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Rice Baseball 2023: MLB Owls update – June 7

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The 2023 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.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

Placed on the 10-day injured list in mid-May, Rendon made his highly anticipated return to the Angels’ lineup on Tuesday. He went 0-for-2 with a walk, lining out deep to right field in his first appearance and popping out in foul territory in his second. He was replaced in the sixth inning.

Through June 7, Rendon is hitting .295 with five extra-base hits, 20 walks and 15 strikeouts. His OPS is .775 and he’s collected 20 RBI.

J.T. Chargois – Miami Marlins

Chargois has made two appearances in June, both in Marlins’ victories. He pitched one scoreless inning against the Athletics on Friday and allowed one run on one hit on Monday. He struck out three of the eight batters he faced across both outings, raising his strike outs per nine innings more than a full point.

Through June 7, Chargois has a 3.00 ERA with a 1.083 WHIP. He’s averaging 7.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

Designated For Assignment

Lucas Luetge – Atlanta Braves

Luetge was outrighted by the Braves this week, accepting an assignment with the AAA team rather than electing free agency, doing so would have meant forfeiting the remainder of this year’s salary. He will remain with the team but not count against the Braves’ 40-man roster.

Through June 7, Luetge has a 10.24 ERA with a 2.172 WHIP. He’s averaging 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings.

Injured List

Glenn Otto – Texas Rangers

Otto did not appear on the Rangers Opening Day roster despite making 27 starts for the club last season. Instead, he began the year on the injured list, landing on the 60-day IL on March 30 with a right shoulder strain. As the calendar turns to June, Otto could be in line to begin rehab work and chart a course back to the big league team.

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Conference USA Baseball notches four wins in NCAA Tournament

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Conference USA Baseball didn’t advance any teams to Super Regional play, but Dallas Baptist and Charlotte each made some noise in the postseason.

Charlotte and Dallas Baptist earned the right to represent Conference USA Baseball in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, which began play last weekend. Charlotte was the No. 3 seed in the Clemson Regional while Dallas Baptist was the No. 2 Seed in the Stillwater Regional. Each team made it to the regional championship game, registering some upsets along the way.

The duo each eliminated the No. 1 seed in their respective region, a tremendous accomplishment for the league. You can view the full tournament bracket here.

Dallas Baptist

The Patriots were a darkhorse pick by many to win the Stillwater Regional and they came extremely close to doing so. DBU dropped their opening round game to Washington by a score of 9-5, then battled through the losers bracket.

More: Parker Smith’s journey from hometown kid to Rice Baseball ace

Dallas Baptist eliminated host team and No. 1 Seed Oklahoma State on Saturday, blasting the Cowboys 18-5 in one of the most dominant wins of the entire weekend. They followed that up with a win on Sunday in a rematch against Washington, earning a spot against 4-Seed Oral Roberts in the championship game. ORU edged DBU 6-5, becoming the only 4-Seed to advance to Super Regional play this season.

Charlotte

After suffering a one-sided loss to Tennessee in their first game, Charlotte came back swinging with a decisive 9-2 victory to eliminate Lipscomb in their second game. They then followed that up with a win over 1-seed and host Clemson, sending them home as well, to earn their spot in the regional championship game. In a rematch with Tennesee, Charlotte fell 9-2, ending their season.

What’s Next?

This was the last time Charlotte will don a Conference USA patch on their jerseys. The 49ers leave the conference for the AAC in July. The 2024 conference slate will feature these nine teams: Dallas Baptist, FIU, Jacksonville State, Liberty, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, New Mexico State, Sam Houston, and WKU. Louisiana Tech will host the 2024 conference tournament.

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2023 Rice Football quality control support staff updates

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Rice Football formalized the hiring of their position coaches this spring, but there have been a handful of other moves that went under the radar.

The 2023 Rice Football quality control staff has been revamped in the wake of an offseason that featured a host of changes on the staffing front. Rice hired five new position coaches — Jon Kay (linebackers), Pete Alomar (special teams), Jeremy Modkins (corners), John Settle (running backs) and Lucas Reed (tight ends) — but those weren’t the only changes inside the Patterson Center for the upcoming season.

Zach Werlinger – Quality Control Coordinator / Quarterbacks

Werlinger takes over the QC/Quarterbacks role that was vacated by Lucas Reed after he was promoted to coach tight ends. Werlinger is a former quarterback at Arizona who has had coaching stops as a grad assistant at Northern Arizona and Cal before arriving at Rice this March.

