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Baseball: Owls can’t overcome slow start vs Texas State

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Rice baseball dropped a midweek game to Texas State on Wednesday, losing catcher Justin Collins to injury early in the contest.

For the second time this season Texas State got the better of Rice, shutting out the Owls again, this time at Reckling Park. The Owls were blanked 1-0 by the Bobcats in the Shriner’s College Classic and fell 5-0 on Wednesday night. The two teams will play once more this season in San Marcos on Tuesday, March 26.

With the first conference series of the season looming against FAU over the weekend, here are the most pressing notes from the loss to Texas State.

1. Justin Collins injury

Justin Collins was hit in the glove hand by the backswing from a Texas State hitter during the first inning. The extent of the injury isn’t known to this point, but Collins was removed from the game immediately. Senior backup Daniel Russell played the remainder of the contest in his place.

When healthy, the Rice lineup was already thin. The quartet of Trei Cruz, Bradley Gneiting, Braden Comeaux and Justin Collins has driven the bulk of the offense to this point of the season. Others have contributed with good games and good series here and there, but the four .300+ hitters have been the key cogs in run production this season.

That’s what makes the injury sustained by Collins on Wednesday night even more problematic. If he’s forced to miss any extended amount of time the production at the plate will take a hit.

2. Slow starts becoming a disturbing trend

Scoring first shouldn’t matter all that much in any given baseball game. Each team has nine innings to outscore their opponent, but for Rice, taking an early lead has proven to be of utmost importance. Rice is 8-2 this season when they score the first run. They’re 0-9 when their opponent scores first.

Momentum is a nebulous concept in sports. Some will say it doesn’t exist, but others swear on the tendency of good fortune to build on itself. For better or worse, the Rice offense has yoyoed back and forth, scoring in droves in one game and going O-fer in the next.

The team took a step forward when they rallied from a 5-1 deficit to top Lamar on Tuesday, but it’s going to take more consistency across the board if the Owls are going to flip the script on this startling statistic.

3. The grind is almost over

Rice beat Prairie View 25-5 on Wednesday, Feb. 27. That marked the first game of an exhaustive three week stretch for Rice in which the Owls were scheduled to play 15 games in 21 days. In addition to three weekend sets, Rice played two midweek games last week and this week. They’ll start conference play on Friday against FAU before ending the three-week run with a Tuesday night contest at Texas A&M.

“We haven’t had enough time to make sure we’re going back to fundamentals,” Bragga shared. He wasn’t making excuses, testifying fervently to the efforts of his team and his coaches to improve on the fly. Still, it’s evident this team needs time to practice. If nothing else, they need some rest.

ON DECK | at FAU (Fri-Sun)

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Rice Baseball: Evening the score in mind vs Texas State

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Rice baseball is out for revenge against a Texas State team who shut the Owls out earlier in the season. Can they even the season series at 1-1?

It’s been a long time since March 1 for both of these teams. That date marked the first of three scheduling meeting between Rice and Texas State this season with the Bobcats winning 1-0 at the Shriner’s Classic at Minute Maid Park.

The second edition promises to look much different. For one thing, the Owls seemed to have found their bats, scoring 48 runs in the seven games following their goose egg against Texas State. Second, neither team will have their ace on the mound during this Wednesday affair.

When and Where

Pitching matchups

Kel Bordwine could have been in line to start Wednesday, but the sophomore came in out of the bullpen in Tuesday’s win over Lamar. If Coach Bragga sticks with the status quo, Missouri transfer Drake Greenwood could be next in line. Given how Greenwood and the rest of the pitching depth has performed to this point, a wildcard like Ben Content or someone else could also be in play.

Garrett Herman (1-0) should be the man on the bump for the visiting team. The junior righty has two starts on the season, throwing nine innings and allowing eight hits, four runs and three walks while striking out six. That’s much more manageable for Rice than the seven innings of one-hit ball from Nicholas Fraze they faced earlier in the year.

Names to know from the plate

It’ll be the same suspects at the plate which Rice saw a few weeks ago. Will Hollis, who drove in the only run of the first meeting, has stayed hot at the plate. He’s hitting .364 this season with a team-high five doubles and 12 RBI.

