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Which Rice Athletics team had the best 2020-201 season? All-American Q&A

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All-American Level subscribers on Patreon get access to a monthly Q&A with me. This update focuses on the best from Rice Athletics this season.

Q. With baseball missing the tournament and the Rice Athletics seasons more or less over, which team do you think had the best year?

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A. First off, stay tuned for the upcoming edition of The Roost Podcast where Carter and I talk through the most impressive moments and seasons from Rice Athletics in recent memory. We mentioned multiple teams from the 2020-2021 academic calendar that earned a nod of appreciation. But, best? Here’s how I’d parse out those accolades.

In all honesty, I might have to cheat just a little bit and break these up into categories.

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Rice Baseball: 2021 MLB Owls update – May 22

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The 2021 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 from this week.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

Rendon finished his first week back from the injured list this week, returning to everyday action against the Red Sox and Indians. Although he did some good work with his bat, this play with his glove at the hot corner might have been the most impressive.

Through May 22, Rendon is hitting .239 with five extra-base hits, 11 walks and 21 strikeouts. His OPS is .683 and he’s collected 12 RBI.

Brock Holt – Texas Rangers

Holt saw his first action since May 2 this week after spending almost three weeks on the injured list.

Through May 22, Holt is hitting .250 with three extra-base hits, nine walks and 12 strikeouts. His OPS is .733 and he’s collected six RBI.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

Duffey saw action on a few occasions this week. He went two innings against the A’s, striking out three and allowing no runs. He also entered to face one batter against the White Sox, inducing a ground out from Yuan Moncada. He was later ejected from the game for throwing behind Yermin Mercedes which later earned him a three-game suspension.

Through May 22, Duffey has a 5.51 ERA with a 1.653 WHIP. He’s averaging 7.7 strikeouts per nine innings.

Lucas Luetege – New York Yankees

Luetege had a workmanlike set of appearances this week. He pitched single innings in back-to-back games against the Orioles, facing three batters in each frame and retiring all three on each occasion.

Through May 22, Luetege has a 2.95 ERA with a 0.938 WHIP. He’s averaging 8.0 strikeouts per nine innings.

J.T. Chargois – Seattle Mariners

Chargois threw two innings against Detroit on Monday, his longest of his four outings to date this season. He allowed two hits, struck out a pair of batters and did not allow any runs. He followed that up with two additional scoreless outings later in the week, cutting his ERA in half.

Through May 22, Chargois has a 2.35 ERA with a 0.783 WHIP. He’s averaging 9.4 strikeouts per nine innings.

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Conference USA Baseball Tournament 2021 Preview, schedule, how to watch

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

It took every weekend of the regular season to solidify the eight-team field that will hit the diamond for a busy week of Conference USA Baseball Tournament action. Multiple nationally ranked teams will jockey for postseason position while others hope to play spoiler and punch an at-large bid for their shot at 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 26 to Sunday, May 30. The full schedule and updated bracket are available on the Conference USA Baseball Tournament website.

Assessing the field

The favorites | Four teams separated themselves from the rest of the conference during the regular season. Charlotte enters as the No. 1 seed, but Louisiana Tech, Southern Miss and Old Dominion were just two games behind them in the win column this year. All four have spent at least a portion of the season ranked inside the Top 25.

The darkhorse | Pitching is the backbone for a postseason run. Middle Tennessee was the last team to make the field, but the Blue Raiders own the second-best team ERA in the conference. If the offense can do just enough in key moments, MTSU could make things interesting.

The wild card | UTSA is going to try and win every game they play 15-11. That’s a hard feat to replicate in a tournament setting where every game counts, but if the stars align, they could put one of the favorites into a perilous position.

The bracket

Game 1 – 9:00 AM | (4) Old Dominion vs (5) Florida Atlantic

How they got here | Old Dominion leveraged a white-hot start to conference play to lock up their spot in the tournament. After dropping their C-USA opener, the Monarchs won 10 in a row to pull ahead of the pack. Florida Atlantic rallied late, winning three of their final four series to clinch a spot.

The matchup | These teams met in a four-game series in mid-April with Old Dominion winning three of four in rather resounding fashion, outscoring FAU 25-11.

Game 2 – 12:30 PM | (1) Charlotte vs (8) Middle Tennessee

How they got here | Charlotte was the runaway leader in Conference USA this season, losing just one conference series all year. Middle Tennessee snuck in on the final weekend with a series split against an FIU team that did not make the tournament.

