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Rice Baseball 2024: MLB Owls Update – July 8

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The 2024 MLB season is underway and Rice baseball alums are busy on the mound and at the plate. Here’s the latest from the MLB Owls.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

Rendon made his return to the lineup after an extended absence,  going 1-for-4 in his first game action since April 20, a span of 79 days. His first hit scored a run.

Through July 8, Rendon is hitting .266 with three extra-base hits, six walks and 15 strikeouts. His OPS is .626 and he’s collected four RBI.

JT Chargois – Miami Marlins

It’s been a good stretch of appearances for Chargois, who has only allowed one run in six appearances since June 23. He has stuck out more batters (five) than allowed hits (four) in that time period. His most recent outing on July 7 ended in his first win of the year. He’s now 1-0.

Through July 8, Chargois has a 1.69 ERA with a 1.031 WHIP. He’s averaging 7.6 strikeouts per nine innings.

Dane Myers – Miami Marlins

Myers has been riding a hot streak over the past week. In six games he’s slashing .421/.476/.737, that’s a 1.213 OPS. That includes this go-ahead blast against the White Sox on July 6.

Through July 8, Myers is hitting .270 with eight extra-base hits, six walks and 28 strikeouts. His OPS is .787 and he’s collected 14 RBI.

Injured List

Glenn Otto – San Diego Padres

Otto began the season on the Injured List but has now begun a stint of rehab assignments. He’s made two appearances with the Padres Rookie-level affiliate and two more in the PCL with their AAA club.

Knocking on the Door

The following Owls began the season in AAA:

  • Matt Canterino – St Paul Saints (Twins)
  • Tyler Duffey – Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals)
  • Jon Duplantier – Syracuse Mets (Mets) *released
  • Tristan Gray – Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Marlins)
  • Evan Kravetz – Louisville Bats (Reds)
  • Lucas Luetge – Worcester Red Sox (Red Sox)
  • Dane Myers – Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Marlins) *promoted
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Rice Baseball: 2024 Summer Ball early-July update

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Rice baseball players scattered across the country for Summer Ball leagues. Here’s how each faired this offseason.

Pitchers

It’s been mostly good news for Rice baseball hurlers this summer. Matthew Rheamue has posted a scoreless campaign, allowing just three total hits in eight innings and no earned runs. His 12 strikeouts are just shy of Mark Perkins’ 15 Ks, but it took him four fewer innings to reach that mark. Garrett Stratting has also impressed in limited work, posting a 2.08 ERA in two outings.

Pitching Stats

Hitters

With most of the summer in the books, it’s looking like the Owls will have a trio of representatives in the .300 average club. Jacob Devenny and Max Johnson have delivered big performances in their respective leagues, but so has Rice newcomer Colin Robinson. He’s hitting .317 in 23 games in the Alaskan summer league. Meanwhile, Duffield leads all Owls with 20 RBI in just 22 games.

Hitting Stats

In Case You Missed It

Follow all the latest updates with Rice baseball alums in the big leagues and periodic minor league updates on the Baseball page. For our Patreon subscribers, be sure to check out the 2024 Rice Baseball Season Reviews of the Starting Pitching as well as the bullpen and the lineup.

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Rice Football Recruiting: DL Brendon Rice commits to Owls

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The 2025 Rice Football recruiting class is bulking up in the trenches. Defensive tackle Brendon Rice has committed to the Owls.

The state of Michigan is on the board. Following a recent run of Texas pledges for the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class, the Owls headed north to land their most recent addition. North Farmington (MI) defensive tackle Brendon Rice has committed to the Owls.

Rice picked Rice over nearly two dozen offers spanning the primarily the midwest. He had offers from several MAC programs like Bowling Green, Akron, Ball State and Buffalo as well as Marshall, UMass, Harvard and others.

Even with a host of other horses in the race, the Scholars came out ahead for the player who shares their namesake.

“I felt the culture throughout the program, especially the relationships between the guys in the locker room and the coaches,” Rice told The Roost “I feel being from Michigan I could have a new experience as well by seeing new parts of the country while playing great football while also learning and developing even more to help me reach my goal one day of playing on Sundays.”

The tandem of Rice and fellow defensive lineman Rob Rooks, who committed just a few days prior, should form a tremendous duo in the trenches for years to come. Rice’s pledge also gives the Owls 15 commitments as the class has skyrocketed in size. Entering June it had just three members before this recent wave of newcomers made their announcements.

