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Rice Baseball: 2021 MLB Owls update – April 10

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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.

Jon Duplantier was active with the Arizona Diamondbacks this spring, making two spring training appearances as he works to recover from an elbow injury that limited him last season. He’s currently with the D-Backs Triple-A affiliated in Reno

Here are updates on the four former Rice baseball alums currently active.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

Rendon picked up where he left off last season, continuing to hit the baseball at a high rate. He’s had at least one hit in seven of his first eight games this season, including his first home run of the season in a road loss to the Blue Jays on Saturday, April 10. He entered Sunday with a six-game hitting streak.

Through April 10, Rendon is hitting .290 with one extra-base hits, five walks and seven strikeouts. His OPS is .765.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

Duffey has been solid out of the pen for the Twins so far this season. He’s made four appearances and has yet to allow a run. He did not allow a hit in either of his two most recent outings. The Twins have lost three of the four games he’s appeared in even though Duffey has yet to pitch when the team was trailing this season.

Through April 10, Duffey has a 0.00 ERA with a 1.636 WHIP. He’s averaging 7.4 strikeouts per nine innings.

Brock Holt – Texas Rangers

A longtime member of the Red Sox, Holt has been on the move since leaving Boston following the 2020 season. After signing with the Milwaukee Brewers and then the Washington Nationals last year, he inked a deal with the Texas Rangers for the 2021 season. Holt appeared in four games with the Rangers this year before a hamstring strain landed him on the 10-day injured list.

Through April 10, Holt has three hits in 12 at bats, good for a .250 average. He’s walked five times, struck out twice and collected two RBI.

Lucas Luetege – New York Yankees

One of the more encouraging stories to follow over the last few months was the rise of former Rice hurler Lucas Luetge who broke into the Opening Day bullpen with the Yankees after a five-year hiatus from the big leagues.

Luetege was all smiles when his manager delivered the news. Next he assured the fans the moment would not be too big for him. “I’ve been doing this for a while. I’ve been successful,” he said. I’ve just had a little time off between the big leagues.” He’s already appeared in three games sporting the pin stripes so far this spring.

Through April 10, Luetge has a 7.20 ERA with a 1.400 WHIP. He’s averaging 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings.

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Rice Baseball 2021: Previewing the LA Tech Series

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Rice baseball is still looking for their first Conference USA series win. Can they get it this weekend against Louisiana Tech?

The first two weekends of Conference USA play have come and gone. Rice baseball is lagging behind in the standings thus far but could turn that around with a series win this weekend against Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs lead the West through two conference weekends. The No. 16 Bulldogs will be the Owls’ toughest test yet.

Game Notes

Times: Friday 6:00 p.m. | Saturday 1:00 p.m. / 4.00 p.m. | Sunday 1:00 p.m.
Venue: Reckling Park
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
Watch: CUSAtv

How each team fared this week

Rice baseball (13-14-1) played to the first tie among any C-USA team this past weekend, failing to close out a Sunday win to salvage a series draw. They narrowly dropped their series to Middle Tennesee 2-1-1.

Louisiana Tech (20-7) has been red-hot in recent weeks, winning three of four in each of their first two conference series. Last weekend they outscored UAB 31-14 in four games.

Probable Pitchers

Friday | Blake Brogdon (2-4, 5.80)
Saturday 1 | Roel Garcia (1-1, 4.21)
Saturday 2 | Mitchell Holcomb (4-2, 4.24)
Sunday | Brandon Deskins (1-3, 5.80)

LA Tech Pitching

It all starts at the top for the Louisiana Tech staff, led by ace Jonathan Fincher. The lefty has a perfect 5-0 record and a sterling 1.62 ERA with 42 strikeouts in 44.1 innings pitched. Sunday man Jarrett Whorff has been impressive too, 5-1 so far this year with a 2.49 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 43.1 innings. Behind them, look for Tyler Follis, Landon Tomkins and Tanner Knight as the first arms trusted out of the bullpen.

LA Tech Hitting

Part of what makes Louisiana Tech so difficult at the plate is their tremendous amount of balance. They hit .293 as a team with 27 home runs in their 27 games played. Second baseman Taylor Young has been an absolute force, leading the team with a .330 average, 30 hits and 10 doubles. Hunter Wells joins him at the top of the lineup. He’s hitting .327 and tied for the team lead with five home runs.

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Rice Baseball 2021: Owls run out of time, drop series to Middle Tennessee

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Rice baseball ran out of time against Middle Tennessee, ending the weekend with an extra-inning tie and leaving Murfeesburro with a series loss.

THREE FOR THE ROAD | Rice baseball loses series 2-1-1

1. Rotation has potential, but depth remains an issue

There’s been a lot of encouraging outings from members of the weekend rotation this year, but syncing those positive days together amidst the four starters has seemed almost impossible. Rice had two starts this weekend fail to complete four innings. It’s probably not a coincidence the Owls failed to win either of those games (although they did salvage a tie).

Thanks to sturdy outings from Blake Brogdon and Mitchell Holcomb, the bullpen wasn’t overly taxed, but the Owls couldn’t cobble together enough arms to salvage the finale with five of six pitchers surrendering at least one run and two allowing three or more hits in a single inning. The bullpen has room to grow, but limiting their work to three or four innings a game is a must going forward.

