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Rice Baseball falls to UH in 21-pitcher midweek nail-biter

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Rice baseball and Houston each emptied their respective bullpens on Wednesday night, but the Cougars’ staff lasted one inning longer.

Things couldn’t have gotten off to much more of an inauspicious start for Rice baseball on Wednesday night against Houston. A leadoff single was followed by another single, neither struck particularly hard. Back-to-back walks put Rice in a 1-0 hole before Guy Garibay’s diving snag turned the tide and kept Rice in the game.

Rice would then fight back from 2-0 and 4-2 deficits to tie the game. A smattering of relievers combined to hold the Houston offense at bay, with two of the Cougars’ first five runs scored on wild pitches with two outs remaining in the inning.

Mark Perkins came on in relief shortly afterward and kept the Cougars’ run total at five, giving the Rice offense a chance. The Owls squandered a bases-loaded opportunity in the eighth but cashed it in during the ninth, forcing extra innings.

Ultimately it was Tom Vincent who got his bell rung in the 12th, ceding three runs before ceding the mound to Garet Zaskoda, the 20th pitcher of the game — Houston would throw No. 21 in the bottom of the inning — as the game ticked past the four-hour mark. Houston went on to win, clinching the Silver Glove series victory.

Last Time Out: Rice Baseball suffers heartbreaking sweep vs DBU

“It stinks to be on the losing end of a game like this. We were very competitive, it just seems like there’s there’s one thing that happens, or two things, four things today that happened that makes life difficult for us and we end up having to talk about not winning again. It’s getting annoying,” head coach Jose Cruz Jr. said.

“I mean, I know we’re close. [We’ll] just keep showing up, keep grinding, keep game planning like we are and just have faith that things are going to turn around.”

Cruz singled out the wild pitches, errors and missed RBI opportunities as key moments that turned the course of the game.

The Owls won’t have much time to lick their wounds. They hit the road tomorrow for a three-game tilt with UTSA before returning home where they’ll face Houston again in one of two midweek games.

ON DECK | at UTSA (Fri-Sun)

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Rice Baseball 2023: MLB Owls update – May 2

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The 2023 MLB season is underway and Rice baseball alums are busy on the mound and at the plate. Here’s the latest from the MLB Owls.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

The past week was a productive one for Anthony Rendon, who slashed .316/.435/.803 across the five-game stretch, all marks that raised his season-long statistics. He recorded a pair of multi-hit games against the Athletics, one of which included his third double of the season.

Through May 2, Rendon is hitting .250 with three extra-base hits, 14 walks and 11 strikeouts. His OPS is .665 and he’s collected 13 RBI.

Injured List

Lucas Luetge – Atlanta Braves

On April 17, the Braves placed Lucas Luetge on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to April 14, with what they termed left bicep inflammation. He hasn’t appeared in a game for the team since April 12. He underwent an MRI which came back clean.

Through May 2, Luetge has an 8.10 ERA with a 1.800 WHIP. He’s averaging 8.1 strikeouts per nine innings.

J.T. Chargois – Miami Marlins

Chargois has been sidelined since April 10 with a right oblique strain. He resumed long toss activities last week and through a 25-pitch bullpen outing this week, further progressing toward a return.

Through May 2, Chargois has a 0.00 ERA with a 0.000 WHIP. He’s averaging 8.3 strikeouts per nine innings.

Glenn Otto – Texas Rangers

Otto did not appear on the Rangers Opening Day roster despite making 27 starts for the club last season. Instead, he began the year on the injured list, landing on the 60-day IL on March 30 with a right shoulder strain. He will be sidelined for the foreseeable future.

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2023 Conference USA Baseball Roundup entering May

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With the regular season winding down, there’s a lot going on in Conference USA Baseball. From the top to the bottom, here’s the latest.

Notable weekend results

1. Rice leads DBU after seven three times, but walks away winless (more)

Rice baseball capped off a tough month of April with an extra dose of heartbreak. Not only did Rice lead Dallas Baptist late in all three contests, the Owls suffered late-inning rallies to the Patriots and were swept. Rice was 13-2 when leading after seven innings entering the weekend. Now they’re 13-5.

