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MTSU thumps Rice Baseball in Owls’ final home series of 2022

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Rice Baseball wrapped up their final homestand of the 2022 season with a whimper, falling in three straight games to Middle Tennessee at Reckling Park.

THREE FOR THE ROAD | Rice baseball loses the series 3-0

The final home series of the 2022 Rice Baseball season ended with a thud. Not only were the Owls officially eliminated from any sort of postseason appearance, they were outscored 33 to 11 in the three-game slate. The sweep is the Owls’ fifth of conference play. Rice is now 13-37 overall and 6-21 in conference play. Here are a few takeaways from the weekend.

1. The Seniors

Sunday was Senior Day for Rice Baseball. Pregame festivities included jersey presentations and a formal thanks in front of the crowd at Reckling Park. This class features several players who have become mainstays for the Owls in recent seasons.

Austin Bulman, Alex DeLeon and Brandon Deskins each made their marks at Reckling Park. Bulman has been one of the most productive bats in the Rice lineup over the past three seasons. DeLeon has worked as a Friday Night starter, bullpen option and everything in between. Deskins became one of the more reliable options out of the pen, becoming a frequently used reliever during his time at Rice.

Last Time Out: Rice baseball swept by explosive ULL offense in midweek duet

Roel Garcia, Thomas Burbank, Jonny Hoyle, Justin Dunlap, Dalton Wood, Drake Greenwood and Antonio Cruz were also honored.

2. The Future

After reflecting on the contributions of the seniors, head Coach Jose Cruz Jr. did express his excitement for the young core of players who saw meaningful experience on the diamond this year. Guys like Aaron Smigelski, Guy Garibay and Nathan Becker proved they’d be key pieces of this team moving forward. Garibay and Becker each collected hits in each of their starts on the weekend.

Catcher Manny Garza, who missed the middle portion of the season, went 3-for-5 on Saturday and 2-for-4 on Sunday, driving in four runs across those two games.

Cruz Jr. hopes the same will be true on the mound. Mark Perkins battled through two innings early before the wheels fell off on Sunday. Matthew Linskey through three innings on Saturday, allowing one earned run while facing 12 batters.

3. Four more

There will be much more to be said about the season as a whole in the weeks and months ahead. For now, Cruz Jr. hasn’t turned the page just yet. Regarding their midweek game against Houston and final C-USA series against FIU, Cruz said “I try to win every game I play. I’m still expecting them to go out and give me high effort and get out there and try to win a ballgame.”

By virtue of their losses this weekend, Rice baseball will officially fail to qualify for the Conference USA Tournament. Even given the understandably lowered expectations entering this season, to fall this far in the conference standings can only be viewed as a disappointment.

THE PLAY BY PLAY

FRIDAY | MTSU 7 – Rice 0

For the second consecutive Friday night, Rice baseball was shut out by their opponent. This time around they were overpowered by Middle Tennessee starter Peyton Wigginton, who threw a complete game, striking out 10 batters and allowing just two hits and three walks. He kept the Owls off balance from start to finish.

On the mound, the two-man tandem of David Shaw and Alex DeLeon did what they could to limit the Blue Raiders’ bats. DeLeon entered in the fifth inning and held MTSU to three runs on five hits, but he did not get the support he needed from his offense to make the game competitive down the stretch.

SATURDAY | MTSU 5 –  Rice 4 (10)

Manny Garza opened up the scoring with a single that drove in Pierce Gallo in the bottom of the second inning. The Rice lead would not last long. Middle Tennessee answered immediately with three runs in the third and one more in the sixth, taking a 4-1 lead into the ninth inning.

For the second day, Rice struggled to get productive at bats against MTSU’s starting pitcher. This time, though, they were able to do some damage against their bullpen. Rice scored three in the ninth inning, two from a Jack Riedel home run, to force extra innings. Matthew Linskey would be charged with the loss allowing one run in the 10th in his third inning of relief.

SUNDAY | MTSU 21 – Rice 7

All smiles that lingered from Senior Day festivities were quickly put away in the Sunday finale as the Middle Tennessee bats went to work. The visitors scored one run in the first, two in the second and 11 in the third. Starter Mark Perkins was driven from the game in the third but Thomas Burbank did little to stifle the Blue Raiders’ attack, ceding to Garrett Zaskoda before the inning was over.

