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Rice Baseball inches closer to postseason with series win over Wichita State

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Rice Baseball won their fourth conference series in their last five weekends, taking two of three from Wichita State, drastically improving the Owls’ postseason chances.

FRIDAY | Rice 4, Wichita State 3

Rice baseball found itself in another Friday night pitcher’s duel between Owls’ ace Davion Hickson and Wichita State hurler Grant Adler. It was Adler who allowed the first blemish in the form of a leadoff home run from Colin Robson, the first of his Rice career. Hickson was charged with his only two runs of the night when a ball down the line — which resulted in an injury to left fielder Jacob Devenny — allowed one run to score with the second Shocker run coming on an infield single by the next batter.

More: 59 Minutes — David Pierce Challenges Rice baseball to grow

Cole Green leveled the score for the Owls with a single in the fourth to plate Hiram Bocachica, who would reach third base in the bottom of the ninth, but fail to score as the game went into extra innings. Neither side got much going in the next two frames before Wichita State took advantage of a Rice error to score the go-ahead run in the 12th. Green equalized with a home run in the bottom of the frame.

The Owls got a double play ball to make quick work in the top of the 13th inning before Treyton Rank came to the plate in the bottom of the frame. He took a 2-1 pitch deep to right field, the first walk-off home run of his career.

SATURDAY | Rice 9, Wichita State 3

Runs were much easier to come by in the second game of the series with Rice scoring early and often against a Wichita State pitching staff that had burned top arms on Friday night. Paul Smith got the scoring started with an RBI single in the second. Rice added two more in the third before Michael Zito blasted a three-run homer in the fourth to put Rice in front 6-0.

Last Weekend: Hickson gem propels Rice Baseball to series win over Charlotte

Wichita State would get three back in the next two innings, all charged to Rice starter JD McCracken, who still turned in a strong performance, going seven innings with four strikeouts and just those three runs allowed. Garrett Stratton got the final six outs, aided by a trio of insurance runs scored in the bottom of the seventh, the last two coming on a double from Aric Anderson.

SUNDAY | Wichita State 18, Rice 7

Rice baseball struck first with a two-run first, kicking off what would become a high-scoring series finale despite neither team scoring in the next two frames. It was then that the Wichita State bats woke up in earnest, scoring four runs in the fourth to drive Tucker Alch from the game.

With Alch gone, WSU teed off on the remainder of the Owls’ bullpen. Maddox Keo was charged with five runs, and Micah Davis was charged with three. In total the Owls would use 10 pitchers and surrender 18 runs, 15 of which were earned. The bats managed seven runs, nearly half of the last two of which came in on a home run from Blaine Brown, but the deficit proved too large as Rice dropped the series finale in run-rule fashion.

THREE FOR THE ROAD

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Hickson gem propels Rice Baseball to series win over Charlotte

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Davion Hickson persevered through the elements on Friday, tossing a complete-game one-hitter that set the tone for a Rice Baseball series win over Charlotte.

FRIDAY | Rice 2, Charlotte 0

In a rare occurrence during the 2025 Rice baseball season, a pitcher’s duel broke out at Reckling Park on Friday night. Despite a mid-game weather delay and the ominous threat of further impending storms, Davion Hickson spun a marvelous complete game one hitter against the 49ers in the series opener. Charlotte manage just a single in the third inning as Hickson racked up nine strikeouts.

More: 59 Minutes — David Pierce Challenges Rice baseball to grow

With Hickson dealing on the mound, the Rice bats were only required to do a little to push the team over the top in game one of the series. Blaine Brown broke the 0-0 deadlock with a double to right center in the sixth, scoring one. Then Paul Smith homered to right in the eighth to provide a bit of insurance before Hickson returned for the ninth to slam the door.

The one-hit shutout by Hickson was the first by a Rice baseball pitcher since Matthew Reckling defeated East Carolina 2-0 at Reckling Park in 2012, striking out 10 in the process.

SATURDAY | Rice 7, Charlotte 6

Scoring was much more prevalent in game two. Charlotte wasted no time, jumping in front with a two-run homer in the first inning off Rice starter JD McCracken. Rice rallied with three of their own in the second inning on a groundout and home run from Cole Green before Charlotte knocked McCracken out of the game with another pair of runs in the third.

