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Rice Baseball 2021: Previewing the UTSA Series

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The Rice baseball kicks off conference play this weekend with a four-game home series against UTSA. Here’s how the Owls stack up with the Roadrunners.

Rice baseball enters their first Conference USA series with momentum, courtesy of head coach Matt Bragga’s first win over Texas A&M  since his arrival two seasons ago. Their non-conference slate gives way this week to the first of two four-game series against UTSA. The Owls will host this time around with the Roadrunners returning the favor in a few weeks.

Game Notes

Times: Friday 6:00 p.m. | Saturday 1:00 p.m. / 4.00 p.m. | Sunday 1:00 p.m.
Venue: Reckling Park
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
Watch: CUSAtv

How each team fared this week

Rice baseball (11-9) took their weekend series against Southern, wining two of three. Then they hit the road to play Texas A&M in a midweek game, which they won 2-1. Altogether, Rice enters this series as winners of three of their last four and five of their last seven.

UTSA (8-7) swept Texas A&M Corpus Christi last weekend, snapping a five-game losing streak. The Roadrunners have played seven in a row away from home entering their weekend tilt with the Owls.

Probable Pitchers

Friday | Blake Brogdon (2-2, 5.47)
Saturday 1 | Mitchell Holcomb (3-1, 4.78)
Saturday 2 | Brandon Deskins (1-2, 3.97)
Sunday | TBD

UTSA Pitching

Luke Malone is the probable Friday night guy. He owns a 3.66 ERA and has failed to get out of the fourth inning in two of his last four starts. If he does get into trouble, expect UTSA to turn to folks like John Chomko, Daniel Garza, Reece Easterling and Simon Miller out of the bullpen.

UTSA Hitting

This lineup can hit. UTSA has only played 15 games so far, the second-fewest among C-USA teams, but they’re near the top of the stat sheet in most of the key offensive metrics. They lead the conference in batting average (.294) and on-base percentage (.389) and they’re third in slugging percentage (.462).

First baseman Griffin Paxton has 23 hits in 15 games, nine of which have gone for extra bases. He, along with reigning C-USA hitter of the week Nick Thornquist and two other Roadrunners have three or more home runs. The Rice pitching staff is going to have its hands full.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 72 – Aston Walter and spring practice “Believe it or Not”

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We catch up with former Rice football running back Aston Walter on this week’s show and dive into trends and surprises from spring practice.

Spring is in the air and Rice football is on the grass. More than half of the spring sessions have passed, giving us a decent sample size to draw conclusions from. You can find the full practice reports when you subscribe on Patreon.

On this week’s show, we broke down those observations by playing a quick game of “Believe it or Not.” Then we were joined by former Rice football running back Austin Walter, now a graduate assistant at Vanderbilt. He detailed his dreams of being a coach and his journey since he left Rice.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 72.

Episode Notes

  • Housekeeping
    • Plan on hearing more from The Roost Podcast in your feed every other week as we continue our interview series. We’ll have some returning guests and hopefully a few new Owls to talk with over the next few months.
    • Please support us 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 spring football practices, currently underway.
      Become a Patron!
  • Aston Walter joins the show to discuss…
    • His journey into coaching
    • His work as an assistant under David Bailiff at Texas A&M Commerce last year
    • What he’s learned about scheme and skills along the way
    • The move to Vanderbilt and life as a graduate assistant

Where can you find us?

Download and subscribe to The Roost Podcast on any of your favorite podcast providers. The show is available on iTunes, GooglePlay, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and PodBean. Please consider leaving a review wherever you listen.

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Rice Baseball 2021: Owls knock off Texas A&M in midweek road tilt

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Rice baseball picked up one of their biggest wins of the year on Tuesday, taking down Texas A&M in College Station, 2-1.

Winners of six of their last nine, Rice baseball entered its midweek bout with Texas A&M on the upswing. The Aggies had just been swept on the road by No. 5 Florida, but still boasted a stalwart 15-8 record.

To earn the pivotal win, Rice needed a big game from redshirt freshman starting pitcher Garret Zaskoda, who had struggled in his prior outing against Texas State surrendering seven runs in 3+ innings. This Tuesday night it was abundantly clear that Zakoda was not phased by the bright lights of Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.

Podcast: Former Rice football star Christian Covington talks football, Marvel

Zaskoda pitched a gem. He held the potent Texas A&M offense to a first inning single, their only hit against him in 5.1 innings while striking out four and walking four. Most importantly, he kept the maroon and white off the scoreboard,

The offense did their part, manufacturing a crucial run in the fourth inning. Guy Garibay signled and stole stolen base. A throwing error got him to third, where Cade Edwards drove him in with a sacrifice fly.

Rice would add a necessary insurance run in the top of the ninth when Hal Hughes drove in Connor Walsh in the top of the ninth. Texas A&M would get one run back via the long ball in the ninth, but Rice held on to win 2-1.

What it means

This was the first win for Rice over Texas A&M under head coach Matt Bragga. The Owls ended the 2020 season prematurely following a midweek loss to the Aggies at Reckling Park. They fell to Texas A&M on the road in 2019 in Bragga’s first season at the helm in Houston.

When Rice is at its best, the Owls have gone toe-to-toe with every other program in the state. Trading blows with the Aggies and the Longhorns is an important measuring stick for what the Owls’ hope is an upward trajectory. So far, so good. Rice plays Texas in Austin in their last game of the regular season.

