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Rice Baseball: 2020 MLB Owls update – August 27

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The 2020 MLB season is underway and Rice baseball alums are making noise. Here’s the latest on the MLB Owls from the week of August 27.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

Rendon had a stretch earlier this year where he went 0-for-21. Whether it was some rust from a longer than expected offseason or some bad luck, his slump has been emphatically ended.

From August 10 to August 24, Rendon hit .482 with five home runs and 13 RBI in 56 at bats. His OPS was 1.336. As David Adler points out in the tweet and story below, Rendon has been as consistent as ever.

According to Adler, “Rendon has been doing everything right when it comes to his hallmark, plate discipline. He was always swinging at all the right pitches; he just needed to hit them. Now the hits are coming. No one should be surprised.” Rice baseball fans certainly aren’t.

Through August 27, Rendon is hitting .316 with 10 extra-base hits, 20 walks and 19 strikeouts. His OPS is .982.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

Duffey is the only player in baseball who has appeared in at least 12 games with an ERA below 1.00 and a WHIP below .500. He’s just been dominant, allowing one hit or less in 11 of his 12 outings. He had two single-inning outings this week, striking out two batters apiece in each frame.

Through August 27, Duffey has a 0.75 ERA with a .417 WHIP. He’s averaging 12.0 strikeouts per nine innings.

Other Owls

Brock Holt was released on Thursday after the Brewers designated him for assignment last week. He hit .100 in 30 at bats this season before being released. His versatility and reliable glove should get him another shot with a big league team in the future.

Jon Duplantier is in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ player pool as he rehabs from an offseason injury. There haven’t been any updates regarding his status or when he might rejoin the team since the season began. Arizona could certainly use him.

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College Football: 2020 season schedule and first kickoff dates

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The 2020 college football season kicks off this weekend. Here’s the most up to date schedule after many previously scheduled games were postponed.

The carousel of college football schedules has gone round and round over the past several weeks. Who was playing who has seemed like a make-believe exercise at times, with games coming and going within days. Now things are getting real.

The first college football game of the season is scheduled to kick off this Saturday when Central Arkansas takes on Austin Peay at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama. The first FBS matchup of the season is scheduled to follow five days later when Central Arkansas visits UAB for their second game of the season.

With real football mere days away instead of weeks, it’s time we familiarized ourselves with which teams are going to be playing in real games on television. As things stand, here’s what’s on the schedule over the course of the next week and a half. This includes all games featuring FBS and/or FCS teams.

*Conference USA teams in bold

Saturday, Aug. 29

  • Austin Peay vs. Central Arkansas – 8 p.m. CST, ESPN

Thursday, Sept. 3

  • Central Arkansas at UAB – 7 p.m CST, ESPN3
  • South Alabama at Southern Miss – 7 p.m. CST, CBSSN

Saturday, Sept. 5

  • Arkansas State at Memphis – 6 p.m. CST, ESPN
  • Eastern Kentucky at Marshall – 12 p.m. CST, ESPN
  • Houston Baptist at North Texas – 6:30 p.m. CST, ESPN3
  • Middle Tennessee at Army
  • SMU at Texas State –  3:30 pm. CST, ESPN
  • Stephen F. Austin at UTEP – 8 p.m. CST, ESPN3

Monday, Sept. 7

  • BYU at Navy – 7 p.m. CST, ESPN

Learn more about every C-USA team including players to watch, roster analysis and pressing questions in The Roost’s 2020 Conference USA Season Preview, available now for $5.

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Conference USA Football: Reaction and “Snubs” from All-Conference team

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The 2020 Conference USA Football Coaches All-Conference teams are out. Which players should have had their names mentioned?

Before we really get going, let’s all agree that all-conference lists are inherently subjective. The 2020 Conference USA Football Coaches Preseason Teams was never going to make every fan base happy. And frankly, it wasn’t supposed to achieve those ends.

