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Rice Baseball: 2021 MLB Owls update – May 15

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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 made his return from the injured list on Friday, going 1-for-4 against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. That was his first action since he was sidelined following the Halos’ May 3 game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Through May 15, Rendon is hitting .274 with five extra-base hits, seven walks and 13 strikeouts. His OPS is .794 and he’s collected 11 RBI.

Brock Holt – Texas Rangers

Holt hasn’t seen the field since May 2, spending the last two weeks on the injured list. He’s expected to make his return to the lineup sometime this coming week.

Through May 15, Holt is hitting .250 with two extra-base hits, eight walks and 11 strikeouts. His OPS is .63 and he’s collected five RBI.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

Duffey had one outing this week, allowing one hit and striking out one in .2 innings pitches in the Twins’ loss to the White Sox.

Through May 15, Duffey has a 5.35 ERA with a 1.750 WHIP. He’s averaging 7.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

Lucas Luetege – New York Yankees

Luetege was active during the early portion of May but only saw one inning of work this week. He retired all three batters he faced.

Through May 15, Luetege has a 3.10 ERA with a 0.984 WHIP. He’s averaging 8.4 strikeouts per nine innings.

J.T. Chargois – Seattle Mariners

Chargois was released by the Dodgers following the 2019 season, opting to sign with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan last season. After one season abroad, Chargois signed a minor league contract with the Marines this spring. He was active to the major league roster on May 9.

So far, Chargois has appeared in three games, striking out four batters in 3.1 innings. He has allowed just three hits and two runs.

Through May 15, Chargois has a 5.40 ERA with a 0.900 WHIP. He’s averaging 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 75 – Remembering Courtney Hall

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This week’s edition of the Roost Podcast is a tribute to Courtney Hall, honoring his memory and impact on the Rice University family.

It seemed fitting to pause from our offseason discussion this week to honor Courtney Hall, the former Rice Football star who went on to achieve tremendous things on and off the field. Joining us to reminisce and speak to Hall’s impact at Rice and beyond is former classmate and friend, Sten Gustafson. He recaps Hall’s journey through South Main and shares what Hall meant to him and the Rice community.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 75.

Episode Notes

  • Housekeeping
    • If you would, consider sharing this episode with those who knew Courtney Hall.
    • 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 our debriefing series on spring football, recruiting news and more.
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  • Courtney Hall’s journey through Rice and beyond
    • Hall entered school at 16 and became a four-year starter for the Owls’ football team
    • Drafted at 19 years old, he went on to become the captain of a Super Bowl team
    • Hall completed his Rice degree while in the NFL and also earned his JD/MBA at the University of Chicago later in life
    • Hall was a member of the Rice Athletics Hall of Fame and had recently been appointed to the university board of trustees

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: Previewing the Charlotte series

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Rice baseball needs a big weekend against Charlotte to clinch a spot in the Conference USA Baseball Tournament. Here’s how the Owls stack up with the 49ers.

Fresh off their first C-USA series win of the season, Rice baseball hopes to continue their winning ways this coming weekend against the Charlotte 49ers. Rice punch their ticket to the Conference USA Baseball Tournament with a strong showing this weekend and a little help from a few others teams in the league.

Times: Friday 1:00 p.m. | Saturday 1:00 p.m. / ~4:00 p.m. | Sunday 12:00 p.m.
Venue: Reckling Park
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
Watch: CUSAtv

How each team fared this week

Rice baseball (21-27-1) took three of four from UAB last weekend with their only loss coming by a walk off. The Owls could have used the extra win, but a three-win weekend in itself was big for this team with the regular season end coming soon.

UAB (35-14) took care of business in their final home series of the year, sweeping Marshall in commanding fashion. The 49ers outscored the Herd 35-19 in three games, rebounding swiftly from a series loss to Old Dominion the weekend prior.

Probable Pitchers

Friday | Mitchell 6olcomb (5-4, 6.08 ERA)
Saturday 1 | Roel Garcia (1-5, 5.26)
Saturday 2 | Blake Brogdon (3-5, 5.29)
Sunday | Brandon Deskins (2-4, 3.70)

Charlotte Pitching

While the 49ers might lack the top end of the rotation talent that’s carried other teams this deep into the season, they do have one of the more well-rounded pitching staffs in Conference USA. Bryce McGowan leads the team in strikeouts (92). Andrew Lindsey has a sterling 6-1 record, who marvelously did not receive a decision last weekend against Marshall even though he surrendered seven runs.

