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Rice Football 2022 Spring Practice Notebook 1: Introductions

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Rice football has returned to the practice field with a few new coaches, some newly-health players and plenty of things to watch for this spring.

Spring ball is in the air and Rice football is back on the grass, well, on the artificial turf of the Waltrip Indoor Facility. The Owls’ opted to escape the brunt of the icy cold blast on the first day of practices which are scheduled to take place over the next several weeks leading up the Blue & Gray Spring Game set for April 16.

Head coach Mike Bloomgren met with the media on Tuesday to provide a few updates on the roster and make a few introductions. Beyond those announcements, there are a few position changes to relay and some additional notes (in addition to prior roster takeaways) as the Owls kick off practices this week.

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Hot hitting continues as Rice Baseball blasts SHSU

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Rice baseball has its first winning streak of the season, taking down SHSU at Reckling Park the night following a blowout win over SFA.

Following a 19-run outburst on Tuesday night against SFA, the Rice baseball bats were quick to prove it wasn’t a one-night show. The Owls were kept off the scoreboard in the first inning against Sam Houston on Wednesday before the offense started to heat up in the second frame.

Both Rice and Sam Houston would scratch across single runs in the second before Rice took a decent lead with a three-run fourth highlighted by an RBI triple from Nathan Becker. Sam Houston would sneak back one run in the fourth and another in the fifth, but Rice starter Thomas Burbank was largely able to work around opposing base runners. He finished with 4.2 innings pitched, three runs (two earned) on nine hits and three strikeouts.

Last Time Out : Pair of slams propel Rice baseball over SFA

Burbank would be relieved by Tom Vincent who got Rice out of the fifth with the lead, then the bats went back to work. The offense exploded for five runs, turning a close 4-3 game into a one-sided 9-3 affair. Sam Houston would get two back in the seventh against Alex DeLeon but Rice regained the six-run lead in the bottom of the eighth courtesy of two out RBI singles from Johnny Hole and Pierce Gallo.

DeLeon would bounce back with two strikeouts in the eighth, ceding to closer Matthew Linskey in the ninth. Linskey slammed the door, striking out the side and clinching the 13-5 victory. It marks the first time this season Rice baseball has won back-to-back games.

What it means | Back-to-back-to-back-to-back

Turning baserunners into run has been one of the biggest challenges Rice baseball has faced this season. The Owls have finished close enough in the hit column in many of their games, but a combination of messy fielding and minimal clutch hits have turned those games into uncompetitive contests.

One need to look no further than their 10-1 defeat to Texas Tech in which the Red Raiders collected nine hits to the Owls eight or even their 15-1 loss to Texas in which Texas had 10 hits and Rice had six. Four hits shouldn’t be the difference in 14 runs, but it was more often than not early on in the season. That’s what makes this shift seem so dramatic.

In the fifth inning against SHSU, four consecutive Rice batters collected an RBI. The final two batters did so with two outs, including an RBI double from Dustin Woodcox and an RBI single from Guy Garibay. Rice seemingly couldn’t get hits with runners in scoring position for weeks. On Wednesday they collected them in droves and had 10+ hits in back-to-back games for the first time this year.

It’s not all going to change overnight, but we’ve now got a few games in a row as evidence this team can get those big hits. Next, they’ll focus on doing so consistently.

ON DECK | UAB

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Rice Baseball: Pair of grand slams highlight win over SFA

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The offense exploded and the pitching was crisp for Rice baseball as the Owls cruised to a comfortable midweek win over SFA.

Rice baseball wasted no time in their first of two midweek games this week, taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning off a Jack Riedel RBI single. The Owls’ opponent, SFA, would answer with a pair off runs from a pair of extra-base hits in the second inning, but that was their only real offensive contributions of the evening against Rice starter Brandon Deskins

Deskins would go 4.0 innings, allowing just two hits and two runs while striking out seven. His command wasn’t perfect — three walks, one hit by pitch, and one wild pitch — but he didn’t have to be with how the Owls were swinging the bats behind him.

Last Time Out : Takeaways from Rice Baseball 3-0 series loss to Texas Tech

Guy Garibay gave Deskins plenty of breathing room with a Grand Slam in the bottom of the second inning. Garibay had another RBI on a single to right field in the fourth, followed by an Aaron Smigelski homer to give Rice a 9-2 advantage.