The matchup | Although MTSU plays in the East Division in other sports, they’re a West Division team for baseball and did not cross over to play Charlotte this season. This will be the first matchup between these two clubs this year.

Game 3 – 4:00 PM | (2) Louisiana Tech vs (7) UTSA

How they get here | Louisana Tech ruffled some feathers along the way, posting wins over Top 25 Arkansas and Ole Miss before they got into the thick of conference play. The host of this year’s tournament, the Bulldogs are 19-8 at home this season. UTSA’s success came in waves, with just one series win over another C-USA Tournament team.

The matchup | This is a rematch of the final weekend of the regular season. UTSA took the series opener on Friday before Louisiana Tech came roaring back to beat UTSA in three straight games, including a decisive 17-7 victory in the finale.

Game 4 – 7:30 PM | (3) Southern Miss vs (6) WKU

How they get here | Southern Miss lost back-to-back conference games just twice all season long and only once did the same opponent get the better of them in consecutive games. Western Kentucky’s ride was a bit more choppy, including losses in the final series of the regular season.

The matchup | Southern Miss took three of four from Western Kentucky at Pete Taylor Park earlier this season, with all three wins coming by three of fewer runs. WKU won 9-4 in the final game of that four-game set.

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Rice Baseball: 2021 MiLB Owls season opening update

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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 was productive at the major league level in 2019 with the Diamondbacks before injuries put his season on pause. He missed the shortened 2020 season and made his first minor league appearance in almost two years on May 14 for the Reno Aces, allowing five runs in two innings.

Duplantier’s teammate, Kevin McCanna, was impressive in the Constellation Energy league last season when the minor leagues were shut down. He signed with the Aces this winter but has yet to make an appearance with the team this season and is currently on the injured list. Fellow Owl Jordan Stephens, a member of the Indians’ AAA affiliate Columbus Clippers is also in the injured list waiting to make his 2021 debut.

At the plate, Tristan Gray began his 2021 season with the Durham Bulls, the Rays’ AAA affiliate. He went 1-for-4 in his first two games.

Double-A

Glen Otto is two appearances into his season with the Yankees’ AA affiliate, striking out 14 batters across 11.1 innings. He tossed a scoreless six innings in his 2021 debut allowing just two runs. His second outing was a bit rockier. He surrendered 10 hits and seven runs.

Ford Proctor, the Owls’ only other AA player, has appeared in 10 games this season. A member of the Montgomery Biscuits (Rays’ affiliate), Proctor is hitting .111 but fielding at a perfect 1.000 clip.

Single-A

Rice baseball has even more former players in the Low-A and High-A portions of MLB farm systems. Former second round pick Matt Canterino is off to a tremendous start to his pro career with the Twins’ affiliate Cedar Rapid Kernels. With two starts under his belt thus far, Canterino has a 1.13 ERA allowing five hits while striking out 15 in eight innings.

Canterino’s former teammate Evan Kravetz also made a strong debut, going 6.1 innings across two starts, striking out 10. He has a 1.42 ERA with the Daytona Tortugas, an Indians’ Low-A affiliate. Also representing the Owls on the mound in Single-A is Ricky Salinas. He’s made three appearances this season for the Dayton Dragons, an Indians’ High-A affiliate, and has a 4.32 ERA with 13 punchouts across 8.1 innings.

More: Check out the most recent MLB Owls Pro Update

Dane Myers of the Lakeland Flying Tigers, the Tigers’ Low-A affiliate, has yet to make his debut in 2021. Trei Cruz, currently playing with the Tigers’ High-A affiliate West Michigan Whitecaps, has gotten off to a slow start. He’s 1-for-13 to start his pro career.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Where are 2018 decommits now?

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There were a host of decommitments in the 2018 Rice Football recruiting class. Where are those players now? Did the Owls miss out or luck out?

The 2018 Rice football recruiting class was impacted by the biggest transition Rice had seen in more than a decade. On November 27, the Owls dismissed head coach David Bailiff. The Owls lost several commits after that decision and a few in the months and weeks before.

According to 247 Sports, Rice had nine decommitments during the cycle. Where are those players now?

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The Roost has you covered in season and throughout the offseason. Get access to all spring practice notes, recruiting updates and special features like this one. Subscribe on Patreon and unlock them all today.

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