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Rice Baseball 2019: Previewing CUSA Tournament game vs Southern Miss

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Rice baseball takes on Southern Miss in the opening round of the Conference USA Baseball Tournament. Here’s how both teams match up.

A battle of CUSA heavyweight programs will reconvene in Biloxi. Rice and Southern Miss have won five of the last six Conference USA Baseball Tournament championships. Southern Miss won in 2018 with Rice winning the year prior.

The Owls have undergone plenty of changes since, most notably with the hiring of head coach Matt Bragga. If either program wants to return to the top they’ll need to get past the other this week.

How to watch and game info

Previous meetings

Rice and Southern Miss will meet for the fourth time in the 2019 season on Wednesday during the first round of the 2019 Conference USA Baseball Tournament. 7-Seed Rice will look to do what they’ve already accomplished twice this season, an upset of the Golden Eagles.

How Rice wins

Rice blew three late-inning leads in their final regular season series against Marshall. The sound of the Marshall bats pounding out three straight walk-off hits might still be ringing in the ears of the Rice bullpen, a low point for that group. If the Owls have it their way, they’ll be able to minimize the risk that bullpen might add in a survive-and-advance setting.

Staff ace Matt Canterino has been superb this season, but so also have fellow starters Evan Kravetz and Jackson Parthasarathy. The Owls’ trio of starting pitchers is the only set of starters who have each been named CUSA Pitcher of the Week this season. Canterino will presumably start against Southern Miss. If he’s throwing well, it’s going to be hard for coach Bragga to take him out a before the sixth or seventh inning at the earliest.

A complete game from Canterino or a strong start with a few well-executed innings by a select bullpen arm or two have proven to be enough to keep the Southern Miss bats at bay. That combination, plus a big hit or two from the likes of Trei Cruz, Bradley Gneiting or Andrew Dunlap are the recipe Rice needs to employ to move on.

How Southern Miss wins

Southern Miss is playing far from their best brand of baseball, going 3-6 in their last nine conference games. Even in defeat, though, the markings of an NCAA Tournament-worthy team have been apparent. Walker Powell is a top of the line starting pitcher who tossed nine innings in his most recent outing against UAB, striking out eight while allowing one earned run. He’ll go toe-to-toe with the Owls’ Canterino.

The lineup is where Southern Miss will hope to exploit their advantage. The Golden Eagles entering the CUSA Tournament with the third best batting average in CUSA and the second-most long balls on the season (54). Outside of an off weekend in Houston, the Southern Miss offense has tallied 21 runs or more in every conference series they’ve played this season — including the series losses.

Both teams can pitch and both teams can hit. But Southern Miss has proven more capable of stringing those hits together and producing runs consistently. They just haven’t done it against Rice. Which side blinks first?

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Conference USA Baseball Tournament 2019 Preview, schedule, how to watch

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The Conference USA Baseball Tournament returns to Biloxi, Mississippi for what promises to be another exciting final week with an NCAA bid on the line.

An eventful regular season has boiled down to one week in Biloxi. Eight Conference USA teams will enter, but only one will clinch an NCAA Tournament bid. With the possible exception of 1-Seed FAU or 2-Seed Southern Miss, the rest of the league will need to win the tournament to have a realistic shot at the NCAA Tournament as an at large team.

All games will be streamed on ESPN+ with the exception of the tournament championship, available on CBS Sports Network scheduled for Sunday, May 26 at 1:00 pm. The first four games are scheduled to be played on Wednesday, May 22. The full schedule and updated bracket are available on the CUSA Baseball website.

Assessing the field

The favorites | Southern Miss and FAU are arguably the two most complete teams in Conference USA. They each possess the depth to make a run through the loser’s bracket should they need to, although the field isn’t far behind.

The darkhorse | Old Dominion is playing their best baseball of the season when it matters most. The Monarchs might not be thought of as a baseball power, but they could sneak up on a team caught looking ahead.

The wild card | Rice might be the scariest team in this regional. Their bullpen has been as erratic as the starting pitching has been dominant. If they can manufacture something out of the pen, Rice could stun several higher seeded teams.

The bracket

Game 1 – 9:00 AM | (6) Marshall vs (3) Louisiana Tech

How they got here | It took a strong finish on the final weekend of the regular season for Marshall to clinch a spot in the CUSA Tournament field. The Thundering Herd swept Rice, setting up a rematch with Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs had a more comfortable journey, winning seven of their 10 CUSA series.

The matchup | Louisiana Tech took two of three from Marshall in the regular season, but it’s worth noting Marshall won the series opener. With just short of a full week’s rest to rest their pitching, this could be a close one.

Game 2 – 12:30 PM | (7) Rice vs (2) Southern Miss

How they got here | Southern Miss was in contention for the No. 1 overall seed until the final weekend of conference play. Their series loss to eventual top-seed FAU cost them the top spot and set them up for a matchup with hot and cold Rice. The Owls ricocheted to a low point in their final series, being swept by Marshall on three consecutive walk-off losses.

The matchup | Had it not been for a shaky bullpen, Rice might have swept Southern Miss in the regular season. Rice took two of three from the Golden Eagles. The caveat of the inconsistent bullpen throws any reasonable expectation for how this game might end up right out the window.

Game 3 – 4:00 PM | (8) UTSA vs (1) FAU

How they get here |  FAU baseball seized their opportunity, following a series win over then top-seeded Southern Miss with wins in five of their final six conference games. That gave them the regular season crown. They’ll face off with UTSA who clinched their spot on the final weekend, taking two of three from Charlotte.