Trailing 14-0, Rice got its first hit of the game in the bottom of the third. Two runs that inning wouldn’t be nearly enough to stem the onslaught. MTSU would go on to hang 21 runs on Rice, taking the game and the series in landslide fashion.

ON DECK | vs Houston (Tues),  vs FIU (Thr-Sat)

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Rice Basketball Recruiting: Nevada transfer Alem Huseinović commits to Owls

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The Transfer Portal continues to help supplement the 2022 Rice Basketball recruiting class. Nevada transfer Alem Huseinović has committed to the Owls.

As soon as the final buzzer sounded and the offseason began, Rice basketball recruiting and roster management took center stage. #GreenLightU will always be on the lookout for talented shooting guards, clear

Huseinović spent the last two seasons with the Nevada Wolfpack where he appeared in 43 games. Last He averaged 8.3 minutes per game last season, scoring a season-high eight points against George Mason in November. That usage was up slightly from the 7.6 minutes per game he averaged as a true freshman the year before.

Prior to that, he played his high school ball in Arizona, but it was his international exploits that helped put him on the radar. Huseinović led the Bosnia national team to a championship game appearance in the U16 European Championships, an experience Huseinović called “something that I’ll never forget” adding that it helped him learn “how to play on big stages and learn how to play more mature at a young age.”

When he hit the Transfer Portal, Huseinović drew interest from teams across the country. His recruiting would boil down to Rice, Rider, UC Riverside, Southern Utah, NJIT and NAU. He picked the Owls primarily because of the culture and his fit in the scheme deployed by head coach Scott Pera.

Huseinović sees himself as “a guard who can shoot it and create for myself while making others around me better by creating for them”, all skills that would seem to make him a great fit for the Owls shooting-intensive style.

The second addition from the Transfer Portal during this cycle, Huseinović joins forward Seryee Lewis who announced his transfer from Kansas Stater earlier this spring. You can follow all offseason roster moves with our Rice basketball recruiting and roster tracker here.

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Conference USA Baseball 2022: Mid-May Roundup

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There’s been a lot going on in Conference USA Baseball. Here’s the latest from the teams on the diamond this week.

Team Last Weekend Record Up Next
Southern Miss vs ODU (L, 1-2) 36-13 (18-6) vs UTSA
UTSA vs Marshall (W, 2-1) 32-16 (16-8) at USM
FAU at LA Tech (W, 2-1) 30-19 (15-9) vs Charlotte
LA Tech vs FAU (L, 1-2) 33-17 (15-9) vs WKU
MTSU at FIU (W, 2-1) 26-20 (14-10) at Rice
Charlotte vs Rice (W, 3-0) 31-17 (14-10) at FAU
ODU at USM (W, 2-1) 31-15 (13-11) vs Marshall
UAB at WKU (L, 1-2) 27-19 (11-13) vs FIU
Marshall at UTSA (L, 1-2) 20-27-1 (9-15) at ODU
WKU vs UAB (W, 2-1) 17-30 (7-17) at LA Tech
Rice at Charlotte (L, 3-0) 13-36 (6-18) vs MTSU
FIU vs MTSU (L, 1-2) 14-30 (6-18) at UAB
Standings as of 5/12/2022

Conference Tournament Positioning

How it works

The tournament will consist of the top eight teams in regular season play based on winning percentage. Entering the final weekend only three teams (Southern Miss, UTSA and Louisiana Tech) have officially clinched spots in the tournament. (Even if the Bulldogs dropped their remaining games, they’d hold the tiebreaker over Marshall). No team has been eliminated, although several are hanging on by a thread.

The West

Southern Miss, UTSA and Louisiana Tech have distanced themselves fairly comfortably from the rest of the division. Louisiana Tech holds a six-game advantage over the current first-team out, Marshall.

The East

The race in East is much tighter with the gap between Florida Atlantic and Old Dominion (currently seeded No. 3 and No. 7) sitting at only two games. The next two weekends could see a fair amount of movement on the seeding line.

Spot 8

As it stands currently, UAB is the last team in. They have a two-game cushion over Marshall and the tiebreaker, which means they’re realistically in if they can split their remaining games against FIU and UTSA.  Things would get interesting if the Blazers struggle, opening the door for the teams on the outside to make a move, although Western Kentucky, Rice and FIU need to win out to have a chance.

