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Rice Baseball 2020: Owls notch series win over Missouri State

March 2, 2020 By Matthew Bartlett

It took a few games to get in a groove, but Rice baseball found their rhythm in a 2-1 series win over Missouri State over the weekend.

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

1. The bats are here!

Rice scored as many runs in the first inning of their Friday game than they managed in their previous four games combined. That’s seven runs prior to getting three outs compared to seven runs after 36 outs. It wasn’t a completely clean flip of the switch. The offense didn’t do much on Saturday and still could have been better than the five runs scored on Sunday.

Big weekends from Austin Bulman, Bradley Gneiting, Rodrigo Duluc, Trei Cruz and others have given the Owls a semblance of a starting lineup. There’s still a bit more work to be done organizing the outfield, but the offense has cleared the first hurdle. This was a positive step after two successive backward weekends.

2. DeLeon shows he can do it — but consistency still a problem

DeLeon’s seven innings of five-hit, four-run ball don’t qualify as a quality start, nor should they after the rocky start. Still, the way the veteran was able to settle in and battle for as long as he did showed a tremendous amount of poise and control. Getting comfortable after a first-inning as poor as he had and going deep into the game says a lot about his staying power within the Rice rotation.

The stat sheet still shows a grisly 9.82 ERA next to his name. For him, though, the bad has come in bunches. His ERA would drop significantly if not for the few awful innings he’s been a part of for one reason or another. You can’t cherry pick stats to fit a narrative, but any good story need context. DeLeon has been about as good as his high ERA says. That said, there’s clearly room for improvement if he can eliminate his early game struggles.

3. The sky is not falling

Things were grim after the 0-7 start. 2-8 doesn’t look much better on the official tally, but it will feel a lot different between the ears of this Rice baseball team. The psychological impact of a series win outways whatever good this series will have in the final standings. Missouri State hasn’t proven themselves to be all that great of a baseball team this season. Unless Rice plays themselves into a position for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, this weekend won’t drastically impact their season. Still, it mattered to this team. It mattered a lot.

On some level, Rice just needed to remember how to win. Batting around on Friday night, responding to a “here-we-go-again” scare with the most impressive offensive outburst of the season shows what this team can be. Consistency will be the key. And they’ll have to figure that out on the fly too.

FRIDAY | Rice 12 – Missouri State 4

Things started out rocky for the Owls on Friday night. Missouri State stuck with a four-spot in the first inning off pitcher Alex DeLeon. The embattled starter did not face a deficit for long. His offense woke up, batting around in the bottom half of the inning. By the time he returned to the mound, Rice had staked themselves to a 7-4 lead.

A home run by Trei Cruz and triples by Rodrigo Duluc and Bradley Gneiting highlighted a night in which the Owls had more extra-base hits than Missouri State totalled base hits of any kind.

SATURDAY | Missouri State 9 – Rice 3

Missouri State took an early lead, but Rice kept things close in the middle game up until the seventh inning. An error allowed the leadoff man to reach, setting the stage for four un-earned runs to extend the visitor’s lead from 4-0 to 7-0. Rice would tack on a few runs at the end, but it was never enough to make it feel like the Owls were close to making this a game again after that.

SUNDAY | Rice 5 – Missouri State 1

Rice fell behing in the first inning during Sunday’s rubber match. Seeking their first series win of the season, the Owls dug deep, scratching across runs in the third, fourth, fifth and seventh innings to take and extend the lead. Rice only out-hit Missouri State nine to seven, but the Owls got the more timely hits — something that had eluded them in recent weeks.

ON DECK | at Texas State (Tues), vs Missouri State (Fri-Sun)

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Rice Basketball 2020 Game Preview: Owls vs Middle Tennessee

March 1, 2020 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice basketball returns home in need of a win to keep their Conference USA Tournament hopes alive. How do the Owls’ stack up against Middle Tennessee?