The matchup |  UTSA managed one win in three tries against FAU during the regular season. The lone victory came by way of a two-hit complete game performance from Slater Foust. Silencing FAU’s offense won’t come easy, even with ace Karan Patel on the mound.

Game 4 – 7:30 PM | (5) Old Dominion vs (4) WKU

How they get here |  Playing in the CUSA Baseball conference tournament for the first time in school history, WKU road a stout offense to their first such postseason berth. Old Dominion was swept at home by Rice in late March and proceeded to win their last seven CUSA series to rocket back into the postseason mix.

The matchup | Old Dominion took two of three from Western Kentucky in the final weekend of regular season play, capping the series off with theatrics. Trailing 10-5 in the ninth inning, Old Dominion scored seven unanswered runs to take the game and the series.

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Conference USA Baseball: 2019 regular season roundup

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The 2019 Conference USA Baseball regular season is in the books. Here are a few of the teams and players who stood out the most.

Teams

Credit is due to FAU, the 1-seed in the Conference USA Baseball Tournament and the top team in the regular season in conference play. Picked to finish third in the preaseason polls, FAU bested league-leading Southern Miss head on to earn the regular season crown.

On the other end, Western Kentucky broke through for their first CUSA Tournament appearance in school history while Rice made the postseason in the first year under head coach Matt Bragga.

Hitters

Western Kentucky’s Jake Sanford was unbelievable in 2019. He was the only player in Conference USA to finish with a batting average better than .400 (.402) and he did it with a .828 slugging percentage, more than 160 points better than second-place Matt Wallner of Southern Miss. Sanford led the conference in on base percentage (.488), hits (84), RBI (65), home runs (22) and total bases (173).

Second to Sanford in most categories, Wallner would have been the front-runner for recognition had Sanford not had his incredible season. Wallner was a big bat and ended the season with eight multi-hit games over his final 14 appearances.

Pitchers

A trio of starting pitchers stand out among the many great options in CUSA. Walker Powell from Southern Miss led the conference in ERA, finishing the regular season at 2.58, complemented with a stunning 11 walks allowed in 83.2 innings pitch.

Rice’s Matt Canterino was equally impressive. The Owls’ ace held opposing batters to a CUSA-best .204 batting average against while completing more innings (93 than anyone else in the conference). He struck out 112 batters (37 looking), all the while working under the pressure of being the Friday night guy for a low-run producing offense.

Finally, UTSA’s Karan Patel earned his fair share of recognition. While not as overpowering as Canterino or as crafty as Powell, Patel mowed through innings like few others in CUSA.  His 2.82 ERA was second in conference and he was one of four CUSA hurlers with 100+ strikeouts.

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CUSA Baseball Tournament spots wide open entering final weekend

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A busy weekend for CUSA Baseball set the stage for a chaotic finish to the regular season during the final weekend.

Notable weekend results

1. Rice makes a statement (more)

It’s been a back and forth year for Rice coach Matt Bragga in his first season at the helm. His team has had it’s low points, but the Owls took two of three from league-leading Southern Miss over the weekend. With series wins over the Golden Eagles and Louisiana Tech, Rice has proven they can hang with the conference’s best when they bring their A-game.

2. Blazers poised for big breakthrough?

UAB has sat at the bottom of the conference standings since the conference slate began. It’s been nearly a foregone conclusion the Blazers wouldn’t be playing in the postseason, but a series win over Charlotte has kept the door open. Entering the final weekend UAB is one win out of the eighth spot, the final postseason eligible team. It’s going to take some work, but there is hope in Birmingham.

3. Marshall swept

As UAB surged, Marshall swooned. Rather than position themselves for a low-pressure weekend against Rice, Marshall firmly in must-win mode after being swept by Old Dominion. Four CUSA teams have 11 wins and two of them aren’t going to Biloxi. That’s not where Marshall wanted to find themselves, but here they are.

Standings

Team CUSA Overall
1 FAU 19-8 34-17
2 Southern Miss 19-8 32-17
3 WKU 15-11-1 24-24-1
4 Louisiana Tech 15-12 32-30
5 Old Dominion 14-13 32-18
6 Rice 14-13 23-28
7 Marshall 11-15 24-26
8 UTSA 11-15 24-27
9 FIU 11-16 22-29
10 MTSU 11-16 18-33
11 Charlotte 10-16-1 19-29-1
12 UAB 10-17 25-27

 

Upcoming series of note

1. MTSU vs FAU

MTSU hasn’t won a conference series since taking two of three from UAB on the weekend of April 12. Still, somehow the Blue Raiders have real postseason aspirations. They’ll have to go through FAU who needs to outperform Southern Miss to clinch the No. 1 seed.

2. Old Dominion at Western Kentucky

For the first time in school history, Western Kentucky has clinched a spot in the CUSA Baseball Tournament. WKU can secure the No. 3 seed and potentially knock Old Dominion out of the postseason. At the minimum, the Hilltoppers want to pick up momentum entering Biloxi.

3. UAB at Southern Miss

Losers of back-to-back CUSA series for the first time this season, Southern Miss is in danger of losing the No. 1 seed. To clinch the top spot, they’ll need to best UAB and finish a game ahead of FAU who beat USM two weekends ago. It’s a tough bar, but this is a team talented enough to do it. A sweep of UAB would be a good start.

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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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