It was meant to recognize athletes who have proven themselves to be the best their conference has to offer. With that as the ground rules, there are a few “snubs” that deserved recognition on this list of C-USA’s best in some form or another.

Asher O’Hara – QB, Middle Tennesse

If I were building a team from scratch with Conference USA quarterbacks, Chris Robison from FAU would have been my first pick, judging by on-field ability alone. He’s no longer on the Owls’ roster. Asher O’Hara would have been my second.

O’Hara carried the Middle Tennesee offense on his back last season, willing an injury-plagued team within a few unfortunate bounces of bowl eligibility. He’s dangerous with his legs and his arms, and he’s still getting better. His 1,058 rushing yards were more than five times any other player on his team.

Instead, Jack Abraham gets the nod. The Southern Miss quarterback has shown flashes of being a top-notch player, but his abundance of elite pass catchers and inconsistencies make it hard for me to anoint him the best quarterback in the conference. Top 5? Sure. No. 1? That’s a tough sell. Charlotte’s Chris Reynolds has an argument to be made for him, too.

Victor Tucker – WR, Charlotte

If the conference included an all-purpose slot or one more nomination for a receiver, Tucker would have been the next name mentioned. All three of the guys mentioned in front of him are equally as deserving, but Tucker isn’t far behind by much, if at all.

Tucker has already secured a place among the best receivers in Charlotte football history. He’s the second leading returning receiver in the conference entering 2020, trailing only UAB’s Austin Watkins. He’s a home run threat that will continue to be a key cog in the 49ers’ offense in 2020.

Brontae Harris – CB, UAB

Harris not making the cut for the preseason list is explainable. He missed the entirety of his junior season with a foot injury. It’s hard for players to stay on these lists when they miss that many games, to some extent it really is “out of sight, out of mind”. So perhaps Harris being omitted isn’t quite a “snub”, but he’s worthy of the honor.

Pro Football Focus graded Harris as the highest-rated corner during his redshirt sophomore season, his last healthy year. Entering 2019 he was named to the Jim Thorpe Award preseason watch list, just as he was this season. He’s an elite corner who won’t be overlooked if he gets in a full season in 2020.

You can get all our conference preseason team picks in The Roost’s 2020 Conference USA Season Preview, available now for $5.

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Rice Football: Outlook on 2020 schedule

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The 2020 Rice Football schedule remains in flux with the season scheduled to begin sometime over the course of the next several weeks.

Last week, Rice Football was slated to begin its 2020 season against Lamar. On Friday that game was canceled. The Rice game was the only remaining opponent on Lamar’s fall athletic calendar, adding to the pressure to cancel on Lamar’s side of things.

Rice had the chance to postpone or cancel the game two weeks ago when they delayed the start of their season. At that time, they chose not to. Aligning their start date with the SEC and allowing for more time was a strategic decision. Rice will have the benefit of watching other conferences go first and seeing how their seasons progress.

How the rest of the schedule plays out remains to be seen. Rice was earnest in their desire to reschedule both of their postponed games, including a contest against Army and the Bayou Bucket against Houston.

Army is open on Sept. 26, but the Black Knights released an updated 11-game schedule on Monday without the Owls on it. If a game between the two schools were to be announced, that would have been the time to do so.

The Roost Podcast: Listen now to our 2020 Rice Football offense and defense previews

The omission of Rice from that schedule along with other conversations I’ve had over the past week indicates Rice won’t replace the open date from the Lamar cancellation with Army. Instead, Rice will plan to start its season on Oct. 3, adding another week of buffer to the front end of the schedule.

From there, it’s possible things could change further still.

Rice is slated to play Marshall on Oct. 3, but there remains some optimism Conference USA could assist in scheduling should more flexibility be needed.

If this were a traditional year, Conference USA would have released their television schedule months ago. The conference still hasn’t announced tv dates, in part, to preserve some wiggle room should it be required. The hope on that front would be that Rice could find a time and get Houston back on the schedule this year.

