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Rice Baseball: Previewing the FIU series

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Rice baseball hopes to extend their recent hot streak with a series win over FIU who visits Reckling Park this weekend. Here’s everything you need to know.

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It’s been a very different week for FIU and Rice baseball. The Owls have won four straight and five of their last six, sweeping Old Dominion on the road last weekend before an emphatic Tuesday night win over Sam Houston State. FIU has been less fortunate, losing eight in a row with a 3-9 record away from home.

Rice will have a real shot to gain ground in Conference USA and regain level footing after an 0-5 start. Here’s everything you need to know for the weekend:

Projected Pitching Matchups

Friday – 7:30 pm: Matt Canterino (2-4, 2.62) vs Logan Allen  (3-2, 1.05)
Saturday – 3:00 pm: Evan Kravetz (2-1, 4.82)  vs Nick MacDonald (0-3, 3.34)
Sunday – 12:00 pm: Addison Moss (1-1, 9.98) vs Franco Aleman (0-2, 4.24)

FIU Pitching

Friday night looks like it’s going to be a pitcher’s duel between two of the most trustworthy aces in CUSA. Canterino has been strong, but FIU’s Logan Allen has been near perfect. The sophomore lefty leads the conference in ERA, strikeouts and batting average against. FIU has won five of the last six games he’s started and he’s pitched at least a five inning shutout in each of those wins.

Behind him the options grow more uncertain. Nick McDonald will throw Saturday, but neither team has officially named a Sunday starter yet. After starting Christian Santana against Houston on Wednesday,  Franco Aleman is the probable choice.

Out of the bullpen Rice will have to find a way to solve Jan Figueroa. He’s made 13 appearances on the season, tied for second most on the team, but has yet to allow a run. Opposing batters are hitting .129 against him. Angel Tiburcio, Will Saxton and Jose Machado should be in line to see some relief work as well.

FIU Hitting

Their offensive attack has been as scattered as their pitching staff has been reliable. FIU ranks dead last in CUSA with a .228 batting average and a lowly .367 slugging percentage. Their Friday night ace, Allen, also has the best bat on the team. He holds a .316 average and should be in the mix to see plenty of plate appearances this weekend.

After Allen, the lineup gets thin quickly. Lorenzo Hampton Jr. is the only other FIU player hitting better than .300 (he sports a .302 batting average). The team ranks dead last in the conference in doubles, 10th in triples, but fourth in home runs. That’s going to be the sticking point against Rice pitching. A few base runners plus well timed blasts will be the Panthers’ Plan A approach at the plate.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Owls in the midst of productive Junior Days

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The 2020 Rice football recruiting class is picking up steam. The spring has brought three commitments and more could be on the way after a few official visit weekends.

The winter has barely dissipated and Rice football has already broken the ice on what could be a historic signing class. Not to be hyperbolic, but that’s the sort of trajectory that’s been set by the Owls’ first four commitments.

Safety Plae Wyatt, offensive lineman Braedon Nutter and Brady Feeney and newest commit Nate Kamper have already raised the bar. Wyatt, Nutter and Feeney rate as three of the four highest-rated players Rice has signed since 2015. Kamper is a 6-foot-6 matchup nightmare in the slot and the Owls’ coaching staff is working on reeling in more big fish.

March Junior Day

Rice hosted a dozen or so 2019 recruits at the end of March including Wyatt and Nutter, both of whom gave rousing endorsements of the weekend. It was more than just the committed guys who liked what they saw. So did Kamper, who was back on campus a week and a half later before committing on April 3.

Hightower athlete Kobie Campbell was impressed with the facilities and the personability of the Rice staff. Notre Dame Prep (Az) linebacker Brock Locnikar praised the dedication to improvement and the #IntellectualBrutality culture. Both players are firmly in the crosshairs of the Rice staff as are a few other notable names who were on campus that weekend like St. Thomas offensive lineman Tommy Brandt and Hendrickson defensive lineman Gabriel Hunter.

April Junior Day

Rice will bring in another group of 2020 recruits this coming weekend, too. Sage Ennis, a top 25 tight ranked tight end from Lincoln High School in Florida, will be in attendance as will playmaking Tomball Memorial wide receiver Logan Kyle. A teammate of current Rice commit Braedon Nutter, Kyle’s offer list is blowing up, but remains interested in what the Owls have to offer.

On the defensive line, Desert Ridge High School (AZ) product Joquari Price is making the trip east to Texas and Louisiana native Noah Taliancich from Destrehan High School will make the trip west. At least for this weekend, all roads seem to lead to Houston.

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2020 Tight end Nate Kamper commits to Owls

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The 2020 Rice Football recruiting class keeps getting better and better thanks to the addition of Killeen, Texas tight end Nate Kamper.

A year ago the dream of playing D1 college football wasn’t on Nate Kamper’s radar. Maybe he had thought about it from time to time, but the Killeen, Texas product wasn’t on anyone’s radar before his junior season. When Rice saw the film he rocketed up their boards quickly. He’s been a priority in the 2020 class from the start. Now he’s a Rice Owl.

Kamper stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 200 pounds. He’s a pass catching threat up the middle who can create mismatches with any combination of linebackers and safeties tasked with guarding him one on one. He’s a bit leaner than the other tight ends on the roster right now, but given some time in the weight room with Hans Straub and he’ll be even more physically imposing. That should scare other CUSA squads.

Head coach Mike Bloomgren has stressed speed and size in his quest to instill Intellectual Brutality at Rice. Kamper checks both of those boxes at a position of significance for an offensive like Bloomgren wants to run.

