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Rice Baseball 2025: International Owls Update – May 10

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In addition to the Rice baseball alums in the Major Leagues, Owls are playing professional baseball around the world. Here’s the latest from Mexico and Japan.

Jon Duplantier – Hanshin Tigers (Japan)

Duplantier signed a minor league contract with the Brewers this winter, but was granted his release soon after so that he could pursue an opportunity in Japan. The bet to go oversees has worked out extremely well for Duplantier thus far. In four appearances with the Hanshin Tigers, Duplantier is 1-1 with a sterling 1.23 ERA. He’s struck out 28 batters and allowed just 15 hits in 22 innings of work.

In (Nippon Professional Baseball) NPB, pitchers are required to hit, something Duplantier rarely did in the states. He has two official big league plate appearances without a hit. In Japan, however, Duplantier is 1-for-6, collecting his very first pro-baseball knock.

Through May 12, Duplantier has a 1.23  ERA with a 0.863 WHIP. He’s averaging 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

Tyler Duffey– Generales de Durango (Mexico)

A free agent, Duffey opted to play in Mexico following 10 seasons in the major leagues, most recently splitting his 2024 season in between AAA and the Kansas City Royals. He signed with Generales de Durango this offseason.

Duffey has made 11 appearances with the club so far, all in relief. He’s struck out 12 while handing out just seven free passes and while he has yet to allow a home run, several of the men he’s allowed to reach base have come around to score.

Through May 12, Duffey has a 5.06 ERA with a 1.594 WHIP. He’s averaging 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings.

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Rice Baseball inches closer to postseason with series win over Wichita State

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Rice Baseball won their fourth conference series in their last five weekends, taking two of three from Wichita State, drastically improving the Owls’ postseason chances.

FRIDAY | Rice 4, Wichita State 3

Rice baseball found itself in another Friday night pitcher’s duel between Owls’ ace Davion Hickson and Wichita State hurler Grant Adler. It was Adler who allowed the first blemish in the form of a leadoff home run from Colin Robson, the first of his Rice career. Hickson was charged with his only two runs of the night when a ball down the line — which resulted in an injury to left fielder Jacob Devenny — allowed one run to score with the second Shocker run coming on an infield single by the next batter.

More: 59 Minutes — David Pierce Challenges Rice baseball to grow

Cole Green leveled the score for the Owls with a single in the fourth to plate Hiram Bocachica, who would reach third base in the bottom of the ninth, but fail to score as the game went into extra innings. Neither side got much going in the next two frames before Wichita State took advantage of a Rice error to score the go-ahead run in the 12th. Green equalized with a home run in the bottom of the frame.

The Owls got a double play ball to make quick work in the top of the 13th inning before Treyton Rank came to the plate in the bottom of the frame. He took a 2-1 pitch deep to right field, the first walk-off home run of his career.

SATURDAY | Rice 9, Wichita State 3

Runs were much easier to come by in the second game of the series with Rice scoring early and often against a Wichita State pitching staff that had burned top arms on Friday night. Paul Smith got the scoring started with an RBI single in the second. Rice added two more in the third before Michael Zito blasted a three-run homer in the fourth to put Rice in front 6-0.

Last Weekend: Hickson gem propels Rice Baseball to series win over Charlotte

Wichita State would get three back in the next two innings, all charged to Rice starter JD McCracken, who still turned in a strong performance, going seven innings with four strikeouts and just those three runs allowed. Garrett Stratton got the final six outs, aided by a trio of insurance runs scored in the bottom of the seventh, the last two coming on a double from Aric Anderson.

SUNDAY | Wichita State 18, Rice 7

Rice baseball struck first with a two-run first, kicking off what would become a high-scoring series finale despite neither team scoring in the next two frames. It was then that the Wichita State bats woke up in earnest, scoring four runs in the fourth to drive Tucker Alch from the game.

With Alch gone, WSU teed off on the remainder of the Owls’ bullpen. Maddox Keo was charged with five runs, and Micah Davis was charged with three. In total the Owls would use 10 pitchers and surrender 18 runs, 15 of which were earned. The bats managed seven runs, nearly half of the last two of which came in on a home run from Blaine Brown, but the deficit proved too large as Rice dropped the series finale in run-rule fashion.

THREE FOR THE ROAD

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Rice Baseball 2025: MLB Owls Update – May 7

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The 2025 MLB season is underway and Rice baseball alums are making the most of their time in The Show. Here’s the latest from the MLB Owls.

Dane Myers – Miami Marlins

Myers’ electric start to the 2025 season isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Entering Wednesday, his batting average was still above .350, and he was riding an eight-game on-base streak, which came to a close against the Dodgers. In May alone, he’s slashing .316/.409/.526 in sixgames with three stolen bases. He’s made six consecutive starts in center field, one of which included this clutch late-game hit against the Dodgers.

