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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.

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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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BREAKING: Ivy League to announce cancellation of all fall sports

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The first conference to act in March, the Ivy League made another big move this week, canceling all fall sports. No events will be held until January.

In what could become a pivotal moment in college football history, Jon Rothstein reports the Ivy League will announce the cancel their football season and all fall sports. Additionally, the conference “will not entertain any sports being played until after January 1st.”

In a typical sports calendar, the decisions of a smaller FCS conference might not be national news. The past four months have been anything but typical.

Think back to the morning of March 10. COVID-19 was only beginning to take its place as a ubiquitous facet of the world we know. That’s when the Ivy League canceled its conference basketball tournament. For nearly two days, the public outrage was palpable. But quickly the “overreaction” proved more of a premonition than a knee-jerk decision.

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The NBA shut down less than 36 hours from the Ivy League’s statement to cancel their basketball tournament. The Ivies were again first to cancel their spring sports calendar. An outcry followed, but soon enough ever college governing body had followed suit.

On Wednesday, the Ivies announced a decision that could have far greater ramifications. The Ivy League’s decision to not play football this fall will give other conference justification to follow suit. Don’t be shocked to see other FCS conferences follow suit. The domino effect might not stop there. FBS teams have already seen games canceled.

Per Dana O’Neil, there is a possibility the affected fall sports could be played in the spring. To that end, workouts and fall team activities could be left up to the discretion of individual schools, per Nicole Auerbach.

Everyone wants to play college football this fall, but the proverbial timeline to pull the ripcord is fast approaching. Mandatory workouts begin soon and most universities haven’t announced final decisions as to when (or if) the rest of their student body can return to school. Buckle up. The next few weeks could be bumpy.

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Buy Now: The Roost’s 2020 Rice Football Season Preview and C-USA Preview

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The Roost is pleased to announce the release of the 2020 Rice Football Season Preview and the Conference USA Football Season Preview. These digital magazines are the one-stop-shop for every Rice and Conference USA Fan.

Buy Rice Preview
Buy C-USA Preview

The 2020 Rice Football Season Preview

This 160-page publication details everything you could imagine about Rice Football. It includes insight on the entire Rice roster as well with commentary on all 110 players on the active roster. From there the scope widens to breakdowns of every Conference USA team and all four of the Owls’ non-conference opponents. Each profile was compiled with the help from local experts who cover that beat on a daily basis with timely transfer information and any available spring updates.

As one Rice administrator dubbed it:
it’s the bible for Rice Football fans.

Get answers to questions like “Who has the leg up in the Rice quarterback battle?” or “Which incoming players could make the biggest impact?” or “Who are the top returning players Rice will face in Conference USA?”

This year’s edition included a feature story based on an interview with Athletic Director Joe Karlgaard. In the piece, we discuss how he evaluates head coach Mike Bloomgren’s coaching tenure.

The 2020 Conference USA Football Season Preview

The complete contents of the Conference USA Preview are contained within the Rice Preview. This 72-page guide includes everything Conference USA fans need to know for the upcoming season. Every team in the conference has a four-page profile. These profiles including coaching notes, pressing questions and the major storylines each squad faces this season. It also includes roster breakdowns with profiles on the biggest incoming and outgoing players.

No preview would be complete without the numbers, and this one has those in bunches. Each team section includes Conference USA metrics, returning production notes and analysis as well as stat lines for every returning player. There’s also a more detailed review of the conference’s top returning players for each major statistic. And it’s all at your fingertips rather than a dozen google searches away.

The Conference USA Preview omits the Rice-specific content like the position and player breakdowns, rising stars and more. Most Rice fans would prefer the Rice Preview whereas fans of other C-USA schools might prefer this version.

What are people saying about the Previews?

Don’t just take our word for it. Here’s what people are saying:

  • “The Roost’s C-USA preview has been an indispensable resource for me as I make my preparations for this season.”
  • “I just spent 30 minutes going through it, but barely skimmed the surface. It’s a great way to learn the new players.
  • “I don’t know any preview that could be more detailed than that.”
  • “This is worth spending the money on. Best you will get for CUSA”
  • “I liked everything.”

Want more?

You can always find additional Rice Football and Conference USA Football content on the website. If you enjoy the Preview and want to get further involved, consider supporting us on Patreon or check out The Roost Shop. Our subscribers get exclusive content ranging from recruiting and practice updates to special analysis. For starters, they got a copy of the Preview for free!

Buy Rice Preview
Buy C-USA Preview
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Rice Basketball: 2021 Guard Jaden Geron commits to Owls

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The 2021 Rice Basketball recruiting class has doubled in size. Guard Jarden Geron became the second player to commit to the Owls in this cycle.

Rice basketball has its second commitment of the 2021 class. 6-foot-7 shooting guard Jaden Geron from San Joaquin Memorial High School in Fresno, California has committed to Rice. He led San Joaquin to a 24-7 regular season record this past season.

Geron is the second commitment in the 2021 Rice Basketball Recruiting class. His addition comes roughly a month after fellow Californian forward Damion McDowell became the first commitment of the class.

The Owls were the first to get in on Geron, offering him in mid-April amid the now-normal virtual recruiting environment. UC San Diego followed a month later, but Rice had already made enough headway at that point to put themselves out in front.

After bringing in such a large 2020 class amidst the transfer churn, it’s likely the Owls have a smaller group for 2021. McDowell and Hargon will be the cornerstones of this group which probably has space left for just one more addition.

On the court, Geron is a finisher with an adept shooting stroke who can score from all three levels. His ability to push the pace and make plays at the rim should give Rice a versatile offensive threat with the ball in his hands.

As good as he is in close, he also has the range to pull up and knock down a three. At 175-pounds, he tends toward the lankier side, but should have a decent floor as a shooter as he develops at the next level.

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Rice Baseball: 2020 Summer Ball July 5 Update

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Current, former and incoming Rice baseball players are participating in Summer Ball leagues around the country. Here’s the latest on those Owls.

First a quick note on rosters. I’ve tracked down all players that I could find with listed statistics, but I know there are others playing ball this summer. If you come across information on anyone else associated with Rice baseball playing summer ball, please send it my way. You can leave it in the comments or send it to me some other way. Thanks!

Hitters

As for the players I was able to track down, the most impressive start has come from a player who has yet to suit up for Rice baseball. Incoming outfielder Guy Garibay has been smashing the baseball in the Texas Premier League. He’s 6-for-20 this summer, but almost all of his hits have gone for extra bases. He’s hitting with power to all fields, including this bomb to straight away center:

Of the current Owls, none have done much to impress so far in their limited action. Dominic Cox has amassed a .400 OBP, but has just two hits in nine games.

Hitting Stats

Pitchers

Pitchers have had fewer outings than the hitters. AC Plum currently sports a 0.00 ERA through three appearances. He’s gone five innings, striking out nine and allowing just two hits. We haven’t seen much from him at Reckling thus far, but a solid summer will only help his chances to get on the bump. Brandon Deskins has yet to give up a hit in three innings, working 3.1 innings with nine strikeouts.

Pitching Stats

*All stats as of July 4 taken from league and team websites.

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