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Rice Baseball: Previewing the Old Dominion series

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Rice baseball is looking for their first conference series win this season. They’ll look to get it done on the road this weekend against Old Dominion.

Listen online // Watch Friday (ESPN+) // Watch Saturday (CUSA TV) // Watch Sunday (CUSA TV)

Both Rice and Old Dominion sport equally unsatisfying 1-5 records through two weeks of Conference USA action. The Monarchs took the series finale against Charlotte in mid-March before they were blasted by Southern Miss last weekend where they were outscored 34-4. Rice dropped a midweek bout with Texas State but broke a five-game CUSA losing streak with a Sunday win over UTSA in the previous game.

Although it’s been a bumpy last few weeks for Old Dominion, their 16 wins ties them with Southern Miss and FAU for the most wins among CUSA teams. Rice has been less fortunate and needs a strong weekend to propel themselves back into the hunt. Here’s everything you need to know for the weekend:

Projected Pitching Matchups

Friday – 5:00 pm: Matt Canterino (1-4, 2.79) vs Nick Pantos (3-1, 2.80)
Saturday – 2:00 pm: Addison Moss (1-1, 6.75)  vs Ryne Moore (4-1, 3.27)
Sunday – 10:00 am: Evan Kravetz (1-1, 5.52) vs Morgan Maguire (1-2, 7.28)

Old Dominion Pitching

The Monarchs will try and ride their starting pitching as long as they can this weekend. Like Rice, their bullpen has been a mixed back. Nick Pantos will look to start things off on the right foot on Friday. A JUCO transfer who was expected to compete for a rotation spot, Pantos has become the most trustworthy hurler on the team. His start against Matt Canterino should shape up into quite the pitcher’s duel. Behind him, things get sparse quickly.

Hunter Gregory is the most reliable option out of the pen. He leads the team with 36 strikeouts and has worked a hefty 26 innings so far, three and a third fewer than Maguire who’s made seven starts. Outside of Gregory, Matt Busher can be dangerous when he throws strikes, but his 14 walks make him hard to trust too much in high leverage situations.

Isaiah Nelson and Aaron Holiday have been hard to hit (.200 and .163 batting averages against, respectively). After that, most everyone has had at least a few bad outings. The top end is fairly strong, but this is far from the most dominant relief corps Rice will face in conference play.

Old Dominion Hitting

The pitching staff might be top heavy but the lineup is not. Eight regulars have batting averages of .265 or better. Infielder Bryce Windham leads the way, slashing .367/.495/.418. While his bat is dangerous, what he and the rest of the roster excel at the most is having good at bats. He’s had 79 at bats and struck out just six times. As a team, the Monarchs have the fewest strikeouts in CUSA (143), well below league leader Rice (264).

That’s part of what makes this lineup so intriguing. They don’t have any obvious power hitters — Windham, Vinnie Pasquantino and Andy Garriola are tied with three apiece. Their .281 collective batting average ranks sixth in the conference, as does their 149 runs scored. From outfielder Kyle Battle and infielder Matt Burch at the top of the order to whoever is in the nine-hole on that particular day, the Monarchs can hit.

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Rice Baseball: Owls fall in extras to Texas State

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Extra innings weren’t enough for Rice baseball to steal a win away from Texas State in San Marcos on Tuesday night.

The third time wasn’t the charm for Rice against Texas State this season. The Owls dropped the San Marcos leg of the three-game season series, following a 1-0 defeat at the Shriner’s College Classic and a 5-0 loss at Reckling Park.

Texas State opened the scoring on a sac fly following a Trei Cruz fielding error in the first. The home team would break things open further with a four-run fourth inning, highlighted by a two run blast to left field by Chase Evans.

Trailing 5-0 on the road, Rice fought back. The Owls outscored the Bobcats 6-1 over the next four frames, tying the game at 6-6 entering the ninth inning. Texas State would go on to win in extras on a two-out RBI single by cleanup hitter Jaylen Hubbard. Here are three big picture takeaways from the loss.

The bullpen struggles don’t stem from lack of trying

Rice has all but run out of reliable bullpen pieces. Kendall Jeffries and Garrett Gayle can’t throw every night, so head coach Matt Bragga chose Tuesday to test out a few lesser used arms. That decision came with high risk and might have been the Owls’ undoing in the end.

