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Rice Baseball edges Tech, falls to TCU, A&M at Shriner’s Classic

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Rice Baseball won one of three games at the Shriner’s Classic, taking down Texas Tech for their first ranked win of the Jose Cruz Jr. era.

FRIDAY | Rice 3 – Texas Tech 2

Parker Smith further solidified his status as a bonafide Friday starter this weekend, tossing a fantastic outing against No. 24 Texas Tech at Minute Maid. Smith struck out a career-high eight batters in six innings, allowing just three hits, one walk and zero runs. His efforts were bolstered by a two-run home run from Connor Walsh in the fourth inning to give Rice the lead.

Matthew Linskey struggled to find his command in relief, allowing Texas Tech to tie the game on a wild pitch and sacrifice fly in the seventh. Jack Riedel answered in the bottom half of the inning with a solo shot of his own which would prove to be the game winner, lifting Rice baseball to its first win over a ranked opponent in the Jose Cruz Jr. era.

SATURDAY | Texas A&M 13 – Rice 1 (7 inn.)

Texas A&M scored three runs in the first. They scored five runs in the second, chasing starting pitcher Mauricio Rodriguez in the process. Ryland Urbanczyk replaced him and was greeted with a rousing Ball-5 chant from the maroon-clad crowd.

The Aggies finished that second inning with an 8-0 lead. Rice stranded the bases loaded in the top half of the third, then watched Texas A&M tack on three more runs in the bottom half of the inning and another two runs in the fourth. After nearly two hours of game time, Texas A&M led 13-0 and the fifth inning hadn’t yet begun. It was that kind of night for Rice baseball.

SUNDAY| TCU 7 – Rice 0

The dwindling offensive numbers hit their bottom in the Sunday finale against TCU hurler Cam Brown, who had the Owls’ number from the start. He struck out eight in seven innings, allowing just three hits and the TCU bats did the rest. The Horned Frogs scored three on a home run in the second inning and another on a solo shot in the third. A sacrifice fly in the fifth and a two-run double in the eighth rounded out the scoring, more than enough to overcome the Owls’ bagel.

Rice was held to four hits for the afternoon. Starting pitcher Tom Vincent was relieved after 2.1 innings. Matthew Linskey was the only Rice pitcher that did not get charged with a run, while Cristian Cienfuegos, JD McCracken and Blake Brogdon were not as fortunate.

THREE FOR THE ROAD

Rice baseball concluded a stretch of seven consecutive games away from Reckling Park with a three-game stint at the Shriner’s College Classic. The Owls picked up one win in the process. Here are a few takeaways from the weekend.

1. Who’s next on the mound?

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ON DECK | vs UTRGV (Tues),  vs Texas A&M (Wed), vs Houston Christian (Fri-Sun)

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Rice Baseball shows sparks, but gets swept by Stanford

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Rice Baseball gave Stanford a fight at the Farm this weekend but left California without a win, falling to 2-5 on the season.

THE PLAY BY PLAY | Rice drops series 3-0

FRIDAY | Stanford 6 – Rice 3

Parker Smith cruised through the first several innings of the series opener against Stanford on Friday afternoon, giving up a hit or a walk here or there, but never really feeling like he was in any real danger early on. Part of that comfort was generated by Drew Holderbach, who delivered a two-out single through the left side to put Rice ahead 2-0 in the third inning. Stanford would get one run back in the fourth, but Rice was in control as the game went into the later innings.

More: Under the radar players for Rice baseball in 2023

Things got hairy in the sixth after Pierce Gallo committed a pair of errors that enable Stanford to tie the game. With runners on second and third and one two outs, the Owls went to Matthew Linskey, who gave up the go-ahead run and eventually two more after he lost command in the seventh. That would be it for the Owls’ who couldn’t claw back from the late deficit.

SATURDAY AM | Stanford 11 – Rice 1

With a doubleheader scheduled for Saturday, a string of bullpen games was expected. Mauricio Rodriguez got the start in the first game and gave up two earned runs in 3.2 innings. Unfortunately for him, the Owls’ offense would only score once, eventually saddling him with the loss

Stanford was able to get to almost every Rice reliever that followed. Tyler Hamilton got it the worst, allowing five runs on two hits and three walks in the eighth inning, more or less the unofficial white flag for a Rice team that had collected just four hits on the day.

SATURDAY PM | Stanford 7 – Rice 4

Headed to the bottom of the second inning tied 2-2, Rice has weathered Stanford’s first scoring strike and answered. Stanford would punch back, going up 4-2 only to see Rice respond in the fourth with two runs of their own. After going through much of Friday in an evenly matched game, the second half of the doubleheader had a similar feel.

Rice had the chance to break things open with the bases loaded in the fourth inning. They scored twice, one of which came on a bases-loaded walk to Trey Duffield. They couldn’t get a bigger number across, despite the fortuitous situation. Justin Long gave the Owls a chance with a masterful 4.2 innings of scoreless relief, but the lack of run production in that key moment would come back to bite them, with Stanford scoring three in the eighth to take the lead for good.

THREE FOR THE ROAD

Rice baseball made it into the sixth inning tied with the No. 2 Stanford Cardinal twice this weekend but walked away without any wins. The Owls had the muscle to hang around with the Cardinal but didn’t possess that extra oomph needed to close out either of their close games. Here are a few takeaways from the weekend.