Rice Basketball

Time: March 1 at 2:00 p.m. CT
Venue: Tudor Fieldhouse
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: CUSATV

MTSU 7-21 (3-12), Last 5 (1-4)

  • 75-70 (L) vs North Texas
  • 91-83 (L) vs Rice
  • 83-72 (L) at UAB
  • 79-66 (L) vs UAB
  • 61-53 (W) at Southern Miss

Rice 13-15 (5-10), Last 5 (3-2)

  • 86-72 (W) at UAB
  • 91-83 (W) at MTSU
  • 73-70 (L) vs Old Dominion
  • 70-54 (W) vs Charlotte
  • 68-62 (L) at UTEP

MTSU statistical leaders

  • Scoring | CJ Jones – 16.4 per game
  • Rebounds | Jayce Johnson – 4.9 per game
  • Assists | Donovan Sims – 3.5 per game
  • Steals | Donovan Sims – 1.6 per game
  • Blocks | Tyson Jackson – 0.7 per game

Rice statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Trey Murphy – 13.2 per game
  • Rebounds | Drew Peterson – 6.5 per game
  • Assists | Drew Peterson – 3.4 per game
  • Steals | Trey Murphy – 1.1 per game
  • Blocks | Trey Murphy – 0.6 per game

Rice keys to victory

When Rice basketball and Middle Tennessee last met the Owls shot the lights out of the Murphy Athletic Center in Murfreesboro. Rice shot 52.8 percent from the field and scored 91 points, the most against any conference opponent this season.

A hot shooting start would be a plus, but it’s the defensive side of the ball which could hold the key. Middle Tennessee is a poor rebounding team that is currently ranked in the top half of Conference USA in turnovers. Rice is going to be able to score against Middle Tennessee’s porous defense. Staying vigilant on the other end of the court should ensure the Owls get a much-needed bounce-back win.

Standings check

Middle Tennessee win against Southern Miss in their previous game puts the burden to win this matchup squarely on Rice. If the Blue Raiders win, they’ll finish above Rice in the final standings with two wins and the tiebreakers over the Owls. If Rice wants to control their own destiny, they have to win this game.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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Filed Under: Basketball Tagged With: Game preview, Rice basketball

Rice Women’s Basketball 2020 Game Preview: Owls vs LA Tech

February 29, 2020 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice women’s basketball is back on a winning streak and has their eyes set on C-USA’s top seed. A win over Louisiana Tech would get them one step closer.

Rice Women's Basketball

Time: Feb. 29 at 2:00 p.m. CT
Venue: Thomas Assembly Center
TV: CUSATV

LA Tech 13-13 (5-10), Last 5 (3-2)

  • 60-50 (W) vs Marshall
  • 68-44 (W) at FIU
  • 77-75 (L) at FAU
  • 63-61 (L) vs Southern Miss
  • 62-52 (W) vs FIU

Rice 18-8 (13-2), Last 5 (3-2)

  • 77-60 (W) vs MTSU
  • 66-59 OT (L) at Old Dominion
  • 62-51 (L) at Charlotte
  • 69-66 (W) vs North Texas
  • 74-65 (W) at UAB

LA Tech statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Amber Dixon – 12.0 per game
  • Rebounds | Anna Larr Roberson – 5.4 per game
  • Assists | Rzizel Guinto – 2.9 per game
  • Steals | Amber Dixon – 1.7 per game
  • Blocks | Grayson Bright – 0.7 per game

Rice statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Erica Ogwumike – 18.9 per game
  • Rebounds | Erica Ogwumike – 10.3 per game
  • Assists | Jasmine Smith – 3.0 per game
  • Steals | Sydne Wiggins – 1.7 per game
  • Blocks | Nancy Mulkey – 3.3 per game

Rice keys to victory

Rice women’s basketball used their suffocating defense to overcome Louisiana Tech in the first meeting of these two squads this season. That came back in mid-January. Both teams have come a long way since.

Louisiana Tech has won three-of-five games for the first time in conference play. Rice is recovering from their first C-USA losing streak since 2018, winning their last two games.

The Rice offense has been up and down. The defense has remained firm. Rice maintains the second-best field goal defense in Conference USA. Louisiana Tech is 12th in the same metric. The Owls have learned to rely on their depth more often in recent weeks. Combing their tenacity with a few bright spots from their younger playmakers will keep Rice alive in the conference race.

