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Rice Football Recruiting: Owls add Richmond transfer TE Andrew Tsangeos

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The 2020 Rice football recruiting class has added a grad transfer from the FCS. Former Richmond tight end Andrew Tsangeos will play his final season with the Owls.

The 2020 football season is currently proceeding as planned. The Owls are managing their affairs as if they’ll play a game on September 3 against Houston. Part of those preparations includes filling out the roster with players the staff believes can help the team this season. To that end, the Rice staff has paid careful attention to the Transfer Portal in recent weeks, looking for the final pieces of the 2020 Rice Football recruiting class.

Former Richmond tight end Andrew Tsangeos is the newest such addition. Tsangeos has committed to the Owls as a graduate transfer for the upcoming season after spending the past four years in the FCS ranks.

Tsangeos cited the “intelligence, passion, and commitment of the coaching staff especially Coach Monfiletto and Coach Bloomgren” as a key reason for his decision. Adding that the staff “cares about their players as more than just athletes, but as men too.”

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

Tsangeos was a former high school quarterback who signed with Richmond prior to the 2015 season. He redshirted his freshman year, eventually moving to the tight end position. His first meaningful action came as a junior in 2018 when he played 10 games, catching eight passes for 90 yards. He added six receptions for 57 yards during his senior season.

Along the way, Tsangeos started a total of three games in his junior and senior seasons. He won’t be a starter for Rice, but his experience playing meaningful minutes for a traditionally strong FCS program will pay dividends at South Main.

Rice will use Tsangeos in a variety of ways. A converted quarterback, his adaptability and versatility will not go unnoticed. He’s a trustworthy blocker who will spend a lot of time playing on the line of scrimmage. He’ll also have the requisite flexibility to be split out in the slot when needed.

Tsangeos, who recently arrived in Houston, said the team has “welcomed [him] with open arms” and that he “felt like [he] fit in with the family right away.” He joins former Boston College wide receiver Christian McStravick as post-signing day additions to the 2020 class. McStravick’s commitment came earlier in the summer.

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Rice Baseball: Shortened draft a plus for Owls

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Rice baseball only lost one player to the 2020 MLB Draft. Aside from shortstop Trei Cruz, the Owls will return most of their roster next spring.

The Houston Astros selected Shay Whitcomb with the 160th pick of the 2020 MLB Draft, wrapping up a five-round affair in just two days. Rice baseball had only one current player selection, star shortstop Trei Cruz. He was picked by the Detroit Tigers in the third round with the 73rd overall selection.

Undrafted players can still sign with MLB teams, but signing bonuses for such players will be limited to $20,000. It’s expected that the vast majority of them will return to school, which means Rice baseball is unlikely to have any further draft-related losses.

Players like pitcher Roel Garcia and catcher Justin Collins both went undrafted. Garcia was selected in the 27th round last year despite missing the season prior with injuries.

Avoiding additional draft losses would have been less likely had 1,200+ players come off the board as happens in the more traditional years. Hard decisions of whether or not to return to school no longer have to be made. Bradley Gneiting, who briefly entered the Transfer Portal during the offseason, has announced his intention to return. For the most part, Rice should be getting most of their key pieces back.

Podcast: Former Rice Baseball star Anthony Rendon talks extended offseason

And then there’s the addition of Ole Miss transfer Connor Walsh. He didn’t play last year with the Rebels, sitting behind Anthony Servideo who was chosen the subsequent following Cruz in Thursday’s draft. Walsh will slide into Cruz’s vacated spot, giving the Owls a formidable roster despite the presumed departure of their top bat.

It’s a bit early to pen down an exact roster, but with the draft in the rearview mirror, the pieces are coming together.

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MLB Draft: Trei Cruz selected by Detroit Tigers in Third Round

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Former Rice baseball shortstop Trei Cruz has been selected in the 2020 MLB Draft. Like his father and grandfather before him, Trei will play pro ball.

Trei Cruz entered the 2020 MLB Draft with the chance to accomplish the rare feat. Being selected would earn him the distinction of becoming a third-generation Major Leaguer. Now, like his father Jose Cruz Jr. before him and his grandfather Jose Cruz Sr. before him, Trei will be a professional baseball player. The shortened draft did not seem to limit Cruz, who fulfilled expectations, hearing his name called on the second day of the two-day event.