ON DECK |  UTSA

Rice baseball returns home this weekend to kick off their conference schedule against UTSA. This will mark the first of a series of four-game sets against the same team. Rice also has a return trip to San Antonio on the calendar for a second series in late April.

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Rice Women’s Basketball: Owls blast CBU, advance to WNIT Final Four

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Rice women’s basketball blew past California Baptist on Monday night, punching their ticket to the 2021 WNIT Final Four.

Any of the early rust Rice women’s basketball exhibited in their opening round WNIT matchup against Arizona State is so far in the rearview mirror it can no longer be seen. The Owls traded their offensive woes for hot hands on Monday night, coming out with a purpose against California Baptist.

With a trip to the WNIT Final Four on the line, Rice shot 50 percent from the floor in the first half and made CBU pay for a rash of early turnovers. Their foot never came off the gas. They outscored CBU 26-12 in the third quarter. Stretching an 11-point halftime lead into a 25-point advantage entering the fourth quarter.

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Everything went right for Rice in the landslide victory. Nancy Mulkey had 16 points and eight rebounds. Katelyn Crosthwait and Jasmine Smith finished with double-digit points. Destiny Jackson was the only Rice player that did not score. When things are working that well, 34-point victories tend to follow.

Player of the Game – Lauren Schwartz

On a night when every shot was falling, Schwartz seemed even more lethal than most. Not only did she lead all scorers with 20 points, she made a stunning 9-of-11 shots from the field. Only six of those points came from three, underscoring how involved she was in every piece of the Owls’ offensive attack. Schwartz also added six rebounds, five assists, a steal and a block.

Up Next

Rice women’s basketball is now two wins away from cutting down the nets in Memphis. The victory over California Baptist earned the Owls a spot in the WNIT Final Four. They’ll face Delaware, who took down Vilanova earlier on Monday night to advance. Tip time is scheduled for 4:00 p.m on Friday, March 26.

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Rice Baseball 2021: Offense lifts Owls to series win over Southern

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Rice baseball took two of three from Southern, winning their first non-conference series of the season prior to Conference USA action.

THREE FOR THE ROAD | Rice baseball wins series 2-1

1. Rice baseball should have swept Southern

On paper, Rice looked to be the better baseball team entering the weekend. The Owls had the better pitching staff and the better offense. Friday and Saturday proved that expectation to be true. That made Sunday’s loss all the more puzzling.

Yes, it’s baseball, and strange things happen all the time. Winning the series was an absolute must, and that was achieved. But the Owls proved their bench is better than many of their opponents’ regulars.  This team shows what it’s capable of achieving, expectations can and should rise.

2. Braden Comeaux is officially Mr. Consistent

Leading Rice with a .352 batting average through 19 games, the senior third baseman has proven to be the most unflappable Owl. When the offense scuttled on Sunday, Comeaux stayed productive, tallying two hits in four at bats and driving in one of the Owls’ four runs. He hit a blistering .500 on the weekend, driving in three.

Rice has found a healthy amount of productive bats this season. Bradley Gneiting has been superb. Antonio Cruz forced his named one the lineup card and has played well of late. Freshman Guy Garibay has showcased tremendous play discipline and lead the team in walks. Rice needs all of them to continue to produce. When they do, Comeaux’s ever-ready swing will amplify their efforts.

3. Building trust on Wood

Dalton Wood has been eased back into the bullpen after missing the 2020 season. He made his fourth appearance on Sunday, entering the game with his team trailing. If Rice was going to have a chance, he needed to be superb, and he was. Wood threw three scoreless innings, maintain a spotless 0.00 ERA while tallying his 10th strikeout of the year.

Wood is the only Rice pitcher to have four consecutive multi-inning scoreless outings this season. He’s been the guy tasked with holding the line when Rice is trailing so far, but his reliability could warrant more crucial innings in the near future. Few Rice relievers have produced to his level and he has the arm to be a special asset for this club.

THE PLAY BY PLAY

FRIDAY | Rice 14 – Southern 2

Rice baseball came out swinging on Friday night, scoring two runs in the first inning and never looking back. The Owls’ offense was as good as it’s been all season, scoring in six of eight innings. Justin Dunlap led the team with four hits. Connor Walsh had one but drove in four.

On the mound, Blake Brogdon was dynamic. He struck out 10 batters in seven innings, allowing two runs and walking one along the way. Staked to an early lead, he was fearless, and for the most part, he avoided significant damage.

SATURDAY | Rice 13 – Southern 4

Saturday brought more of the same. Bradley Gneiting got things started with a solo shot in the first inning. Southern would equalize in the second and keep the game close, briefly. Then Rice exploded for six runs in the fifth inning, including three by way of bases loaded RBI walks.

Elevated from the Sunday spot after Roel Garcia was a scratch, Mitchell Holcomb put together his second consecutive strong performance. He struck out nine in seven innings, allowing just two earned runs. Micah Davis closed the door in the ninth with three-straight strikeouts.

SUNDAY | Southern 6 – Rice 4

Things started off the right way for Rice in the series finale thanks to a first inning RBI double by Braden Comeaux that spotted the Owls’ to a 1-0 lead. It would not last. Starting pitcher Brandon Deskin’s started to spiral in the third inning, allowing four two-out runs to put Rice in an early hole.

Unlike the prior two outings, the bats did not wake up. After clawing back to a 6-4 deficit, Rice managed two hits in the final three innings and left the tying run on base in the ninth.

ON DECK | Rice Baseball vs Texas A&M (Tues), Southern (Fri-Sun, four games).

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