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Rice Baseball 2021: Previewing Owls vs Texas State

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The Rice baseball draws a midweek rematch with Texas State on Wednesday. The Owls lost to the Bobcats in the Shriner’s Classic.

Rice baseball would love to keep the momentum going after their first three-win weekend of the series. To accomplish that, they’ll need to even the season-series with in-state foe Texas State on Wednesday.

Game Notes

Times: Wednesday 6:00 p.m.
Venue: Bobcat Ballpark
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal

How each team fared this weekend

Rice baseball (8-7) took both games against Northern Illinois and split a pair of games against Kansas State.

Texas State (7-10) lost two of three to Houston at home. They picked up their marquee win of the season, upsetting TCU 11-1 in seven innings at Bobcat Ballpark.

Texas State Pitching

Garrett Herrmann toed the rubber in Texas State’s most recent midweek bout with TCU. He went three innings and allowed one unearned run. As is often the case in midweek affairs, we could see several arms out of the bullpen for both sides. Relievers Otto Wofford and Matthew Nicholas have both been extremely effective so far, owning WHIPs of 0.500 and 0.720, respectively.

Texas State Hitting

Not much has changed for Texas State since the Owls last met up with them less than two weeks ago. It’ll still be a lot of familiar faces in the lineup that produced nine runs against the Rice pitching staff at Minute Maid Park.

Third baseman Justin Thompson led the team in hits (3) and RBI (2) in that game. It’s not a coincidence he leads the Bobcats in both measures (26 hits, 18 RBI) for the season as well, outpacing the next closest hitters by a wide margin.

Behind Thompson, left fielder Will Hollis is the other top-of-the-lineup bat to be wary of on Wednesday. He was 1-for-4 against Rice at the Shriner’s Classic, but is second on the team for the season with a .306 average and enters the week with a team-high four home runs.

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Rice Baseball: Owls take three of four from NIU and Kansas State

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Rice baseball went three for four on the weekend, sweeping Northern Illinois and splitting a pair of games with Kansas State.

THREE FOR THE ROAD

1. Rice baseball rotation is starting to settle in

The rotation has been somewhat of a work in progress over the first several weeks of the regular season. With Roel Garcia working his way back to 100 percent and the order in flux because of the winter storm, some growing pains were expected as the Owls readied for conference play in a few weeks.

As a whole, the starters compiled what has to be considered their best weekends of the season to date:

  • Blake Brogdon earned a win, pitching into the seventh inning while allowing just two earned runs with six strikeouts.
  • Roel Garcia went 5.2 innings against a potent Kansas State offense, allowing four earned runs, but keeping Rice in the game until he departed.
  • Mitchell Holcomb threw 7.2 innings of scoreless ball, striking out for and allowing just five hits.
  • Brandon Deskins struck out six in 5.0 innings, allowing four hits with one walk.

Altogether, the four arms in the weekend rotation pitched 24.2 innings and allowed six runs, a 2.19 ERA.

2. Gneiting not under the radar anymore

Entering the season, senior Bradley Gneiting was expected to be a part of the outfield rotation and platoon at the designated hitter spot. The same was said for a half dozen players who hoped to earn playing time on a regular basis. Not only has Gneiting had his fair share of at bats, he’s inked his name on the lineup card for the foreseeable future.

Gneiting reached base in all four games this weekend, going 5-for-15 with a home run and two RBI. He currently leads in batting average, OPS, hits and RBI. He’s one five players to start and finish every game this season.

3. One significant shutout

In the final season of the Wayne Graham era, Rice baseball won two games with shutouts. They beat Western Kentucky 4-0 and downed Old Dominion 9-0 that season. The next year, Matt Bragga’s first, Rice earned just one shutout win, a 4-0 victory over Southern Miss. They did not blank any of their opponents in 2020.

In total, Rice pitched one shutout victory in the first 75 games in Bragga’s tenure, a rate of 1.3 percent. So far in 2021, they tallied three such skunks in their first 14 games, 21.4 percent of their games. That doesn’t account for the two games in which they came up one run short.

