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Conference USA Baseball notches four wins in NCAA Tournament

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Conference USA Baseball didn’t advance any teams to Super Regional play, but Dallas Baptist and Charlotte each made some noise in the postseason.

Charlotte and Dallas Baptist earned the right to represent Conference USA Baseball in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, which began play last weekend. Charlotte was the No. 3 seed in the Clemson Regional while Dallas Baptist was the No. 2 Seed in the Stillwater Regional. Each team made it to the regional championship game, registering some upsets along the way.

The duo each eliminated the No. 1 seed in their respective region, a tremendous accomplishment for the league. You can view the full tournament bracket here.

Dallas Baptist

The Patriots were a darkhorse pick by many to win the Stillwater Regional and they came extremely close to doing so. DBU dropped their opening round game to Washington by a score of 9-5, then battled through the losers bracket.

More: Parker Smith’s journey from hometown kid to Rice Baseball ace

Dallas Baptist eliminated host team and No. 1 Seed Oklahoma State on Saturday, blasting the Cowboys 18-5 in one of the most dominant wins of the entire weekend. They followed that up with a win on Sunday in a rematch against Washington, earning a spot against 4-Seed Oral Roberts in the championship game. ORU edged DBU 6-5, becoming the only 4-Seed to advance to Super Regional play this season.

Charlotte

After suffering a one-sided loss to Tennessee in their first game, Charlotte came back swinging with a decisive 9-2 victory to eliminate Lipscomb in their second game. They then followed that up with a win over 1-seed and host Clemson, sending them home as well, to earn their spot in the regional championship game. In a rematch with Tennesee, Charlotte fell 9-2, ending their season.

What’s Next?

This was the last time Charlotte will don a Conference USA patch on their jerseys. The 49ers leave the conference for the AAC in July. The 2024 conference slate will feature these nine teams: Dallas Baptist, FIU, Jacksonville State, Liberty, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, New Mexico State, Sam Houston, and WKU. Louisiana Tech will host the 2024 conference tournament.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Post-spring additions

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There have been a few additions on the Rice Football Recruiting front since the Owls broke camp this spring. Here’s the latest.

The vast majority of the 2023 Rice football recruiting class was completed before the Owls started spring practices. Still, it was always understood the program would make a handful of additions in the months that followed. There were scholarships ready for the right transfers and the walk-on program tends to pick up a few late acquisitions this time of year, too.

Here’s a quick rundown of the players that have made their pledges since the Owls wrapped up spring practices in mid-April as well as a bit more on how they fit in with the program. Rice probably isn’t completely done just yet, but this should serve as a good litmus test before summer workouts begin soon.

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2023 Rice Football quality control support staff updates

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Rice Football formalized the hiring of their position coaches this spring, but there have been a handful of other moves that went under the radar.

The 2023 Rice Football quality control staff has been revamped in the wake of an offseason that featured a host of changes on the staffing front. Rice hired five new position coaches — Jon Kay (linebackers), Pete Alomar (special teams), Jeremy Modkins (corners), John Settle (running backs) and Lucas Reed (tight ends) — but those weren’t the only changes inside the Patterson Center for the upcoming season.

Zach Werlinger – Quality Control Coordinator / Quarterbacks

Werlinger takes over the QC/Quarterbacks role that was vacated by Lucas Reed after he was promoted to coach tight ends. Werlinger is a former quarterback at Arizona who has had coaching stops as a grad assistant at Northern Arizona and Cal before arriving at Rice this March.

Ahmaad Smith – Quality Control Coordinator / Defense

Smith was a defensive back at Tennesse State in his playing days before stints in the American Indoor Football Association and the CFL. He’s spent the last several years climbing the coaching ranks, working as a defensive backs coach at Tennessee State for three seasons before joining Dartmouth as a defensive assistant and soon after as the assistant secondary coach.