Charlotte Hitting

The Charlotte offense came to Lindsey’s back in that game, and has risen to the occasion throughout the season. The 49ers have the No. 4 offense in Conference USA led by Austin Knight, the conference leader in batting average, hits and doubles. Right behind him, the No. 2 hitter in C-USA, is Gino Groover, with a .352 average.  Those two are the key cogs in the machine that have made Charlotte so successful.

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2022 DL Chibby Nwajuaku commits to Owls

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The 2022 Rice Football recruiting class has doubled in size, securing a big commitment from defensive lineman Chibby Nwajuaku.

Sometimes you know what you want. While the offer count for the 2022 Rice football recruiting class continues to be modest, the focus on building on areas of strength has remained a focal point of the Owls’ efforts. Rice has now doubled down in the trenches, picking up their second commitment, defensive lineman Chibby Nwajuaku.

Nwajuaku joins fellow defensive lineman Davion Carter as the initial members of the 2022 Rice football recruiting class. His addition represents the second commitment for Rice in as many months.

To earn Nwajuaku’s pledge Rice beat out offers from a dozen other programs including the ACC’s Wake Forest as well as fellow in-state conference foe UTSA. The Owls have recruited nationally under head coach Mike Bloomgren but they remain committed to bringing in the right pieces from the Lone Star State, too. They didn’t have to go far to land Nwajuaku, who played his high school ball at Cy Ranch.

With Nwajuaku and Carter in the fold, Rice boasts an elite tandem up front. They’ll one day be tasked with picking up the mantle of a series of high-end players that have come before them like current interior defenders Elijah Garcia and DeBraylon Carroll. Going from strength to strength is how programs sustain success, and it’s no mistake these two players were early targets in this cycle.

Premium: Rice Football Recruiting Offer and Commitment Tracker

Nwajuaku can line up across the defensive front, giving opposing offenses headaches all throughout high school. At 6-foot-3, 245 pounds, he’s a menacing force off the edge that can pick up steam and drive offensive lineman back with force. He also plays with incredible poise. He knows when to watch the play develop and displays impressive closing speed after he’s diagnosed where the ball is going.

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Conference USA Baseball: Outlook as regular season ends

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The 2021 Conference USA Baseball Tournament is near and a few spots are still up for grabs as the regular season draws to a close.

Last spring marked the first season in which the Conference USA Baseball Tournament wasn’t held since 1996 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s edition will be hosted at JC Love Field, the home of Louisiana Tech, and will run from May 26 to May 30. The format will consist of two double-elimination brackets with a winner-take-all championship game.

Seeding

Eight teams will make the 2021 Conference USA Baseball Tournament field. The top three teams in each division will be awarded berths, as well as the two best remaining records, regardless of division.

Six of the eight tournament tickets have already been punched. No matter what happens in the final weekend of the regular season, Charlotte, Old Dominion, Florida Atlantic, Western Kentucky, Southern Miss and Louisiana Tech are postseason bound. The remaining two slots are technically up for grabs, although  UTSA is realistically one win against Louisiana Tech away from securing one of the two remaining openings.

Last Team In

Four teams remain alive for the eighth and final spot:

Middle Tennessee
  • 10-17-1 record (.375 winning percentage)
  • Up Next: Home vs FIU
FIU
  • 9-17 (.346)
  • Up Next: Away vs Middle Tennessee
Rice
  • 9-18-1 (.339)
  • Up Next: Home vs Charlotte
UAB
  • 9-19 (.321)
  • Up Next: Away vs Marshall

Marshall is the only team that has been mathematically eliminated thus far. They’ll hope to play spoiler against UAB this weekend, the owner of the second-worst record in the conference. Should Middle Tennessee win the series over FIU, they would advance no matter how either of the remaining series ends. If FIU wins the series, they’d open the door for Rice or UAB to claim the final spot.

The remaining teams who have already clinched are playing for seeding. Charlotte (22-6), Southern Miss (20-7), Louisiana Tech (19-7) and Old Dominion (19-9) are all in the mix for the top four seeds.

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