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Rice Baseball: MLB Draft decisions loom for six Owls

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Rice baseball will lose a handful of players to the MLB Draft this fall, but the roster continues to improve as new recruits choose the Owls.

The Owls roster will feature some familiar faces and some very new names in 2020. The first notable changes will be determined in the coming months as each of the six recent MLB draftees make decisions on their professional baseball futures.

Matt Canterino, Evan Kravetz and Garrett Gayle will be playing pro ball next season, that’s definitive. What’s less clear is what the remaining three drafted Rice baseball players — Roel Garcia, Addison Moss and Trei Cruz — will choose to do.

As of this moment, it’s most likely all three of them return. However, the Tampa Bay Rays plan to fly to Houston to see Moss pitch in the coming weeks. If any of those three opt for pro ball this year, he seems to be the most likely candidate. The entire trio have the skillsets to climb into Top 10 round picks next season with strong fall seasons and reinvigorated springs. Their opportunity suggest at least one more year at South Main.

Incoming talent

Assuming the reinsertion of Garcia and Moss, the Rice pitching staff could be in better shape than expected considering the loss of two Top 5 round draft selections. Rice is going to add some JUCO guys on the mound expected to contribute quickly.

Reinforcements are coming to the lineup, too. Finding another left handed bat was a must in this recruiting cycle as was adding more power. The Owls feel like they accomplished both of those things. Altogether, they’ll add a dozen new players to the roster this fall.

The pipeline continues further than that, though. Rice has eight players committed in the 2021 class, one which should, at least on paper, be the most talented class Bragga has ever recruited as a head coach. I asked about the influx of talent Rice was bringing into their program, asking him if it seems like he’s “Recruiting at the level that you need to…

“….go to Omaha,” Bragga finished. “At the end of the day, that’s the goal.” Rice has work to do before they return to the College World Series. But it’s encouraging to see the groundwork is being laid.

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Rice Football Recruiting: It’s move in day for 2019 signees

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The 2019 Rice Football freshman class arrives on campus today, complete with new living places and new numbers for their jerseys in the fall.

The calendar says June but it’s officially football season for the Owls’ incoming recruiting class. Wednesday is move in day for the freshman who will flock to South Main from as far away as California (four) and New Jersey (two).

Some players, like the Owls’ first commit Jack Bradley, have been waiting almost a year for their announcements to materialize into the full college experience. Others like walk on Hunter Hanley, have been committed to Rice for less than two weeks.

Although the time to don shoulder pads and start hitting on the field is a ways away each of the new Owls will benefit from this early time with their new teammates.

Each new addition has had a copy of the virtual playbook to study over the summer. The remainder of June and the beginning of July will be time for them to fully immerse themselves in the new language and establish a “new normal” before classes begin.

Along with new rooms and roommates, the freshman class has always received their jersey numbers. As will be the caveat with most football related information until the fall, those too could change in the coming months. For now, here’s what number each of the new Owls will be wearing:

3. Jovoni Johnson
9. Kirk Lockhart
11. Jake Bailey
13. Zane Knipe
14. Joshua Landrum
16. Zach Hoban
19. Tre’shon Devones
22. Jawan King
26. Hunter Henry
27. Ayden Noriega
29. Chike Anigbogu
38. Jashon Palmer
41. Garrett Braden
51. Will Martinez
54. Issac Klarkowski
56. Edmond Lahlouh
57. Myron Morrison
59. Jerry Johnson III
67. Connor Hughes
72. Hunter Jones
74. Nick Wagman
79. Regan Riddle
84. Bennett Mecom
87. Jack Bradley
89. Miles Adams
91. Charlie Mendes
94. Josh Pearcy
95. Izeya Floyd
96. DeBraylon Carroll
97. Adrian Bickham

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Rice Football Recruiting: Owls soar up rankings as 2020 class bonds

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The 2020 Rice Football recruiting class is becoming a family, one that’s adding talent players to it at an almost unprecedented pace.

Sunday night was a big one for the 2020 Rice football recruiting class. The Owls hosted all of their in-state commits plus a few notable targets for an unofficial visit. Given the proximity of coach Bloomgren’s house to campus, the guys were able to gather at his place to hang out and bond with each other and the coaching staff.

