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Rice baseball swept at home, drops battle of Owls to FAU

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In a battle of Owls, Rice Baseball was swept at home by Florida Atlantic over the weekend, outscored by their visitors 24-10 in the three-game series.

THREE FOR THE ROAD | Rice baseball drops series 3-0

A hot start early on in conference play has seemingly cooled off for Rice baseball, who dropped their fifth consecutive contest on Sunday as a three-game series against FAU resulted in a sweep. Going winless at your own ballpark is never fun, and Rice will have plenty to work on as they prepare for a tough road trip to Ruston, LA next weekend. But first, a few takeaways from the weekend.

1. Scoring output stumbles

The Rice bats haven’t been the problem in recent weeks. Even when they weren’t exploding for double-digit outputs, they still seemed to consistently reach six or seven runs, giving their pitching staff support and giving the team a chance in almost every game. Against FAU, Rice scored just 10 runs in three games.

FAU is in the bottom third of the conference in team ERA, and although they’ve pitched fairly well of late, this probably wasn’t the most dominant set of hurlers Rice baseball will see this season. They managed to do a number against the Owls.

Last Time Out: Ninth inning rally comes up short for Rice baseball vs TAMUCC

Perhaps this was just an off weekend, but it was telling that Rice baseball head coach Cruz Jr. opted to empty the benches on Sunday and put Jack Ben-Shoshan and Cullen Hannigan in the starting lineup for the first time in a long while.

He tried to shake things up and provide this lineup a spark. Unfortunately, it didn’t work. As the pitching staff struggles. the bats will continue to be relied upon to win Rice games. When they’re quiet, it’s going to make for long days at the ballpark.

2. Defense is picking up

It wasn’t that long ago where it seemed like Rice was due a three-error or four-error game every weekend. Keeping track of the baseball wasn’t something this team did well, that is, until the switch was flipped in late March and they became a stronger fielding team.

“I think our infield is starting to look really good defensively,” Cruz Jr. said, making note of the return of Hal Hughes to the lineup. Hughes made his season debut on Tuesday against Texas A&M Corpus Christi after missing the first half of the season with an injury.

Rice committed just two errors on the weekend, and although there were a few bad hops that some of the Owls’ defenders would have preferred to make, the focus is definitely better. That’s a plus, and a much-needed sign of growth for the program as a whole.

3. Pitching staff in progress

Had anyone offered Cruz Jr. a pair of two-pitcher games to open this weekend series he would have taken it in a heartbeat, especially against one of the best hitting teams in the conference. FAU leads Conference USA in hits, and although they picked up several against Rice, the Owls top end of the staff was competitive enough to be trusted with deep outings, even in the bullpen.

Weeks ago Cruz Jr. talked about finding a reliable corps to throw in the most high-leverage of situations. Even though the Rice bullpen gave up runs this weekend, it seemed evident some combination of Garret Zaskoda, Roel Garcia, Dalton Wood, David Shaw, Tom Vincent and Cristian Cienfuegos are going to the first guys to get the call just about every weekend from here on out.

More: Rice Baseball Midseason State of the Program

The shortlist has been built. What remains to be seen is which pitchers can make the adjustments and start to limit the damage against some of the deeper lineups in Conference USA. Matthew Linskey has been darn near perfect, but he can’ throw every day, not if he wants to maintain that level of effectiveness. No, it’s going to take another step up by a few more guys. Now it appears the staff knows who they’re looking for.

THE PLAY BY PLAY

FRIDAY | FAU 9 – Rice 4

The series started out on a rocky note for Rice baseball starter Cooper Chandler who gave up four runs in the first two innings including a few very hard-hit balls. To his credit, he dug in and fought his way to the sixth inning. Cruz Jr. noticed his grit, saying Chandler “pitched really good”, casting his major complaints upon the Rice offense, which did little to support their Friday night guy.

Rice scored once in the first inning on a groundout. Guy Garibay pulled Rice within one run on a two-run blast in the fifth inning that made the score 4-3 in favor of FAU. The visitors tacked on five more runs after that, nickling-and-diming Chandler and Zaskoda as the Rice bats watched on, resulting in a 9-4 win for FAU.

SATURDAY | FAU 6 – Ricc 5

Filling for Parker Smith who left his start last weekend early, Alex DeLeon delivered a gritty four-run, five-inning effort in Game 2 with two of those runs unearned. Behind 3-0 in the fourth, Rice slugger Austin Bulman delivered an equalizing three-run shot down the left field line to breathe new life into the Rice dugout.

