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Rice Baseball 2020: Previewing the Owls’ starting lineup

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It’s time to head back to Reckling Park for the beginning of the 2020 Rice Baseball season. Here’s a preview of the potential starting lineup.

The 2020 Rice baseball season is fast approaching. This year’s squad is composed of an intriguing combination of familiar faces, potent junior college additions and a host of younger players hoping to make a name for themselves.

First, a projected Opening Day lineup when Rice hosts Texas on February 14 at 7:00 p.m.

Projected Lineup

  1. Braden Comeaux, 3B
  2. Bradley Gneiting, RF
  3. Trei Cruz, SS
  4. Austin Bulman, 1B
  5. Brayden Combs, DH
  6. Cade Edwards, 2B
  7. Justin Collins, C
  8. Tyler Larue, LF
  9. Aaron Beaulaurier, CF

The Infield

Led by Preseason Conference USA Player of the Year Trei Cruz, the Owls have the makings of an explosive offense — at least on paper. Cruz was a late-round draft pick last year and should parlay himself into a much more lucrative selection at the end of this season. He slashed .305/.393/.519 in 2019 and was named a Cape Cod League All-Star during the summer. “It’s not normal and I mean that in a good way,” Coach Matt Bragga remarked of Cruz’s dedication to improvement. “It’s fun to watch. He’s going to have a great year.”

Joining Cruz in the field will be Braden Comeaux at third base and Cade Edwards at second base. They were two of the most reliable bats in the Rice lineup a year ago and should be fixtures in the starting nine this season. Both are .300 hitters with power to the gaps.

First base is a bit of a wildcard. JUCO transfer Austin Bulman is a third baseman by trade, but he’s been working hard to learn the other side of the diamond. The coaching staff is optimistic he’ll be ready to go by Opening Day. If he doesn’t start in the field, he’ll be the designated hitter. Bulman hit .381 with 16 doubles and 18 steals last season.

Designated Hitter and Catcher

Braden Combs will be the man platooning with him at first base, at least early on in the season. Another JUCO addition, Combs brings plenty of pop. He smashed 17 home runs and 17 doubles while batting .366 with 83 RBI last season. It’s hard to put one beyond the fence at Reckling Park, but if someone besides Cruz is going to threaten for 20+ dingers, it’s probably going to be Combs.

Catcher Justin Collins is another potential power bat. He hit seven home runs and 12 doubles last season. He led the team with 41 walks and scored 32 times, fifth-most on the team and the only hitter who spent most of his time outside the top four spots in the order to reach that high of a mark. Collins has plenty of upside.

The Outfield

While the infield (plus designated hitter) is more or less locked down, the outfield rotation is much less certain. The one certainty seems to be Bradley Gneiting. The senior filled in all over the diamond last year, seeing time at first and third base in addition to his usual spot in right field. He led the team in hits in 2019 and was one of two Owls (along with Edwards) to appear in all 59 games.

Beyond that, there are options, but few definitive answers. Aaron Beaulaurier and Dominic Cox are back. So are Antonio Cruz and Justin Dunlap. Those four known quantities will battle it out with newcomers Daniel Hernandez and Tyler Larue.

Hernandez has impressed with his versatility early on. He could play just about every infield spot minus first base and all three outfield slots. He has a good shot to see some of the field early.

Tyler Larue is the most likely freshman to start out of the gate. Coach Bragga called him “a special hitter”, speaking incredibly highly of his strength and ability to battle at the plate. He came into the program as a catcher, but the staff is going to make a concerted effort to get his bat into the lineup however they can.

That’s a lot of names for three spots. Assuming Gneiting is already on the top tier, that leaves six guys fighting for two spots. Ideally, a pair will rise up quickly. Bragga has indicated he’d love to keep the lineup card the same if the guys penciled in continue to play well.

More on the pitching staff next week…
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Conference USA Women’s Basketball 2020: Mid-conference play update

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The Conference USA women’s basketball season is creeping closer and closer to March. Here’s where things stand with roughly half the conference games in the books.