Last Weekend: Rice Baseball drops series at UAB

Garrett Stratton relieved McCracken and combined with Jack Ben-Shoshan to limit the 49ers to two more earned runs in the final six innings, rendering a smattering of Charlotte hits fruitless. As they grinded on the mound, the Rice bats delivered a two-run sac fly in the fourth from Green to tie the game and a go-ahead two-run home run from Landon West in the eighth. Ben-Shoshan closed things out and earned his third win of the season.

SUNDAY | Charlotte 12, Rice 2

Multiple days of frustration were taken out against Jackson Blank and the remainder of the Rice bullpen in the series finale. After the Owls went in front on a solo home run from Michael Zito in the first inning, Charlotte took control of things with a five-run fourth inning, which knocked Blank from the ballgame.

Austin Eppley, Marco Fuentes and Tucker Alch each gave up at least one run in relief as the 49ers scored 12 unanswered runs to take a commanding lead in the finale. By that point the damage had been done and the 49ers won the finale by run-rule.

THREE FOR THE ROAD

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Rice Baseball avoids sweep, but drops series to UAB

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Rice Baseball salvaged the series finale against UAB after dropping the first two games behind a largely quiet offense that went off for 12 runs on Sunday.

FRIDAY | UAB 3, Rice 0

Back in the Friday night role after several weeks in the bullpen, Davion Hickson delivered what was unquestionably his best performance of the season. Hickson went 7.2 innings, striking out a career-high 10 while limiting the Blazers to three hits.

More: 59 Minutes — David Pierce Challenges Rice baseball to grow

UAB snuck the first run across in the opening inning with a single, a stolen base and a groundout. Hickson put things in cruise control after that, getting through the first two outs of the eighth before allowing two runners to reach and exiting the game. The last two runs charged to his ledger were allowed by Jack Ben-Shoshan in relief. The Rice bats did little to help the cause, tallying three hits, no runs and 13 strikeouts.

SATURDAY | UAB 8, Rice 6

Rice baseball did not get its typically sharp start from JD McCracken in Game 2, a reality that proved fateful as the bats struggled to produce. UAB scored three in the first, two in the second and on in the third before McCracken was lifted in favor of Von Baker and eventually Mark Perkins. By the time the fourth inning came to a close, Rice was trailing 8-0.

Last Weekend: Rice Baseball takes two of three from Memphis

The Owls most encouraging offensive inning of the weekend would soon follow. The Owls loaded the bases off Braxton Shelton with one out, then proceeded to rattle off five consecutive hits, scoring six runs before a double-play ended the inning. Back within two runs, Rice would manage just two base runners for the remainder of the game, dropping the series.

SUNDAY | Rice 12, UAB 10

The Rice bats woke up for the series finale, scoring three times in the first off UAB starter Isaac Warrick, who would then be the victim of two Rice home runs in the second, putting the Blazers in a 6-0 hole after two frames. UAB gave Rice a scare with a five-run third, with Ben-Shoshan getting a strikeout to strand the would-be tying run in scoring position.

A three-run home run from Blaine Brown, his second long ball of the afternoon, gave Rice some breathing room before the Owls added another insurance run in the sixth and the seventh before UAB began a comeback of their own. UAB scored five straight to get back within one.

Rice pushed one run across in the ninth, turning the ball over to Jackson Blank in the bottom of the inning. Blank got two outs, but loaded the bases. Marco Fuentes entered and coaxed a fly out to right field to extinguish the threat and end the game.

THREE FOR THE ROAD

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Rice Baseball posts emphatic series win over USF

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For Rice baseball, their first series win of the season was a big one, taking two of three from South Florida which entered the weekend atop the AAC standings.

FRIDAY | USF 14, Rice 3 (7 inn)

With Davion Hickson completing his suspension, JD McCracken drew the Friday night start for Rice baseball this week. He worked calmy through the first and the second inning before USF ambushed him with a three-run, four-hit third inning. He’d managed just one more out before being lifted in the fourth in favor of Garrett Stratton with the Owls trailing 4-1.

