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Conference USA Baseball Tournament 2021 Preview, schedule, how to watch

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The Conference USA Baseball Tournament is headed to Ruston, Louisiana. Here’s how to watch and what to be looking for this week.

It took every weekend of the regular season to solidify the eight-team field that will hit the diamond for a busy week of Conference USA Baseball Tournament action. Multiple nationally ranked teams will jockey for postseason position while others hope to play spoiler and punch an at-large bid for their shot at the College World Series.

All games will be streamed on ESPN+ with the exception of the tournament championship, available on CBS Sports Network. The tournament runs from Wednesday, May 26 to Sunday, May 30. The full schedule and updated bracket are available on the Conference USA Baseball Tournament website.

Assessing the field

The favorites | Four teams separated themselves from the rest of the conference during the regular season. Charlotte enters as the No. 1 seed, but Louisiana Tech, Southern Miss and Old Dominion were just two games behind them in the win column this year. All four have spent at least a portion of the season ranked inside the Top 25.

The darkhorse | Pitching is the backbone for a postseason run. Middle Tennessee was the last team to make the field, but the Blue Raiders own the second-best team ERA in the conference. If the offense can do just enough in key moments, MTSU could make things interesting.

The wild card | UTSA is going to try and win every game they play 15-11. That’s a hard feat to replicate in a tournament setting where every game counts, but if the stars align, they could put one of the favorites into a perilous position.

The bracket

Game 1 – 9:00 AM | (4) Old Dominion vs (5) Florida Atlantic

How they got here | Old Dominion leveraged a white-hot start to conference play to lock up their spot in the tournament. After dropping their C-USA opener, the Monarchs won 10 in a row to pull ahead of the pack. Florida Atlantic rallied late, winning three of their final four series to clinch a spot.

The matchup | These teams met in a four-game series in mid-April with Old Dominion winning three of four in rather resounding fashion, outscoring FAU 25-11.

Game 2 – 12:30 PM | (1) Charlotte vs (8) Middle Tennessee

How they got here | Charlotte was the runaway leader in Conference USA this season, losing just one conference series all year. Middle Tennessee snuck in on the final weekend with a series split against an FIU team that did not make the tournament.

The matchup | Although MTSU plays in the East Division in other sports, they’re a West Division team for baseball and did not cross over to play Charlotte this season. This will be the first matchup between these two clubs this year.

Game 3 – 4:00 PM | (2) Louisiana Tech vs (7) UTSA

How they get here | Louisana Tech ruffled some feathers along the way, posting wins over Top 25 Arkansas and Ole Miss before they got into the thick of conference play. The host of this year’s tournament, the Bulldogs are 19-8 at home this season. UTSA’s success came in waves, with just one series win over another C-USA Tournament team.

The matchup | This is a rematch of the final weekend of the regular season. UTSA took the series opener on Friday before Louisiana Tech came roaring back to beat UTSA in three straight games, including a decisive 17-7 victory in the finale.

Game 4 – 7:30 PM | (3) Southern Miss vs (6) WKU

How they get here | Southern Miss lost back-to-back conference games just twice all season long and only once did the same opponent get the better of them in consecutive games. Western Kentucky’s ride was a bit more choppy, including losses in the final series of the regular season.

The matchup | Southern Miss took three of four from Western Kentucky at Pete Taylor Park earlier this season, with all three wins coming by three of fewer runs. WKU won 9-4 in the final game of that four-game set.

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Rice Baseball: 2021 MiLB Owls season opening update

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While several Rice Baseball alums are producing at the highest level, others are working their way up the ladder. Here’s the latest on the MiLB Owls.

Triple-A

Jon Duplantier was productive at the major league level in 2019 with the Diamondbacks before injuries put his season on pause. He missed the shortened 2020 season and made his first minor league appearance in almost two years on May 14 for the Reno Aces, allowing five runs in two innings.

Duplantier’s teammate, Kevin McCanna, was impressive in the Constellation Energy league last season when the minor leagues were shut down. He signed with the Aces this winter but has yet to make an appearance with the team this season and is currently on the injured list. Fellow Owl Jordan Stephens, a member of the Indians’ AAA affiliate Columbus Clippers is also in the injured list waiting to make his 2021 debut.

At the plate, Tristan Gray began his 2021 season with the Durham Bulls, the Rays’ AAA affiliate. He went 1-for-4 in his first two games.

Double-A

Glen Otto is two appearances into his season with the Yankees’ AA affiliate, striking out 14 batters across 11.1 innings. He tossed a scoreless six innings in his 2021 debut allowing just two runs. His second outing was a bit rockier. He surrendered 10 hits and seven runs.