Both teams traded runs in the fifth inning to set the score at 4-4. Again in the sixth, single tallies from each side made it 5-5. FAU would take the lead for good in the eighth with a leadoff home run against Roel Garia following which Rice would send the minimum to the plate in the final two half innings.

SUNDAY | FAU 7 – Rice 1

Things were shaping up to be a close game on getaway day, until they weren’t. Rice took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI double by Austin Bulman. FAU tied the game in the third, then jumped in front in the fourth. Trailing 3-1, the game still felt in reach until FAU delivered the gut-punch 4-run finisher in the sixth inning.

Podcast: Rice Owls’ Voice JP Heath talks baseball, basketball, broadcasting

Rice reliever David Shaw left with two runners on and one out, setting the table for Tom Vincent, who struggled to get out of the frame. He gave up three hits and allowed a run to score on a hit by pitch as Rice fell behind 7-1. They would not recover, tallying just four hits in the series finale.

ON DECK | Rice baseball vs Houston Baptist (Tues), at Louisiana Tech (Fri-Sun)

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Rice Baseball: Ninth inning rally comes up short vs TAMU CC

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Rice baseball dropped a slugfest to Texas A&M Corpus Christi, the Owls’ first loss to the Islanders in 21 games between the two programs.

For the first time in program history, Rice baseball fell to Texas A&M Corpus Christ on the diamond. The Owls pushed the Islanders to the brink, but were unable to keep pace with the visiting bats, falling by a final score of 12-10.

It was apparent from the start it wasn’t going to be smooth sailing for either pitching staff. Texas A&M Corpus Christi would use eight pitchers. Rice used six. Of those 14 hurlers who took the mound at Reckling Park on Wednesday night, only five left without at least one earned run charged to their ledger.

Texas A&M Corpus Christi struck first with one run in the second. Rice responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning to take the lead. Then the Islanders took it back as the seesawing began.

Last Time Out : Rice baseball clinches first series win, takes 2-of-3 at Marshall

From the bottom of the fifth inning through the top of the eighth, at least one run was scored in each consecutive half inning. Both teams traded leads through that period before Texas A&M Corpus Christi broke things open with a five-run eighth inning which featured four extra-base hits.

Despite the five-run deficit, Rice would threaten in the ninth before a double-play ball stranded the tying run on second base.

What it means | Paging the pen

It’s hard to fault the bats for not doing enough on a night when they managed 10 runs on 13 hits. The Rice defense played relatively well too, committing one error as they welcomed surehanded fielder Hal Hughes back to the lineup for the first time this season. The pitching, however, continues to be an adventure.

More: Rice Baseball Midseason State of the Program

Brandon Deskins was productive, working 3.2 innings of 2-run ball, allowing his first home run of the season. Outside of that and a 1-2-3 inning from Reed Gallant in the ninth, Rice struggled to get outs, even when they handed the ball to their most reliable relievers.

Tom Vincent, Cristian Cienfuegos and David Shaw combined to allow nine hits and seven earned runs in 2.0 innings of work. Bad days happen for every pitcher, but stringing three bad days together is usually indicative of a bigger problem. If Rice wants to be competitive in Conference USA, they’ve got to find more consistency on the mound.

ON DECK | Florida Atlantic

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Austin Bulman slam saves Rice Baseball from series sweep vs Lamar

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After a rocky start, Rice Baseball was able to salvage one game against Lamar, dropping the series but finishing things on a high note.

THREE FOR THE ROAD | Rice baseball drops series 1-2

It took three tries, but Rice baseball head coach Jose Cruz Jr. earned his first home victory on Sunday afternoon in thrilling come-from-behind fashion thanks to the bat of Austin Bulman. His grand slam salvaged what could have been the Owls’ second consecutive weekend of winless play, averting what Cruz Jr. himself dubbed “disaster” and replacing it with a momentum-building win.

“Our team is starting to build, starting to come together in many ways,” Cruz Jr. said. “We still have a ways to go.”

Fielding will undoubtedly be on the to-do list — Rice committed four errors to Lamar’s two — as will be situational hitting. There was good and bad on the mound and much like the rest of the roster, it has tweaks that need to be made too. But first, here’s are three important takeaways from the weekend.

1. The lineup writes itself

In the lead-up to the regular season, Cruz Jr. said “the lineup writes itself.” Through seven games, that declaration is beginning to bear itself out.