Beyond Hollis, Jaylen Hubbard (.375 average) and Jaxon Williams (.339) continue to be key cogs in the Texas State offense. There has been a fair amount of shuffling at the bottom of the order so far. The Bobcats have five players who have appeared in at least 10 games with a batting average below .160. We could be in for another pitchers dual on Wednesday.

ON DECK | at FAU (Fri-Sun)

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Baseball: Owls rally from early deficit to blow out Lamar

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Rice baseball proved their resiliency on Tuesday night, rallying from a four-run deficit to top Lamar at home.

A 1-0 Rice lead was quickly turned into a 5-1 deficit as freshman starting pitcher Dalton Wood struggled in his first collegiate start. Trailing after three innings, Rice turned to the bullpen and took a deep breath. The same bullpen which had control issues against Oklahoma gave the Rice offense a chance — they took it.

It wasn’t a clean game in the field; both sides committed three errors. It wasn’t a crisp game at the plate; the two teams combined to strand 24 runners on base.

Despite the mishaps, Rice erased a four-run deficit, outscoring Lamar 11-0 through the remainder of the game, winning 12-5. Here are three immediate reactions from the win.

1. Gneiting quietly building impressive season

Trei Cruz has drawn the headlines early this season. All his accolades have been well deserved, but the most productive member of the lineup since opening weekend could very well be Bradley Gneiting. The junior utility man led Conference USA in hits entering Tuesday night, adding a first-inning RBI single to give Rice the early lead.

Gneiting added a 2 RBI double in the eight to secure his 10th multi-hit game of the season. His average now sits at.363 with a .440 average with runners in scoring position. Gneiting is second on the team in runs scored (15) and has stuck out only 12 times in 78 at bats, one of the best marks on the team. If the Rice offense is working, Gneiting always seems to be a part of the action.

2. Blair Lewis has become a bullpen staple

The Rice bullpen struggle heavily in the Owls’ Saturday and Sunday losses to Oklahoma. Kendall Jeffries has been tremendous, as has Addison Moss. Jackson Tyner had a rough weekend, but for the most part, has been reliable. After that, it’s been an erratic adventure.

“[The bullpen] just hasn’t been real consistent,” Bragga said honestly after the Sunday finale. “We need to find a couple more pieces.” It’s hard to imagine omitting Blair Lewis from the arsenal of those reliable options.

Lewis threw three innings against Lamar, allowing three hits, no walks and no runs. To this point, he’s been called upon to eat innings, but he’s become one of the most reliable arms Rice has out of the pen as evidenced by his 1.74 ERA in 10.1 innings.

3. No quit

“They don’t give up.” That’s what Matt Bragga had to say about his the growth his team has shown in the first month of the season. That resiliency hasn’t resulted in wins at every opportunity, but the progress has been evident.

Rice left the bases loaded in the first and fifth innings. Entering the sixth inning the Owls trailed 5-3 despite matching Lamar nearly hit for hit. This team had given in to their season-long offensive struggles many times, but Tuesday night would not be a reprisal of those woes.

The Owls broke through with three runs in the sixth, answering Lamar’s 5-0 run with a 5-0 run of their own to retake the lead, 6-5. Given another shot with the bases loaded in the seventh, Rice scored three times, taking advantage of Lamar miscues to extend their lead to 9-5.

This team is going to have its pains at the plate. The bullpen is a work in progress and the fielding remains a concern. Despite the challenges, they don’t quit. That will pay dividends down the road.

ON DECK | vs Texas State (Wed), at FAU (Fri-Sun)

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Baseball: Busy midweek slate starts Tuesday vs Lamar

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Rice baseball returns to action with a second pair of midweek which begin on Tuesday at Reckling Park against Lamar.

Matt Bragga admitted the wear and tear of so many games in such a short span of time was getting to his team. He said the squad still has “a lot of learning to do” and admitted “this group needs practice time.” Rather than rest, they’ll turn around and play two midweek games once again following the series loss to Oklahoma over the weekend.

