York Yankees

Luetege made two appearances this week, both in Yankee losses to the Blue Jays. He allowed a pair of unearned runs in the first outing on Tuesday but bounced back in the second, striking out three batters in 1.1 innings on Thursday.

Through May 29, Luetege has a 2.66 ERA with a 1.014 WHIP. He’s averaging 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings.

J.T. Chargois – Seattle Mariners

Chargois earned a pair of holds this week, his first of the season. He’s settled in quite nicely in his return to the major leagues. He’s also been one of the Mariner’s toughest to hit pitchers, ranking highly among the staff in whiff rate, the ratio of pitches that produce swings and misses.

Through May 29, Chargois has a 2.45 ERA with a 0.727 WHIP. He’s averaging 8.2 strikeouts per nine innings.

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Conference USA Football: Unpacking the Transfer Portal in 2021

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Each Conference USA Football program has approached the Transfer Portal in different ways. Here’s the latest snapshot following the 2021 class.

The Transfer Portal never had anything near the level of discretion that might have been intended when it was launched a few short years ago. Players that enter and exit the portal are tracked publicly, with sites like 247 Sports and Rivals keeping tabs on their movements.

With data on the 2021 cycle nearly complete and offseason programs approaching, now seemed like an appropriate time to take stock of that latest from Conference USA football programs and the Transfer Portal.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 76 – Top Rice Athletics Moments in recent history

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This week we take a moment to reflect on the last 10 or so years of Rice Athletics, sifting through some of the biggest moments and storylines.

It’s hard to boil down a program into singular moments, but some events and seasons do stand out more than others. On this week’s show we recalled some of the most impactful ones from recent Rice Athletics history. From football to volleyball, to everywhere in between we discussed and remembered some of the high points along the way. Did we miss anything? Follow us on Twitter or send us leave us a comment on Facebook to let us know.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 76.

Episode Notes

  • Housekeeping
    • Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice. Every little bit helps.
    • Please support us on Patreon. Be the first to get the inside scoop on what’s going on with Rice football and stick around for even further analysis. That includes our debriefing series on spring football, recruiting news and more.
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  • Moments 
    • 2013 – Football Conference Championship (def. Marshall)
    • 2014 – Football Hawaii Bowl win
    • 2019 – Women’s basketball Undefeated in C-USA, Make NCAA Tournament
    • 2019 – Volleyball upsets No. 3 Texas at home
    • 2020 – Football shuts out Marshall
    • 2021 – Women’s Basketball win WNIT
    • 2021 – Volleyball upsets No. 2 Texas in Austin
    • 2021 – Soccer Sweet 16 (Upset WVU)

Where can you find us?

Download and subscribe to The Roost Podcast on any of your favorite podcast providers. The show is available on iTunes, GooglePlay, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and PodBean. Please consider leaving a review wherever you listen.

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Rice Baseball: Names to watch in Owls’ coaching search

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After relieving Matt Bragga of his duties, Rice baseball is looking for a new head coach. Here are five potential names the Owls might consider.

Early reports have begun to emerge regarding potential candidates for the now opener Rice baseball head coaching position. Here are five names that could be in the mix over the next several weeks, linked either through a previous report or by their previous connection with the school.

Pat Hallmark

An All-Southwestern Conference catcher at Rice who returned to South Main as an assistant coach from 2006 to 2016.  From there he spent one year at Missouri as an assistant before being named the head coach at Incarnate Word. Hallmark was named the Southland Conference Coach of the Year in 2019, springboarding him to the UTSA head coaching job, where he’s accrued a 32-31 record over the past two seasons.

Jake Gautreau

A prominent assistant that’ll be in the running for several jobs this offseason, Gautreau currently serves as the hitting coach for Mississippi State. Prior to arriving in Starkville, he spent time as an assistant at Tulane, where he’d been named a two-time Conference USA Player of the Year during his playing days. He and the next name on this list were both tabbed as candidates to watch by D1 Baseball’s Kendall Rogers.

Sean Allen

Like Gautreau, Allen also has a Tulane connection. The well-traveled assistant spent two seasons as an assistant with the Green Wave, with other stops at Houston, Sam Houston and FIU. He’s been with the Longhorns for the past nine seasons. For what it’s worth, he follows The Roost on Twitter shortly after the news of Bragga’s dismissal was released.

Rob Childress

The longtime Texas A&M head coach was not offered a new contract following the 2021 season which saw his team miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2006. During his time in College Station he led the Aggies to six conference titles and two College World Series appearances. He wouldn’t have to travel far were he to relocate to Houston, which he reportedly would have interest in doing.

Lance Berkman

This list wouldn’t be complete without a nod to the Rice great Lance Berkman. His proximity and to the school and his name-brand cache might warrant attention, but no reports have directly linked him to the job just yet. Rogers actually tabbed Berkman as a name to keep an eye on in a coaching search across town. Houston Baptist is also looking for a new skipper and Berkman is expected to be a candidate in that search.

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