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Rice Baseball: Previewing the Southern Miss series

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A season-defining series against Southern Miss awaits Rice baseball in their final homestand of the regular season. Can the Owls break through?

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Weather permitting, Rice will attempt to solidify their bid for the Conference USA Tournament with a weekend series against Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles are perched atop the conference, currently the No. 1 seed taking on the Owls, who would be the No. 5 seed if the standings hold. A lot could change over the weekend. Here’s what Southern Miss brings to the table.

Projected Pitching Matchups

Friday – 2:00 pm: Matt Canterino (6-4, 2.68) vs Walker Powell (5-2 2.93)
Saturday – 2:00 pm: Evan Kravetz (4-2, 3.69)  vs Stevie Powers (3-3, 4.35)
Sunday – 1:00 pm: Jackson Parthasarathy (3-7, 4.74) vs  Mason Strickland (5-0, 5.26)

Southern Miss Pitching

The top two pitchers in the Southern Miss rotation have already been confirmed, but the third starting spot has yet to be announced. The Eagles have used a few different combinations and could throw several guys on Sunday. Mason Strickland and Cody Carroll (2-1, 4.08) are two of the most prominent options.

Whoever takes the third spot, Rice is in for a battle. Southern Miss leads CUSA with a 4.26 ERA. A good portion of that preeminence has come from a hard-to-hit bullpen. Three different hurlers, Hunter Stanley and Sean Tweedy in the pen and Powell in the rotation, have a WHIP of 1.10 or below, a rare feat for a collegiate pitching staff. For reference, only Matt Canterino owns a WHIP below that mark for Rice.

Keep an eye out for JC Keyes in high leverage situations. He boasts a rate of 14.0 strikeouts per nine innings, and he’s one of several options for this team to turn to in a pinch.

Southern Miss Hitting

Southern Miss is a great pitching team and an elite hitting club. They’re hitting .326 as a team in conference play with 27 home runs in 24 games. They lead CUSA in extra base hits, walks, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and more or less every major hitting statistic.

Six everyday players are batting better than .300, led by catcher Bryant Bowen’s staggering .359 average and 1.014 OPS. He’s one of three players with 10 or more doubles (the other two being right fielder Matt Wallner and second baseman Matthew Guidry). Left fielder Gabe Montenegro brings an eight-game hitting streak into the weekend, including a staggering .500 average in his previous series against FAU.

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Football: Former Harvard Running back Charlie Booker to transfer to Owls

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Former Harvard Crimson running back and Houston native, Charlie Booker has committed to play out his remaining eligibility with Rice football at South Main.

Mike Bloomgren spent the winter and early spring scouring the Transfer Portal in search of players who can provide an impact on the field immediately this coming season. After adding several graduate transfers in the weeks leading up to National Signing Day the Owls are working to put the finishing touches in place this spring.

There are a few loose ends to wrap up in the 2019 class, but Rice crossed one area of need off the list with the addition of former Harver running back Charlie Booker. The former Cy Ranch standout plans to join his former quarterback Tom Stewart at South Main in the fall.

A two-time team MVP and senior captain for the Crimson, Booker was a first-team All-Ivy League selection in 2017, racking up 733 yards and six touchdowns that season. In three seasons he amassed 1,230 yards and 10 scores. He fell into a timeshare role in 2018, but remained every bit as explosive. Rice has several shifty backs on the roster. Booker has some twitch, but more importantly, he runs hard north and south.

Booker’s addition gives the Owls a stable of talented running backs to lean on to support Bloomgren’s run-heavy scheme. That’s especially important given the offseason departures of Austin Walter (graduation) and Emmanuel Esukpa (transfer).

The new transfer will be aided by Aston Walter and Juma Otoviano. Freshman Jawan King could force his way into the mix as well. Having this many capable mouths to feed is a good problem to have. That’s especially true when two of those four horses are experienced veterans like Booker and Walter.

Standing 5-foot-9, Booker tips the scales right at 200 pounds but he plays big. He’s a candidate to be the most physical runner on the roster from day one. Just check out the first play on his highlight reel.

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Rice Baseball: Anthony Rendon leads the way for MLB Owls

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Rice baseball boasts a long tradition of excellence at both the collegiate and professional level. This year five Owls have made MLB appearances.

While the college squad works to secure a Conference USA Tournament berth, five MLB Owls have made at least one appearance in The Show in 2019. Jon Duplantier made his MLB Debut and two of the Owls’ most prolific pro hitters have fought through injuries to make an impact on the field this season.

JT Chargois

Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the second round of the 2012 MLB Draft, Chargois spent the last two seasons with the Dodgers. He made 35 appearances last season but has only been elevated to the big leagues once in 2019. Chargois threw in back-to-back games against the Saint Louis Cardinals in April, allowing two runs on a home run to Marcell Ozuna in 1.2 innings pitched. He was then sent back to Triple A.

Tyler Duffey

Like Chargois, Duffey saw limited action in 2019 before returning to the minor leagues. He made four appearances for the Twins in April. In two of them, he held his opponent to one hit and no runs. In the other two games, though, he allowed five runs including a three run home run into the Crawford Boxes at Minute Maid Park to Jose Altuve.

Jon Duplantier

Duplantier made his MLB Debut on April, earning a three-inning save for his Arizona Diamondbacks over the San Diego Padres. Through three career outings, he’s maintained a spotless 0.00 ERA with three hits allowed, four walks and seven strikeouts over the course of eight innings. His last appearance came against the Chicago Cubs on April 28.

