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MLB Draft: Matt Canterino selected by Minnesota Twins in Second Round

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Pitcher Matt Canterino is the first Rice baseball player selected in the 2019 MLB Draft, chosen by the Minnesota Twins in the second round.

Canterino entered the 2019 season with high expectations. After spending time with Team USA over the winter, the prospective early round pick put together an impressive spring campaign. Billed as the ace of a strong starting rotation, Canterino delivered in every way possible. Even his off days were strong starts. His best days, were MLB-caliber.

The Rice junior threw 99.1 innings with a 2.81 ERA and a stunning .970 WHIP. His 121 strikeouts were the most among Conference USA pitchers. He threw his first career complete game against FIU on April 5.

Those strong numbers did nothing but bolster his already potent MLB Draft stock. With Rice seeing their season end after a four-game conference tournament run, Canterino was able to turn his attention to the draft. And wait.

With the 54th selection of the second round, the Minnesota Twins selected Matt Canterino.

Several other Owls hope to hear their names called in the coming days. For now, Canterino becomes the most recent Rice player drafted since four Owls were selected in the 2018 MLB Draft.

Shortstop Ford Proctor was chosen by the Tampa Bay Rays in the third round. Pitcher Ricky Salinas went to the Cincinnati Reds in the 25th Round. Outfielder Cody Staab was picked by the Seattle Mariners in the 30th Round. 2019 Signee Antonio Cruz was a 40th Round selection by the Houston Astros before opting to go to school.

2019 MLB Draft schedule

The 2019 MLB Draft runs from June 3 to June 5. Rounds 1 and 2 will take place Monday (June 3), televised on the MLB Network. The final two days will available to watch on MLB.com Round 3 through Round 10 will take place Tuesday (June 4) with the remaining Rounds 11-40 on Wednesday (June 5).

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Rice Football: Owls extend four offers at 3-Stripe Camp

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Rice football had the opportunity to host the Adidas 3 Stripe Camp over the weekend, bringing top coaches and players to Houston on Saturday.

It was a big weekend at South Main. More than 500 recruits arrived on campus to participate in the Adidas 3 Stripe camp. After evaluating the talent at hand, Rice handed out four new offers: athlete Trey Johnson (Cy Falls), wide receiver Devin Gunter (Ridge Point), wide receiver Kade Renfrow (Stephenville) and linebacker Kenneth Phillips III (Fort Bend Bush).

If there was a common theme with the offers that went out this weekend, it was speed. Gunter turned heads with a blazing 40-yard dash during drills and Phillips and Johnson weren’t far behind. Getting speed at the skill positions is an area Rice needs to improve on. Several of these guys are built in that mold and there could be others from the weekend who get their names added to the list down the road.

Rice Football, Rice Football RecruitingThe Owls have been hard at work on a few targets who weren’t able to make it to campus this weekend as well. Shreveport, LA linebacker Geron Hargon and Mission Viejo, CA defensive end Lance Kenely like what they’re hearing from the Owls.

After picking up offers from Rice in the spring, both guys have stayed in contact with the staff. In that short time, Hargon went so far as to say “Rice has made a big jump recently on my list”, citing the genuine nature of the staff and their clear commitment to creating a stronger future. Keneley is working to finish up his school year in California but plans to do everything he can to get to campus at some point this summer.

June will be a busy one for Rice. They’ll bring more recruits to campus for visits as they continue to build on CUSA’s No. 1 class.

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Rice Football Stat Pack: Solving third down a key for 2019

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Rice Football wasn’t able to convert third downs last season, but the root of the problem began before the Owls ever reached a third down situation.

The Owls had some learning to do last season as they adjusted to life under the direction of head coach Mike Bloomgren. The refound dedication to process and execution were refreshing, but there was one important problem they were never able to solve: third down.

Rice converted on 28.7 percent of their third downs in 2018, the 129th best rank in the nation among 130 FBS teams. It’s not that they were unable to pick up important yardage — their 62.1 percent fourth down conversion rate was the 25th best mark nationally. The problem is they attempted 195 third down conversions and 30 fourth down conversions.

Unless the Owls intend to scrap punting altogether, as tempting as that might be without Jack Fox waiting in the wings, they’re going to have to figure out ways to stay on the field. No penalties is a great starting point, but staying ahead of the chains will be the true measuring stick.