Lamar (6-9) had had struggles of their own. The Cardinals were swept at home by SFA in their first Southland Conference series of the season over the weekend. They will return to conference play this coming weekend, as will Rice, but first a midweek tilt between the two southeast Texas clubs.

Rice won both 2018 meetings by scores of 6-2 and 2-1. Here’s how the first meeting of 2019 sets up.

When and Where

Pitching matchups

Addison Moss got his first start of the season last Tuesday against Houston, earning the win after five innings of two-run ball. He made a brief relief appearance against Oklahoma but should be fresh enough to throw against Lamar.

The pitching situation for Lamar looks much less certain. Three different hurlers have seen midweek starts this season with Taylor Rich the only man going further than three innings. He started their Sunday game against SFA, though, so a combination of arms will most likely be trotted out at Reckling on Tuesday.

Colleveitly, the Cardinals pitching staff isn’t too scary. AJ Ozorio-Brace and Austin Smith have been effective out of the pen, but a collective 4.04 ERA with 72 walks in 12 games bodes well for Rice, who won’t be facing one of their top weekend arms.

Names to know from the plate

Getting Reese Durand out will be the chief test for the Rice pitching staff. The freshman outfielder has hit safely in nine of his 11 appearances, picking up three triples on 13 hits. He’ll look to set the table for power hitters like Anthony Quirion and Robin Adams.

The bottom portion of the order hasn’t been productive to this point and that’s cost them opportunities to put up crooked numbers. Just once has Lamar scored more than six runs in a victory.

ON DECK | vs Texas State (Wed), at FAU (Fri-Sun)

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Baseball: Owls fall short to Oklahoma in final nonconference series

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Rice baseball looked every bit the equal of visiting Oklahoma but dropped the series two games to one in the final weekend of nonconference play.

It was hard to tell which Rice baseball team was going to show up to the diamond in their final weekend of non-conference play. The Owls had been swept at a stout UC Irvine squad two weekends ago before exploding for two massive upsets against ranked Baylor and TCU squads a week later.

Oklahoma would prove to be a worthy test for this newly confident Rice club. Outside of one no-good-very-bad inning, the Owls battled with the visiting Sooners for the duration of the series. Here’s a rundown of each game and a few overarching thoughts from the weekend.

FRIDAY | Rice 8 – Oklahoma 1

The Oklahoma pitching staff got off to a slow start on Friday night and Rice took advantage of the majority of the mistakes. Rice scratched a run across on a wild pitch in the first and tacked on an unearned run in the second. The Owls would score again on a wild pitch in the fourth to extend their lead to 3-0. Rice would add two more runs in the fourth, claiming a 5-0 lead.

Matt Canterino was dominant once again on the mound, blanking Oklahoma through the first four innings as the offense staked him to a comfortable lead. An unearned run in the fifth was his only hiccup, but that was quickly avenged by a Rice home run in the following inning.

The Oklahoma pitching problems continued throughout the night. A wild pitch in the seventh allowed Rice tack on another run. The Owls tacked on another insurance run in the eight. The big lead was plenty for Kendall Jeffries, who finished off the last two innings for the Owls to secure the win.

SATURDAY | Oklahoma 17 – Rice 8

After a quiet night with the bats on Friday, Oklahoma struck first with a sac fly in the first and a two-run double in the second. Put into an early hole, the Rice offense responded. Trei Cruz and Justin Collins went deep in the third to even the score at 3-3. Aaron Beaulaurier cracked the deadlock in the fourth with a two-run double of his own.

Oklahoma got a run back with a fifth inning home run before a Cade Edwards triple cleared the bases in the bottom half of the inning. The resulting 8-4 lead did not last long. As soon as starting pitcher Evan Kravetz was removed the bullpen simply fell apart.

Outside of 1.2 innings of scoreless relief from Blair Lewis, the combination of Dalton Wood, Jackson Tyner, Ben Schragger and Zach Esquivel collected three outs, walked nine batters and surrendered six hits. The collective loss of command allowed Oklahoma to explode for 13 runs, four in the sixth inning and nine in the eighth inning. Down 17-8, the Owls went quietly in the final two innings.