Brock Holt

After a scratched cornea courtesy of his son hampered Holt’s ability to play earlier in the season, a shoulder injury sidelined him in through mid-April. Since then he’s participated in one rehab and assignment and is on track to get back on the field with the Red Sox in the coming days. Manager Alex Cora expects Holt to resume baseball activities on Monday.

Anthony Rendon

The starting third baseman for the Washington Nationals, Rendon is off to the hottest start of his professional career. Already the owner of a 17-game hitting streak this season, Rendon leads his team with a .342 batting average, .433 on-base percentage and .711 slugging percentage. He’s mashed six home runs with 10 doubles in 21 games.

Rendon was hit with a pitch on April 20, sidelining him for several weeks. He was activated on Tuesday and played in the team’s last two games, both against the Milwaukee Brewers.

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Rice Baseball: What do the Owls need to do to clinch a CUSA Tournament berth?

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Rice baseball is working to secure a Conference USA Baseball Tournament berth. Here’s what they need to do to lock down their spot in the postseason.

In two weekends the Conference USA Baseball Tournament field will be set. Rice hopes to be one of the eight squads to make the trip to Biloxi, Mississippi, but they have some work to do before they can rest easy. With six conference games remaining, Rice is in the running, mathematically, for the full gamut of finishes in the conference standings. The Owls are 12-12, good for fifth place in the 12 team race. Here are a four possible outcomes for the next two weeks

Scenario 1 – Rice wins the CUSA Regular season championship (2% chance)

What it would take – Rice finishes 6-0 with plenty of help

A 6-0 finish with dreadful weeks from Southern Miss and FAU could skyrocket Rice into first place. That would give the Owls 18 wins, tied for the most in the league with Southern Miss. It would also clinch included the tiebreaker, an assumed sweep of the Golden Eagles in the Owls’ last home series of 2019. Rice swept a good Louisiana Tech team at home, but this would require an extra dose of good fortune.

Scenario 2 – Rice earns a Top 4 seed (28% chance)

What it would take – Rice wins final two series, WKU or LaTech lose two series

This scenario would require a strong finish with additional help, but it seems within reason. Rice winning their final two series would elevate the team to 16 wins. WKU is 14-9-1 and Louisiana Tech is 13-11. If WKU sweeps Louisiana Tech, Rice would hold the tiebreaker and thus the No. 4 seed. If Louisiana Tech beats WKU, Rice would need one of those two schools to lose out. Louisiana Tech closes at FIU. WKU is home against Old Dominion.

Scenario 3 – Rice earns a Bottom 4 seed (50% chance)

What it would take – Rice splits their next six games

Losing either of the next two series makes the odds of postseason play dicey. Rice is one win up of Marshall (11-12) and Old Dominion (11-13) and two ahead of UTSA (10-13) and Middle Tennessee (10-14). Rice needs to finish ahead of one of those teams to make the field, assuming 9-win Charlotte or FIU don’t surprisingly catch fire over the final two weeks. If Rice can manage a 3-3 finish they’re more than likely safe.

Scenario 3 – Rice misses CUSA Tournament (20% chance)

What it would take – Rice wins two or fewer games

Anything fewer than 15 wins opens the door for the rest of the conference to make a move. A 14-16 finish could push Rice to the bottom of the conference, falling even with lowly UAB who already has 16 losses entering the final two weekends. One win would leave them at the mercy of a potential tiebreaker to UTSA, MTSU, Charlotte or FIU, all of which have a series win over the Owls this season.

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Rice Baseball: Owls go for season sweep vs Lamar on Tuesday

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In the midst of a rough stretch, Rice baseball hopes for a rebound win in their second midweek bout with Lamar this season.

Rice had another forgettable weekend on the road, falling in three straight games to Western Kentucky. The Owls missed an opportunity to climb higher in the conference race, but will take every opportunity they can get to find their rhythm as the regular season winds down. Perhaps playing a familiar opponent will give Rice a needed confidence boost.

Lamar gave Rice a scare earlier in the season, running out to a 5-1 lead at Reckling Park. The Owls remained calm, answering the Cardinals’ rally with an 11-0 run to put the game on ice. Here’s what to expect in the final installment between these two teams this year:

When and Where

Projected pitching matchup –  Drake Greenwood vs Erik Key

Kel Bordwine, who had been the go-to man in midweek games for Rice this season, has seemingly done enough to warrant his inclusion in the leaky Rice bullpen. He appeared in Sunday’s series finale against Western Kentucky, making a midweek start on Tuesday unlikely. That leaves Drake Greenwood, one of the other most prominent midweek hands, to toe the rubber. Greenwood is 0-2 on the season with a 9.27 ERA.

Facing him will be Lamar righty Erik Key, owner of an 8.59 ERA with no official decisions in six appearances. He’s thrown 6.1 innings this season with three strikeouts and 10 walks. In their first meeting with Rice this season, Lamar used six pitchers while Rice used four. This will likely be another night with many pitching changes for both sides.

Names to know from the plate

First baseman Anthony Quirion and center fielder Reese Durand did the majority of the damage for Lamar against Rice earlier this season. Those two combined for five hits, two runs and four RBI. As good as both have been this season, they both rank outside the top six hitters for the Cardinals.

Second baseman Logan Berlof owns a team-best .356 batting average paired with a gaudy .420 on base percentage. The most dangerous of them all, though, is JC Correa. The brother of Astros’ shortstop Carlos, the younger Correa is working to make his brother proud. JC has 20 extra base hits this season, eight of which have come via home runs.

ON DECK | vs Southern Miss (Fri-Sun)

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