The driving story of Conference USA women’s basketball remains the incredible undefeated run from the Rice Owls. Through eight games of the current season, Rice has won an astounding 27 consecutive games against C-USA foes. The Owls are as good as advertised, and they’ve done it while missing games from two of their most prominent stars: Erica Ogwumike and Nancy Mulkey.

UTEP has been a pleasant surprise, after being picked to finish near the cellar the Miners are two games out of first place. With Old Dominion, Middle Tennessee and UAB have emerged as a tier above the rest, but matchups between the remaining teams (save for 1-7 FIU) feel like a toss up on any given night.

The Standings

Early Player of the Year pick

It’s hard to pick against Preseason Conference USA Player of the Year Erica Ogwumike. The Owls’ do-it-all guard has scored 51 points in the past two games after missing the two prior contests with an injury. She’s had double-digit rebounds in six straight contests and continues to wow every time she takes the court. As long as she’s healthy, it’s going to be hard to beat this team.

Panic buttons

For the most part, the women’s standings reflect preseason expectations. The teams that were supposed to be good have proven to be good and vice-versa. The only possible exception could be Middle Tennessee. The Lady Raiders were the only other non-Rice team to receive first-place votes. Since the preseason, though, they’ve fallen three games behind the Owls in the standings. There would be no shame in finishing runner up to the Owls, but it would mean to NCAA bid and a disappointing season for MTSU.

February game to watch

Circle February 8 on your calendars for the matchup which could decide who wins Conference USA. Middle Tennessee visits Rice for a 2:00 p.m. tip. The Owls could be playing for their 30th consecutive C-USA win at that point. A stumble against a quality opponent could open the door for someone else to win the conference crown down the stretch.

Bracketology

Conference USA women’s basketball is projected to remain a one-bid league in the latest Bracketology. Charlie Breme has current frontrunner Rice as a 12-seed in the Portland region, squaring off against Kentucky in the first round. Whether it’s Rice or someone else, the odds off C-USA being anything more than a single-bid, double-digit seed seems decidedly unlikely.

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Conference USA Basketball 2020: Mid-conference play update

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The Conference USA basketball season is creeping closer and closer to March. Here’s where things stand with roughly half the conference games in the books.

Credit first belongs to WKU, who withstood the injury to Charles Bassey and have remained neck-and-neck with North Texas atop the conference standings. The Hilltoppers were supposed to be there. The Mean Green were not. Picked to finish seventh in the preseason poll, North Texas has been by far the most impressive team through the first several months of the season.

The Standings

Early Player of the Year pick

UTSA guard Jhivvan Jackson has been on another world this season. He leads C-USA in scoring, averaging 26.3 points per game. That’s the second-highest total in the nation, trailing only Marquette’s Markus Howard (28.3 ppg). Jackson has failed to reach 20 points in one conference game. If it weren’t for him, UTSA’s already surprisingly challenging season could be in a much more dour spot.

Panic buttons

The conference has shown remarkable balance this season. Outside of North Texas and WKU, teams three through 11 have been fairly evenly matched. Then there’s Southern Miss, MTSU and Rice. Each has their own shortcomings and is running out of time to turn things around before the conference tournament in March.

February game to watch

Bonus play has yet to be decided, so the latter portion of the month’s schedule is still TBD. WKU should play North Texas in what could be the deciding game for the No. 1 seed. For the time being, circle Thursday, February 6 when Louisiana Tech visits WKU. If the Bulldogs are going to make a push, that might be their best chance.

Bracketology

Conference USA Basketball is projected to remain a one-bid league in the latest Bracketology. Joe Lunardi has current frontrunner North Texas as a 13-seed in the East region, squaring off against Kentucky in the first round. Whether it’s North Texas or someone else, the odds off C-USA being anything more than a single-bid, double-digit seed seems decidedly unlikely.