2. WKU surging

Three weeks ago, Western Kentucky was 2-10 in conference play and had just been swept at home by Middle Tennesse. Then something clicked. The Hilltoppers took two of three from UAB, then swept FAU and Charlotte. No longer at the bottom of the standings, WKU has a real chance to finish in the top three or four spots in the standings thanks to a red-hot April.

3. UTSA theatrics

A battle of teams from opposite ends of the standings was anything but uninteresting this past weekend. UAB won on Friday and nearly took the series, leading 5-2 in the ninth inning on Saturday. That’s when UTSA thundered back with a four-run inning to take the game and eventually wrap up the series win on Sunday.

Standings

Team CUSA Overall
1 DBU 18-3 34-10
2 UTSA 16-4 33-11
3 Charlotte 12-8 22-21
4 MTSU 11-10 22-21
5 LA Tech 11-10 22-23
6 FAU 10-11 26-19
7 WKU 10-11 25-20
8 Rice 7-14 17-26
9 UAB 5-16 14-29
10 FIU 4-17 16-27

Upcoming series of note

1. WKU at FIU

FIU finds itself at the bottom of the standings, just like WKU was a few weeks ago, but a series win over a hot squad could reinvigorate their spirits and make the battle for the final C-USA Tournament spot much more interesting.

2. MTSU at DBU

Although they’re won 17 of their last 18 games, Dallas Baptist looked somewhat mortal this past weekend at Rice. Can MTSU take advantage of any chinks in the Patriot armor?

3. Rice at UTSA

How much of last weekend was a mirage versus actually building blocks? Winning some games in San Antonio would do a lot for the Owls’ psyche as the regular season winds down.

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“It Killed Us”: Rice Baseball swept in heartbreaking fashion by DBU

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Rice Baseball took Dallas Baptist to the wire three times but came away winless. More on a tough weekend at Reckling for the Owls.

Rice baseball had their chances to win this series, but fell short. I asked head coach Jose Cruz Jr. for his take on the frustrating weekend and left it unlocked for all to read.

“It killed us”

“This hurts because we’re playing good. We’re desperate for wins. And we’re playing good enough to win, we’re just not getting the end result which stinks,” head coach Jose Cruz Jr. said. “If you tell me that we’re going into the ninth inning with a two-run lead, I’ll take it all day. For whatever reason, it just hasn’t gone our way here of late.”

Rice baseball knew what it was up against when Dallas Baptist came to town this weekend. Even without the impressive 14-game winning streak, which was snapped on Tuesday by TCU, Rice was going to be up against it facing one of the most complete teams in Conference USA and the No. 19 ranked team in the nation.

To win, Rice was going to have to take risks. If not perfect, the Owls were going to have to be pretty darn close. And for most of all three games, it sure looked as if Rice had accomplished just that. Rice led DBU through seven innings in all three games: 4-3 on Friday, 2-1 on Saturday and 3-1 on Sunday.

As if that weren’t enough, entering the weekend, Rice was 13-2 when leading after seven innings, that’s a clip of victories on 87 percent of such occasions. That’s what made this weekend sting all the more, because not only did they come in well below that 87 percent threshold, they were winless.

On Friday and on Sunday, it was the longball that did Rice in. “It killed us,” Cruz said of the DBU home run that put Rice behind. “It’s part of the season, right? It’s part of it. “You get ups and downs and you get a bit of heartbreak and gut punch. And that’s basically what happened this last weekend.”

In an alternate universe, Rice baseball sweeps DBU and we’re talking about a resurgence late in the season. That’s not what happened, and it’s been a downward trend that’s been apparent for a month now. But as Cruz pointed out, the pieces are there. If Rice can hang with DBU they can hang with anyone in C-USA. It’s time to turn that effort into results.

“We played good enough to win at least two games. I mean, we led in the ninth by two runs, twice,” Cruz said. “It’s just a matter of our belief in ourselves to be able to do what needs to get done to win. I think that’s the essence of what we need to do right now is just believe that we can and I think we will.”

FRIDAY | DBU 8 – Rice 6 (12 innings)

It was a race to beat the rain on Friday night and both starting pitchers certainly did their parts. Rice starter Parker Smith threw 5.1 innings with six strikeouts, allowing three runs, two of which came in his final inning of work. DBU’s ace Ryan Johnson was lifted after four innings and Rice pounced quickly, tying the game 3-3 quickly after he left.