More than the positive feelings of seeing a zero on the opponent’s box score, a string of shutouts points to a pitching staff capable of operating at a high level. Channeling that potential into consistent, dependable performances from a core of trustworthy options could make this team dangerous if and when the bats follow suit.

THE PLAY BY PLAY

FRIDAY | Rice 6 – Northern Illinois 3

Northern Illinois struck first with a run in the top of the third but the 1-0 lead didn’t last long. Guy Garibay delivered the equalizing home run in the bottom half of the inning. Then Rice exploded for four more runs in the fifth to take a commanding 5-1 lead. Four different Owls had an RBI hit in that inning.

Blake Brogdon and Reed Gallant proved to be a strong tandem on the mound. Gallant took over in the seventh, allowing two inherited runners to score, but finished the remainder of the game unscathed, giving Rice the win.

SATURDAY 1 | Kansas State 8 – Rice 3

Things were close in the second game for the Owls right until they weren’t. Roel Garcia kept the Kansas State bats at bay, allowing two runs through the first five innings. Unfortunately, the offense was only able to muster one run of support over that span.

When Garcia exited, Kansas State pounced. Already leading 4-1 at the time, the Wildcats tacked on four more runs over the final three innings. Rice finished 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position in the loss.

SATURDAY 2 | Rice 4 – Northern Illinois 1

Rice responded well in the second half of the Saturday double-header. Mitchell Holcomb delivered far and away his best performance as an Owl, going 7.2 innings without allowing a run. The strong start allowed the offense to gradually pull further and further away over the course of the game.

The Owls first took the lead on a bases-loaded walk in the second inning. They added two more runs in the fifth and another in the sixth. By the time Holcomb exited the game and Christian Cienfuegos extinguished any hopes of a late NIU rally in the eighth, Rice was in total command.

SUNDAY | Rice 1 – Kansas State 0

The bats were more subdued when Rice met Kansas State for the second time on the weekend. Once the rain dried up and the tarp was removed, Brandon Deskins and KState hurler Connor McCullough were lights out. Neither side scored against the other teams’ starters, leaving it to the bullpens to finish up the game.

Rice would prevail thanks to the bat of Braden Comeaux who drilled a liner at the foot of the Kansas State shortstop. The ball deflected just far enough for Ben Dukes to scamper home and break the tie. Dalton Wood converted the save.

ON DECK | Rice Baseball vs Texas State (Wed), Southern (Fri-Sun, four games).

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Rice Baseball 2021: Northern Illinois and Kansas State Preview

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Rice baseball returns to Reckling Park this week to host a pair of teams from further north than last week’s all-Texas Shriner’s Classic.

It was a mixed bag for Rice baseball last weekend. They won one of their three games at the Shriner’s Classic, defeated Texas A&M-Corpus Christi by run rule while falling to Sam Houston and Texas State. The Owls will get another crack at the Bobcats later in the season, but for now it’s time to turn the page to a mini-invitation on their home field.

Rice will host Northern Illinois and Kansas State it what was meant to be the second multi-team gathering at Reckling Park this season. The first, scheduled to be against Washington, Arkansas-Little Rock and Houston Baptist, was turned into a three-game series with Houston Baptist because of the Winter Storm.

Oddly enough, Rice got another crack at HBU on Tuesday, dispatching them behind a marvelous outing from Brandon Deskins. The sophomore pitcher racked up 11 strikeouts in six innings, earning his first win of the season.

Weekend Notes

Times: Friday 5:00 p.m. | Saturday 4:00 p.m. | Sunday 10:30 a.m. / 2:00 p.m.
Venue: Reckling Park
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal

Projected Rice Baseball Starters

Friday | Blake Brogdon (0-2, 8.31 ERA)
Saturday | Roel Garcia (1-0, 2.77 ERA)
Sunday AM | Mitchell Holcomb (1-1, 9.26 ERA)
Sunday PM | TBD

Kansas State (Saturday / Sunday PM)

Kansas State is 8-4 on the season after picking up a pair of midweek wins over South Dakota State. They opened the year with a win over Oregon State in the Sanderson Ford College Classic and also have a series win over Western Michigan so far this season.