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The highlights paint a fairly convincing case to get Rice in the boat. He’s an interior rusher, but his power is devastating when he’s coming downhill from any angle. He’s strong with a powerful first step and has the physicality to eat up blockers and make plays. In a defense that has had its fair share of big men in the middle, Rice is ready to join the ranks. That mirrors how Rice feels he fits in this scheme.

“I feel my type of game is quickness and strength and power,” he said. “I feel pressing vertical, stunting, sliding is a good fit. I like to move around and that’s how they see me.”

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Rice Football Recruiting: ATH Payton Matthews commits to Owls

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The 2025 Rice Football recruiting class just landed another difference-maker on the offensive side of the ball. Versatile athlete Payton Matthews has committed to the Owls.

At its core, recruiting is about finding the most talented athletes possible. Once they’re on campus, coaches have to put the pieces together in the most optimal way. The 2025 recruiting class has leaned fully into that philosophy with its latest addition, picking up a pledge for an elite athlete and leaving the exact position he’ll play open-ended. Athlete Payton Matthews has committed to the Owls.

Matthews’ ability to do a lot of different things all over the field is part of what drew him to the Owls’ scheme. “I’ve always floated around from position to position,” Matthews told The Roost. “I think [the Rice coaching staff] can utilize my playmaking abilities all over the field.”

Along the way, Matthews picked Rice over offers from UTSA, Navy, Air Force, Central Michigan and others.

Early indications are he’ll start off in the wide receiver room with the understanding he’s not going to be a stagnant piece in the offense. Matthews indicated his conversations with the staff emphasized that versatility. “I’m supposed to be all over the field which is one of the things I love most,” he said.

The addition of Matthews further bolsters the offensive weaponry of the 2025 class which includes a couple of tight ends, a pair of running backs and multiple receivers, the majority of which have committed in the last two weeks.

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Matthews is a lightning bolt on film. His explosiveness and elusive nature make him a home-run threat whenever he gets the football in his hands. How that happens remains to be see, but he’s the type of playmaker you want to get on the field however you can.

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AAC Football: Media Outlets release preseason projections

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Publications have started to release their preseason predictions for the AAC Football order of finish. Memphis is the favorite, where does the rest of the league stack up?

The following is a sampling of where AAC Football teams project to finish in the conference standings according to various different media outlets. The ESPN ranks are projections from Bill Connely. Phil Steele, Lindy’s and Athlon are three of the most prominent preseason magazines that have started to arrive in stores over the past few weeks.

Rank Team ESPN Phil Steele Lindy’s Athlon  Average
1 Memphis 1 2 1 1          1.25
2 UTSA 2 1 4 2          2.25
3 Tulane 3 2 2 4          2.75
4 South Florida 4 4 3 3          3.50
5 Army 6 10 5 5          6.50
6 Rice 7 8 9 6          7.50
7 Florida Atlantic 8 6 10 7          7.75
8 East Carolina 5 5 13 8          7.75
9 North Texas 10 7 8 9          8.50
10 Navy 9 11 6 10          9.00
11 UAB 11 8 7 11          9.25
12 Tulsa 12 12 11 12       11.75
13 Charlotte 13 12 12 13       12.50
14 Temple 14 14 14 14       14.00

The consensus

Memphis is the clear frontrunner to win the AAC Football title this season. Only one publication, Phil Steele, kept the Tigers out of the top spot, dropping them to No. 2.  In fact, all four of these sources view the quartet of Memphis, UTSA, Tulane and South Florida as the clear top four. None of that group are projected to finish lower than fourth with each getting multiple votes to finish in the top three.

On the opposite end, Tulsa, Charlotte and Temple are the projected bottom dwellers. None of these sources project any of that trio to finish outside the bottom three in the league. There are other teams that fall into the bottom third of the rankings on individual lists, but this is the group that can reasonably say “nobody believes in us.”

The wide middle

The rest of the group is squarely in the middle. In fact, there isn’t much of a perceived difference between Army and Navy. Both have at least one ranker projecting them inside the top six and another putting them in the bottom five. Those two, along with East Carolina, represent the programs with the greatest standard deviations in rank. There isn’t a consensus on how good those teams will be.

Rice football could be a sneaky team in the midst of this group. Every team outside the top four has at least one projection putting them in the bottom five except for the Owls. They’re consistently tabbed to finish somewhere between sixth and ninth. An upset here or there and holding serve against some of the weaker teams on their schedule could allow them to break into the upper quarter of the ranks by season’s end.

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