The Cougars play BYU during the Owls current bye week, but could be slotted into another should the right opportunities arrive.

The situation remains fluid. At this time, Rice has eight conference games on their schedule. There is a small chance schedules will align to allow Rice to play Houston in 2020. A game against Army doesn’t appear to be in the cards, at least not as the Owls opener. Playing the remaining eight games as-is would be the most likely scenario. Of course, that’s assuming any football is played this fall at all.

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Rice Baseball: 2020 Summer Ball end of season roundup

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Current, former and incoming Rice baseball players played in Summer Ball leagues around the country. Here’s what we learned this summer.

Summer seasons are finished. Rice baseball players across the country are headed back home after varied results over the past several months. Here are three takeaways from the summer with the final stats in the books.

1. The incoming hitters are going to fight for at bats soon

Rice baseball hit .260 in their truncated 2019 season, 10th best in Conference USA. With Trei Cruz off to the MLB, finding players ready and able to produce at the plate was an essential task this offseason. Head coach Matt Bragga did his part, bringing in some important transfers as well as promising young freshmen.

Nathan Becker and Guy Garibay, both members of the incoming 2020 Rice baseball recruiting class, led the way for the Owls at the plate this summer.

Becker finished with a final slash line of .404 / .448 / .635 and an OPS of 1.083. He had 21 hits in 19 games, seven of which went for extra bases. And he did all that while only striking out nine times in 58 plate appearances. He has power and good plate discipline.

Garibay’s numbers dipped a bit at the end of the season, but his impressive final line gives a pretty good indication of just how good he was. He ended the summer slashing .318 / .444 / .614 with a 1.058 OPS.

Of the other Owls we did get final numbers for, none posted an OPS above .650. A cursory look at the current abbreviated major league season reminds us not to overreact to 20 game samples. But it’s worth noting. If either Becker or Garibary can be anywhere near that consistent at the collegiate level, the Rice offense is going to tick upward during their tenure.

2. Quiet summers from fringe bats

Assuming Rice is able to bring back the majority of their upperclassmen-laden lineup and combine it with those young hitters, at bats could come at a premium in 2020. Veterans like Austin Bulman, Cade Edwards and Braden Comeaux don’t have much to worry about. Others like Dominic Cox, Aaron Beaulaurier and Justin Dunlap will have some added pressure this offseason.

Cox, along with infielder Brayden Combs and catchers Cullen Hanigan and Eric Benitez will be among the players competing for those at bats outside the top half of the order. A slow summer won’t doom them, but it’s worth noting that each played at least 10 games and none hit better than .200.

Fall camp and the offseason training program will play much larger roles in determining where all four of those guys fit in the fight for playing time, so it’s important not to read too much into a rather chaotic summer. But the missed opportunities are worth paying attention to, especially with others maximizing their chances.

3. Cautiously optimistic about returning arms

Rice is expected to lose Ben Content as a transfer this offseason. His dazzling 0.00 ERA was clear evidence he’s recovered and is ready to pitch at a high level.

Of the arms Rice will get back next season, several had promising outings this summer. Brand Deskins and AC Plum pitched particularly well. Deskin finished with a 1.08 ERA in 8.1 innings, averaging 21.1 strikeouts per nine innings. He was absolutely phenomenal.

Plum didn’t finish with a remarkable stat line, but pitched well prior to his final outing of the summer. Through his first eight appearances, Plum had a 2.31 ERA with 17 strikeouts and only six hits allowed in 11.2 innings. His 13 walks across that span is a bit concerning, and it caught up to him when he walked seven in two-thirds of an inning to end his summer on a low note. The total body of work, though, was largely positive.

Garrett Zaskoda and Mitchell Holcomb each posted ERAs of 2.70.

Hitting Stats

Pitching Stats

*All stats as of Aug 23 taken from league and team websites. Not all players listed have complete stats and some have no official stats listed at all.

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