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Rice Baseball: Anthony Rendon preparing for first action with Angels

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Anthony Rendon is one of four Rice baseball alums who will be a part of the shortened 2020 MLB season, scheduled to start in the coming weeks.

The most notable of the Rice baseball alums in the bigs right now, we last saw Rendon as he hoisted the World Series Trophy. In the months that followed he signed a 7-year, $245-Million contract with the Los Angeles Angels. Then he navigated the challenges of moving from Houston to Arizona to California amidst a pandemic.

Finally settled in with a few months tucked away in his new home with his family, Rendon and his new team are ready to play baseball. The Angels finished 72-90 last season. That was 35 games behind the Houston Astros in the AL West and 24 games out of the wild card. Rendon was brought in to narrow that gap. With his help, the Angels hope to push their star-studded lineup past the Astros’ mighty array of bats.

Rendon hit a career-best .319 last season with 44 doubles and 126 RBI. It was his clutching hitting in the World Series that played a huge role in the Nationals’ winning it all. His stellar year earned him his first All-Star nomination, but he missed the game with minor injuries. The shortened season means the star third baseman will have to wait at least one more year before he gets his shot at another All-Star selection.

During some of his off time this spring, Rendon stopped by The Roost Podcast for an interview. We talked everything from his World Series adventures to the new contract to why he chose to sign with the Angels. Plus, he shared some of his tips on how to best throw a tee-shirt inside Tudor Fieldhouse and more.

The Angels are scheduled to open their season on Friday, July 24 at the Athletics. First pitch is tentatively set for 9:10 p.m. CT. Rendon has dealt with some oblique tightness during summer camp, but expects to

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The Roost Podcast | Ep. 42 – North Texas Football Preview with Matthew Brune

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The Roost Podcast welcomes Matthew Brune, who covers North Texas football for Mean Green 247 to break down expectations for the Mean Green this fall.

Rice Football opponent previews continue this week with another opponent from Conference USA West. This week we welcomed our friend Matthew Brune with Mean Green to give us the inside scoop on North Texas football and the interesting coaching trajectory of Seth Littrel.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. All of the Conference USA team shows are there as well as the beginning of our Extended Offseason Series. That features popular Rice alums like Anthony Rendon, Christian Covington and James Casey, among others. For now, give a listen to our chat with Matthew on Episode 42.

Episode 42 Notes

  • Housekeeping — This week only: Leave us a five-star review and include what you like about the show. Also, make sure you follow Matthew on Twitter and let him know you enjoyed having him on the pod.
  • Subscribe on Patreon — If you enjoy the site and want to be a part of what we’re building at The Roost, please consider supporting us on Patreon.
  • Matthew Brune joins the show — Matthew shares his insight on North Texas football under Seth Littrell and what to expect from the Mean Green in 2020, including:
    • Littrell’s uncertainty coaching trajectory after the down season
    • The future at quarterback after Mason Fine
    • The array of weapons North Texas will have on offense
    • Which players could be difference-makers on defense
    • The Lightning Round

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.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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Rice Football Recruiting 2021: Mid-July update and targets to watch

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The 2021 Rice Football Recruiting class is continuing to gain steam. Here are a few targets to keep an eye on this summer.

Here are four names to follow as we get past the midpoint of the summer. Evan Jackson is one of the newer offers, but that relationship is off to a great start. Of the earlier offers, Rice is still very much in the mix for Katy Taylor safety Trevor Woods. I have some notes on both of those guys as well as lineman Coco Lukirch and Bryce Goodner.

RB/CB Evan Jackson – Woodland, GA

Evan Jackson is an incredible athlete with top-end speed. Rice has prioritized getting faster in recent classes. Jackson can run a 10.83 100-meter dash and could run track in college if he goes that route. He likes playing with the ball in his hands and likes playing in the slot as a receiver, but he might actually have a better long-term role at Rice as a corner.

At this point, Jackson’s offers have been all over the board. He’s been heavily recruited by the Ivies and has a quarterback offer from Army.

He said the facilities stood out from what he’s seen virtually. His relationships with the coaching staff continue to progress and he’s looking to narrow things down in late July. The everchanging COVID-19 situations have made nailing specific dates difficult, but it sounds like he hopes to have a decision made in the next few weeks if possible. Rice is in a very good place with him.

Saf Trevor Woods – Katy, TX

Rice was the first to offer Katy Taylor standout safety Trevor Woods, and that initial vote of confidence has stuck with him as he’s picked up offers from Arizona, Colorado and others.

He’s remained in close communication with the Rice staff through the in-person shutdown. He said it’s possible his rate of communication has increased with the lack of camps and other summer activities. To some degree, all he and the staff has to do is build relationships.

The recruiting restrictions have probably played into the Owls favor in Woods’ recruitment. He has the talent to be a special player in Conference USA and his lack of exposure this summer has helped secure Rice a spot at the table when it comes time for him to make a decision. The pandemic has made things hazier, but Woods says he’d still like to make a decision by the end of the summer.