His opportunity will come as a member of the Detroit Tigers’ minor league system after he was selected by the Tigers with the 73rd pick (Round 3) in the 2020 MLB Draft. Trei was previously selected in the 35th Round by the Astros in the 2017 draft and in the 37th Round by the Nationals in the 2019 draft. Like his number in the sequence of family pros, the third time should be the charm.

His father, Cruz Jr., was selected in the first round by the Seattle Mariners in the 1995 amateur draft. He made his debut two years later in 1997.

Listen: Anthony Rendon joins The Roost Podcast to talk delayed season and more

Trei Cruz leaves Rice baseball with a robust collection of stat lines. He slashed .296/.406/.484, improving in all three measures from his freshman season in 2018 to the Owls’ abbreviated 2020 campaign. Trei also holds the distinction of being second all-time in RBI in a single game at Rice. He drove in nine against Rhode Island in 2019. The record, 10, belongs to his father.

Rice baseball will miss Trei Cruz, but won’t be without his bloodline just yet. His brother, Antonio still plays for the Owls. He was a sophomore this past season.

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Rice Football: Owls announce return to campus timeline

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Rice Football has a plan to return to campus and the athletic department has announced its plan to reengage amid COVID-19 concerns.

Rice football, soccer, volleyball and men’s and women’s cross country teams have a plan to return to campus. The Roost has confirmed those athletes will be tested as part of pre-participation COVID-19 screening on Thursday, June 11. Voluntary workouts are scheduled to begin on June 17.

As far as the logistics go, student-athletes will be organized into sport-specific workout groups. Those groups will be assigned times for conditioning work and medical treatments. Everyone entering the facilities will be required to wear a face covering expect for during the scheduled workouts. Sports medicine staff will wear masks as well as all strength and conditioning staff members.

Athletic Director Joe Karlgaard detailed the process in a statement:

“We are excited to welcome our local, fall sport student-athletes back to campus for voluntary workouts. Our staff has worked very thoughtfully on a plan that promotes safety and allows for mitigation in the event of any positive occurrences of the virus. We hope June 17 marks the beginning of our transition to having all of our student-athletes successfully return for fall semester.”

For the time being, the Owls’ first game is still scheduled to kick off on Thursday, September 3 against Houston. As of Tuesday, the Cougars do not plan to test their athletes unless they exhibit symptoms of the virus.

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

When addressing that subject earlier in the summer, Karlgaard noted the decision to plan for the upcoming football season was intentional. “We have to proceed as if we’re going to have those seasons because you can’t do the reverse,” he said, citing the immense challenges that would arise should teams seek to organize a game that had been canceled on short notice.

Establishing a return to campus plan had to come first. Rice football has achieved that milestone. The rest will follow in the coming weeks and months. Stay tuned as the situation develops. Further details are available here.

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Rice Tennis: Culture the tone-setter for Owls’ post-pandemic

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Rice tennis fought through a challenging 2019-2020 season. The lessons learned in the tough campaign will pay off for the Owls in the future.

The injury-filled fall and the abruptly ended spring did no favors to Rice tennis. Despite the hard hand they were dealt last season, Rice is doubling down on its future.

Rice will have four seniors and four juniors on their roster next season, leaving just two underclassmen. Retaining a group of young players that have seen as much of the court as the Owls’ elder statesmen should be a huge step up from the competition for multiple reasons, but none ring truer than culture.

No one knows when the sports world will return back to “normal”. What we do know, however, is those programs starting from “square one” will be dealt an incalculably more challenging task. New coaches and players will be at an inherent disadvantage.

As tough as the 2019-2020 season was for Rice, the fortitude and endurance developed over the course of the hard year are already beginning to pay off. Those who played key roles this season will be better off and will carry what they’ve learned into next season. It took strain, but Rice tennis has developed a resilient culture that will steer them into the future.

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

Head coach Efe Ustendag emphatically declared “the team is in good position” entering the fall. the bonds established from strenuous seasons, both on and off the cour, have drawn the team together while apart. Whenever Rice tennis returns, they’ll be given an opportunity to put this past season in the rear view mirror. Several members of this team remember winning the conference tournament as recently as 2017.

Rice will also have the added advantage of not having to force its younger, less-proven players to carry the load by themselves. A healthy roster that’s been through the ringer will pay off in the long run. Whenever the Owls get back on the court, they’ll be ready.

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