At the plate, the top half of the lineup is more or less set with the return of Connor Walsh on Saturday. Walsh missed the first four games of the season with injuries but came back swinging, going 2-for-4 with a walk in his debut. Behind him, in some order, have been Bulman, Garibay, Aaron Smigelski and Drew Woodcox.

More: Jose Cruz Jr. hopes to bring modern edge to Rice baseball

Defensively, there has been some rotation between some of the infield positions and the designated hitter spot. Outside of the platoon at designated hitter, catcher has featured the most notable split with Justin Long and Manny Garza both fighting for playing time. The lineup isn’t set just yet, but it’s starting to feel pretty close. A few notable lines from the weekend:

  • Garibay: 5-for-15, 2 HR, 5 RBI
  • Bulman: 5-for-14, 2 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI
  • Smigelski: 5-for-13, 2 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI

2. Arms you can trust

Navigating the Rice pitching staff has felt like running through a minefield in the early portions of this season. Outings have ranged from abysmal to fantastic, with almost no precursor to warn what might happen next. Starter Cooper Chandler was hit around on Friday night, but rough weather conditions and poor defense behind him did not help. Cruz Jr. said Chandler would “probably end up starting next Friday as well.”

On the positive side, Alex DeLeon was sharp in relief of Chandler going 3.1 innings and allowing just one earned run. Garret Zaskoda worked 2.1 innings on Saturday with three strikeouts and one run allowed. Reed Gallant punched out all three batters he faced in a rare 1-2-3 inning on Saturday. Cristian Cienfuegos, Mark Perkins and Brandon Deskins all provided quality outings on Sunday.

Cruz Jr. emphasized the command of his pitchers as one of the most important aspects of their success. “I think our pitching competed pretty good. We’re pounding the zone very well,” he said.

As for the starters, Roel Garcia looked sharper than his previous outing. He was charged with two runs in 4.1 innings. Thomas Burbank had his final line marred by a rough final inning, but more or less kept Rice in the game until things unraveled.

The real problem was the landmines in between. David Shaw, Caleb Matthews and Tom Vincent each allowed multiple runs while recording four outs or less. Many of the players that have struggled are young with more to learn as they progress at the collegiate level. Others aren’t. Regardless, finding the trusted list of who Cruz Jr. can turn to in key moments remains a top priority.

3. Smigeliski shines

It seemed destined to go down as an obscure fact with relatively little importance: the first run of the 2022 Rice Baseball season was scored by true freshman Aaron Smigelski. The newcomer entered as a pinch hitter in a 15-0 ballgame, singled and came around to score.

Cruz Jr. took note of the at bat, praising the newcomers’ approach, and gave him another chance the following day which turned into the same result, a hit. Smigelski entered the starting lineup for the Owls’ midweek game against HBU and has been a fixture in the starting nine from that point onward.

“It doesn’t faze him. The guy is what I call a flat-liner. He goes about his business like it’s just another day,” Cruz Jr. said. “He’s been a boost of energy for us.” Perhaps it’s a coincidence, but the Owls’ offensive numbers have been much better with Smigelski in the lineup. That’s not going to be changing anytime soon.

When asked about the offensive production as a whole, Smigelski’s name was the first one Cruz Jr. mentioned. “Smigelski was amazing all weekend,” he said, before continuing on to list Garibay, Bulman and Becker as well.

THE PLAY BY PLAY

FRIDAY | Lamar 12 – Rice 6

The series did not get off to an auspicious start for Rice baseball. Lamar loaded the bases with its first three batters of the game and struck with four runners in the first inning against Rice starter Cooper Chandler who labored through three innings of work. Rice would steal back two runs in the bottom of the frame but would leave runners in scoring position in two of the next three innings.

It wasn’t that Rice didn’t get their hits, they just couldn’t deliver once base runners were on. Rice hit .188 with RISP in scoring position and gave up 12 runs on the mound. It’s hard to win games like that.

SATURDAY | Lamar 8 – Rice 6 (11)

Saturday was a much more subdued affair for both sides in the early goings. Roel Garcia worked three scoreless innings for the Owls before leaving the game in the fifth with a 2-1 lead thanks to a home run by Aaron Smigelski. Lamar would tie things up that inning and take a 5-2 lead the following frame.

Both sides were quiet for a while after that before Rice broke through with a pair of clutch two-out, RBI hits in the bottom of the eighth. Smigelski drove in two with a single to left. Woodcox lined a ball into center, giving Rice a 6-5 lead. It wouldn’t last long. Lamar homered in the ninth to tie the score.