The Wildcats will be a strong test for the Owls’ pitching. They hit .276 as a team and have four regulars with an OPS better than 1.000. Outfielder Dylan Phillips boasts a .381/.500/.594 slash line. The pitching has been strong as well, buoyed by starters Connor McCullough and preseason Co-Big 12 Pitcher of the Year Jordan Wicks.

Northern Illinois (Friday / Sunday AM)

Like Rice, Northern Illinois is no stranger to weather cancelations. The storms that swept across the country in mid-February canceled NIU’s opening series against Memphis. They’ve played two series since, both on the road. They won once of three games against Evansville and were swept in a four-game series at URGV, which strangely enough, contained zero nine-inning games.

First baseman Kam Smith and centerfielder Brady Huebbe have done their part. smith is hitting a staggering .435 while Huebbe has a team-high six extra-base hits and a .810 slugging percentage. The bullpen has been better than the rotation thus far. Look for Paul Tuerlli and Tristan Michaels to be the first line of defense when NIU gets into a jam.

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Rice Baseball: Owls finish 1-2 at 2021 Shriners Classic

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Rice baseball picked up one win at the Shriners Classic, a bright spot in an up-and-down weekend for the Owls.

THREE FOR THE ROAD

1. Better at the top … still getting there at the bottom

Rice baseball had a top-heavy lineup last year but was supposed to be more balanced in 2021 with the influx of a strong recruiting class. There’s no doubt the lineup is better than it was, but there’s still some work to do.

The Owls had two players finish the shortened 2020 season with a batting average better than .280. Shortstop Trei Cruz, now in the Detroit Tigers system, was one of two regulars with an OPS better than .750.

This year seven players are batting .280 or better. Six have an OPS better than .750. Justin Dunlap and Guy Garibay, two of the Owls’ most productive hitters so far this season, have only seen limited action. The top half is going to be good.

Finding production from the 7-8-9 spot might be what stands between this offense being good and taking the next step to great. Saturday’s 16 run outburst was a positive development. But Sunday’s quick recession was a sobering reminder things are still a work-in-progress.

2. Still searching for reliable pitching

A true shutdown option out of the bullpen hasn’t risen to the surface quite yet. The Owls have a stable of talented arms that can throw with velocity, but many of them are still young with room to grow into their roles on South Main. What Rice needs are a few key arms they can turn to in a bind and get outs.

Dillon Janac threw another scoreless inning on Saturday and tossed his hat into the ring. He and Dalton Wood have had multiple outings without having any runs charged against them. Reed Gallant was in that conversation too, prior to Sunday’s outing. But after that, the bullpen has been hit and miss.

Look for a guy like Brandon Deskins to bounce back, but it’s also possible we still haven’t seen some of the guys who will throw some important innings once conference play arrives.

3. Halfway to C-USA play

There’s no way to ensure Rice baseball will play every game as scheduled from here onward, but as things currently stand the Owls are halfway through conference play. They’ve outdone themselves in the win column compared to last season, but that wasn’t a very tall mountain to climb. To date, they’re more or less beaten who they should beat and fallen to teams that project to be better than them.

They’ll have a good mix of opponents over the next few weeks, ending with a four-game weekend series against Southern and a midweek road trip to Texas A&M. This team needs a jolt, either through a notable upset of the Aggies or an emphatic weekend outing. They’ll have opportunities. They need to take advantage of them.

If there were a few key objectives to sort out of the next two weeks, they’d include formalizing the weekend rotation, identifying two to three “shut down” options out of the bullpen and finding better production with runners in scoring position. Those are some big asks, but none of those items seem to be an insurmountable challenge.

THE PLAY BY PLAY

FRIDAY | Sam Houston 12 – Rice 4

Head coach Matt Bragga made the move to rotation forward one day, throwing Blake Brogdon on Friday. The plan was twofold: get one step closer to Roel Garcia being the Friday guy and have a better start on the mound during the weekend.

