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Rice Baseball 2021: Previewing the second UTSA series

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Rice baseball gets a rematch this weekend in their second series against UTSA. What has changed for both programs over the past month?

One of the oddities of the 2021 Rice Baseball schedule is the multiple rematches scattered throughout conference play. The Owls and Roadrunners opened up their C-USA schedules against each other in Houston in late March. Now they’ll head to San Antonio to play another suite of four games.

Game Notes

Times: Friday 6:00 p.m. | Saturday 2:00 p.m. / 5:00 p.m. | Sunday 1:00 p.m.
Venue: Roadrunner Field
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
Watch: CUSAtv

How each team fared this week

Rice baseball (15-21-1) salvaged a single win against Old Dominion on the road, bouncing back from two one-sided losses to present more a more formidable match in the final two games. Now the Owls have to prove the team they’re ready to play more like the team that showed up Saturday night and not the one that was tossed about on Friday and Saturday morning.

UTSA (15-15) had a tough weekend as well, taking the series finale on the road against Charlotte to post a 1-3 weekend. Prior to that, UTSA took three of four from Middle Tennessee at home. UTSA is 6-6 at home this season.

Probable Pitchers

Friday | Roel Garcia (1-2, 5.45)
Saturday 1 | Blake Brogdon (2-5, 5.29)
Saturday 2 | Mitchell Holcomb (4-4, 7.20)
Sunday | Brandon Deskins (1-4, 4.84)

UTSA Pitching

It’s been a series of patchwork performances from the UTSA pitching staff in recent weeks. We’re probably not going to see many of the Roadrunners’ arms go too deep into games —  eight different UTSA pitchers have made multiple starts.  — instead expect to see the opening man give way to a series of arms out of the bullpen.

UTSA Hitting

The bats are the most prominent asset of this UTSA team. As a team, the Roadrunners are hitting .290, fourth-best in Conference USA and a decent margin above Rice (.264) which ranks fifth. Depth has been a key differentiator. Griffin Paxton leads the way with a hefty .354 average, but he’s supported by players like Nick Thornquist and Joshua Lamb, both of which are hitting .333 or better with 12+ extra base hits.

The Roadrunners hit for a good amount of power and don’t strike out too often. Their 225 strikeouts are the fewest in C-USA.

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Rice Baseball 2021: Owls avoid sweep at Old Dominion, but struggles remain

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Rice baseball salvaged one road win against Old Dominion but suffered another tough series loss against a conference foe.

THREE FOR THE ROAD | Rice baseball loses series 3-1

1. Wasted opportunity

Rice baseball had ample opportunity this weekend against Old Dominion. A split against a ranked squad was well within reach. And had the Owls managed a bit more luck, this series was winnable. Instead, they leave Norfolk 1-3. But the opportunities were there.

Rice went 8-for-35 (.229) with runners in scoring position during the four-game series. Take out a .500 outing (5-for-10) in their lone win and the Owls managed to hit 3-for-25 (.120) with runners in scoring position in the remaining games. That’s abysmal. No matter how good the pitching, you’re not going to win many series if you can’t drive in runs. Saturday night was proof this team can do it. But until they can repeat the feat, it’s going to be a tall order against teams of this caliber.

2. Insanity avoided

Everyone has heard the definition of insanity. If nothing else, the Owls avoided repeating the same bullpen usage and lineups after they clearly weren’t getting the job done through two games. Micah Davis then Guy Garibay tag-teamed the Saturday afternoon game. Matthew Linskey got the Sunday start with Blake Brogdon following him.

At the plate, Will Karp was inserted at catcher. Freshman Nathan Becker started at DH. Ben Dukes got another shot in the outfield. Is jumbling the lineup a sure-fire fix for the long term? No. But something needed to change on Saturday evening. Thankfully, it did.

3. Where does Rice baseball go from here?

The good news, sobering after two successive underwhelming weekends, is the road ahead. Rice baseball just played two of the best four teams in the conference. The schedule eases up from this point forward.

The Owls play two more road series, but both come against other teams currently below .500 in Conference USA play. They’ll face West Division leader Louisiana Tech and East Division leader Charlotte, but take on both at Reckling Park. It’s not an easy road ahead, but it’s more manageable than where this team has been in the past two weeks.