OL Coco Lukrich – Park City, UT

Initially listed as a two-way guy on the Offer Tracker, Rice prefers Coco Lukrich on the offensive side of the ball. He’s been a guard at the high school level and could stick there at the college level, especially with the bookend of tackles Rice brought in last season with Trey Phillippi and Mike Leone. Lukrich himself made it clear he’s fine playing on either side of the ball and expects he’ll line up at defensive end frequently this year as well.

Lukrich’s offers are fairly robust. In addition to several Ivy League schools and service academies, he has Power 5 offers from Boston College, Syracuse and Washington State. All three came this summer prior to his offer from Rice. So far it sounds like the Owls are still somewhat in the mix, but the competition has heated up significantly in the last few weeks.

DL Bryce Goodner – Mcminn, TN

Of all the recruits Rice is currently after that don’t have any sort of rating on 247, Goodner might be the one I’m most excited about. First, he’s a monster that moves big things with ease. Second, he’s somehow flying under the radar and has Rice in the hunt when it comes time to make his decision.

Goodner says he’s narrowed his list down and is content with the collection of offers he has so far. He picked up Tulsa over the weekend and already had offers from Air Force, Arkansas State, Charlotte a few Ivy League schools and several more from the FCS ranks.

Goodner doesn’t have a timetable for his decision but says he’s in constant contact with Rice and is going to trust his gut. He said a decision could come “tomorrow morning or right before our first game.”

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The Roost Podcast | Ep. 41 – UTSA Football and CFB news with Jared Kalmus

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The Roost Podcast welcomes Jared Kalmus, who covers UTSA football for Underdog Dynasty to breakdown the Roadrunners and the latest breaking news.

When arrangements were made for Jared Kalmus of Underdog Dynasty to join the show we intended to steer the conversation toward UTSA Football. We did spend some time on this in the podcast, but only after we discussed the tidal wave of uncertainty that hit the sport this week. (Patreon subscribers can get the full breakdown of Wednesday’s events and an outlook of what to expect moving forward here).

You’re not going to want to miss this.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. All of the Conference USA team shows are there as well as the beginning of our Extended Offseason Series. That features popular Rice alums like Anthony Rendon, Christian Covington and James Casey, among others. For now, give a listen to our chat with Jared on Episode 41.

Episode 41 Notes

  • Housekeeping — This week only: Starting point certain or not, our Rice Football Preview and Conference USA Preview are still on sale. You can get those at The Roost Shop. Also, make sure you follow Jared Kalmus and let him know you enjoyed having him on the pod.
  • Subscribe on Patreon — If you enjoy the site and want to be a part of what we’re building at The Roost, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Here what those inside the Rice program had to say about Wednesday’s events, and more.
  • Jared Kalmus joins the show — Jared shares his insight on Louisiana Tech football under Jeff Traylor and what to expect from the Roadrunners this coming season, including:
    • The state of college football and the outlook for the 2020 season
    • Changes we’d make if the season is moved to the spring
    • The challenges of Traylor beginning his tenure in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic
    • The sky-high potential of running back Sincere McCormick
    • The Lightning Round

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.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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Rice Baseball alum Trei Cruz returns to the diamond in Sugar Land

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Former Rice baseball shortstop Trei Cruz returns to the field Friday. He’ll take part in the Sugarland Skeeters’ Constellation Energy League.

The last time many heard from former Rice baseball shortstop Trei Cruz he was being drafted by the Detriot Tigers. A few weeks removed from that top-of-the-world experience he’ll return to the diamond, it just won’t be with the Tigers or one of their affiliate teams as he might have expected.

The Minor League Baseball was officially canceled on June 30th. That left Cruz, among others, with an open schedule this summer and an extended absence from baseball. He last took the field on March 10 during a midweek game against Texas A&M.

Cruz is slated to take part in the Sugar Land Skeeter’s four-team Constellation Energy League as a member of the Eastern Reyes Del Tigre. He’ll square off with the Skeeters, Team Texas and the Sugar Land Lightning Sloths. Notable managers include former Major Leaguers Dave Eiland and Greg Swindell as well as the father-son duo of Roger and Koby Clemens.

The Roost Podcast: Listen now to our Extended Offseason Interview Series

Former Rice infielder Ford Proctor will join Cruz on Eastern Reyes Del Tigre. Several other current and former minor leaguers are scattered across the four teams. Josh Breaux, a 2018 second-round pick of the Yankees will catch on Cruz’s team.  Former Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp will suit up for Team Texas.

Games will begin on Friday, July 10 at 7:00 p.m. at Constellation Field. That’s a slight change from the original schedule with including opening night on July 3. Games were delayed one week because of the rise in COVID-19 cases in the area. Assuming things go as planned, the season is now scheduled to run through August 30th. The games will be open to the public.

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