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2023 Conference USA Baseball Tournament: Preview, schedule, how to watch

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The Conference USA Baseball Tournament is headed to Houston, Texas. Here’s how to watch and what to be looking for this week.

The final weekend of regular season play saw teams jockeying for position, but now the Conference USA Baseball Tournament field is finally set. The top eight squads will square off with hopes of an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and their chance to play for a trip to the College World Series.

All games will be streamed on ESPN+ with the exception of the tournament championship, available on CBS Sports Network. The tournament runs from Wednesday, May 24 to Sunday, May 28. The full schedule and updated bracket are available on the Conference USA Baseball Tournament website.

Assessing the field

The favorite | Dallas Baptist has only lost five games in conference play this season and posted an emphatic three-game sweep of UTSA in San Antonio in their penultimate series of the regular season. It’s hard to give the favorite nod to anyone else.

The contender | UTSA might have dropped three games to DBU, but all were relatively close contests. There’s still a clear gap between the Roadrunners and the rest of the pack and they do boast the most potent offense in the conference.

The darkhorse | WKU was in danger of missing the conference tournament altogether roughly a month ago following a sweep at home by Middle Tennessee. Since then the Hilltoppers have won 13-of-15 conference games. They’re the hottest team in the league and that matters come postseason time.

The wild card | Seeds 3 through 7 were neck and neck entering the final weekend before Charlotte emerged atop that group. The 49ers have one of the better one-two punches on the mound in Conference USA between Wyatt Hudepohl and Cameron Hansen. Teams can go far in pod play if they get two quality starts out of the gate and that tandem is certainly capable of making some noise.

The bracket

The opening day of games will take place on Wednesday, May 24:

Game 1 – 9:00 AM | (3) Charlotte vs (6) Louisiana Tech

Game 2 – 12:30 PM | (2) UTSA vs (7) Middle Tennessee

Game 3 – 4:00 PM | (1) DBU vs (8) Rice

Game 4 – 7:30 PM | (4) WKU  vs (5) Florida Atlantic

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Rice Baseball punches ticket to C-USA Tournament with series win vs FIU

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Rice Baseball took two out of three against FIU, punching their ticket to the 2023 Conference USA Tournament at Reckling Park later this week.

THURSDAY | Rice 9  – FIU 7

Parker Smith was not his best in the series opener, allowing six runs (four earned) through 5.1 innings. He fell behind in the first inning, allowing a three-run home run and forcing the Owls to play catch-up, something that wouldn’t take very long at all. Connor Walsh evened the score in the bottom half of the inning and the back-and-forth began.

Last Time Out: Rice baseball bounces back with run-rule win over PVAMU

Jack Riedel put Rice ahead with a two-run double in the second. FIU answered in the fourth. Both teams added a few more in the middle innings and the teams entered the bottom of the eighth with the score tied 7-7. Drew Holderbach scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch and Walsh delivered an insurance run in that same at bat. Matthew Linskey sat down three in order in the ninth to secure the win.

FRIDAY | Rice 2 – FIU 1

After a slugfest in the opener, runs were at a premium on Friday night in large part because of the stellar pitching of JD McCracken. He delivered a pristine 7.2 innings with six strikeouts allowing just one run and one hit. That lone score came in the first inning and staked FIU to a narrow lead until Drew Holderbach leveled the score with an RBI double in the seventh.

Both teams put up zeros in the eighth and Linskey shut down FIU in the ninth, giving Rice a chance for their first walk-off win in conference play this year. Ben Royo opened the inning with a single then later came around to score on a two-out error by the FIU shortstop.

SATURDAY | FIU 10 – Rice 7

Rice struck first in the series finale but spent much of the afternoon trailing FIU, which took a 2-1 lead in the top of the second and extended their advantage with one run in each of the third and fourth innings, respectively.

Things changed quickly in the fifth, though. Ben Dukes, Ben Royo and Guy Garibay reached picked up RBI hits, propelling the Owls to a 6-4 advantage. FIU caught back up in the sixth and took the lead for good on a three-run home run in the eighth, going on to win 10-7.

THREE FOR THE ROAD

Down to their final weekend, Rice baseball found a way to get the wins they needed to extend their season. The Owls are Conference USA Tournament bound. Here are three takeaways from the Owls’ clutch weekend series win.