THE PLAY BY PLAY

FRIDAY | Old Dominion 11 – Rice 4

Roel Garcia made his first Friday night start of the season. Rice needed a bit outing from their ace, but settled for a solid start spoiled by some trouble in the middle innings. Garcia allows a pair of homers, falling behind 4-0 after four innings. The offense rallied to tie the score in the top of the sixth, stringing together a series of big hits including an RBI triple by Hal Hughes.

Garcia would be asked to return for the bottom of the frame, but ran into trouble and was lifted with two runs in and one out recorded. Garret Zaskoda and Dalton Wood were unable to keep Rice close, allowing an additional five runs in the final two innings, resulting in a one-sided final score.

SATURDAY 1 | Old Dominion 11 – Rice 2

Things started on the wrong foot for Rice on Saturday and went downhill fast. Starter Mitchell Holcomb was relieved in the fourth inning after already surrendering three home runs, including a two-run shot that put Old Dominion ahead 7-1. Reed Gallant was unable to ease the pain, giving up an additional three runs in the fourth before being lifted himself.

From that point, the Owls had no answer. The Owls were able to get traffic on the bases in the sixth and seventh innings, but left the bases loaded in each instance. A big hit or two could have made things closer, but it never came.

SATURDAY 2 | Rice 11 – Old Dominion 2

The third game proved to be a crucial one for Rice. After being blasted in successive games, it was a now or never moment. Becker delivered the first dose of hope with a two-run home run in the second. Fellow newcomer Garibay held his own on the mound, allowing just two runs in 4.1 innings before ceding to Brandon Deskins to slam the door.

Rice entered the seventh with a 5-2 lead but left nothing to chance. They struck for six runs in the final inning, loading the bases and collecting hit after hit. The crooked number was more than enough to snap the Owls’ losing streak and breath some life into the roster.

SUNDAY | Old Dominion 4 – Rice 1

Head coach Matt Bragga handed the ball to Linskey first on Sunday rather than usual starter Brogdon, who quickly came on in relief after some accuracy issues from Linskey. Brogdon did allow one inherited runner to scare, but was otherwise strong in a 6.2 inning relief appearance. He was charged with two earned runs, which was unfortunately more than the Rice bats would score in the game.

A fielder’s choice in the second inning would score the only run of the game for the Owls. Rice wouldn’t get another runner to third base, going three-up-and-three-down twice in the final seven innings.

ON DECK | UTSA (Fri-Sun, four games).

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Rice Baseball: 2021 MLB Owls update – April 17

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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 played eight games this season before a strained groin landed him on the injured list at the beginning of the week. The Angels are 2-2 without Rendon in the lineup thus far. For now, the Angels will anxiously await the return of one of the most productive hitters in the league over the past couple of seasons.

Through April 17, Rendon is hitting .290 with one extra-base hit, five walks and seven strikeouts. His OPS is .765.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

Duffey’s lone outing of the week was a rough one, breaking his perfect 0.00 ERA stint through his first four appearances of the season.  Opposing batters are hitting .286 against him this year, well above his carer average against of .252.

Through April 17, Duffey has a 4.50.00 ERA with a 2.250 WHIP. He’s averaging 9.0 strikeouts per nine innings.

Brock Holt – Texas Rangers

This Saturday marked Holt’s return from a brief stint on the Injured List, going 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout. He’s now reached base successfully in all five games this season and holds a .450 on-base percentage. That’s quite a bit higher than his career OBP of .338, amassed through 10 big league seasons.

Through April 17, Holt has three hits in 14 at bats, a .214 average. He’s walked six times, struck out three times and collected two RBI.

Lucas Luetege – New York Yankees

Luetege has made five appearances this season, including two this week. He went a season-long four innings on Friday against the Rays, striking out three and allowing two runs. He’s recorded three or more strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.

Through April 17, Luetge has a 6.10 ERA with a 1.258 WHIP. He’s averaging 11.3 strikeouts per nine innings.