SUNDAY | Oklahoma 6 – Rice 0

Sunday’s pitcher’s duel between Oklahoma’s Levi Prater and Rice’s Jackson Parthasarathy was a stark departure from the cavalcade of runs both offenses had produced in the two games prior. Neither lineup was able to find consistent success against the other team’s starter, resulting in a tight game from start to finish.

A two-run, two-out double by Oklahoma’s Friday night starting pitcher Cade Cavalli was the difference through most of Sunday’s low scoring affair. The next six innings were scoreless for both sides until Oklahoma catcher Brady Lindsly launched a 1-2 offering from Kel Bordwine over the right field wall. The three-run shot put Oklahoma ahead 5-0.

Rice wasn’t able to string together any offense of their own in the final two innings, dropping the rubber game and the series.

TAKEAWAYS | Oklahoma wins series 2-1

1. Hitting is contagious

When the season began it was little more than Trei Cruz when it came to production at the plate. Braden Comeaux and Justin Collins started relatively slowly before heating up over the past two weeks. Now the offense finds itself in somewhat the inverse. Cruz has come back to earth, 1-for-10 with 2 RBI over the weekend, but the rest of the offense has risen together. “It’s contagious stuff,” Bragga admitted, contrasting it with the string of bad offensive outings to start the season.

Bradley Gneiting (twice), Braden Comeaux (twice), Justin Collins, Dominic DiCaprio and Cade Edwards all had multi-hit games over the weekend. Even with the quieter Sunday showing, the Rice offense tallied 30 hits. That’s 13 more base knocks than the 17 they amassed over a three-game sweep at the hands of UC Irvine two weeks prior.

Bragga was overwhelmingly positive in his assessment of the progress the entire lineup has made. “Our approaches at the plate are much better. The guys are getting better, they’re working really hard and I’m proud of them. We’re not where we need to be yet, but the guys are definitely working hard and seeing some benefits of the work they’re putting in.”

Even center fielder Aaron Beaulaurier, who has maintained a sub-.200 batting average this season, took a ball deep to left field on Friday night for his first home run. It took some time to get going, but Rice is finding production from every spot in the order and not asking one man to carry the team.

2. The bullpen looks remarkably thin

If head coach Matt Bragga had to go to the bullpen to get one big out, who would he call on first? At this point, the answer would probably by Kendall Jeffries. The senior sports the lowest WHIP (1.08) among all Rice relievers and owns both of the team’s two saves. After Jeffries and presumed weekend rotation candidate Addison Moss there are a ton of question marks.

Jackson Tyner, who had allowed one run on one hit in his four previous appearances, failed to record an out over the weekend while allowing five runs (two earned). Garrett Gayle has struggled with his command and leads the team with seven walks despite only nine innings of work. Ben Schragger and Brandon Deskins have had problems with walks, too. Kel Borwdine has been extremely hittable. Blair Lewis has been fine, albeit with large cushions.

As good as the Rice starting pitching has been, there needs to be a few more trustworthy arms in the bullpen. If there’s nobody who can come in and stop what happened on Saturday in the eighth inning, Rice is going to be in trouble come conference play.

3. Canterino picks up his first win

After three outings, Rice ace Matt Canterino was still in search of his first win of the 2019 season. Outside of a few home runs against UC Irvine, Canterino has been in good form this season, something which continued Friday night against Oklahoma.

On a night in which Bragga and Canterino said the Rice ace wasn’t at his best, Canterino hurled six innings of two-hit ball against OU, striking out six and walking one. The change from this outing compared to his prior appearances was the run support. Leaving the game with a 6-1 lead in the sixth, this marked the first time all season Canterino was eligible for the win at the time of his exit.

Canterino’s record improves to 1-2, serving as a subtle reminder that pitching wins often don’t tell the full story. Canterino knew the win would come, but even more importantly, he says this team has taken a significant mental step. “We know we can win now,” he said, “We know we have plenty of pieces. We’re putting together good games.”

ON DECK | vs Lamar (Tues), vs Texas State (Wed), at FAU (Fri-Sun)

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