Standings Check

Old Dominion and Rice sit atop the Conference USA standings with three games remaining in the regular season for both squads. The Monarchs hold the tiebreaker — for now. A rematch on March 7 could decide who claims the No. 1 seed between these two 13-2 teams. The Monarchs have additional games remaining between FAU and UAB.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep. 24 – Evan Kravetz and Clifton Douglass

February 28, 2020 By Matthew Bartlett

Former Rice baseball pitcher Evan Kravetz and Conference USA Assitant Commissioner Clifton Douglass join us on the Roost Podcast this week.

There’s a lot going on in Conference USA. Baseball season is in its early days as the basketball seasons begin to wind down toward the conference tournament. In the midst of everything going on, we had the chance to sit down and chat with some folks plugged into both Conference USA and Rice baseball.

Former Owls’ pitcher Evan Kravetz joined us to talk about Rice on the diamond. Current Conference USA Assitant Commissioner Clifton Douglass came on the show to talk about the basketball season and more.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, Give a listen to Episode 24.

Follow @TheRoostPod

Episode 24 Notes

  • Housekeeping — Get notifications when new shows are posted and other updates by turning on push notifications when you follow The Roost Podcast on Twitter.
  • Evan Kravetz — Making his first appearance on the show, Kravetz caught Rice fans up on what his last year has been like since he was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the MLB Draft. He told us all about minor league life, his perfect 0.00 ERA from his debut season in pro ball. Then he gave a few names to watch on the current Rice baseball roster.
  • Clifton Douglass —  Another first time guest, Douglass walked through the decision making process that led Conference USA to institute bonus play. Does he think it has had the intended results? We also hit on the conference tournament at The Star in Frisco and the success on the court by Rice women’s basketball, the North Texas men and more.

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.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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Filed Under: Featured, Podcast, Women's Athletics Tagged With: Conference USA, Conference USA Basketball, conference usa tournament, podcast, Rice baseball

Rice Baseball 2020: Previewing the Missouri State series

February 28, 2020 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice baseball returns home to face Missouri State. The Owls are seeking their first series win of the season. Here’s how both teams stack up.

Rice baseball knew their nonconference schedule was far from a cakewalk before the 2020 season began. Two weeks into action, the Owls sit at 0-7 with series losses to two good, but maybe not great teams in Texas and UC Irvine. This weekend’s series against a beatable Missouri State squad has become all the more important with Omaha regular Texas Tech still on deck.

Game Notes

Times: Friday 6:30 p.m. | Saturday 2:00 p.m. | Sunday 1:00 p.m.
Venue: Reckling Park
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: CUSATV

How each team fared this week

Rice baseball (0-6) was swept by UC Irvine in a weekend series. The Owls faced Texas State in their midweek game, falling on the road by a score of 9-2.

Missouri State (4-4) went 1-3 in the Turface Classic last weekend. They beat Austin Peay on Thursday. They then lost games to Belmont, Lipscomb and Middle Tennessee to finish the weekend. They beat Oral Roberts on Tuesday by a score of 6-3.

Projected Pitching Matchups

Friday | Roel Garcia (0-0, 0.00) vs Logan Wiley (1-0, 0.00)
Saturday |Blake Brogdon (0-2, 4.22) vs Hayden Minton (1-1, 3.27)
Sunday | Drake Greenwood (0-1, 5.68)  vs Peyton Carson (0-2, 9.00)

Missouri State Pitching

Missouri State has sent 10 different pitchers to the mound over the course of their eight games played in 2020. Eight of them have a season ERA of 3.00 or better. Four of them have perfect ERAs of 0.00 including staff ace Logan Wiley. He’s thrown 15 innings of shutout ball, allowing eight hits and two walks while striking out 14.

From the pen, Forrest Barnes and Trey Ziegenbein have emerged as the go-to guys. Ziegenbein is the only reliever on the squad to throw more than seven innings and owns a K/9 rate of 9.000.

Missouri State Hitting

Grant Wood has been on a tear to start the season. He leads the team with a .367 batting average, including a team-best three extra base hits. His OPS sits at a crisp .962. Greg Ziegler is just behind him with a .300 average.

This lineup as a whole is not geared toward explosiveness. The Bears have hit eight doubles this season in eight games and only have three regulars hitting better than .250.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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Filed Under: Baseball Tagged With: Game preview, Rice baseball

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