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Rice Baseball 2021: Previewing the Old Dominion Series

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Rice baseball faces another of Conference USA’s best this weekend on the road against Old Dominion. Can they surprise the Monarchs?

Still in search of their first series win of conference play, Rice baseball won’t find an easier road ahead of them this coming weekend. The nationally-ranked Old Dominion Monarchs have no intention of falling from among the top teams in the conference standings when the Owls come to town for a four-game set.

Game Notes

Times: Friday 2:00 p.m. | Saturday 1:00 p.m. / 4.00 p.m. | Sunday 11:00 a.m.
Venue: Bud Metheny Baseball Complex
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
Watch: CUSAtv

How each team fared this week

Rice baseball (14-18-1) was swept for the first time this season, falling in all four games against No. 14 Louisiana Tech at Reckling Park. Rice kept the first two games close, but was outslugged in the final half of the series. The Owls got back in the win column on Tuesday, walking off Incarnate Word in a thrilling 27-run affair.

Old Dominion (24-6) had an impressive winning streak snapped in the final game of their weekend series against Florida Atlantic. Entering the Sunday finale, they’d won 10 consecutive C-USA games. Old Dominion had a midweek against with Virginia postponed.

Probable Pitchers

Friday | Blake Brogdon (2-5, 5.71)
Saturday 1 | Roel Garcia (1-1, 4.65)
Saturday 2 | Mitchell Holcomb (4-3, 6.05)
Sunday | Brandon Deskins (1-4, 5.08)

Old Dominion Pitching

The Monarchs have been dominant on both sides of the ball, but their starting pitching might be the best contingent of any team in the conference. Three of Old Dominion’s four weekend starters (Hunter Gregory, Nick Pantos and Ryne Moore) rank inside the top eight in ERA, all coming under below 2.60. None of the three have been charged with a loss. That’s somewhat to be expected given their combined 132-to-27 strikeout to walk ratio.

Old Dominion Hitting

The bats have been equally impressive. Second baseman Carter Trice is second in C-USA with a .381 average. His .752 slugging percentage is first in the league. The lineup surrounding him has been similarly potent. The Monarchs enter the weekend with a collective .300 team average and 54 home runs, 10 more than any other team in Conference USA.

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Rice Baseball 2021: Owls rally to walk off Incarnate Word in extras

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Rice baseball came from behind to beat Incarnate Word on Tuesday night, courtesy of a walk-off home run from Braden Comeaux.

Weekend pitching woes followed Rice baseball into one of their rare midweek games of the 2021 season. Their opponent, Incarnate Word, came out swinging, piling on 10 runs in their first three innings. Trailing 10-3 midway through the third, Rice pitching had been shelled for 43 runs in its last 18 innings, rolling up to a collective ERA north of 20. The situation was dire.

Stunned, but not stumped, Rice slowly began the process of digging out of the chasm. The Owls scratched across two runs in the home half of the third, two more in the fourth and another pair in the fifth. By the time the sixth inning rolled around, a blowout had turned into a contested game.

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Rice went three-up, three-down in the seventh and stranded the basis loaded in the eighth. Trailing by three as they entered the ninth, the bats delivered. A double from Cade Edwards cut the deficit to one before Guy Garibay evened the score with a single up the middle.

Once trailing by seven runs, the Owls could sense the momentum had flipped. Rice put two men on in the 10th, setting the table for senior Braden Comeaux who came through. He walloped the ball over the left field fence, putting the exclamation point on the come-from-behind win.

What it means

The pitching staff is going to face a lot of scrutiny in the coming days, but there is something to be said for the quintet of Alex DeLeon, Dalton Wood, Guy Garibary, Micah Davis and Josh Larzabal who limited Incarnate Word to one run in their final six innings. They provided some much-needed good news on that front.

That said, if there were ever a must-win midweek game in April, this was probably it. In the thick of the toughest part of their schedule, snapping a losing streak in thrilling fashion was exactly what the doctor ordered.

ON DECK | Old Dominions

Rice baseball will hit the road this coming weekend to take on Old Dominion, ending a five-game homestand. This is the Owls’ second C-USA road series of the season. The Owls had previously played at Middle Tennessee in early April.

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