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Rice Baseball: 2022 MLB Owls update – May 11

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The 2022 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

Rendon had a relatively quiet week from the plate, collecting just three hits despite his team going 5-1 over their last six games He contributed five RBI to the cause, most notably this home run to contribute to their May 10, no-hitter.

What was so special about one more long ball in a blowout victory? It was Rendon’s first and only at bat as a left-hander at the professional level. He’s literally batting 1.000 from that side of the plate for his career. Not bad.

Through May 11 Rendon is hitting .206 with nine extra-base hits, 16 walks and 23 strikeouts. His OPS is .687 and he’s collected 16 RBI.

J.T. Chargois – Tampa Bay Rays

Chargois reportedly had “a really encouraging day” in his rehab process this week and could start throwing off a mound this week. He’s been on the injury list since he suffered an oblique injury in the first week of the season.

Through May 11, Chargois has a 0.00 ERA with a 0.000 WHIP. He’s averaging 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

Duffey has really started to settle into his setup role over the last several weeks. He’s now allowed one hit or fewer in six of his last seven outings, including a pair of one-hit, no-run appearances this week in which he earned his third and fourth holds of the year, respectively. He’s drop his EARA by more than five points since April 19.

Through May 11, Duffey has a 3.86 ERA with a 1.114 WHIP. He’s averaging 8.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

Lucas Luetge – New York Yankees

Luetge wasn’t called upon this week out of the Yankees’ bullpen. It’s the first time hasn’t made an appearance through a full week so far this year.

Through May 11, Luetge has a 4.15 ERA with a 1.500 WHIP. He’s averaging 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings.

Glenn Otto – Texas Rangers

Otto made his third start of the season on May 8, going five innings in what would become a Rangers victory. He was not credited with a decision but allowed just two earned runs on two hits while striking out two.

Through May 11, Otto has a 3.14 ERA with a .977 WHIP. He’s averaging 7.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

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Rice Baseball 2022: Owls swept by explosive ULL offense

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For the second time in as many nights, Rice Baseball fell to Louisiana at home, failing to suppress the red-hot Ragin’ Cajun offense.

For the second time in as many series, Rice baseball has been swept. The most recent team to break out the brooms against the Owls is Louisiana, who took a Tuesday night contest by the final score of 7-3 before prevailing on Wednesday night, 16-6. Louisiana has now won seven straight against Rice, although Rice leads the all-time series 17-15.

Last Time Out : Rice baseball drops Tuesday night game vs Louisiana

On the field, a similar trend emerged in Wednesday night’s loss, Rice fell behind early then let the game get away from them in the middle innings. Initially leading 1-0 thanks to an RBI double from Austin Bulman, Rice ceded their advantage to the visitors in the second inning, allowing the go-ahead run to score on a wild pitch.

Rice would respond, tying the game at 3-3 thanks to a pair of two-out RBI hits from Jack Riedel and Johnny Hoyle. It would be the last meaningful bit of opportune hitting for the Owls for the remainder of the contest, though. By the time Rice scored next — three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning — the Owls were trailing 15-6.

On the mound, Parker Smith was a bit erratic, but servicable. He was saddled with the loss after pitching 3.1 innings, allowing four earned runs, three walks and two wild pitches. Alex DeLeon, Brandon Deskins and Mark Perkins — all players who had been productive in recent games — were hit around in relief. There was nothing the Owls could do to calm the Louisiana bats.

What it means | Running out of buttons to push

The Rice lineup hasn’t been scoring at a tremendous clip, but they have been making contact at a decent rate. Their Achille’s heal has been clutch hitting, being out-hit with runners in scoring position again on Wednesday night (.500 to .364). But further fielding miscues and pitching woes have helped to render whatever effectiveness the bats have had moot.

Rice pitching has allowed seven runs in six consecutive games. They’ve allowed 13 or more runs in three of those contests. It hasn’t really mattered who was on the mound at any given moment, the collective result has been wanting. At the beginning of the season, head coach Jose Cruz Jr. spoke of finding the select few he could trust to get outs and pitch at a high level. The consistency just hasn’t been there.

At this point, the pitching staff is what the pitching staff is going to be this year. Riding the hot hand as long as they can will be paramount in these last few games as well as showcasing the players they think could be most useful down the road. Wins and losses are losing value. Experience in live-game situations could serve as invaluable building blocks for that future.

ON DECK | vs MTSU (Fri-Sun)

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