While the other three recruits in the 2020 class had already turned some heads on somewhat of a larger scale, Kamper could be the “diamond in the rough” type player other coaches kick themselves for missing later on. The fourth commit in a growing 2020 class, Kamper turned down offers from SMU and UTSA to play at South Main.

Kamper said the level of care head coach Mike Bloomgren and his staff had for the program was evident. Like several other recruits before him, the vision for Rice football was easy to understand and easy to get behind. Those close to Kamper had indicated he wanted this process wrapped up before his senior year began in the fall. Well, it’s April, and Rice has another top target in the fold.

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Rice Baseball: Owls snap midweek blues with big win over Sam Houston State

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Rice baseball is in the midst of their longest winning streak of the year, tacking on a victory in a midweek contest over Sam Houston on Tuesday.

The bats struck early and finished strong as Rice evened the season series with Sam Houston at one game apiece. Rice struck first on a Trei Cruz home run in the first inning and opened things up with a five run second inning, kicked off with a Cade Edwards home run. Gneiting had a double in the frame, his first of two doubles on the night.

Sam Houston would narrow the deficit to 7-5 after the seventh inning, but that’s as close as they would get. Tenacious pitching paired with four runs across the final two innings suppressed any hope of a comeback down the stretch. After losing four of their last five midweek contests, Rice earned a much-needed win over the Bearkats. Here are a few postgame thoughts following the big win.

Loving the long ball

From March 3 to March 26, a span of 16 games, Rice hit nine home runs. They’ve blasted nine long balls in the past week, crushing seven against Old Dominion over the weekend before two more roundtrippers against Sam Houston on Tuesday. The injection of instant offense has had a calming effect on the entire lineup. Players don’t seem to be pressing as much. They’re being patience in the box and the results are encouraging.

Andrew Dunlap has led the way, but Trei Cruz and Cade Edwards broke through against Sam Houston. Multiple guys have proven they have the power to take one out of the ballpark, making the lineup that much more challenging to navigate for opposing pitchers.

Just when some counted them out

Things were looking pretty bleak midway through the Owls’ home series with UTSA less than two weeks ago. Rice had dropped seven consecutive games, starting 0-5 in conference play with an 8-17 record. Words like “rebuild” were being whispered around Reckling Park and the young season was being questioned.

Since then Rice has won five of their last six and four games in a row. They’re 4-5 in conference play and right back in the mix after falling behind early. There are still problems to be fixed and players in need of improvement, but the collective willpower of this team has proven to be undoubtedly tougher than many believed.

It’s not just the winning, it’s how Rice has won these games. Sam Houston beat Rice 10-9 a few weeks ago. Rice punched back with an emphatic 11-5 win. All phases are coming into form at the right time. This team is locked in and the results have been evident.

Take a bow, bullpen

A key piece of the recent success has been the resurgence of the Rice bullpen. They haven’t quite cemented themselves as automatic out-getters yet, but for one of the first times this season it feels like there are multiple options for coach Matt Bragga to call on out of the pen.

Tuesday night starter Kel Bordwine had trouble harnessing his command, giving way to a heavy dose of the pen against Sam Houston State. Jackson Tyner was sharp, striking out four in two innings. Blair Lewis added three K’s after him in two frames. Drake Greenwood had the lone bad outing, failing to record an out while allowing two runs. Garrett Gayle closed the door with three scoreless innings.

Those relievers plus some of the more established guys like Kendal Jeffries and converted starter Jackson Parthasarathy make for a sturdy back end on the mound.

UP NEXT | vs FIU (Fri – Sun)
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Rice Baseball: Road swing continues vs balanced SHSU squad

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Rice baseball swept Old Dominion over the weekend and will look to earn their longest winning streak of the season on Tuesday vs Sam Houston.

Winners of three straight, Rice baseball has tied their season-long mark of consecutive victories which they achieved against Baylor, TCU and Houston in early March. A win over Sam Houston on Tuesday would snap a three game losing streak in midweek games. Rice has lost four of their last five midweek games with the first loss in that stretch coming against Sam Houston on March 6.

Rice jumped out to a 9-5 lead but was unable to hold off their opponent. Sam Houston scored the deciding run on a bases loaded walk in the ninth inning. Rice will look to even the series on Tuesday.

When and Where

Pitching matchups

Kel Bordwine should be on the bump to start the evening, but there’s no telling how long he’ll stay there. The sophomore has been the Owls’ primary midweek starter over the last several weeks, but the committee approach has won out through most games. Drake Greenwood and Garrett Gayle could also see some action.

Landon Ausley will lead a similar committee for Sam Houston. He’s started a midweek game in each of the last three weeks, setting a season-high of four innings against Houston last week. A parade of arms will follow after him. James Kuykendall and Matt Dillard have been two of the most reliable pieces out of the pen while Riley Gossett and Nick Mikolajchak own five of the Bearkats’ six saves.

Names to know from the plate

Jack Rogers led the way in the Owls’ last meeting against the Bearkats in early March. The left fielder led the team with a single, double and home run, scoring three runs and adding two RBI from the leadoff spot. Rogers sports a strong .299 average, but only ranks in the middle of the pack amongst Bearkat hitters.

Jordan Cannon and Colton Cowser have been special from the plate. Cowser leads the way with 12 extra base hits and 28 RBI. Cannon has had less pot, but his patience at the plate has resulted in a stunning .505 on base percentage. The Rice pitchers will have their hands full against this lineup once again.

ON DECK | vs FIU (Fri-Sun)

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