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Rice Baseball 2023: Names to Know — Pitching

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Entering Year 2 under head coach Jose Cruz Jr the Rice baseball roster is starting to take shape. Here are a few names to know on the mound.

Rice baseball will look to significantly retool its pitching staff this season. In addition to the hiring of Parker Bangs, a new pitching coach, this offseason, the Owls will also turnover a sizable portion of their staff and likely introduce a host of players to new roles.

Moving On

From purely an innings-pitched perspective, Rice will have to replace its top five arms from last year’s team. Cooper Chandler, Alex DeLeon, Roel Garcia, Thomas Burbank and Brandon Deskins have moved on, leaving a vacuum of mound time to back fill. That quintet accounted for 251 of 485.2 innings pitched, representing more than 50 percent of the innings worked by the entire 2022 staff.

Coming Back

While they are losing a lot of innings, the cupboard isn’t completely bare. Closer Matthew Linskey, who led the team with a 3.00 ERA last season, returns to the squad and could be stretched out to take advantage of his talents for more than an inning or two per weekend. Also back is Parker Smith, who made a strong case to be higher in the weekend rotation at the end of last season and throughout summer ball.

Blake Brogdon, who has been a weekend rotation guy in prior seasons, is back for his fifth season at South Main. It’ll be interesting to watch how his role plays out as well as a guy like Micah Davis that flashed his talents last year but lacked consistent command. Tom Vincent, Reed Gallant, Cristian Cienfuegos and Garret Zaskoda return as potential bullpen options.

Added to the Mix

The list of newcomers who will be in the mix is long. Rice added Mauricio Rodriguez from the JUCO ranks as well as Krishna Raj (Charleston Southern, Tulane), Hayden Durke (Louisiana), JD McCracken (Tennessee) and Tyler Hamilton (Texas Tech) from the Transfer Portal. Additionally, they converted Justin Long from catcher to hurler, and word of his development has been very positive throughout the offseason.

More: Expectations rise for Rice Baseball, Cruz Jr. in Year 2

Past that, there’s a strong compliment of freshman arms that will get looks. Head coach Jose Cruz Jr. singled out Ryland Urbanczyk and Garrett Stratton as early standouts at the onset of preseason practices, which would likely make the front runners in that regard. The Owls also added Marco Fuentes, Jake Crews and Tanner Fox in their incoming freshman class.

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Rice Baseball: Anticipation, expectations rise for Owls in Year 2 with Jose Cruz Jr

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Rice baseball brings renewed vigor and elevated expectations into the 2023 season, the Owls’ second under head coach Jose Cruz Jr.

For a program with the storied history that Rice baseball has, it’s been a tough few years. And while the term “rebuilding” isn’t one the Owls would want to be associated with their brand, that’s essentially what last season was for this program.

New head coach Jose Cruz Jr. brought passion and a modern vantage point on the game of baseball. He reinvigorated the fan base and helped paved the way for a new playing surface at Reckling Park, which remains one of the most beautiful venues in the sport. There was a lot of good that happened during the 2022 season, but the actual results on the diamond were lacking.

“Last year, we didn’t win as many games as we wanted to,” junior outfielder Guy Garibay said. “We’re coming into this year with a bad taste in our mouth and we’re out to win.”

Rice baseball finished 17-39 in Cruz Jr.’s inaugural season at the helm and 9-21 in conference play. Two of their three series wins (over Marshall and over FIU) came on the road. Taking two of three at home against Western Kentucky was their best home series of the season.

Deadset on rising up from that slow start, the Owls embarked on a focused offseason with a clear directive. Rice hired a new pitching coach, Parker Bangs, and spent a significant amount of time and effort with their pitchers in the Pigpen Pitching Lab. They retooled their roster with key transfer additions and several talented incoming freshmen.

“We feel that as a staff we’ve challenged ourselves to be as prepared and as cutting-edge as we can possibly be when it comes to baseball,” Cruz Jr., said. “We’ve created a lot of things and a lot of support for our guys to succeed and we’re looking forward to seeing it happen on the field.”

Rice was picked to finish eighth in the 10-team league by conference head coaches this season. Newcomer Dallas Baptist got four first-place votes. The Owls did not receive any, nor were they honored with any individual players on the preseason all-conference team.

Cruz Jr. was undeterred. “We’re trying to win as many games as possible. We’re coming into every game thinking we’re going to win,” he said. “I don’t think outside of here expectations are very high but we have high expectations for what we can accomplish.”

Beyond general optimism, Cruz Jr. is confident because he’s tuned into the roster and recognizes the journey that his players have been on to get to this point. “Nobody is the same,” he recalled, comparing the growth he’s seen from his players from last year to this year. He was particularly adamant about the pitching progress, singling out guys like Parker Smith on the mound.

The Owls’ season gets underway on Friday, February 17 with the start of a three-game slate against Louisiana. The first pitch of the opener is set for 6:30 p.m.

** Photo: Maria Lysaker **
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Rice Baseball: 2022 MLB Owls update – Sep 29

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The 2022 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.

