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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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Rice Football Recruiting: JUCO DB Max Ahoia commits to Owls

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The 2023 Rice Football recruiting class continues to add its finishing touches. Most recently, the Owls landed a pledge from JUCO defensive back Max Ahoia.

When it came to putting the finishing touches on the 2023 Rice Football recruiting class, getting veteran help in the defensive backfield was near the top of the to-do list. The Owls checked that box with the commitment of JUCO defensive back Max Ahoia, who has made his pledge to the Owls.

The 5-foot-11, 182-pound Ahoia had 10 pass breakups and one interception last season where he played traditionally on the outside at corner. He did showcase some versatility along the way, though, moving into the slot and inside on occasion.

Ahoia’s market began to heat up in earnest this summer. In the month of May alone he received offers from Georgia Southern and Arkansas State. As Rice prepares to make the move from Conference USA to the American, edging out a couple of Sun Belt programs on the recruiting trail is a nice plus.

The corner room looks a bit more seasoned with Ahoia in the mix. Jordan Dunbar and Sean Fresch are still in line to be the starters at this point, but that’s a position where Rice knows from experience that depth is worth the investment.

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On the film, Ahoia’s initial burst and aggressiveness stand out. He’s quick to commit to the play break on the ball and that eagerness extends to his willingness to tackle, too. He’s got the tools and has the potential to be an impact player for the Owls in the future.

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Rice Football Recruiting: FB Colin Giffen commits to Owls

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The rare Rice Football recruiting fullback find is here. The Owls have landed a commitment from transfer Colin Giffen.

Colin Giffen is a football player. That might be the best possible way to describe the newest addition to the 2023 Rice Football recruiting class, which secured a pledge for his services this week, plucking him out of the Transfer Portal. Now Giffen will be a Rice Owl.

Originally from Palo Alto, California, Giffen walked on at UNLV in 2020 where he played linebacker. He spent last season at junior college, playing a hybrid h-back and tight end role. When he makes the move south to Texas, he’ll be a fullback at Rice.

Giffen, who has three seasons of eligibility remaining, tells The Roost he’s excited for the opportunity. “Right when I got there, you could tell that the culture they have is special and something I wanted to be a part of,” he said. And the position change? Giffen thinks his journey to this point has already set him up for success on that front.

“Previously being a linebacker at UNLV. it helped me be able to see coverages really well and see things before they happen.”

Rice beat out North Texas to land Giffen’s commitment. Giffen is the second portal addition for the Owls in the last week and a half. They most recently added a commitment from Duke transfer defensive tackle Michael Larbie.

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On the field, Giffen says he idolizes 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk, a seven-time pro bowler. While he might not be at Juszczyk’s level quite yet, the willingness to hold a block and power through oncoming rushers should get Rice fans excited. His film has plenty of highlights with him out in space, too. Standing 6-foot-2 and tipping the scales at 240 pounds, he’s a powerful force when he gets on the move.

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2023 Conference USA Baseball Tournament: Preview, schedule, how to watch

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The Conference USA Baseball Tournament is headed to Houston, Texas. Here’s how to watch and what to be looking for this week.

The final weekend of regular season play saw teams jockeying for position, but now the Conference USA Baseball Tournament field is finally set. The top eight squads will square off with hopes of an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and their chance to play for a trip to the College World Series.

All games will be streamed on ESPN+ with the exception of the tournament championship, available on CBS Sports Network. The tournament runs from Wednesday, May 24 to Sunday, May 28. The full schedule and updated bracket are available on the Conference USA Baseball Tournament website.

Assessing the field

The favorite | Dallas Baptist has only lost five games in conference play this season and posted an emphatic three-game sweep of UTSA in San Antonio in their penultimate series of the regular season. It’s hard to give the favorite nod to anyone else.

The contender | UTSA might have dropped three games to DBU, but all were relatively close contests. There’s still a clear gap between the Roadrunners and the rest of the pack and they do boast the most potent offense in the conference.

The darkhorse | WKU was in danger of missing the conference tournament altogether roughly a month ago following a sweep at home by Middle Tennessee. Since then the Hilltoppers have won 13-of-15 conference games. They’re the hottest team in the league and that matters come postseason time.

The wild card | Seeds 3 through 7 were neck and neck entering the final weekend before Charlotte emerged atop that group. The 49ers have one of the better one-two punches on the mound in Conference USA between Wyatt Hudepohl and Cameron Hansen. Teams can go far in pod play if they get two quality starts out of the gate and that tandem is certainly capable of making some noise.

The bracket

The opening day of games will take place on Wednesday, May 24:

Game 1 – 9:00 AM | (3) Charlotte vs (6) Louisiana Tech

Game 2 – 12:30 PM | (2) UTSA vs (7) Middle Tennessee

Game 3 – 4:00 PM | (1) DBU vs (8) Rice

Game 4 – 7:30 PM | (4) WKU  vs (5) Florida Atlantic

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Rice Football Recruiting: DT Michael Larbie commits to Owls

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Rice Football recruiting has picked up its first transfer portal addition of the summer with the commitment of Duke defensive tackle Michael Larbie.

After the conclusion of spring practices, there were more defined marching orders for Rice football recruiting, as far as priorities go. The Owls knew what needs they had and went to work addressing them. Rice checked one of those boxes this week, picking up a commitment from Duke transfer defensive tackle Michael Larbie.

Larbie is a North Carolina native who signed with Duke before the 2019 season. He didn’t get on the field with the Blue Devils that year or during the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season. He made his debut in 2021, playing in the defensive line rotation for the next two seasons, amassing 11 tackles over 12 games with one TFL and half a sack.

He should serve as an experienced compliment to the Owls’ core of players on the interior consisting of De’Braylon Carroll, Izeya Floyd and Blake Boenisch. Although Rice has some young up-and-coming options at the position, getting veteran depth was a priority for this portal cycle. Larbie fits the bill.

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Even with limited playing time at Duke, Larbie’s upside is intriguing. He’ll be able to fill a more specified role with the Owls, hopefully boosting some of the traits he flashes on film.

Larbie has several reps where he showcases his ability to shed blockers and progress into the offensive backfield. That skill should only be magnified when he gets to lineup some of the Owls’ additional people-movers in the trenches. The 6-foot, 273-pound graduate should become an important piece of the rotation as soon as he’s up to speed.

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