From all accounts, the atmosphere was fantastic and everyone had a good time. Several of the guys met face to face for the first time. The most telling comment came from running back commit Khalan Griffin:  “It’s like we are already a family.”

It would be hard for the mood to be anything less than positive given the rampant recruiting pace Rice is on right now. The Owls own the No. 50 recruiting class in the nation at the midpoint of June. That’s the second best class in Conference USA and puts them above some notable programs:
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  • USC (No. 53)
  • Baylor (No. 64)
  • Michigan State (No. 65)
  • SMU (No. 67)
  • UCLA (No. 75)
  • Houston (No. 87)
  • Texas Tech (No. 89)

That highly regarded class could become even better soon. Beyond forging stronger bonds with the current class, Rice made significant headway with current targets, most notably corner Ricky Johnson. The invite list was short for non-committed players. Johnson was among the top of that list.

Johnson had spoken highly of Rice since he was offered following the Adidas 3 Stripe Camp. At that point, he called Rice his top choice. The time spent with the Owls over the weekend solidified those feelings. He’s planning to take a few more visits, but Rice has cemented themselves as the unquestioned leader in his recruitment.

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Rice Football: 2020 Offensive lineman Trey Phillippi commits to Owls

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It’s a busy time for the 2020 Rice Football recruiting class, who picked up their third commit of the week with the addition of offensive lineman Trey Phillippi.

Sometimes when you know, you know. That’s the story of Rice football’s latest addition to the 2020 class, Trey Phillippi. Rice hosted a camp over the weekend with several intriguing offensive line prospects. When the staff saw Phillippi work they didn’t waste much time, extending him an offer on Saturday.

Rice was the first school to offer the 6-foot-5, offensive tackle from Montgomery, Tx. The Owls knew what they were looking for and jumped at the opportunity to get Phillippi into the fold, perhaps wrapping up the process even more quickly than they might have originally expected.

Not only was Phillipi blown away by his weekend experience and the prestige of the university, he wasn’t willing to wait more than a week before he made his pledge to the Owls. So less than a week after he received his offer, Phillip committed to Rice.

Phillipi’s decision came less than 24 hours after fellow in-state recruit Devin Gunter committed to the Owls and a few days removed from Brentwood, TN wideout Andrew Mason’s Rice declaration. That’s three coveted additions to the 2020 class in the span of three days.

Phillipi is every bit the road grader his size suggests he ought to be. He’s an enforcer who throws rushers aside with ease and wins his one on one battles at the line of scrimmage. The Owls are always out to find those who fit the Intellectual Brutality culture. Phillipi fits the bill and he’s going to do some damage in the trenches as soon as he gets to South Main.

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Rice Football: 2020 Athlete Devin Gunter commits to Owls

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The 2020 Rice Football recruiting class is picking up steam, grabbing their second commitment of the week from potential two-way standout Devin Gunter.

The Adidas 3 Stripe camp gave Rice football an opportunity to showcase their facilities and their brand with some of the top recruits in college football. That busy day at South Main has already paid dividends. Camp attendee and 2020 athlete Devin Gunter has committed to Rice.

The Missouri City, Tx native had nothing but good things to say following his camp experience. He was impressed with the facilities and enjoyed his time working in person with the Rice coaches. Those relationships have continued to strengthen over the last few weeks.

Gunter has a lot of film at wide receiver, but where he’ll play in college remains up in the air. The tentative plan is to start him off at corner, but his athleticism and raw speed are going to have the offensive coaches chomping at the bit to get him the ball in space and watch him work. Another D’Angelo Ellis situation where he plays two ways could be possible in at least some capacity. He’s that talented.Rice Football, Rice Football Recruiting

Beyond his athleticism, Gunter has legitimate track star speed. He ran a 4.47 at camp and had that time confirmed with a laser timer later this summer. Rice needs speed on the edges and Gunter is undoubtedly one of the fastest guys they’ve landed thus far.

Whether he ends up on offense or defense, Gunter is a big play guy in the making. A 6-foot-1, 180-pound athlete, he has great hands and a knack for attacking the football in the air. He’s only to get better at the next level.

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