2. Lineup card is settling in

With Rice baseball in the thick of conference play, the lineup seems to have reached a steady-state. The same four (Cade Edwards, Bradley Gneiting, Braden Comeaux, Guy Garibay) anchored the top spots of the lineup this weekend and it’s hard to see them moving any time soon. The order of the back end of the lineup changed, but the cast of characters has started to congeal there as welll.

Will Karp and Justin Long have solidified themselves as everyday players with Austin Bulman and Connor Walsh rounding out the bottom of the lineup. The second half has been more inconsistent at the plate, but for better or worse, the Owls know how the pieces are going to be put together on a weekly basis.

3. Clutch hitting comes and goes

Whether it was the walk-off win against UTSA or the ninth inning rally on Saturday afternoon, this team has showcased they can score runs in big moments. They know how to get the clutch hit. But when it comes to the grind of a full nine (or seven) inning game, the hits weren’t there this weekend.

Rice went 6-for-37 with runners in scoring position this weekend. They had multiple hits with runners in scoring position in a single game just once, going 4-for-11 in their lone victory. Rice hit .203 in the four-game series and .162 with runners in scoring position. That’s not going to get it done.

THE PLAY BY PLAY

THURSDAY | MTSU 4 – Rice 1

Middle Tennessee ace Aaron Brown was at his best in the opener. He struck out nine Owls on his way to a two-hit complete game. Rice generated its only run of the day on a Bradley Gneiting double, scoring Cade Edwards who had just been hit by a pitch in the previous at bat. At the time, that represented the tying run.

Deadlocked at 1-1 entering the eighth inning, Middle Tennessee engineered a two-0ut rally, scoring three runs with Drake Greenwood on the mound to reclaim the lead. Rice went quietly in the ninth.

FRIDAY 1 | MTSU 4 – Rice 3

Rice starter Roel Garcia was pulled after three innings in Game 2. He also exited early in the week prior with cramping issues, according to head coach Matt Bragga. When he left, the Owls were trailing 2-0, but still very much in the game. The two sides would train runs in the middle innings before Cade Edwards delivered an equalizing two-run home run in the seventh.

Once more, the two teams went to the late innings tied. And once again, Middle Tennessee found the clutch hit. This time coming in the form of a walk-off infield single to clinch Game 2.

FRIDAY 2 | Rice 4 – MTSU 1

Rice got a game back in the back end of the Friday double-header, turning a narrow 1-0 deficit into a three-run advantage with a crooked number in the fifth inning.  Eight Owls came to the plate in the inning. Connor Walsh struck out to start the frame and Will Karp hit into a double play to end it. Between them, six other Owls tallied singles, scoring four.

For the second week in a row, Rice starter Mitchell Holcomb went seven innings. On this occasion, he held Middle Tennessee to just one run on four hits, striking out 10. Given the lead late, he held on for the Owls’ only win of the weekend.

SATURDAY | Rice 9 – MTSU 9 (Tie)

The scoring picked up on Saturday. Rice homered three times, two from Cade Edwards and scored three runs in two separate innings. Their eight-run outburst in regulation equaled their total scoring output from the first three games.

Twice, Rice thought they’d earned a series splt. The Owls entered the ninth inning trailing but scored three with the help of a Middle Tennessee error. The Blue Raiders got the run back in the bottom half of the inning on back-to-back doubles. A sac-fly put Rice three outs away in the 11th, but another RBI double equalized things in the bottom half. Curfew was called after 12 innings, ending the game in a tie.

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

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Rice Baseball 2021: Previewing the MTSU Series

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Rice baseball departed for their first Conference USA road trip, paying a visit to Murfreesboro, TN. Here’s how the Owls stack up with the Blue Raiders.

The beginning of four-game weeks is officially upon us. Rice won’t play another midweek game until mid-April. For the time being, the focus will be solely on Conference USA opponents. They’ll get one more crack at an opponent from their own division this week when they take on Middle Tennessee.

Game Notes

Times: Thursday 3:00 p.m. | Friday 1:00 p.m. / 4.00 p.m. | Saturday 1:00 p.m.
Venue: Reese Smith Jr. Field
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
Watch: CUSAtv

How each team fared this week

Rice baseball (12-12) saw a relatively hot streak snapped this past weekend, going 1-3 against UTSA at Reckling Park. A walk-off Saturday afternoon win was the bright spot.

Middle Tennesse (13-10) split a four-game series with UAB in Birmingham their last time out. The Blue Raiders were shut out 8-0 in their opener before rebounding to win two of the back end of a Friday doubleheader and split the remaining games.

Probable Pitchers

Friday | Blake Brogdon (2-3, 6.67)
Saturday 1 | Roel Garcia (1-1, 3.97)
Saturday 2 | Mitchell Holcomb (3-2, 4.86)
Sunday | Brandon Deskins (1-3, 5.47)

MTSU Pitching

Middle Tennessee ranks in the top 10 nationally in WHIP and strikeout-to-walk ratio. If Rice hopes to get on base this weekend, they’re going to have to earn it. Typical Friday night starter Aaron Brown has already amassed a staggering 52 strikeouts in 33.1 innings pitched. Trent Siebert also has more K’s (39) than he does innings worked (33.0).