Blake Brogdon, Brandon Deskins and Benjamin Content have thrown 14 innings between them this season, combined. All three of them were called to pitch and each of them had their struggles. That trio would ultimately account for five of the six earned runs allowed, four walks and three of the four extra base hits allowed.

It would be short-sighted to pin this loss solely on any of those three guys. Brogdon, who will sport the official L on his stat sheet, had 1.1 innings under his belt this season prior to coming in to relief starter Kel Bordwine. Rice was out of options so they rolled the dice. Some of their other bullpen pieces still have so work to do.

Rice might have found a centerfielder

Aaron Beaulaurier has a strong argument to be made as the top defender on this roster. His problems have come at the plate where he’s hitting a ghastly .148. His at bats haven’t looked particularly encouraging, so finding someone else to man center and hit at the back end of the order has become a necessity.

Dominic Cox doesn’t have the same caliber of instincts as Beaulaurier in the field, but he’s been solid and is hitting better of late than he has all season. His four hits in the past three games match his season total in the Owls’ previous 23 contests. If he can prove he can maintain this kind of production he’ll be able to claim the spot for good.

Fielding lapses not in the rearview mirror yet

Headed into the ninth inning against UTSA on Sunday Rice had committed no errors in the three game series. Braden Comeaux misplayed a ball in the ninth inning, snapping the opportunity for the first error-free weekend of the season. Rather than bouncing back, Tuesday was worse. Rice committed four errors, starting with a run-producing gaffe by Trei Cruz in the first inning.

Now that we know what this team is capable in the field they’re going to be held to a higher standard.

UP NEXT | at Old Dominion (Fri – Sun)
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Rice Baseball: Owls hope third time’s the charm against Texas State

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Rice baseball has yet to top Texas State in two matchups this season. Can the Owls get over the hump on Tuesday?

It’s been relatively close, but Texas State has gotten the better of Rice in each of their first two matchups of the 2019 season. The Bobcats won 1-0 in a pitcher’s duel at the Shiner’s College Classic. They followed that up with 5-0 shutout over the Owls at Reckling Park. Rice left 11 men on base in defeat.

With the season series lost, Rice will look to salvage one game and secure another winning streak on the heels of a Sunday victory over UTSA.

When and Where

Pitching matchups

Garrett Gayle has risen in his consistency over the last month. He came in quickly to relieve Kel Bordwine against Texas State in their second matchup and starter last week’s midweek affair against Texas A&M. If Addison Moss is destined for the weekend rotation, Gayle or Bordwine are the best guesses to see significant run.

For Texas State, there’s little reason to doubt Garrett Hermann as the probable starter once again. He threw 5.2 innings against Rice in the second meeting, allowing six hits and no runs. He also started their most recent midweek tilt, a 6-1 loss to Incarnate Word in which he allowed five runs (four earned) in 3.1 innings.

Names to know from the plate

Will Hollis, drove in the game-winning run in the first matchup with  Rice this year and currently holds an impressive 1.081 OPS. Not letting him beat you at the plate will be a primary objective for the Owls’ pitching staff.

Jaxon Williams and Jaylen Hubbard have cooled off slightly since their last meeting, but both infielders have maintained a .300+ batting average and rank first and second, respectively, on the team in runs scored.

ON DECK | at Old Dominion (Fri-Sun)

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Rice Football: It’s all hands on deck for Owls during spring practices

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Rice football is pulling every able body into action during 2019 spring practice. Injuries and a thinned roster have given all players ample opportunity to shine.

The spring is supposed to be the time when everyone is healthy. Rice has had no such luck. The attrition, combined with an early dose of Texas heat, saw Monday’s practice cut a few minutes short to provide a respite from a busy day for both staff (Rice held their Pro Day on Monday, too) and players.

Dylan Silcox, Myles Adams and Aaron Cephus all wore red no-contact jerseys. Receivers Austin Trammell, August Pitre, Brendan Harmon and Sam Glaesmann all remain out of practice for at least the short term. That left only a handful of able-bodied receivers available for practice.

“Right now there are no reinforcements, you better be ready to play,” said Mike Bloomgren, almost jokingly, but with a twinge of truth. Like last spring, the Owls need more bodies. Fall camp will bring a much-needed inject of fresh legs. For now, everyone is getting plenty of work.