Ford Proctor, the Owls’ only other AA player, has appeared in 10 games this season. A member of the Montgomery Biscuits (Rays’ affiliate), Proctor is hitting .111 but fielding at a perfect 1.000 clip.

Single-A

Rice baseball has even more former players in the Low-A and High-A portions of MLB farm systems. Former second round pick Matt Canterino is off to a tremendous start to his pro career with the Twins’ affiliate Cedar Rapid Kernels. With two starts under his belt thus far, Canterino has a 1.13 ERA allowing five hits while striking out 15 in eight innings.

Canterino’s former teammate Evan Kravetz also made a strong debut, going 6.1 innings across two starts, striking out 10. He has a 1.42 ERA with the Daytona Tortugas, an Indians’ Low-A affiliate. Also representing the Owls on the mound in Single-A is Ricky Salinas. He’s made three appearances this season for the Dayton Dragons, an Indians’ High-A affiliate, and has a 4.32 ERA with 13 punchouts across 8.1 innings.

More: Check out the most recent MLB Owls Pro Update

Dane Myers of the Lakeland Flying Tigers, the Tigers’ Low-A affiliate, has yet to make his debut in 2021. Trei Cruz, currently playing with the Tigers’ High-A affiliate West Michigan Whitecaps, has gotten off to a slow start. He’s 1-for-13 to start his pro career.

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Rice Baseball 2021: Previewing Owls vs the Texas Longhorns

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The Rice baseball concludes its 2021 season on Tuesday night against Texas as the Owls look to pull off a momentous upset.

Rice baseball did not qualify for the 2021 Conference USA Baseball Tournament. With no postseason play on deck, the Owls have one final game before their season comes to an end. No. 5 Texas will be a formidable foe.

Game Notes

Times: Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.
Venue: Disch-Falk Field
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal

How each team fared this weekend

Rice baseball (23-29-1) split a four-game series with Charlotte. The Owls came close to winning the series outright, but couldn’t capitalize on any of their extra-inning chances on Saturday evening.

Texas (38-12) was off last weekend and hasn’t played since a three-game weekend series at No. 3 TCU that ended on May 9. Texas won two of three, adding another impressive series win to their resume.

Texas Hitting

First baseman Ivan Melendez is one of the most productive hitters in the Big 12 and leads the Longhorns at the play with a .361 average. Alongside him, Mitchell Daly and Zach Zubia are the most consistent bats with Mike Antico providing a decent amount of pop in the middle of the lineup.

The Longhorns offense has been streaky outside of those bats, but it’s been enough to power the team to one of the most impressive seasons in the nation.

Texas Pitching

The pitching staff has been the heart and soul of this team. Pete Hansen leads the Big 12 with a 1.83 ERA in 10 starts. Ty Madden is fourth in the conference with a 2.27 ERA in 11 starts. The Owls likely won’t see either in a midweek game, but the Longhorns have plenty of other dangerous arms.

Cole Quintanilla leads the team with a 1.69 ERA and a 0.830 ERA. He’s the No. 1 option out of the pen. Tanner Witt and Aaron Nixon will be close behind. No matter who Texas sends to the mound on Tuesday, runs will be at a premium.

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Rice Baseball 2021: Owls split final C-USA series with Charlotte

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Rice baseball showed some fight, but could not win their final series against Charlotte and won’t qualify for the Conference USA Tournament.

THREE FOR THE ROAD | Rice baseball splits series 2-2

1. Brandon Deskins an unsung hero of the 2021 pitching staff

The 2021 Rice baseball starting rotation was cobbled together from the start. Injuries, unpredictable weather happenings and performance altered the order and makeup of the four weekend starters with each successive series. Mitchell Holcomb and Roel Garcia were mainstays. Others made spot starts here and there. Brandon Deskins became the glue.

Deskins worked 53.1 innings this season with a 3.88 ERA, the best among all qualified players. He started seven games and entered others in high-leverage situations. He was tasked with getting a few outs here and there, but also worked several long relief appearances. The Rice pitching corps was better with him in it.

2. The freshmen are just getting started

Guy Garibay had an impressive weekend on the mound and at the plate. He got things started on Friday, throwing 7.2 innings in relief, allowing three runs and striking out five. Rice had fallen behind early, but it was Garibay’s career-long outing that gave Rice a chance to cut into the deficit.

His pitching performance would have been enough, but he also added a three-for-four outing at the plate in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader. A bonafide two-way player, we’ve only scratched the surface of Garibay’s potential at South Main.

Alongside him, Justin Long and Nathan Becker both became regulars down the stretch. Becker’s power has been important and will be going forward. He had five RBI on the weekend including a big home run. Long’s .396 on base percentage ranks second on the team this year.

