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Rice Soccer Recruiting Updates: May 2023 Patreon Q&A

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The recruiting cycle never stops in college sports, and that includes Rice soccer, too. The Owls are on track to add some impact players for next season.

Even though Rice soccer finished with an undefeated conference record last season, head coach Brian Lee wasn’t about to sit around on his hands and wait for the 2023 season to arrive. He and the Owls have been busy on the transfer front, the focus of this month’s Patreon Q&A.

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DBU, Charlotte represent Conference USA Baseball in NCAA Tournament

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Conference USA Baseball will have two representatives in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, regular season champ DBU and tournament champ Charlotte.

Charlotte was the first team handed a loss in the 2023 Conference USA Baseball Tournament. They were also the first C-USA squad to clinch an NCAA Tournament spot, rallying through the loser’s bracket to claim the conference crown. The 49ers knocked off 1-Seed and tournament favorite Dallas Baptist in the championship game to earn an automatic bid. DBU was selected to the field as an at-large.

Dallas Baptist

In their first year as members of Conference USA, DBU earned a No. Seed in the Stillwater Regional. They’ll open up NCAA Tournament play against 3-Seed Washington. Also in their regional are 1-Seed Oklahoma State and 4-Seed Oral Roberts.

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

This is DBU’s ninth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and their 12th all-time. Against regional opponents this season, DBU is 4-1. They swept a three-game series against Oral Roberts in March and split a pair of midweek games against Oklahoma State, winning the most recent matchup at home on March 28.

The Stillwater Regional is paired with the Nashville Regional, home of No. 6 National Seed, Vanderbilt.

Charlotte

Charlotte secured automatic entrance to the NCAA Tournament field by virtue of their Conference USA Baseball Tournament championship, their first in program history. However, the 49ers aren’t newcomers to the postseason by any means. This NCAA appearance will be the second in the past three years for the 49ers and the seventh overall. They will be the 3-Seed in the Clemson Regional.

The 49ers have some history with their regional opponents. Their first opponent, 2-Seed Tennessee, was Charlotte’s first-ever NCAA Tournament opponent in 1993. Charlotte met 1-Seed Clemson in their first midweek game in February, falling 9-5. They did not play Tennessee or 4-Seed Lipscomb this season.

The Clemson Regional is paired with the Auburn Regional, home of No. 13 Seed, Vanderbilt.

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Rice Football Recruiting: OL Netane Fehoko commits to Owls

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The 2023 Rice Football recruiting class has a second pledge from the same JUCO. Offensive lineman Netane Fehoko has committed to the Owls.

Just days after landing a commitment from JUCO fullback Colin Giffen, the 2023 Rice Football recruiting class has doubled down at the very same institution. Giffen comes from the College of San Mateo, the 2022 JUCO National Champions. He’s going to be an Owl, now. So is his teammate, offensive lineman Netane Fehoko, who made his pledge soon after.

Fehoko chose Rice over a half dozen other offers since he entered the portal last fall. On the day he received an offer from Rice, he was also offered by Texas State, but the Owls had the edge. He’s yet another player that has picked Rice over a Sun Belt school in recent days.

“Honestly, it just felt like home,” Fehoko told The Roost.  “The culture at Rice is very similar to [the College of San Mateo] and the coaches preach the same things we do. That’s how I really knew I was at the right place.”

Rice was clearly in the market to find someone to help along the interior of the offensive line following spring practices and Fehoko fits the bill. Better still, he can play both center and guard spots, providing further flexibility for the Owls down the road.

In the short term, guard looks to be Fehoko’s quickest path to playing time, but it wouldn’t be surprising for him to get looks at both spots during fall camp.

Premium: Rice Football Recruiting Offer and Commitment Tracker

On the film, Fehoko’s suddenness stands out. He’s quick off the ball and moves well for a man of his size. And at 6-foot-2, 295-pounds he brings a strong frame with him to South Main. He has the requisite size and skillset to play anywhere along the interior of the offensive line. The Owls hope to add further develop those tools and turn him into a building block for the offense for years to come.

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Rice Baseball 2023: MLB Owls update – May 25

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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 saw his first MLB action in more than a month this week, returning from an extended stint on the injured list to make three appearances in the span six days. He earned his first win of the season on Saturday against the Giants and picked up his second hold against the Nationals. His first earned runs charged to his ledger came this past Monday, against the Rockies.

Through May 25, Chargois has a 2.57 ERA with a 0.571 WHIP. He’s averaging 7.7 strikeouts per nine innings.

Lucas Luetge – Atlanta Braves

Luetge also returned from an injured list stint this past week, making his first appearances since April 12. He threw one scoreless inning against Seattle on Saturday and another scoreless frame against the Dodgers on Monday. Altogether, he struck out three of the seven batters he faced.

Through May 25, Luetge has a 6.23 ERA with a 1.500 WHIP. He’s averaging 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings.

Injured List

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

Rendon, who was placed on the 10-day Injured List on May 15, received some positive news this week. Manager Phil Nevin said the Angels “don’t think it’ll be very long at all” before he returns to the lineup.

Through May 25, 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. He will be sidelined for the foreseeable future.

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Rice Baseball blasted by DBU in Conference USA Tournament Opener

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Rice Baseball fell to Dallas Baptist in the first round of the Conference USA Tournament on Wednesday by a final score of 13-2.

Parker Smith walking off the mound with no outs in the fourth inning was not part of the script Rice baseball was hoping to see in their return to the postseason. The Owls — who hadn’t played in a Conference USA Tournament game since 2019 — had high hopes after watching lower seeds win each of the first two games on Wednesday morning. Those dreams met an abrupt ending.

“It’s not how we drew it up. They set the tone early. We had some opportunities to make some plays and we did not,” head coach Jose Cruz Jr said. “That’s how baseball goes sometimes. Unfortunately, it was here at the conference tournament.”

Dallas Baptist struck for three in the first after a full-count walk and a bunt single that left nobody covering first base put the first two runners on. Back-to-back RBI singles spotted the No. 1 seed Patriots to a 3-0 lead. Rice clawed back with a run in the second and the third innings, punctuated by a booming long ball from Connor Walsh to get the Owls back within one.

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

From there, the route was on. Dallas Baptist scored three in the third and four in the fourth, the latter including a three-run home run that drove Smith from the game. It was at that point Rice opted to save their higher-leverage bullpen arms and play for tomorrow.

“Everybody’s hot. The whole bullpen is hot. Everybody’s on red alert immediately,” Cruz said. “Hopefully, JD [McCracken] comes out and performs and gets us deep into the game. I like our chances if that happens.”

Rice baseball will play the loser of Wednesday’s nightcap between Western Kentucky and Florida Atlantic. If the Owls prevail they’ll live to fight another day. If they don’t, they’ll be watching the remainder of the tournament from the stands.

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