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The Roost Podcast | Ep 72 – Aston Walter and spring practice “Believe it or Not”

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We catch up with former Rice football running back Aston Walter on this week’s show and dive into trends and surprises from spring practice.

Spring is in the air and Rice football is on the grass. More than half of the spring sessions have passed, giving us a decent sample size to draw conclusions from. You can find the full practice reports when you subscribe on Patreon.

On this week’s show, we broke down those observations by playing a quick game of “Believe it or Not.” Then we were joined by former Rice football running back Austin Walter, now a graduate assistant at Vanderbilt. He detailed his dreams of being a coach and his journey since he left Rice.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 72.

Episode Notes

  • Housekeeping
    • Plan on hearing more from The Roost Podcast in your feed every other week as we continue our interview series. We’ll have some returning guests and hopefully a few new Owls to talk with over the next few months.
    • Please support us on Patreon. Be the first to get the inside scoop on what’s going on with Rice football and stick around for even further analysis. That includes spring football practices, currently underway.
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  • Aston Walter joins the show to discuss…
    • His journey into coaching
    • His work as an assistant under David Bailiff at Texas A&M Commerce last year
    • What he’s learned about scheme and skills along the way
    • The move to Vanderbilt and life as a graduate assistant

Where can you find us?

Download and subscribe to The Roost Podcast on any of your favorite podcast providers. The show is available on iTunes, GooglePlay, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and PodBean. Please consider leaving a review wherever you listen.

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Rice Baseball 2021: Owls knock off Texas A&M in midweek road tilt

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Rice baseball picked up one of their biggest wins of the year on Tuesday, taking down Texas A&M in College Station, 2-1.

Winners of six of their last nine, Rice baseball entered its midweek bout with Texas A&M on the upswing. The Aggies had just been swept on the road by No. 5 Florida, but still boasted a stalwart 15-8 record.

To earn the pivotal win, Rice needed a big game from redshirt freshman starting pitcher Garret Zaskoda, who had struggled in his prior outing against Texas State surrendering seven runs in 3+ innings. This Tuesday night it was abundantly clear that Zakoda was not phased by the bright lights of Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.

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Zaskoda pitched a gem. He held the potent Texas A&M offense to a first inning single, their only hit against him in 5.1 innings while striking out four and walking four. Most importantly, he kept the maroon and white off the scoreboard,

The offense did their part, manufacturing a crucial run in the fourth inning. Guy Garibay signled and stole stolen base. A throwing error got him to third, where Cade Edwards drove him in with a sacrifice fly.

Rice would add a necessary insurance run in the top of the ninth when Hal Hughes drove in Connor Walsh in the top of the ninth. Texas A&M would get one run back via the long ball in the ninth, but Rice held on to win 2-1.

What it means

This was the first win for Rice over Texas A&M under head coach Matt Bragga. The Owls ended the 2020 season prematurely following a midweek loss to the Aggies at Reckling Park. They fell to Texas A&M on the road in 2019 in Bragga’s first season at the helm in Houston.

When Rice is at its best, the Owls have gone toe-to-toe with every other program in the state. Trading blows with the Aggies and the Longhorns is an important measuring stick for what the Owls’ hope is an upward trajectory. So far, so good. Rice plays Texas in Austin in their last game of the regular season.

ON DECK |  UTSA

Rice baseball returns home this weekend to kick off their conference schedule against UTSA. This will mark the first of a series of four-game sets against the same team. Rice also has a return trip to San Antonio on the calendar for a second series in late April.

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Rice Football 2021: Spring Practice Week 3 Notebook

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Rice football has one scrimmage in the books and continues to work. Here are some growing pains and high points from Week 3 of spring ball.

Overall, Rice Football head coach Mike Bloomgren was optimistic following the first scrimmage of the spring. “I look at our team in totality and we are better in terms of our knowledge of the system,” he said. “There’s less missed assignments everywhere on the field. And we move faster to and from the ball.”

That progress has come with some highs and a few lows. This team is, as Bloomgren dubbed it, “an exciting work in progress.”