Rice ranked was 129th in success rate, a measure defined by a team’s ability to gain “50 percent of necessary yardage on first down, 70 percent on second down, and 100 percent on third and fourth down.” To that end, the Owls’ third down problem wasn’t as much a third down problem as it was a first and second down problem.

Building a more effective offense has been on the brains of the coaching staff lately. The defense had the better showing this spring, but there’s still plenty of time before this team takes the field in a game which counts. Reinforcements are still on their way in the form of grad transfers and talented 2019 recruits. They’ll all be tasked with creating positive plays on first down. If the Owls find success their, third downs and eventually touchdowns, will follow.

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Rice Baseball 2019 Season Review: Defensive improvements crystal clear

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Rice baseball saw unbelievable improvement in the field, cutting down errors and making adjustments as the season progressed.

The 2019 Rice baseball season began with a series win over Rhode Island — and seven errors. The next stretch wouldn’t get any better. The Owls committed 17 errors over their next five games, including a season-high eight miscues in a 16-5 loss to Arizona. There were one or two additional plays in that dismal Arizona defeat which could have been ruled errors as well had the scorekeeper been in a different mood.

It took Rice 11 games before they completed their first error-free contest. Discipline in the field was abysmal and a real detriment to this team’s chances of finding any sustainable success. Fortunately for the Owls, that would represent rock bottom of the defense in 2019.

See Also | Season Review: Erratic offense full of highs and lows

Rice finished the year with a .965 fielding percentage, ninth best in Conference USA, committing 75 errors in 59 games. As bad as that was, the splits between non-conference play and the Owls final 30 conference games couldn’t have been any more disparate.

The Owls committed 50 errors in their 25 non-conference games, a rate of 2.0 errors per game. Once Rice moved past the bulk of their non-conference games and reached the latter portion of their schedule the defense tightened up considerably. The team committed 25 errors in 30 conference games, the third-fewest in CUSA and a rate of .83 errors per game.

See Also | Season Review: Starting pitching shines

Coach Bragga new his team was capable of cleaning things up, but it’s hard to envision an improvement of that magnitude. Rice capped off their season with a robust .986 fielding percentage in the Conference USA Tournament. That tied Old Dominion for the best fielding rate in the tournament. Rice registered twice as many putouts in their four games (109) compared to Old Dominion’s two (51).

As the season reached a new marker, the defense got better, bordering on great with some web gems from Trei Cruz in the infield and Aaron Beaulaurier in the outfield. The team as a whole had its’ issues, but this was something which could be fixed, and fixed during the season. Going from worst to first in the span of three months, though, that’s nothing short of spectacular.

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Rice Baseball 2019 Season Review: Erratic offense full of highs and lows

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The offense prohibited Rice baseball from taking earnest strides in 2018. Here’s a rundown on the final numbers and a synopsis on how each bat performed.

The Rice offense faded to a .260/.360/.400 slash line by the end of the regular season, finishing eighth or worse in Conference USA in each metric while leading the conference with 534 strikeouts. The offense as a whole was top heavy, failing to get consistent production from the bottom half of the lineup and leading toward the discouraging final numbers.

But a few accurate macro-level numbers don’t fully encapsulate what the Rice offense was in 2019. There were individuals who put together solid, if not superb, season. It was the lack of an ability to string those good games and good days together which did this team in. Here’s a closer look at the final lines for some of the Owls’ most important hitters.

Cade Edwards

Games – 59 | AVG .308 | OBP .360 | SLG .498 | 2B – 16 | 3B – 4 | HR – 6 | BB – 17 | K – 46

A JUCO transfer who has been on campus for less than a year, Edwards finished with a team-best .308 batting average. His approach at the plate was consistent as he quickly became the best pure contact hitter on the team. Edwards was one of two players to start all 59 of the Owls games this season.

Trei Cruz

Games – 58 | AVG .305 | OBP .393 | SLG .519 | 2B – 11 | 3B – 6 | HR – 9 | BB – 35 | K – 54

Trei started the season with a bang with his 9-RBI day against Rhode Island in February. He never really slowed down, finishing second on the team in RBI despite batting out of the leadoff spot for the first half of the season. He finished tied for the longest hitting streak of the season (nine games) and was one of the most productive hitters on the team from start to finish.