From there, the game moved on to extra innings. Lamar broke through with two runs in the 11th. Rice had their chance to equalize, but pinch hitters Benjamin Rosengard and Jack Ben-Shoshan struck out, stranding the tying runs on base.

SUNDAY | Rice 8 – Lamar 6

Thomas Burbank cruised through the first 4.2 innings against Lamar on Sunday before running into a barrage of extra-base hits. After retiring the first two batters he faced in the fifth, he allowed a walk, followed by a double and then two triples, breaking a 1-1 tie and giving Lamar a 5-1 advantage.

Garibay delivered the Owls’ first score on a solo shot in the fourth inning, his second long ball of the weekend. He helped moved the lineup along with a walk in the fifth, helping the home team scratch across their first crooked number of the weekend. Smigelski would be the hero, driving in two on an RBI single to left field to bring Rice back within striking distance, although they still trailed 5-4.

Lamar would tack on another, stacking the deck further against Rice baseball in the late innings. The Owls’ big chance would come in the eighth. With the bases loaded, Bulman took a 2-2 pitch and drove it well past the fence for a grand slam. Matthew Linskey came on for the save to give Rice the win.

ON DECK | Rice baseball vs Baylor (Wed)

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Rice Baseball has plenty to work on following weekend sweep by Texas

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Things got away for Rice baseball quickly on opening weekend against Texas leaving the Owls with plenty to correct as they move forward.

THREE FOR THE ROAD | Rice baseball swept 3-0

In the words of Rice baseball head coach Jose Cruz Jr., “It didn’t go as we had hoped.” Those words seem optimistic at best following what was a rough awakening from the honeymoon offseason by the nation’s No. 1 team in their own ballpark. Texas outscored Rice by a combined score of 36-3, outclassing the Owls all around and sending them home with plenty to work on.

“We’re just starting,” Cruz Jr. admitted, adding that he’s hopeful players continue to progress and “we have some guys step up.” More on what went wrong and what good can be gleaned from a tough opening weekend for Rice baseball.

1. Someone might be walking home

On two separate occasions, Rice baseball issued five or more walks in the same inning. It would be disingenuous to boil an entire series down to a singular stat, but walks tell the preponderance of this story. 17 different pitchers took the mound for the Owls against the Longhorns this weekend.  Just as many left without recording an out (two) as left without issuing a walk (also two).

Of the two who went multiple innings without issuing a walk (Cristian Cienfuegos and Parker Smith), only Smith hit a batter. So in total, 16 of 17 Rice pitchers allowed a free base runner and only two (Brandon Deskins and Cooper Chandler) went at least three full innings on the mound.

More: Jose Cruz Jr. hopes to bring modern edge to Rice baseball

Cruz Jr. was blunt in his assessment. “Ultimately I chuck it up to lack of execution. I think we gave them too many chances.”

Five Rice pitchers through at least 60 percent of their pitches for strikes. Five through more balls than strikes, overall. The program can praise the technological advancements of its pitching lab all they want, but if they don’t throw strikes, it’s not going to matter.

2. Some answers in the lineup

Finding someone to fill the offensive void left by the departing trio of  Cade Edwards, Bradley Gneiting and Braden Comeaux was high on the priority list for the start of the season. While the Owls didn’t see any resounding offensive displays, there were enough encouraging at bats that indicate the offense should be better than its current one-run-per-game clip.

Guy Garibay appears to be as good as advertised and seems locked into a top-four spot in the batting order after collecting two doubles on the weekend and several hard-hit outs. Austin Bulman launched the Owls’ first home run of the season — the third consecutive year he’s delivered the first long ball for Rice — and is going to be a fixture as well.

Drew Woodcox struggled out of the gate, but his offseason performances will likely warrant him more than one weekend to work out of the slump. Justin Long and Pierce Gallo each left the weekend hitting .375 after three hits in eight at bats. True freshman Aaron Smigelski and Jack Ben-Shoshan delivered pinch hits, and while it might not get them in the starting lineup just yet, Cruz Jr. said he’d taken notice of their good approaches at the plate.

3. Texas is very, very good, but Rice beat themselves, too

Rice committed three errors at third base in the first 11 defensive innings of this series. They had four errors on the weekend. Texas had one. Add in 28 walks, six wild pitches, three passed balls and zero runs in the first 17 innings and you get the recipe for a sloppy weekend on the road — and that’s before any opponent enters the equation.