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Rice Football 2020: Transfer portal and roster notes

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The Transfer Portal has made itself a part of the 2020 Rice football offseason. Who’s on their way out and who could be on their way to Houston?

Suspensions and outgoing players

Aaron Cephus was suspended for the entirety of the 2019 season. After the season, multiple sources told me he was a longshot to return to the program. He has since put his name into the Transfer Portal alongside corner D’Angelo Ellis, who had also been suspended. Ellis was suspended after appearing in two games this season. In four years at Rice, he never appeared in more than seven games, battling through injuries and more recent off the field issues. He was not expected to be a significant contributor in 2020.

The newest entrant, kicker Zach Hoban, handled kickoffs for the Owls last season. He did not attempt any kicks.

It’s possible we could see another name or two added to the list of outgoing players, but the players most likely to be added to that list did not see much, if any playing time in 2019. Rush end Anthony Ekpe and offensive lineman Uzoma Osuji, both of which put their name in the portal earlier this winter, are likely the biggest hits Rice will see via transfers to their depth this offseason. Any other potential departures aren’t expected to be significant.

Rice football players currently in the Transfer Portal
  • WR Aaron Cephus
  • LB Anthony Ekpe
  • DB D’Angelo Ellis
  • PK Zach Hoban
  • OL Uzoma Osuji

Potential Transfer Targets

The transfer market is going to heat up for Rice over the next several weeks. The Owls have been in contact with a host of potential instant-impact players, including several who started at the Power 5 level. There’s a decent chance that could include some from the exodus of Stanford players. More than a dozen from Mike Bloomgren’s former school are currently in the Transfer Portal.

Look for potential reinforcements at running back, offensive line, defensive line and place kicker. Rice is losing starters in all of those spots. The Owls would also be interested in another outside wide receiver with height to pair opposite Brad Rozner, especially given the status of Aaron Cephus. That would depend on how many 6-foot-5, D1-caliber receivers are available — there won’t be many.

More: Owls extend 10 new offers at 2021 Junior Day

It’s worth noting the timetable for any potential new arrivals. National Signing Day is Wednesday, Feb. 5 but by no means is that the deadline to have the entire class complete. The portal has extended the recruiting cycle into the spring and early summer. Rice needs their class finalized by the time summer workouts begin in June. The Owls won’t delay getting potential transfers in, but they won’t force-fit anyone to reach a “complete” class by signing day.

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Rice Football: 2020 Defense leads nation in returning production

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The Rice Football defense was much improved in 2019, but the Owls could be one of the fiercest units in the nation in 2020.

On paper, the 2020 Rice football defense looks as formidable as it’s been in a long time. When Mike Bloomgren arrived at South Main, he spoke of Intellectual Brutality, of hitting so hard that others knew what was coming and shrank away.

Rice made a jump in 2019, elevating themselves from near the bottom of C-USA to No. 6 in scoring defense. At the same, they got stingier. The Owls finished fifth in the conference in three-and-out percentage and 57th in the nation in stop rate, better than Oklahoma, Texas, Stanford and Houston, among others.

We knew that defense was coming back, almost in its entirety. This week, Bill Connelly of ESPN put that into greater clarity. Not only will Rice have plenty of returning playmakers on defense next season, they’ll have the most returning production in the nation.

The only departing starter who played significant snaps for Rice last season was defensive tackle Myles Adams. Rice will replace him with De’Braylon Carroll, a rising star who was named to the Pro Football Focus all-freshman team as a rotation player behind Adams.

Anthony Ekpe will be missed as well, but injuries kept him off the field for much of 2019. In his place, guys like Kenneth Orji and other younger players got valuable reps.

Experience isn’t everything. Returning bad defensive players leads to bad defenses more often than not. But Rice has a host of talented defenders, with more help on the way. The 2020 Rice defense is going to be good and is already starting ahead of the game. For now, it’s one more reason to be optimistic about what the Owls can achieve next fall.

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