More: 59 Minutes — David Pierce Challenges Rice baseball to grow

Landon West had done his part to get Rice on the board with a solo home run in the second and proceeded to cut the deficit in half with a sac fly in the fourth. Stratton kept the Owls in the game, working into the seventh before surrendering a three-run home run to put Rice behind 7-2.

Treyton Rank got one back with a home run in the bottom of the frame before USF opened the floodgates in the eighth. Nolan Roycraft recorded one out and was charged with seven runs. Micah Davis gave up two of those, enough to push the Owls’ deficit to 11 and end the game via a run rule.

SATURDAY | Rice 15, USF 3 (7 inn)

Tucker Alch delivered 4.1 innings of no-hit baseball, leaving the game with a 4-0 advantage after hitting the first two South Florida batters to open the fifth. His relief came in the form of Davion Hickson, who collected the next two outs, albeit with USF scoring on an overthrown ball from catcher Aric Anderson on a stolen base attempt.

Last Weekend: Rice Baseball swept at Tulane

Hickson would work through an uneventful top of the sixth before spending a lengthy time on the bench as he watched the Rice bats pile on seven more runs. Anderson, Graiden West, Colin Robson, Blaine Brown and Michael Zito had RBI in the inning, setting Rice up for a potential run-rule win. They’d earn that early ending with a walk-off grand slam from Brown.

SUNDAY | Rice 5, USF 2

Perhaps still reeling from Saturday’s shellacking, South Florida didn’t play clean baseball in the rubber game and Rice baseball took advantage of those miscues. Graiden West scored on an error in the second to put Rice in front, setting up another unearned run in the same frame. The Bulls got one back in the top of the third, but another error in the bottom half of the inning allowed Rice to add two more to its total.

On the mound, Jackson Blank worked through traffic to allow just two runs in four innings, giving way to Jack Ben-Shoshan in the fifth who would allow just two hits in his five innings of relief, stymying the USF offense. Neither side would score after the fifth as Ben-Shoshan slammed the door, earning the win and clinching the first series win for Rice baseball under head coach David Pierce.

THREE FOR THE ROAD

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Houston tops Rice baseball, takes Silver Glover Series

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Rice Baseball slugged several home runs but still fell to Houston on the road as the Cougars took the Silver Glove Series.

Close games had become the norm for Rice baseball in the early days of the David Pierce era and Tuesday’s midweek tilt against crosstown rival Houston looked like it would follow a similar trend in the initial frames. Houston scratched across a single run in each of the first three innings off Rice starter Jackson Blank with the Owls scoring one run on a wild pitch in the third.

Houston led 3-1 after the third and began to pull away in the next few innings. The Cougars scored two in the fourth with Jack Ben-Shoshan on the mound and three more in the fifth against Von Baker. The bats hadn’t collected a hit yet, waiting until Aric Anderson opened the top of the sixth with a home run to break up five innings of no-hit ball from the Cougars.

Last Weekend: Rice baseball swept by Tulane

No-hitter averted, Rice would get a couple more home runs to pretty up the box score. Cole Green drove a pitch over the wall in the eighth. Blaine Brown followed with another shot to the left side to start the ninth and was joined a few batters later by Hiram Bocachica, who mashed the Owls’ fourth long ball of the night. It wouldn’t be enough to keep pace with the Cougars, though, who prevailed 10-7.

With the win, Houston clinches the Silver Glove series. The two teams will meet once more this season, next Tuesday following the Owls’ weekend series against South Florida.

What it means | Catcher platoon paying off

There was, understandably, much trepidation when longtime backstop Manny Garza entered the Transfer Portal this offseason, forcing the Owls to reckon with a different path forward at the catcher position. They added Lorenzo Rios from Northwestern from the portal, but it’s been their home-grown players who have proven to be the answer at the position.

Podcast: Unpacking the Pierce hire and midseason start

Landon West leads the team in on-base percentage. Anderson has only made 12 game appearances, but is hitting .320 with two home runs and two doubles across his eight hits. Anderson played sparingly under Jose Cruz Jr, but has appeared in eight games since David Pierce took over the program, performing well.

The catching tandem has also gunned down 10 would-be base stealers and allowed just nine passed balls. The defense has been solid, and at times, superb. For a position that was a question mark entering the spring, this duo has answered the call.

Up Next: vs South Florida x3 (Fri-Sun)

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