3. One season in a nutshell

Saturday’s second game of the doubleheader proved to be a microcosm of the Owls’ 2021 season. With the game tied late, Rice had a runner in scoring position with no outs in the sixth inning and eighth innings. They had a runner in scoring position and one out in the seventh. Rice was conceivably one hit away from winning the game, but couldn’t get the run home despite multiple opportunities in three straight innings.

Given the extra time, Charlotte outlasted Blake Brogdon, who made it through eight innings before ceding to Dalton Wood in the ninth. Wood allowed three hits, two runs and Rice lost the game.

Rice was a team talented enough to earn themselves opportunities that were too frequently squandered. For whatever the reason, this team never seemed to gel and put it all together. There are pieces, but there is also more work to be done.

THE PLAY BY PLAY

FRIDAY  | Charlotte 9 – Rice 6

Mitchell Holcomb was rocked upon arrival on Friday. Five of the first six batters he faced reached base and things went downhill quickly. He was lifted in the second inning after recording just four outs and putting two men in scoring position for Garibay. Charlotte expanded their lead to 9-2 before Garibay was abe to settle in and cool the 49er bats.

Rice scratched across pairs of runs in the third courtesy of RBIs from Austin Bulman and Justin Long. Becker added two more in the sixth, but the hole proved too big to climb out of even with the extended time.

SATURDAY 1 | Rice 11 – Charlotte 8

Rice came out swinging on Saturday. The Owls struck for four runs in the first inning, led by a three-run blast from Becker. The Owls added a pair in the second and three more in the third. Starter Roel Garcia would be lifted in favor of Deskins midway through the third who was able to cool the Charlotte bats just enough to maintain the Owls’ early advantage.

Deskins would work 4.2 innings, finishing out the seven-inning affair and earning his third win on the season. A 2 RBI single from Braden Comeaux gave Deskins and the Owls some extra breathing room in the fifth, putting Rice ahead 11-5.

SATURDAY 2 | Charlotte 6 – Rice 4

Charlotte took a 4-0 lead early in the second half of the Saturday double header. The Rice bats slowly began to pick things up in the third, scratching across singular runs in each of the next four frames to tie the game. The Owls had several chances to put crooked numbers on the board, but were held at bay by the Charlotte pitching.

Starter Blake Brogdon went eight innings, his longest outing of the season, allowing just three earned runs. When he left, the deadlock broke in favor of the visitors with Rice dropping a winnable second-half of the double header.

SUNDAY | Rice 6 – Charlotte 0

The final conference game of the 2021 season for Rice baseball was one of the quirkier games of the season. The Owls put up a six-spot in the first inning, capped off by a grand slam from Hal Hughes.

Alex DeLeon, in his only start of the season, worked through five innings without allowing a run. With Rice at the plate midway through the bottom of the fifth, weather forced a delay and ultimately a cancelation of the remainder of the game.

ON DECK | Rice baseball vs Texas (Tues)

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Rice Baseball: 2021 MLB Owls update – May 15

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The 2021 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 from this week.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

Rendon made his return from the injured list on Friday, going 1-for-4 against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. That was his first action since he was sidelined following the Halos’ May 3 game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Through May 15, Rendon is hitting .274 with five extra-base hits, seven walks and 13 strikeouts. His OPS is .794 and he’s collected 11 RBI.

Brock Holt – Texas Rangers

Holt hasn’t seen the field since May 2, spending the last two weeks on the injured list. He’s expected to make his return to the lineup sometime this coming week.

Through May 15, Holt is hitting .250 with two extra-base hits, eight walks and 11 strikeouts. His OPS is .63 and he’s collected five RBI.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

Duffey had one outing this week, allowing one hit and striking out one in .2 innings pitches in the Twins’ loss to the White Sox.

Through May 15, Duffey has a 5.35 ERA with a 1.750 WHIP. He’s averaging 7.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

Lucas Luetege – New York Yankees

Luetege was active during the early portion of May but only saw one inning of work this week. He retired all three batters he faced.

Through May 15, Luetege has a 3.10 ERA with a 0.984 WHIP. He’s averaging 8.4 strikeouts per nine innings.

J.T. Chargois – Seattle Mariners

Chargois was released by the Dodgers following the 2019 season, opting to sign with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan last season. After one season abroad, Chargois signed a minor league contract with the Marines this spring. He was active to the major league roster on May 9.

So far, Chargois has appeared in three games, striking out four batters in 3.1 innings. He has allowed just three hits and two runs.

Through May 15, Chargois has a 5.40 ERA with a 0.900 WHIP. He’s averaging 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings.

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