Brogdon had his moments but was fairly shaky. He left midway through the fifth inning with three runs charged against him. Brandon Deskins would allow a pair of inherited runners to score, putting Rice in a 5-2 hole from which they never recovered. Guy Garibay and Bradley Gneiting homered, but the Owls lost 12-4.

SATURDAY | Rice 16 – Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 5

Rice entered their Saturday tilt with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi averaging five runs per game. They surpassed that number in the fourth and sixth innings alone, ending the afternoon with 16 runs on 16 hits, both season highs. The game after seven-innings by a tournament run rule.

Justin Dunlap went deep. Bradley Gneiting, Antonio Cruz, Will Karp and Justin Long all had three-hit days. Starting pitcher Roel Garcia allowed five runs in five innings, far from his best day in the office, but battled to keep his team in the game before the offense caught fire and won the day.

SUNDAY | Texas State 9 – Rice 1

Reed Gallant encountered some early trouble in the tournament finale, allowing three runs before catching an early hook in favor of Mitchell Holcomb, who failed to stem the bleeding. That 7-0 run put a damper on any remaining elation from the run-rule victory the day prior.

Braden Comeaux stole a run back on a ground out in the seventh, but Texas State got it right back. Guy Garibay made his collegiate pitching debut and picked up two strikeouts, but it was a rather underwhelming night for both the bats and the arms.

ON DECK | Rice Baseball vs Houston Baptist (Tues) and weekend tournament with Northern Illinois and Kansas State (Fri-Sun).

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Rice Baseball: 2021 Shriner’s Classic Preview

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Teams from across Texas will flock to Houston for the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic. Here’s an overview of the path for Rice baseball.

Rice baseball enters the third weekend of its regular season at 3-4 with a series win over Houston Baptist, a sweep at the hands of Louisiana and a midweek rout of Prairie View A&M. Now they return to Minute Maid Park for the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic.

The Owls faired well in their last appearance in the Shriner’s Classic in 2019. After dropping their Friday opener to Texas State 1-0, Rice beat Baylor 6-3 and run-ruled TCU 12-2 in seven innings on Sunday. First baseman Dominic DiCaprio and outfielder Andrew Dunlap were named to the all-tournament team.

Weekend Notes

Times: Friday 11:00 a.m. | Saturday 11:00 a.m. | Sunday 7:00 p.m.
Venue: Reckling Park
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal

Projected Rice Baseball Starters

Friday | Blake Brogdon (0-1, 7.27 ERA)
Saturday | Roel Garcia (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Sunday | TBD

Sam Houston (Friday)

Sam Houston had their opening weekend series against Oklahoma State canceled. They’ve only played five games thus far and sit at 1-4. Their schedule to date includes midweek losses to Texas State and Baylor and a series loss to UTSA.

The game they did win came on Friday night with Tyler Davis on the mound, who Rice might very well see this week. Their lineup includes three All-Conference picks led by outfielder Jack Rogers who enters the weekend with an absurd .444 average.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Saturday)

Texas A&M Corpus Christi swept Central Michigan to start the year before winning one of their next four against Houston and falling to Texas in a midweek game.

Henry Bird, who started both of the second games in their first two series was fine the first time out before getting pummeled by Houston, allowing seven runs and nine hits in three innings. Catcher Josh Caraway is only hitting .231, but leads the team with five extra-base hits and a 1.025 OPS.

Texas State (Sunday)

Sitting at 4-6, Texas State has played more baseball than any of the Owls’ opponents thus far. They split a four-game series with BYU and won midweek games against Sam Houston State and New Mexico State and. They were also swept by Sacramento State and defeated by Texas on Wednesday night.

Presumptive starter Zeke Wood has walked nine and hit two batters in 9.2 innings. He also has nine strikeouts. Third baseman Justin Thompson has provided the punch at the plate. He’s reached base safely in all 10 games and leads the team with 13 RBI and a .907 OPS.

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