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Davion Hickson was an outstanding pitcher across two seasons with Rice baseball, finding success as a closer and then a Friday night starter. Those effort did not go unnoticed as Hickson was selected in the fifth round of the 2025 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros on Monday. He became the highest Owl drafted since Trei Cruz went in the third round to the Detroit Tigers in 2020 and a sixth top-five round selection for the program in the past six years.
Hickson was the most reliable arm the Owls fielded over the last two seasons, leading Rice in innings (73.0), strikeouts (90), ERA (3.82) and opponent batting average (.220) as a starter this past spring. He’s is the sixth Rice player drafted by the Dodgers and the first since Jeremy Rathjen (11th round) and Matthew Reckling (14th) were selected by Los Angeles in 2012.
Update: Reliever Garrett Stratton joined Hickson among MLB Draft selections, going to the Mets in the 20th Round
| Player | Draft Year | Team | Round |
| Davion Hickson | 2025 | Dogers | 5 |
| Garrett Stratton | 2025 | Mets | 20 |
| Parker Smith | 2024 | Astros | 4 |
| Justin Long | 2023 | Braves | 7 |
| Hayden Durke | 2023 | Diamondbacks | 13 |
| Matthew Linskey | 2023 | Diamondbacks | 16 |
| Roel Garcia | 2022 | Rays | 14 |
| Trei Cruz | 2020 | Tigers | 3 |
| Matt Canterino | 2019 | Twins | 2 |
| Evan Kravetz | 2019 | Reds | 5 |
| Garrett Gayle | 2019 | Astros | 12 |
| Roel Garcia | 2019 | Blue Jays | 27 |
| Trei Cruz | 2019 | Nationals | 37 |
| Addison Moss | 2019 | Rays | 37 |
| Ford Proctor | 2018 | Rays | 3 |
| Ricky Salinas | 2018 | Reds | 25 |
| Cody Staab | 2018 | Marines | 30 |
| Glenn Otto | 2017 | Yankees | 5 |
| Dane Myers | 2017 | Tigers | 6 |
| Tristan Gray | 2017 | Pirates | 13 |
| Jon Duplantier | 2016 | Diamondbacks | 3 |
| Blake Fox | 2016 | Brewers | 10 |
| Jordan Stephens | 2015 | White Sox | 5 |
| Leon Byrd | 2015 | Rangers | 10 |
| Kevin McCanna | 2015 | Astros | 13 |
| Austin Orewiler | 2015 | Reds | 14 |
| Matt Ditman | 2015 | Roayls | 16 |
| John Clay Reeves | 2015 | Nationals | 20 |
| John Williamson | 2015 | Cubs | 23 |
It took the Rice baseball offense some time to get going, but by the time head coach David Pierce had taken over and solidified the lineup, the team began to hit its stride at the plate. A delicate mix of talented freshmen and the right veteran pieces made the Owl competitive hitters and provided support the pitching staff needed.
Compared to a season ago, this year’s squad had twice as many players hit .270 or better (six), a testament to a deeper lineup with a host of players capable of delivering clutch hits rather than putting all the pressure on any one individual.
** Photo credit: Maria Lysaker **
By the time the Rice baseball season had ended, the Owls had tried just about every combination of relief pitchers imaginable to cobble together nine innings at a time. The list of reliable options was thin and injuries and inconsistency plagued a unit that never truly rounded into form this season.
For the purposes of this discussion, we look at the arms that saw the most use, some in specific parts of the season and others throughout the year. The arrival of head coach David Pierce saw utilization shift dramatically in some, starting with eventual top option Jack Ben-Shoshan.
** Photo credit: Maria Lysaker **