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Rice Baseball 2022: Owls top HBU for first win of Cruz Jr. era

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Rice baseball picked up the first win of the Jose Cruz Jr. era, beating Houston Baptist and former Rice great Lance Berkman.

Opening weekend wasn’t the grand entrance many Rice baseball fans had been hoping for with new head coach Jose Cruz Jr. in the dugout. The Owls were swept, gave up 36 runs and only scored three of their own. Reasons for optimism were in dire need. They found several in a midweek win over Houston Baptist.

Although the narrative surrounding the game centered on a battle of coaches — Cruz and Houston Baptist headman Lance Berkman were once roommates at Rice — the game itself was vigorous. Rice jumped out in front when two runs scored on an HBU error in the first inning.

Rice added to their advantage the following inning on a sac fly by Austin Bulman and once more on a fourth-inning RBI double by Antonio Cruz. Leading 4-0, Rice pitcher Parker Smith had all the breathing room he needed.

Last Time Out : Takeaways from Rice Baseball swept by Texas, 3-0

“I was just trying to throw strikes,” Smith said once he’d wrapped up six innings of scoreless baseball, striking out four without issuing any walks. Other than a hit batsman, the pitching performance was almost a full 180-degree turn from how the Owls fared last weekend.

Things were quiet on the scoreboard until Smith left the game. Following two runs from the Owls in the top half of the seventh, the Huskies would muster their first run in the bottom of the frame. They’d get one more in the eighth before falling to the Owls by a final score of 6-2.

What it means

The talent differential between Rice baseball and Houston Baptist is supposed to be fairly sizable. Rice should win this game more often than they don’t, but learning how to win is something that holds material weight in the baseball world of superstitions and processes. Rice got the monkey off their back before it turned into a gorilla. 1-3 isn’t great, but it’s a lot better than 0-4.

“I’m so excited we finally won a game,” Cruz Jr. said in relief. “The boys have been hungry for it, they’ve been working hard. So I’m happy to get that out of the way.”

ON DECK | Lamar

Rice baseball kicks off a 17-game homestand on Friday, beginning with a three-game series against Lamar. That set is part of a 34-game home schedule, the most regular-season games every play at Reckling Park following it’s opening in 2000.

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Rice Baseball has plenty to work on following weekend sweep by Texas

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Things got away for Rice baseball quickly on opening weekend against Texas leaving the Owls with plenty to correct as they move forward.

THREE FOR THE ROAD | Rice baseball swept 3-0

In the words of Rice baseball head coach Jose Cruz Jr., “It didn’t go as we had hoped.” Those words seem optimistic at best following what was a rough awakening from the honeymoon offseason by the nation’s No. 1 team in their own ballpark. Texas outscored Rice by a combined score of 36-3, outclassing the Owls all around and sending them home with plenty to work on.

“We’re just starting,” Cruz Jr. admitted, adding that he’s hopeful players continue to progress and “we have some guys step up.” More on what went wrong and what good can be gleaned from a tough opening weekend for Rice baseball.

1. Someone might be walking home

On two separate occasions, Rice baseball issued five or more walks in the same inning. It would be disingenuous to boil an entire series down to a singular stat, but walks tell the preponderance of this story. 17 different pitchers took the mound for the Owls against the Longhorns this weekend.  Just as many left without recording an out (two) as left without issuing a walk (also two).

Of the two who went multiple innings without issuing a walk (Cristian Cienfuegos and Parker Smith), only Smith hit a batter. So in total, 16 of 17 Rice pitchers allowed a free base runner and only two (Brandon Deskins and Cooper Chandler) went at least three full innings on the mound.

More: Jose Cruz Jr. hopes to bring modern edge to Rice baseball

Cruz Jr. was blunt in his assessment. “Ultimately I chuck it up to lack of execution. I think we gave them too many chances.”

Five Rice pitchers through at least 60 percent of their pitches for strikes. Five through more balls than strikes, overall. The program can praise the technological advancements of its pitching lab all they want, but if they don’t throw strikes, it’s not going to matter.

2. Some answers in the lineup

Finding someone to fill the offensive void left by the departing trio of  Cade Edwards, Bradley Gneiting and Braden Comeaux was high on the priority list for the start of the season. While the Owls didn’t see any resounding offensive displays, there were enough encouraging at bats that indicate the offense should be better than its current one-run-per-game clip.

Guy Garibay appears to be as good as advertised and seems locked into a top-four spot in the batting order after collecting two doubles on the weekend and several hard-hit outs. Austin Bulman launched the Owls’ first home run of the season — the third consecutive year he’s delivered the first long ball for Rice — and is going to be a fixture as well.

Drew Woodcox struggled out of the gate, but his offseason performances will likely warrant him more than one weekend to work out of the slump. Justin Long and Pierce Gallo each left the weekend hitting .375 after three hits in eight at bats. True freshman Aaron Smigelski and Jack Ben-Shoshan delivered pinch hits, and while it might not get them in the starting lineup just yet, Cruz Jr. said he’d taken notice of their good approaches at the plate.