Through May. 7, Myers is hitting .342 with six extra-base hits, five walks and 19 strikeouts. His OPS is .883 and he’s collected 14 RBI.

Injured List

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

Rendon is slated to miss a significant amount of time following him surgery this spring. The bad news is another bump in an injury-plagued stint with the Angels; Rendon missed a chunk of last season with an oblique strain.

Matt Canterino – Twins AAA

Canterino was thought to have a real chance to crack the big league roster at some point this season, converting himself to a reliver this offseason in hopes of limiting the stress on his arm and preserving his health. Unfortunately, he’s set to miss a third consecutive season, undergoing shoulder surgery in early March.

Update: Canterino was released from his contract this week and promptly resigned to a two-year minor league contract days later.

Knocking on the Door

The following Owls began the season in AAA:

  • Tristan Gray – Charlotte Knights (White Sox)
  • Evan Kravetz – Louisville Bats (Reds)
  • Glenn Otto – Sugar Land Space Cowboys (Astros)
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Rice Baseball blows past PVAMU at home

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Rice Baseball blew past Prairie View A&M on Wednesday night, burying the Panthers with a cavalcade of early runs.

Colin Robson was retired twice in the first inning, but just about everyone else reached base in some form or fashion as Rice baseball batted around in the opening frame, putting up a seven-spot that put Prairie View A&M in a seemingly insurmountable hole from the start. As Rice rolled through several bullpen arms, the offense just kept coming.

Rice scored four more in the second, putting the game above the margin for a run-rule decision before they’d recorded their sixth out. A single run in the third served as insurance toward that goal.

Last Weekend: Hickson’s gem propels Rice baseball past Charlotte

Paul Sith, Treyton Rank, Hiram Bocachica and Cole Green each recorded multiple hits and multiple RBI with Rank and Bocachica notching home runs. At a minimum, every player in the starting line up reached base. The lone Prairie View run scored on a wild pitch just before the game was called via run rule.

What it means | Not your average Wednesday

The last time Rice baseball played on a Wednesday it was head coach David Pierce’s post-game meeting drew more interest than the game, a 20-5 beatdown at the hands of UT-Rio Grande Valley. The Vaqueros are a vastly superior team than the Prairie View A&M squad Rice faced this time around, but opponent quality aside, the focus the Owls put on display against the Panthers was noticeably different.

No play made that more evident than when Cole Green’s walloped a ball to the gap in left center field. An errant throw home allowed Hiram Bocachica and Aric Anderson to score without a tag. But instead of coasting into third base as the ball skittered toward the backstop, Green turned on the jets and exploded toward the plate, catching the Prairie View battery off guard. The relay throw back to the plate was late and Green scored.

More: 59 Minutes — David Pierce Challenges Rice baseball to grow

Green’s willingness to pressure the Panthers and the Owls’ ability to deliver the dagger in the first inning of the game spoke volumes about this club’s shifting mentality. They’ve got a ways to go, but this version of Rice baseball will cause fits for their opponents in Clearwater in a few weeks, provided they can get there.

Up Next: vs Wichita State x3 (Fri-Sun)

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Rice Football Recruiting: WR David Kasemervisz commits to Owls

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A Texas product is returning home as a member of the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class. Former Stanford wideout David Kasemervisz has committed to the Owls.

The recent run of pledges to the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class, serving as the final additions to the roster before the season arrives this fall, maintained its momentum into May. Former Stanford wide receiver — and son of a Rice alum — David Kasemervisz has committed to the Owls.

Kasemervisz was a productive high school player at Fort Bend Christian Academy in Sugar Land, TX, before signing with Stanford in 2021. Over the course of four seasons at The Farm, he saw the bulk of his action on special teams and did not record a reception. A versatile athlete, Kasemervisz also spent some time at running back at Stanford.

“It’s wasn’t a huge point of emphasis,” Kasemervisz said of his limited collegiate field time on offense. “Between my success on special teams and offensive practice film, the coaches believed I demonstrated the ability to play wide receiver at a high level.”

The addition of Kasemervisz marks the fourth offensive player Rice has taken in the portal this cycle and the second at this position. Louisiana-Monroe wide receiver Artis Cole committed just a few days prior. Also joining the fold are Coastal Carolina slot receiver Max Balthazar and Kennesaw State quarterback Lucas Scheerhorn.

Premium: Rice Football Recruiting Offer and Commitment Tracker

It’s hard to put much stock in high school film for a grad transfer, but the 6-foot, 205-pound Kasemervisz has intriguing athletic traits that make him worth a late-cycle flyer. If nothing else, he’s a contributor on special teams, but given the lack of size in the wide receiver room, a bigger-bodied player like Kasemervisz should get a chance to make waves.

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