JJ Nelson – Quality Control Coordinator / Wide Receivers

UAB alum and former Conference USA standout receiver JJ Nelson is listed as the Owls’ QC for wide receivers. He played professionally for the Arizona Cardinals from 2015 to 2018 before brief stints with the Raiders, 49ers, Bills and Colts, last being on an NFL roster in 2021. Now he’ll be assisting the Rice wideouts.

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Rice Baseball: 2023 MiLB Owls post-May updates

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While several Rice Baseball alums are producing at the highest level, others are working their way up the ladder. Here’s the latest on the MiLB Owls.

Triple-A

Jon Duplantier (Phillies) was moved to the 60-day injured list on April 6 but was recently assigned to the Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Single A) for a rehab assignment on May 24. If things go well, he could be in line to rejoin the AAA squad in the weeks ahead.

Tristan Gray (Rays) started the season on a heater but has cooled down significantly in May, slashing just .155/.241/.211 this month. That’s dropped his season-long slash line to .233/.306/.436, a sharp contrast between months.

More on Rice Baseball: Latest from the MLB Owls

Ford Proctor (Giants) has rebounded from a slug start with a tremendous month of May. After hitting .190 in April he’s hitting .283 in May with a .767 OPS while playing all over the diamond, defensively. Proctor has appeared at every infield position defensively, including catcher, with two starts at designated hitter as well.

Double-A

Matt Canterino (Twins) began the 2023 season on the 60-day injured list as he recovered from offseason surgery. He’ll be sidelined for some time.

Trei Cruz (Tigers) has maintained his impressive early pace through the month of May, posting career highs across the board. Compared to his 2021 and 2022 minor league seasons, Cruz has improved his average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and a myriad of other metrics. He’s slashing .273/.371/.503 right now as he continues to feast on AA pitching.

Evan Kravetz (Reds) has been locked in during the month of May. He’s made seven appearances, all out of the bullpen, and compiled a pristine 1.29 ERA, allowing just eight hits and two runs over the course of 14 innings pitched. Opposing hitters are hitting .174 of of Kravetz in May.

Dane Myers (Marlins) has continued to make his case for promotion through the early months of the 2023 season. After posting an .876 OPS in April he followed it with a .741 OPS in May. He walked 16 times in 24 games this month, contributing to an impressive .385 on-base percentage.

Single-A

Roel Garcia (Rays, High-A) was impressive in May, posting a 2.95 ERA with a whopping 24 strikeouts in 18.1 innings pitched. He was charged with just six earned runs in his four total outings.

Cooper Chandler (Orioles, High-A) had the best month of his young professional career in May. He appeared in five games, posting a 2.70 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 20 total innings. His WHIP was just 1.100.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 144 – ’23 Tulsa Preview with Golden Hurricast

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The Roost Podcast continues its AAC previews. Up next: Matt and Ryan from the Golden Hurricast preview Tulsa football in 2023.

Rice football and Tulsa football haven’t met on the field in a decade, but that changes this year. This week’s episode of The Roost Podcast hopes to reinvigorate the rivalry and educate Owls and others on the Golden Hurricane. Our new friends Matt and Ryan from the Golden Hurricast stop by to talk about Tulsa’s recent news and outlook for the 2023 season.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 144.

Episode Notes

DCTF

The Roost Podcast is now part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You’ll still get the same content with the same hosts, but now under the DCTF banner.

Homefield

We’re thrilled to partner with Homefield Apparel, the premier proprietor of college football clothing. First-time buyers can use the code ROOST for 15% off their order. The Owls hoodie is a personal favorite. Shop the Rice collection or pick up something else (or both)!

Patreon

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Previewing 2023 Tulsa football with The Golden Hurricast

  • Tulsa’s coaching search and new coach Kevin Wilson
  • Expectations for the Golden Hurrican in 2023
  • Returning playmakers on offense
  • Defensive standouts to watch
  • The most forgettable team in the new-look AAC?
  • The Lightning Round

Where can you find us?

The Roost Podcast is part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You can find this podcast and all of our partner podcasts on Apple, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.

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