3. Texas is very, very good, but Rice beat themselves, too

Rice committed three errors at third base in the first 11 defensive innings of this series. They had four errors on the weekend. Texas had one. Add in 28 walks, six wild pitches, three passed balls and zero runs in the first 17 innings and you get the recipe for a sloppy weekend on the road — and that’s before any opponent enters the equation.

“[We want] guys to put together good at bats, play some good defense, just play baseball,” Cruz Jr. said. “for our pitchers to execute [and] just be able to attack the zone a little bit more than we have.”

Whether it was jitters, rust or some combination of both, Rice can put a tremendously improved product on the field by minimizing their own mistakes. Fortunately, Rice won’t be playing Texas every weekend. And fortunately, Rice has a lot of time left in this young season to work through warts that were put on display in Austin this past weekend.

THE PLAY BY PLAY

FRIDAY  | Texas 7 – Rice 0

Texas came after Rice starter Cooper Chandler early on Friday night. He allowed plenty of hard contact, but only one run in each of the first two innings. Trailing 2-0, he worked a scoreless third before two infield singles and an error in the fourth inning drove him from the game. By the time the inning was through, Rice trailed 5-0.

Christian Cienfuegos was a bright spot out of the bullpen, but it was too little, too late by the time he settled in. The Rice offense was quiet, largely unable to solve Texas starter Pete Hansen. The Owls only had seven at bats with runners in scoring position and produced no hits in those key moments. Those missed opportunities and the errors proved too much to overcome.

SATURDAY | Texas 15 – Rice 1

Even following a three-run third inning courtesy of a balk and an error and one more run across in the fourth, the game was very much in the balance on Saturday entering the fifth inning. Roel Garcia punched out the first two batters and was one strike from returning to the dugout with the Owls’ first 1-2-3 inning of the weekend. Then he walked the next batter on a full count and the spiral began.

Rice allowed six runs in the fifth, three more in the sixth and two in the seventh, watching a 4-0 deficit turn into a 15-0 hole as the offense continued to put up zeroes. At that point, the rout was on and Rice could only play out the string.

SUNDAY | Texas 14 – Rice 2

Austin Bulman lifted the first pitch he saw over the fence to give Rice baseball its first lead of the weekend. It would be short-lived. The 1-0 advantage turned into a 2-0 deficit before the Owls were able to get out of the first inning. That score held through three innings as starting pitcher Thomas Burbank was able to hold Texas at bay early on.

The Longhorns would breakthrough with crooked numbers in the fourth and fifth innings. The Owls’ offense was able to consistently generate baserunners but unable to drive them in until a wild pitch allowed catcher Manny Garza to score the final run of the game in the eighth inning. At that point it was 14-2 Texas, cementing the end of another one-sided affair.

ON DECK | Rice baseball at Houston Baptist (Wed)

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Rice Baseball 2022: Names to Know — Lineup

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Rice baseball has a mix of new and old faces set to step into the batter’s box at Reckling Park this season. Here are a few names to know at the plate.

Although the pitching staff has received plenty of attention this spring — thanks in part to Rice baseball’s state-of-the-art Pitching Lab — the lineup promises to play an equally important part in the Owls’ success this coming season. And just like the rotation and the bullpen, there’s so much still up in the air as the opening series this weekend against Texas in Austin draws near.

The trio of Cade Edwards, Bradley Gneiting and Braden Comeaux that formed the early third of the Owls’ order for the better part of last season have all moved on. That leaves three important bats to replace right off the top.

There are plenty of candidates among the returning hitters. Guy Garibary showed promises last year, so too did Nathan Becker. Both have the potential to be middle-of-the-lineup type hitters if they continue to progress in their abilities at the plate.

More: Jose Cruz Jr. hopes to bring modern edge to Rice baseball

Reliable veteran Austin Bulman seems a likely candidate to hit somewhere near the cleanup spot. Incoming transfers Drew Woodcox (Texas Tech) and Jack Riedel (North Carolina) both look like strong candidates to be everyday players after impressive spring stints thus far, including a four-home run game by Woodcox in late January.

Catcher Justin Long and shortstop Hal Hughes seem probable opening day starters as well. Beyond that, it really could be any number of players that draw at least an at bat here or there in the weeks ahead. JUCO transfer infielder Benjamin Rosengard has flashed a consistent bat this spring. Outfielder Antonio Cruz is playing well. Justin Dunlap could push for swings as could newcomers in the infield Pierce Gallo (Clemson transfer) and freshman Jack Ben-Shosan.

Head coach Jose Cruz Jr. was adamant “the lineup writes itself,” noting the process of pieces together who will hit where and who gets at bats “is relatively easy for us right now” as the team opened spring practices a few weeks ago. Soon it will be time to put those aspirations to paper.