The rest of the staff is equally stout. Only one member of the Blue Raider’s pitching corps that has gone 10+ innings has an ERA above Brown’s 4.10. Opposing batters are hitting .227 on the season against MTSU pitching.

MTSU Hitting

The offense hasn’t been as prolific. Two MTSU hitters are batting better than .300 with right fielder Cole Escher pacing the offense with a .356 average. While the rest of the lineup doesn’t boast an impressive average, they do pack some power. Four different hitters have seven or more extra base hits, led by Brett Coker who has eight (three doubles, two triples and three home runs).

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Rice Baseball 2021: Owls outhit by UTSA in series loss

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Rice baseball dropped three of four games in their opening series of Conference USA play. The Owls were outscored by UTSA 39-18.

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

1. When things go wrong, they go really, really wrong

Rice baseball sits at .500 on the season with 12 wins and 12 losses. Of the Owls’ 12 defeats, seven of them have come by four or more runs. Rice has allowed double-digit runs in a loss three times this season with all three instances occurring in the last two weeks.

It’s one thing to lose games. Even the best teams in the country will end the regular season with imperfect records. But to be blown out, failing to mount a rally at the plate or put out the fire on the mound, is concerning.

Whether it’s a leader that needs to rise to the occasion or a mechanical issue that needs to be worked out, losing like that multiple times in a short span is disheartening. Especially set alongside Tuesday’s encouraging win over Texas A&M.

2. Hats off to Holcomb

Through his first four outings, it looked like Mitchell Holcomb was not long for the Rice rotation. The transfer pitcher lasted more than four innings just once and fell behind. Then he went 7.2 scoreless against Norther Illinois and seven more innings of two-run ball against Southern.

His four-run, five-strikeout performance against UTSA might have just been okay, but in context, he and Roel Garcia were the only Rice starters that kept their team in games. With four-game weekends the new norm, Holcomb’s name isn’t leaving the lineup card any time soon.

3. Measuring stick series

Rice baseball picked to finish third in Conference USA West in the preseason. UTSA was picked to finish fifth. The Owls entered the weekend with the worst non-conference record of any team in the west, but seemed to be on the upswing over the last two weeks. That momentum came to a screeching halt this weekend.

Other than the miraculous walk off, Rice was outplayed in both phases this weekend. It’s hard to ascribe top-three divisional status to the Owls right now. Fortunately, they have time and they have another four-game weekend against this same UTSA team in a month. We’ll see whether or not Rice can regain their contender status by then.

THE PLAY BY PLAY

FRIDAY | UTSA 16 – Rice 4 (7 inn.)

The potent UTSA offense came out firing, with two home runs accounting for five runs in the first inning of the series opener. Down 5-0, Rice deserves some credit for their response. The Owls slugged two home runs of their own in the bottom half of the first inning, cutting the deficit to 5-4.

Starter Blake Brogdon didn’t fare any better in the second inning. Cristian Cienfuegos was rocked in the frame that followed. By the time the fourth inning was over, Rice trailed 16-4. The Owls’ managed 10 hits, but were run-ruled.

SATURDAY 1 | Rice 10 – UTSA 8 (7 inn.)

It was Rice who struck first in the second game, taking a 2-0 lead on a Guy Garibay long ball. Roel Garcia pitched four innings, leaving with a 3-2 lead. The tandem of Dalton Wood and Reed Gallant could not hold the lead. UTSA would rally back in the middle innings, taking a 5-3 which they extended to 8-3 in the top of the seventh.

Rice needed five to tie. Following a groundout by Braden Comeaux to start the inning, the Owls’ bats caught fire. Down to their final two outs, Austin Bulman delivered a three-run bomb to cut the deficit to two. Then, with two outs and the game on the line, Cade Edwards blasted the walk off home run.

SATURDAY 2 | UTSA 4 – Rice 1 (7 inn.)

UTSA scratched across two runs in the first in what was as close to a pitcher’s duel as these teams would see this weekend. Rice managed just two hits in the seven inning affair, including a Comeaux single that scored the Owls’ only run in the sixth.

Rice starter Mitchell Holcomb pitched a complete game, but his workmanlike effort was not enough to spark a Rice offense that seemed to have utilized all its magic in the furious comeback hours prior.

SUNDAY | UTSA 11 – Rice 3

Seeking a series split, Rice was greeted with a crooked number out of the gate. Another first inning home run from UTSA put Rice in an early hole. But the Owls would rally, cutting the deficit to 4-3 in the second inning. But starter Brandon Deskins couldn’t keep the bats at bay for much longer.

UTSA exploded for five more runs in the fourth and added two more against Drake Greenwood in the sixth. Overcome a massive gap again proved to large of a task. Rice did not score for the remainder of the game. The Owls were outscored on the weekend 39 to 18 in 30 innings.

ON DECK | Middle Tennessee (Thr-Sat, four games).

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