“[We want] guys to put together good at bats, play some good defense, just play baseball,” Cruz Jr. said. “for our pitchers to execute [and] just be able to attack the zone a little bit more than we have.”

Whether it was jitters, rust or some combination of both, Rice can put a tremendously improved product on the field by minimizing their own mistakes. Fortunately, Rice won’t be playing Texas every weekend. And fortunately, Rice has a lot of time left in this young season to work through warts that were put on display in Austin this past weekend.

THE PLAY BY PLAY

FRIDAY  | Texas 7 – Rice 0

Texas came after Rice starter Cooper Chandler early on Friday night. He allowed plenty of hard contact, but only one run in each of the first two innings. Trailing 2-0, he worked a scoreless third before two infield singles and an error in the fourth inning drove him from the game. By the time the inning was through, Rice trailed 5-0.

Christian Cienfuegos was a bright spot out of the bullpen, but it was too little, too late by the time he settled in. The Rice offense was quiet, largely unable to solve Texas starter Pete Hansen. The Owls only had seven at bats with runners in scoring position and produced no hits in those key moments. Those missed opportunities and the errors proved too much to overcome.

SATURDAY | Texas 15 – Rice 1

Even following a three-run third inning courtesy of a balk and an error and one more run across in the fourth, the game was very much in the balance on Saturday entering the fifth inning. Roel Garcia punched out the first two batters and was one strike from returning to the dugout with the Owls’ first 1-2-3 inning of the weekend. Then he walked the next batter on a full count and the spiral began.

Rice allowed six runs in the fifth, three more in the sixth and two in the seventh, watching a 4-0 deficit turn into a 15-0 hole as the offense continued to put up zeroes. At that point, the rout was on and Rice could only play out the string.

SUNDAY | Texas 14 – Rice 2

Austin Bulman lifted the first pitch he saw over the fence to give Rice baseball its first lead of the weekend. It would be short-lived. The 1-0 advantage turned into a 2-0 deficit before the Owls were able to get out of the first inning. That score held through three innings as starting pitcher Thomas Burbank was able to hold Texas at bay early on.

The Longhorns would breakthrough with crooked numbers in the fourth and fifth innings. The Owls’ offense was able to consistently generate baserunners but unable to drive them in until a wild pitch allowed catcher Manny Garza to score the final run of the game in the eighth inning. At that point it was 14-2 Texas, cementing the end of another one-sided affair.

ON DECK | Rice baseball at Houston Baptist (Wed)

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Rice Baseball 2022: Names to Know — Pitching

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Rice baseball has a mix of new and old faces set to toe the rubber at Reckling Park this season. Here are a few names to know on the mound.

So much feels new about the 2022 Rice baseball team. More than just a new head coach, the Owls have a flurry of new players set to take the diamond for the first time this weekend against Texas in Austin. As for who will toe the rubber in that Friday night game, or beyond it, for that matter, the details remain fuzzy.

Last year’s weekend rotation consisted of Mitchell Holcomb followed by some combination of Roel Garcia, Blake Brogdon and Brandon Deskins. Holcomb has exhausted his eligibility and moved on. In his place appears to be Pepperdine transfer Cooper Chandler, who posted a 3.17 ERA and a 12-5 record over four seasons with the Waves and has gotten off to a strong start in spring practices.

Cooper seems the most likely to earn the Friday night spot out of the gate given his experience and production through practices. Who slots in behind him seems almost entirely up in the air. New headman Jose Cruz Jr. could stick with some of the aforementioned veterans or turn to someone like Alex DeLeon who has starting experience at Rice or San Jac transfer Thomas Burbank.

More: Jose Cruz Jr. hopes to bring modern edge to Rice baseball

No matter who snags the starting spot, Rice baseball will have options to work with in the bullpen. Dalton Wood has the potential to be a hammer at the back end. Freshman David Shaw has been utilized in the later innings this spring as well. Fellow freshman Trey Clucas might get an early look as could redshirt freshman and Texas A&M transfer Tom Vincent.

Beyond that cohort are a few more familiar names who have toed the bump at Reckling Park in years prior and look to elevate their game to compete for pitching time thanks to the new tools brought by Cruz Jr. and his staff.

Drake Greenwood, Cristian Cienfuegos, Micah Davis, Reed Gallant, Garret Zaskoda and Matthew Linskey have each had their moments in the past. Of that contingent, Cienfuegos flashed in small doses this spring. Gallant was effective as well. All could get opportunities early this season.

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