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Rice Baseball 2022: Names to Know — Pitching

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Rice baseball has a mix of new and old faces set to toe the rubber at Reckling Park this season. Here are a few names to know on the mound.

So much feels new about the 2022 Rice baseball team. More than just a new head coach, the Owls have a flurry of new players set to take the diamond for the first time this weekend against Texas in Austin. As for who will toe the rubber in that Friday night game, or beyond it, for that matter, the details remain fuzzy.

Last year’s weekend rotation consisted of Mitchell Holcomb followed by some combination of Roel Garcia, Blake Brogdon and Brandon Deskins. Holcomb has exhausted his eligibility and moved on. In his place appears to be Pepperdine transfer Cooper Chandler, who posted a 3.17 ERA and a 12-5 record over four seasons with the Waves and has gotten off to a strong start in spring practices.

Cooper seems the most likely to earn the Friday night spot out of the gate given his experience and production through practices. Who slots in behind him seems almost entirely up in the air. New headman Jose Cruz Jr. could stick with some of the aforementioned veterans or turn to someone like Alex DeLeon who has starting experience at Rice or San Jac transfer Thomas Burbank.

More: Jose Cruz Jr. hopes to bring modern edge to Rice baseball

No matter who snags the starting spot, Rice baseball will have options to work with in the bullpen. Dalton Wood has the potential to be a hammer at the back end. Freshman David Shaw has been utilized in the later innings this spring as well. Fellow freshman Trey Clucas might get an early look as could redshirt freshman and Texas A&M transfer Tom Vincent.

Beyond that cohort are a few more familiar names who have toed the bump at Reckling Park in years prior and look to elevate their game to compete for pitching time thanks to the new tools brought by Cruz Jr. and his staff.

Drake Greenwood, Cristian Cienfuegos, Micah Davis, Reed Gallant, Garret Zaskoda and Matthew Linskey have each had their moments in the past. Of that contingent, Cienfuegos flashed in small doses this spring. Gallant was effective as well. All could get opportunities early this season.

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Jose Cruz Jr. to bring modern, cutting-edge style to Rice Baseball

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Much has changed since Jose Cruz Jr. donned a Rice baseball jersey, but if he has his way, more change is coming for the Blue and Gray.

For many fans, Rice baseball is synonymous with so many things. The College World Series. Wayne Graham. The regal Old English R scrawled across timeless uniforms devoid of frills. To some degree, a time capsule of what college baseball is meant to be. Nobody understands that better than Jose Cruz Jr., the former Rice player, parent and now the programs’ 22nd head coach.

That’s why it only seems fitting for it to be Cruz Jr. to usher in a new era of Rice baseball.

“We’re just starting something completely different that Rice baseball has never done or seen,” he said to a group of assembled media members on the first day of spring practice.

What’s different? Cruz Jr. elaborated. “We’re playing more of a modern style of baseball, I think. We’ve moved from the old-school version of Rice baseball to more of a modern game in the way we think and the way we communicate, in the way we develop talent.”

“We’re playing more of a modern style of baseball, I think. We’ve moved from the old-school version of Rice baseball to more of a modern game in the way we think and the way we communicate, in the way we develop talent.”

The Owls’ new headman has helped usher in the Pitching Lab, equipped with every gadget and gizmo imaginable to help pitchers hone their craft. Cruz Jr. detailed a process that started with results from that lab, continued to in-depth data and reports for the staff and trickled down to customized workouts with the training staff, tailored to each individual player to hone specific aspects of their game.

Quite simply, “I think it’s a career-changer for many of the guys here,” Cruz Jr. said.

But it’s not just pitching. Cruz Jr. talked further about how the new regime — which includes Jose Cruz Sr., officially named the special assistant to the head coach — intends to approach the game differently. The new data-driven approach stands out from the more “old-school” verbiage that surrounded the program when Cruz. Jr, himself, stood in the batter’s box.

“It’s how you communicate the game,” he expounded. “The game is a little different. There’s a little bit more shifting. There’s a little bit more data available to you. There’s a certain way to be as efficient as you can on the pitching side.” In short, Cruz Jr. and his team intend to utilize as much information as they can to make their players better.

Cruz Jr. knows wins and losses will ultimately be the measuring stick with which his time as the Owls’ skipper is remembered. Still, he was adamant that the program will evolve under his watch and look different than how it has before, in the best way possible.

With the season quickly approaching, Cruz Jr. will be tasked with turning those aspirations into tangible results. “I’m not going to promise the moon right now,” he said. “I will say we will be better than we were the last couple of years and just kind of build on that success and see how far we can go.”

That next step begins on Friday, Feb. 18 in Austin, Texas when Cruz Jr. and Rice baseball visit the Texas Longhorns to open their 2022 season. The Owls will play a three-game set in Austin and visit Lance Berkman and Houston Baptist the following Wednesday before their home opener, slated for 6:30 p.m. at Reckling Park against Lamar on Friday, Feb. 25.

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