The good and bad on the offensive line

The offensive line remains a mixed bag. The talent level has been increased significantly since this time last year. Beyond that, the guys who are there have more experience and game action. Cole Garcia and Clay Servin have the potential to be special, and expectations remain high for Shea Baker and incoming graduate transfer Nick Leverett.

All that potential is going to take some time to gel. Monday saw bursts of individual success, but the collective product leaves something to be desired. Coach Joe Ashfield said the line is “at the point right now where we have to really become masters of our scheme so we can stop thinking so much about scheme and just get really good at how to do our craft.” In the most simplistic terms, they need less thinking and more doing up front.

Given the numbers crunch and the desire to have flexibility long term, centers Cole Elms and Shea Baker both have seen time at guard this spring. Baker should be considered the starting center at this point, but keeping him fresh at guard is wise considering the incoming arrival of Stanford transfer Brian Chaffin who will play somewhere along the interior of the line.

Scattershooting

  • While Wiley Green is the leader in the quarterback battle, the staff seems to have confidence in Evan Marshman and Parker Towns. All three have taken strides in their understanding of the offense and have said seeing game action last year was crucial to their development.
  • Tight ends figure to play a more prominent role in the offense in 2019. A guy to keep an eye on is Robert French. He blasted Antonio Montero in Oklahoma on Monday, not an easy task. He followed it up with a breakaway 50+ yard touchdown reception later in the afternoon.
  • Matthew Sams is another name to know in the secondary. The young corner has had his ups and downs this spring, but his good plays continue to outnumber the bad.
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Rice Football Pro Day results and workout updates

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The Rice Football Pro Day was held on Monday, March 25 in front of scouts and NFL onlookers who flocked to Houston to see four Owls work out.

A 2019 roster laden with freshman and sophomores still produced a few players with professional football aspirations. Four of those now former Owls put their abilities to the test on Rice Football’s 2019 Pro Day. Punter Jack Fox, fullback Gio Gentosi, edge rusher Graysen Schantz and all-purpose back Austin Walter will participate in NFL Combine-style drills as well as on-field workouts

From my count, seven different NFL teams were in attendance: Jets, Panthers, Colts, Browns, Raiders, 49ers and Texans.

Jack Fox, Punter — 6-2 5/8, 213

Coming off a season in which he was nominated for Ray Guy Award, Fox attended the NFL Combine and the NFL Shrine Game this spring. Monday will mark his third opportunity to kick in front of NFL personnel in hopes of being selected in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Workout notes

Fox did a full array of drills: directional punting, distance punting and backed up in the endzone. He drilled some nice balls with a few hang times in the area of 4.8 seconds.

Highlights

 

 

 

Gio Gentosi, Fullback — 6-0 1/8, 239

Gentosi came to Rice in the fall of 2019 after graduating from UCLA. He saw sparse playing time for the Bruins before earning the starting fullback job with the Owls. He scored his first collegiate touchdown in his final game against Old Dominion. Gentosi did not participate in any on-field workouts.

 

 

Grayson Schantz, Defensive End — 6-2 5/8, 247

Schantz battled injuries throughout a lengthy college career which comes to an end following the 2019 season. He registered a season-high nine tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery against UTEP.

Vertical 33
Broad 95

Workout notes

Schantz participated in just about every drill including a few as a pass catcher. He exhibited his power and burst well on the bag drills toward the later portion of the day.

Highlights

 

 

 

Austin Walter, Running back — 5-6 7/8, 194

At one point the national leader in All-Purpose yardage, Walter became one of the Owls’ most versatile weapons on offense in 2019. He raised some eyebrows with a 4.49 40-yard dash time at the NFL Regional Combine in mid-March.

Vertical 31
Broad 89
Bench 15

Workout notes

Walter had a few hiccups on his starts in the 40-yard dash and shuttle drills. Once he settled in he posted times of 4.54 in the 40 and 6.75 in the three cone drill. The pass catching drills are where he shined the brightest, including a nice acrobatic catch on a ball throw with a bit too much juice over the middle. He hauled in everything and moved quickly in the agility drills.

Highlights

 

 

What’s next?

The NFL Draft runs from April 25 to April 27. It goes without saying the NFL is the primary goal for all college football players, but there are only so many roster spots to go around. There will be opportunities in the newly formed Alliance of American Football as well as the coming XFL reboot. Those who don’t stick in the NFL or don’t receive a camp invite could have further opportunities.

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