Andrew Dunlap

Games – 57 | AVG .302 | OBP .419 | SLG .559 | 2B – 9 | 3B – 2 | HR – 13 | BB – 23 | K – 49

One of the most feel-good stories on the team this season, senior Andrew Dunlap became a fixture in the Rice lineup following a 5-for-6, 7-RBI outing against Prairie View A&M. Dunlap led the team with a gaudy .342 batting average in conference play with nine home runs and a 1.075 OPS in 30 games.

Braden Comeaux

Games – 53 | AVG .299 | OBP .388 | SLG .421 | 2B – 16 | 3B – 1 | HR – 3 | BB – 16 | K – 32

The junior infielder was a tremendous table setter for an offense in need of a spark. Comeaux finished second to Trei Cruz in runs (46) and tied with Cade Edwards for the team lead in doubles (16). Whether it was one of his 17 hit by pitches or 66 hits, he found ways to get on base.

Bradley Gneiting

Games – 59 | AVG .295 | OBP .366 | SLG .378 | 2B – 12 | 3B – 0 | HR – 3 | BB – 25 | K – 51

A versatile option in the field by necessity, Gneiting’s defensive assignment for the day never seemed to bother his production at the plate. An early member of a wide-open outfield platoon, Gneiting solidified his spot in the lineup and delivered some key strokes at the top of the order.

Justin Collins

Games – 58 | AVG .260 | OBP .387 | SLG .425 | 2B – 12 | 3B – 0 | HR – 7 | BB – 41 | K – 53

A modest season given the offseason hopes, Collins battled through a hand injury to finish his first season as the Owls’ full-time catcher. Collins led the team with 41 walks and finished third with seven home runs. He’s got work to do before he moves closer to the cleanup spot many thought he’d be able to take this season, but his ability to extend innings and get on base cannot be undervalued.

Mutli-game starters

Dominic Cox | Games – 45 | AVG .238 | OBP .382 | SLG .338 | 2B – 7 | 3B – 0 | HR – 2 | BB – 30 | K – 52
Aaron Beaulaurier | Games – 55 | AVG .187 | OBP .297 | SLG .307 | 2B – 11 | 3B – 3 | HR – 1 | BB – 18 | K – 64
Dominic DiCaprio | Games – 21 | AVG .229 | OBP .301 | SLG .265 | 2B – 3 | 3B – 0 | HR – 0 | BB – 7 | K – 20
Brandt Frazier | Games – 39 | AVG .125 | OBP .261 | SLG .150 | 2B – 3 | 3B – 0 | HR – 0 | BB – 20 | K – 35

Injuries and inconsistent bats kept these four players from becoming season-long starters for the Owls in 2019. Cox and Beaulaurier won time later in the season as their bats began to wake up, but both were primarily defensive assets with a decent amount of doubles power.

DiCaprio and Frazier were veteran players who never got healthy enough to truly showcase their abilities. DiCaprio was shut down midseason and Frazier left the Conference tournament with an arm injury.

Reserves

Justin Dunlap | Games – 18 | AVG .216 | OBP .396 | SLG .243 | 2B – 1 | 3B – 0 | HR – 0 | BB – 10 | K – 7
Khevin Brewer | Games – 18 | AVG .208 | OBP .259 | SLG .250 | 2B – 1 | 3B – 0 | HR – 0 | BB – 2 | K – 9
Rodrigo Duluc | Games – 30 | AVG .205 | OBP .302 | SLG .349 | 2B – 3 | 3B – 0 | HR – 3 | BB – 10 | K – 33
Antonio Cruz | Games – 26 | AVG .167 | OBP .254 | SLG .300 | 2B – 2 | 3B – 0 | HR – 2 | BB – 4 | K – 25

The opportunities off the bench were sporadic for this group. Unlike the prior quartet, inconsitent days at the plate kept any of these four from earning more than the occasional at bat or spot start. The Rice lineup wasn’t deep this year. When your best four reserves are hitting at or below the Mendoza line there wasn’t much more coach Bragga could have done to generate better days at the plate. More work in the cages and a fresh influx of talent should make the bench much more palatable next season.

Daniel Russell

Games – 6 | AVG .429 | OBP .556 | SLG .429 | 2B – 0 | 3B – 0 | HR – 0 | BB – 1 | K – 2

The bullpen catcher brought on for a single season with no intent to play, Russell saw more action than he ever expected. The dugout might have been most excited this season when Russell entered a one-sided 15-3 win over Rhode Island late and delivered an RBI single. He’ll be missed.

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