From there, Rice tacked on solo runs in the seventh (a Drew Holderbach RBI single) and the eighth (a Guy Garibay home run) to go ahead 5-3 before thunderstorms forced a postponement to Saturday. Upon resumption, DBU tied the game in the ninth with a two-run home run before pouring on three more in the 12th to complete the come-from-behind win.

SATURDAY | DBU 10 – Rice 3

Even though the Owls had used several arms to complete the first game on Saturday afternoon, the pitching staff came through in a big way in the early portions of the evening game. JD McCracken racked up a career-best seven strikeouts and Matthew. Linskey looked much more like his old self, striking out three while allowing one run in two innings.

MORE: Roost Pod – Rice Football Spring Ball Recap and Basketball Recruiting

McCracken and Linskey’s arms combined with two solo home runs from Jack Riedel positioned Rice with a 2-1 lead entering the eighth inning. Five walks, two home runs and a single later, DBU had hung an eight-spot on the Owls and put the game out of reach.

SUNDAY | DBU 4 – Rice 3

DBU struck first in the finale, but Rice was quick to follow. They trailed for a matter of minutes, answer a DBU solo home run in the first inning with three straight two-out hits, capped off by a two-RBI single from Manny Garza. Jack Riedel added some insurance in the third with a sacrifice fly, staking the Owls to a 3-1 lead in the early going.

That lead held for a good while thanks to strong pitching performances from Cristian Cienfuegos, Ryland Urbanczyk and Justin Long. When Long was relieved in the top of the ninth following a lead-off home run from DBU, Rice led 3-2. Once again, the Owls were unable to get those last three outs. Jack Ben-Shoshan was credited with the loss, allowing a walk and a go-ahead home run in relief of Long.

THREE FOR THE ROAD

Rather than a series win, Rice baseball is reckoning with one that got away. Here are three takeaways from a tough weekend at home.

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ON DECK | vs Houston (Wed), at UTSA (Fri-Sun)

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2023 AAC Football: NFL Draft and UDFA Tracker

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There were several players selected in the NFL Draft from teams that will share a conference with Rice football next season and more have signed since.

Even without considering selections from outgoing members, AAC football was well represented in the 2023 NFL Draft, earning five selections from its 2023 membership through seven rounds. Once the draft ended, many other players latched on with NFL teams, signing as undrafted free agents. Those players will report to training camp and compete for a spot on rosters just the same.

2023 AAC Football NFL Draft Picks

2nd Round (No. 55) – WR Rashee Rice, SMU – Chiefs
3rd Round (No. 81) – RB Tyjae Spears, Tulane – Titans
3rd Round (No. 91) – LB Dorian Williams, Tulane – Bills
7th Round (No. 222) – RB Dwayne McBride, UAB – Vikings
7th Round (No. 255) – WR Grant DuBose, Charlotte – Packers

Undrafted Free Agents

Charlotte

None

East Carolina

  • RB Keaton Mitchell – Ravens
  • OT Noah Henderson – Bills
  • TE Ryan Jones – Giants
  • QB Holton Ahlers – Seahawks
  • WR CJ Johnson – Seahawks

FAU

None

Memphis

  • P Joe Dyle – Texans
  • SAF Quindell Johnson – Rams

Navy

None

North Texas

None

Rice

  • DE Ikenna Enechukwu – Falcons

UAB

  • CB Starling Thomas V – Lions
  • OT Kadeem Telfort – Packers

USF

  • OL Brad Cecil – Lions

UTSA

  • CB Corey Mayfield Jr. – Ravens

SMU

  • OG Jaylon Thomas – Ravens
  • LB Jimmy Phillips – Packers

Temple

  • WR Jose Barbon – Cowboys

Tulane

  • SAF Macon Clark – Bears
  • SAF Larry Brooks III – Bengals
  • WR Duece Watts – Packers
  • TE Trick James – Chiefs
  • LB Nick Anderson – Saints
  • WR Shae Wyatt – 49ers

Tulsa

  • RB Deneric Prince – Chiefs

Additional signings could continue to trickle in over the next few days. Training camps are still weeks away. For now, it’s safe to say there will be a new crop of AAC football players off to make their mark on the league. We’ll find out soon enough who will stick.

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