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For those that might have missed it, you can check out the initial depth chart reactions as well as the Week 1 and Week 2 practice notebooks. Not subscribed? The Roost will have you covered every step of the way this spring and beyond. Subscribers get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and special features. Subscribe on Patreon and get access to it all today.

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Rice Women’s Basketball: Owls march past Fresno St for second WNIT win

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Rice women’s basketball exploded out of the gate, leading Fresno State from start to finish to advance in the WNIT.

It was clear from the start that the second-round game for Rice women’s basketball against Fresno State was going to be different than the defensive struggle that encapsulated the Owls first-round win over Arizona State. Rice made their first three shots and scored 25 points in the opening frame. That’s two points less than the Owls and the Sun Devils combined to score at halftime on Friday.

That strong start proved to be the harbinger of good things to come. Rice did cool down from their scorching 64.7 percent field goal percentage in the first quarter, but their lead held from that point onward.

Rice Football: Spring Practice Notebook – Week 2

Fresno State made things interesting with a 9-0 run in the middle of the third quarter, but Rice was quick to respond immediately with an 11-2 run of their own to quiet the threat. Central to that hold, and the sizable lead itself, Nancy Mulkey led all scorers with a season-high 28 points. She also had eight rebounds.

Player of the Game – Jasmine Smith

Smith isn’t traditionally the Owls’ primary scoring option on the court, but her ability to run the offense and set others up for success is differential for this team. On Saturday, though, Smith combined her keen eye for her teammates with a near-perfect shooting performance. She started 4-of-4 from the floor, finishing with 15 points. She also had 10 assists, seven rebounds and four steals.

Up Next

Rice women’s basketball has moved into the win-or-go-home stage of the Women’s NIT. With the win, the Owls will face the winner of San Francisco and California Baptist on Monday, March 22 and 7:00 p.m. Should Rice win that game, they would win the Fort Worth Regional and advance to the Final Four in Memphis.

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Rice Women’s Basketball: Owls explode late, down Arizona State in WNIT opener

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The first round of the WNIT went well for Rice women’s basketball, who beat Arizona State to advance in the winner’s bracket.

Rice Women’s Basketball was disappointed to miss out on an at-large NCAA Tournament selection, but their focus pivoted to the WNIT quickly. Head coach Tina Langley had her team focused on preparation for their second WNIT trip in the past four seasons long before brackets were announced.

When the time came, Rice was paired with Arizona State. On paper, the matchup looked favorable for the 18-4 Owls against the 11-10 Sun Devils, who also boasted a strong defensive presence.

It wasn’t too much of a surprise then when both teams struggled on offense early on in the game. In the first quarter, Arizona State made 2-of-14 shots. Rice was held to 2-of-11 from the floor. The Sun Devils had more fouls (6) and turnovers (5) than points (4) in the initial frame. The Owls walked away with a 4-2 early lead, confident in their defense, but in need of a spark.

Rice Football: Spring Practice Notebook – Week 2

Rice scored on three of their first four possessions in the second quarter, taking a 13-8 lead into the media timeout. They won on the offensive glass and took advantage of their opponent’s miscues, scoring seven of their 10 second quarter points directly off Arizona State turnovers. A 15-12 halftime lead highlighted a gritty, exhausting start.

The lead ping-ponged back and forth in the third quarter, but then Rice found their extra gear when it mattered. Katelyn Crosthwait hit the Owls’ first three-pointer of the game to spark a thunderous finish for the Owls. Rice outscored Arizona State 18-to-5 in the fourth quarter to secure the first-round win.

Player of the Game – Nancy Mulkey

In a game in which points were at a premium, Mulkey tied Lauren Schartz for the lead among all players in scoring with 16 points. The senior center converted on 7-of-10 shots from the field. That 70 percent shooting percentage more than doubled Arizona State’s team scoring rate. She added four blocks and seven rebounds.

Up Next

The format for the 2021 Women’s NIT guarantees two games for every team. With the victory, Rice moves into the winner’s bracket. They’ll face the winner of the second game in the Fort Worth Region between Fresno State (16-10) and Missouri (9-11).

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