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1. Best for last

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Rice will face DBU in the first round of the conference tournament. Despite being swept by the Patriots earlier this season, Rice led all three games after seven innings. The complete seeding list is as follows:

  1. DBU
  2. UTSA
  3. Charlotte
  4. WKU
  5. FAU
  6. Louisiana Tech
  7. Middle Tennessee
  8. Rice

ON DECK | 2023 Conference USA Baseball Tournament

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Rice Football Recruiting: DT Michael Larbie commits to Owls

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Rice Football recruiting has picked up its first transfer portal addition of the summer with the commitment of Duke defensive tackle Michael Larbie.

After the conclusion of spring practices, there were more defined marching orders for Rice football recruiting, as far as priorities go. The Owls knew what needs they had and went to work addressing them. Rice checked one of those boxes this week, picking up a commitment from Duke transfer defensive tackle Michael Larbie.

Larbie is a North Carolina native who signed with Duke before the 2019 season. He didn’t get on the field with the Blue Devils that year or during the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season. He made his debut in 2021, playing in the defensive line rotation for the next two seasons, amassing 11 tackles over 12 games with one TFL and half a sack.

He should serve as an experienced compliment to the Owls’ core of players on the interior consisting of De’Braylon Carroll, Izeya Floyd and Blake Boenisch. Although Rice has some young up-and-coming options at the position, getting veteran depth was a priority for this portal cycle. Larbie fits the bill.

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Even with limited playing time at Duke, Larbie’s upside is intriguing. He’ll be able to fill a more specified role with the Owls, hopefully boosting some of the traits he flashes on film.

Larbie has several reps where he showcases his ability to shed blockers and progress into the offensive backfield. That skill should only be magnified when he gets to lineup some of the Owls’ additional people-movers in the trenches. The 6-foot, 273-pound graduate should become an important piece of the rotation as soon as he’s up to speed.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 143 – ’23 FAU Preview with Kevin Fielder

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The Roost Podcast is making its AAC rounds, previewing 2023 Rice Football opponents and sharing one big podcast announcement.

The new-look AAC features a mix of familiar and formerly familiar Rice football foes. We start our 2023 preview series with FAU football, most recently a Conference USA opponent of the Houston-based Owls. Kevin Fielder of Owls247 joins the show this week to preview FAU’s upcoming season, talk expectations and general AAC musings.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 143.

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

Get exclusive insight on Patreon. Be the first to get the inside scoop on what’s going on with Rice football and stick around for even further analysis. That includes practice updates, analysis and more. Your support matters and makes The Roost better.

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Previewing 2023 FAU football with Kevin Fielder

  • FAU’s transition from C-USA to the AAC
  • The Tom Herman hire and his fit with FAU
  • Casey Thompson’s place in the AAC quarterback hierarchy
  • Additional playmakers on offense
  • Question marks on defense
  • Fair expectations for the program in 2023 and beyond
  • 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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Rice Baseball 2023: MLB Owls update – May 16

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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.

J.T. Chargois – Miami Marlins

After completing a rehab assignment with the AAA team last week, Chargois was activated from the injured list on Tuesday. He had been sidelined since April 10 with a right oblique strain. Chargois has yet to appear in a game with the Marlins quite yet, but he’s finally back with the big league club after more than a month away.

Through May 16, Chargois has a 0.00 ERA with a 0.000 WHIP. He’s averaging 8.3 strikeouts per nine innings.

Injured List

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

Rendon’s recent hot streak at the plate was put on hold this week when he was placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 14 with a left groin strain. That’ll keep him out of commission for the next week or so at least.

Through May 16, Rendon is hitting .283 with four extra-base hits, 19 walks and 14 strikeouts. His OPS is .763 and he’s collected 19 RBI.

Lucas Luetge – Atlanta Braves

Luetge began a rehab assignment with the Braves’ AA affiliate on Tuesday. If all goes well, he’ll be in line to return to the big league club after a couple of rehab appearances. He hasn’t pitched in a game for the Braves since April 12.

Through May 16, Luetge has an 8.10 ERA with a 1.800 WHIP. He’s averaging 8.1 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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