Ahmaad Smith – Quality Control Coordinator / Defense

Smith was a defensive back at Tennesse State in his playing days before stints in the American Indoor Football Association and the CFL. He’s spent the last several years climbing the coaching ranks, working as a defensive backs coach at Tennessee State for three seasons before joining Dartmouth as a defensive assistant and soon after as the assistant secondary coach.

JJ Nelson – Quality Control Coordinator / Wide Receivers

UAB alum and former Conference USA standout receiver JJ Nelson is listed as the Owls’ QC for wide receivers. He played professionally for the Arizona Cardinals from 2015 to 2018 before brief stints with the Raiders, 49ers, Bills and Colts, last being on an NFL roster in 2021. Now he’ll be assisting the Rice wideouts.

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Rice Baseball: 2023 MiLB Owls post-May updates

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While several Rice Baseball alums are producing at the highest level, others are working their way up the ladder. Here’s the latest on the MiLB Owls.

Triple-A

Jon Duplantier (Phillies) was moved to the 60-day injured list on April 6 but was recently assigned to the Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Single A) for a rehab assignment on May 24. If things go well, he could be in line to rejoin the AAA squad in the weeks ahead.

Tristan Gray (Rays) started the season on a heater but has cooled down significantly in May, slashing just .155/.241/.211 this month. That’s dropped his season-long slash line to .233/.306/.436, a sharp contrast between months.

More on Rice Baseball: Latest from the MLB Owls

Ford Proctor (Giants) has rebounded from a slug start with a tremendous month of May. After hitting .190 in April he’s hitting .283 in May with a .767 OPS while playing all over the diamond, defensively. Proctor has appeared at every infield position defensively, including catcher, with two starts at designated hitter as well.

Double-A

Matt Canterino (Twins) began the 2023 season on the 60-day injured list as he recovered from offseason surgery. He’ll be sidelined for some time.

Trei Cruz (Tigers) has maintained his impressive early pace through the month of May, posting career highs across the board. Compared to his 2021 and 2022 minor league seasons, Cruz has improved his average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and a myriad of other metrics. He’s slashing .273/.371/.503 right now as he continues to feast on AA pitching.

Evan Kravetz (Reds) has been locked in during the month of May. He’s made seven appearances, all out of the bullpen, and compiled a pristine 1.29 ERA, allowing just eight hits and two runs over the course of 14 innings pitched. Opposing hitters are hitting .174 of of Kravetz in May.

Dane Myers (Marlins) has continued to make his case for promotion through the early months of the 2023 season. After posting an .876 OPS in April he followed it with a .741 OPS in May. He walked 16 times in 24 games this month, contributing to an impressive .385 on-base percentage.

Single-A

Roel Garcia (Rays, High-A) was impressive in May, posting a 2.95 ERA with a whopping 24 strikeouts in 18.1 innings pitched. He was charged with just six earned runs in his four total outings.

Cooper Chandler (Orioles, High-A) had the best month of his young professional career in May. He appeared in five games, posting a 2.70 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 20 total innings. His WHIP was just 1.100.

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Rice Baseball 2023: MLB Owls update – May 31

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The 2023 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.

J.T. Chargois – Miami Marlins

Chargois has returned to a more regular rhythm this week following his return to the big league team after more than a month off. He’s pitched in three games over the past six days. He earned his first save of the year on Sunday, working a scoreless ninth inning against the Angels. Over the course of the week, he allowed one run in 3.0 innings of work.

Through May 31, Chargois has a 2.70 ERA with a 1.100 WHIP. He’s averaging 6.3 strikeouts per nine innings.

Lucas Luetge – Atlanta Braves

After consecutive rough outings, Luetge was designated for assignment. He’s had a tough go as of late since returning to the majors after injury that kept him off the field for several weeks.

Through May 31, Luetge has a 10.24 ERA with a 2.172 WHIP. He’s averaging 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings.

Injured List

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

Despite earlier reports that Rendon was close to returning, there is no updated timetable for when the former Rice Baseball slugger will be activated from the 10-day injured list. He hasn’t appeared in a game for the Halos since May 13, a span of more than two weeks and counting.

Through May 31, Rendon is hitting .301 with five extra-base hits, 19 walks and 15 strikeouts. His OPS is .784 and he’s collected 20 RBI.

Glenn Otto – Texas Rangers

Otto did not appear on the Rangers Opening Day roster despite making 27 starts for the club last season. Instead, he began the year on the injured list, landing on the 60-day IL on March 30 with a right shoulder strain. As the calendar turns to June, Otto could be in line to begin rehab work and chart a course back to the big league team.

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