Ford Proctor – San Francisco Giants

Proctor made his MLB debut on September 24 against the Arizona Diamondbacks, picked up his first major league hit the following day and added his first major league RBI this week, as well.  He’s now appeared in four games. A third round pick of the Rays in 2018, Proctor made it to the Show after five minor league seasons, almost entirely with the Rays until he was traded at the deadline to the Giants this year.

That would have been enough for a debut week, but Proctor didn’t stop there. On Thursday he mashed a grand slam, his first career home run.

Through September 29, Proctor is hitting .200 with one extra-base hits, one walk and threestrikeouts. His OPS is .750 and he’s collected five RBI.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

On Wednesday Rendon was activated from the Injured List and began officially serving his five game suspension. He’s expected to be available for the team’s final three game series in Oakland.

Rendon left off his season hitting .228 with 15 extra-base hits, 23 walks and 32 strikeouts. His OPS is .707 and he’s collected 24 RBI.

J.T. Chargois – Tampa Bay Rays

Chargois saw action in two games this week, earning his third hold of the season along the way. On Sunday he worked a scoreless inning against the Blue Jays, following it up with a scoreless inning on Tuesday against the Indians.

Through September 29, Chargois has a 2.79 ERA with a 1.034 WHIP. He’s averaging 6.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

Lucas Luetge – New York Yankees

Luetge posted an interesting box score in his lone outing this week. He closed out the seventh inning and opened the eighth for the Yankees against the Red Sox and was credited with both a blown save and a win, his fourth of the season. He allowed one inherited runner to score, but was not charged with any runs on his ledger.

Through September 29, Luetge has a 2.78 ERA with a 1.364 WHIP. He’s averaging 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

Glenn Otto – Texas Rangers

Otto worked 5.2 innings against the Guardians this week, allowing one earned run before being lifted in the fifth inning. He was one out away from recording another quality start.

Through September 29, Otto has a 4.73 ERA with a 1.342 WHIP. He’s averaging 6.9 strikeouts per nine innings.

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Rice Baseball: 2022 MLB Owls update – Sep 22

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The 2022 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.

J.T. Chargois – Tampa Bay Rays

Chargois was busy this week, hurling three scoreless innings against a pair of Lone Star teams. Last Friday, he struck out two in a one-inning outing against the Rangers. He then struck out on batter apiece in one-inning appearances against the Astros on Monday and Tuesday.

Through September 22, Chargois has a 2.76 ERA with a .980 WHIP. He’s averaging 6.6 strikeouts per nine innings.

Lucas Luetge – New York Yankees

Luetge appeared in two games this week, hurling a combined 2.1 innings. He allowed one earned run to the Brewers last Friday and one earned run to the Pirates on Wednesday, his longer appearance (two innings) in which he also tallied three strikeouts.

Through September 22, Luetge has a 2.82 ERA with a 1.307 WHIP. He’s averaging 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings.

Glenn Otto – Texas Rangers

Otto was saddled with a loss this week, his first since August 5. He’d won his previous two decisions. This time around, Otto allowed four runs (thanks to two home runs) in a 5-3 loss to the Rays.

Through September 22, Otto has a 4.88 ERA with a 1.373 WHIP. He’s averaging 7.0 strikeouts per nine innings.

Injured List

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

The Angels announced on June 17  that Rendon would undergo surgery on his right wrist, originally expected to end his season. Recent reports indicate Rendon might be mulling a late-season return. Although things are far from certain, there’s a chance Rendon suits up for the Halos again this year. There have been no new updates on that front just yet.

Rendon left off his season hitting .228 with 15 extra-base hits, 23 walks and 32 strikeouts. His OPS is .707 and he’s collected 24 RBI.

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Rice Baseball: 2022 MLB Owls update – Sep15

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The 2022 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.

J.T. Chargois – Tampa Bay Rays

Chargois earned his second hold of the season this week, allowing one run in two-thirds innings in a 4-2 win over the Yankees. He followed that up with one additional run over three innings across his next two appearances, another outing against the Yankees and one game at the Blue Jays.

Through September 15, Chargois has a 3.55 ERA with a 1.105 WHIP. He’s averaging 5.0 strikeouts per nine innings.

Lucas Luetge – New York Yankees

Luetge limited his opponents to one run and four hits across three appearances this week, spanning 2.2 innings pitched. The Yankees went 2-1 across his trio of outings. Luetge has now allowed one run or fewer in 42 of 45 appearances this season.

Through September 15, Luetge has a 2.60 ERA with a 1.269 WHIP. He’s averaging 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings.

Glenn Otto – Texas Rangers

Otto delivered another quality start this week, tossing six innings of two-run ball in the first end of a doubleheader against the Marlins on Monday. He’s now allowed two runs or fewer in six of his last eight starts.

Through September 15, Otto has a 4.71 ERA with a 1.352 WHIP. He’s averaging 7.0 strikeouts per nine innings.

Injured List

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

The Angels announced on June 17  that Rendon would undergo surgery on his right wrist, originally expected to end his season. Recent reports indicate Rendon might be mulling a late-season return. Although things are far from certain, there’s a chance Rendon suits up for the Halos again this year.

Rendon left off his season hitting .228 with 15 extra-base hits, 23 walks and 32 strikeouts. His OPS is .707 and he’s collected 24 RBI.

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