From there, Deskins would give way to Mark Perkins, who would do his part in keeping SFA at bay. Meanwhile, the offense added eight more runs in the fifth to break the game wide open, including the Owls’ second Grand Slam of the night, this time courtesy of Nathan Becker. By the time the dust settled, Rice had a runaway, 19-3 victory.

What it means | Getting right

Even though Rice baseball lost all three games against Texas Tech this past weekend, head coach Jose Cruz Jr. could sense a change in his ball club. “The last couple days have been different,” he said, referring to the two final games against the Red Raiders, both of which were well within reach following a one-sided Fright night affair.

“Everything is starting to fall into place at the right time,” Cruz Jr. continued. “Especially since conference is about start.”

Rice wouldn’t even have to wait for conference play, thumping SFA in their most decisive victory of the season. The offense was great. The pitching was great. Even the defense, which had just turned in its first error-free game of the season on Sunday, was sturdy. Everything was in sync.

One win won’t guarantee the Owls anything. There was no magic button pressed or formula concocted. But they do look different. They feel different. Perhaps something has clicked and they’ve found that missing component that will enable them to play better baseball. That makes the next few days all the more interesting with Sam Houston and UAB up next.

ON DECK | Sam Houston, UAB

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2023 QB Chase Jenkins commits to Owls

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The first player in the 2023 Rice Football recruiting class is a quarterback. Alief Taylor signal-caller Chase Jenkins has committed to the Owls.

On the week of National Signing Day last month, the offer list for the 2023 Rice Football recruiting class saw a major uptick in volume. Rice extended a fresh wave of new offers throughout that week, including a host of local players, including Chase Jenkins, quarterback at Alief Taylor High School. After mulling the offer for a few weeks, Jenkins has committed to the Owls and become the first member of the 2023 class.

“Being the first member is something special and I’m thankful,” Jenkins told The Roost. “I’ll definitely be active in recruiting in however I can. I love football, I’m all about team and brotherhood so I’m all in.”

Jenkins chose the Owls over other offers from Lamar and Jackson State. Following a run of transfer players at the position in previous classes, Jackson will continue the recent trend of high school passers Rice has brought into the fold in recent classes. Rice signed Reedy (TX) quarterback AJ Padgett in the 2022 class following the addition of Florida quarterback Shawqi Itraish in 2021.

For Jenkins, being a part of a family, a home away from home, played a crucial role in his decision. “Going to school and playing football can be done at different places,” he said. “Doing it where it feels like a home away from home was important to me.”

Premium: Rice Football Recruiting Offer and Commitment Tracker

There’s a ton to like when it comes to his on-field prowess as well. Jenkins prides himself on the “behind the scenes work”, digging into film and preparation however he can. It shows on the film. He’s accurate, polished and can make plays off schedule. His ability to get the ball where it needs to be at the right time is exciting. Jenkins can throw players open, an uncommon trait for high school passers.

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No 2022 postseason for Rice Women’s Basketball

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Rice women’s basketball did not make the field for the WNIT or the WBI, signaling the end of the Owls’ 2022 season.

The Rice women’s basketball regular season came to an end earlier this week when the Owls dropped a hard-fought conference tournament battle to Charlotte, who would go on to cut down the nets in Frisco. At the time, it felt like that wouldn’t be the last we’ll see of the Owls on the court this spring, though. Head coach Lindsay Edmonds predicted as much in the aftermath of that loss.

“I told them I don’t want the season to be over with yet and that their mindset should still be locked in on basketball and continuing to play,” Edmonds said. “They deserve to continue to play. The way we’ve been playing, they deserve to continue to play.”

That next opportunity would not come.

While postseason play once seemed like wishful thinking, it became more and more reasonable for this team to expect one more chance. Rice had won seven of their last nine games with their only two losses since Valentine’s Day coming in overtime to Louisiana Tech and to eventual Conference USA Tournament Champion, Charlotte in the conference tournament.

Rice women’s basketball won the WNIT last season. In fact, WNIT officials had visited the Owls recently. If things didn’t work out on that front, the WBI was also thought to be an option. There was an expectation that tournament would have a place for the Owls if the WNIT did not. By late Sunday night, both fields had been announced. No Rice.

The omission is a disappointment, but the Owls hope to turn it into motivation. Or as Edmonds, reacted late Sunday night, they’ll use it as fuel to the fire.

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