1. Rice baseball has a Friday night guy

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ON DECK | at Sam Houston (Tues),  Shriners Classic – vs Texas Tech (Fri), vs Texas A&M (Sat), vs TCU (Sun)

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Rice Baseball 2023: Names to Know — Lineup

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Entering Year 2 under head coach Jose Cruz Jr the Rice baseball roster is starting to take shape. Here are a few names to know at the plate.

Rice baseball hit somewhat of a reset last season in the first year under Jose Cruz Jr that featured a significant amount of turnover in the lineup following the departure of several veteran players. With the exception of a few notable transfers and incoming freshmen, the 2023 roster should have more continuity than the previous year.

Moving On

The presence of Austin Bulman will be missed this year. He was a keystone in the lineup and in the infield. Among the other notable departing names are outfielders Antonio Cruz and Justin Dunlap as well as infielders Hal Hughes and Drew Woodcox. Those losses aren’t insignificant, but it’s worth noting the Owls bring back a significantly larger portion of their production than they’re losing. That wasn’t the case last year.

Coming Back

Rice baseball is set to return seven of their top nine hitters from the 2022 season, led at the top of the lineup by outfielder Guy Garibay Jr. Nathan Becker, who led all everyday Rice players with a .310 batting average, is back as well as is standout freshman Aaron Smigelski.

Jack Riedel, Pierce Gallo and Connor Walsh, all of whom played important roles in last year’s squad, return as well. That’s a strong core for Rice to build around on offense.

Added to the Mix

Catcher Manny Garza isn’t a new face — he actually led the team with a staggering 1.023 OPS last season — but was limited to 22 appearances because of injuries. Adding his bat and defense to the lineup for the long haul will provide a boost.

As for newcomers to the squad, be on the lookout for big contributions from grad transfer Drew Holderbach, a DIII transfer who slashed .356 / .436 / .516 over four years at Mariette College, won two DIII gold gloves at first base and led his team to a DIII World Series appearance.

More: Expectations rise for Rice Baseball, Cruz Jr. in Year 2

Max Johnson, who joins Rice from Indiana where he appeared in 11 games last year, has drawn some early positive reviews, too.

Rice also signed five freshman position players who are expected to be in action this season. Christian Salazar, Trey Duffield and Jacob Devenny could each contend for playing time in the outfield this season. Paul Smith is a catcher from just down the road at Episcopal. Ben Royo, who has impressed early, has a good shot to find some at bats.

** Photo Maria Lysakar **
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MTSU thumps Rice Baseball in Owls’ final home series of 2022

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Rice Baseball wrapped up their final homestand of the 2022 season with a whimper, falling in three straight games to Middle Tennessee at Reckling Park.

THREE FOR THE ROAD | Rice baseball loses the series 3-0

The final home series of the 2022 Rice Baseball season ended with a thud. Not only were the Owls officially eliminated from any sort of postseason appearance, they were outscored 33 to 11 in the three-game slate. The sweep is the Owls’ fifth of conference play. Rice is now 13-37 overall and 6-21 in conference play. Here are a few takeaways from the weekend.

1. The Seniors

Sunday was Senior Day for Rice Baseball. Pregame festivities included jersey presentations and a formal thanks in front of the crowd at Reckling Park. This class features several players who have become mainstays for the Owls in recent seasons.

Austin Bulman, Alex DeLeon and Brandon Deskins each made their marks at Reckling Park. Bulman has been one of the most productive bats in the Rice lineup over the past three seasons. DeLeon has worked as a Friday Night starter, bullpen option and everything in between. Deskins became one of the more reliable options out of the pen, becoming a frequently used reliever during his time at Rice.

Last Time Out: Rice baseball swept by explosive ULL offense in midweek duet

Roel Garcia, Thomas Burbank, Jonny Hoyle, Justin Dunlap, Dalton Wood, Drake Greenwood and Antonio Cruz were also honored.

2. The Future

After reflecting on the contributions of the seniors, head Coach Jose Cruz Jr. did express his excitement for the young core of players who saw meaningful experience on the diamond this year. Guys like Aaron Smigelski, Guy Garibay and Nathan Becker proved they’d be key pieces of this team moving forward. Garibay and Becker each collected hits in each of their starts on the weekend.

Catcher Manny Garza, who missed the middle portion of the season, went 3-for-5 on Saturday and 2-for-4 on Sunday, driving in four runs across those two games.

Cruz Jr. hopes the same will be true on the mound. Mark Perkins battled through two innings early before the wheels fell off on Sunday. Matthew Linskey through three innings on Saturday, allowing one earned run while facing 12 batters.

3. Four more

There will be much more to be said about the season as a whole in the weeks and months ahead. For now, Cruz Jr. hasn’t turned the page just yet. Regarding their midweek game against Houston and final C-USA series against FIU, Cruz said “I try to win every game I play. I’m still expecting them to go out and give me high effort and get out there and try to win a ballgame.”

By virtue of their losses this weekend, Rice baseball will officially fail to qualify for the Conference USA Tournament. Even given the understandably lowered expectations entering this season, to fall this far in the conference standings can only be viewed as a disappointment.

THE PLAY BY PLAY

FRIDAY | MTSU 7 – Rice 0

For the second consecutive Friday night, Rice baseball was shut out by their opponent. This time around they were overpowered by Middle Tennessee starter Peyton Wigginton, who threw a complete game, striking out 10 batters and allowing just two hits and three walks. He kept the Owls off balance from start to finish.

On the mound, the two-man tandem of David Shaw and Alex DeLeon did what they could to limit the Blue Raiders’ bats. DeLeon entered in the fifth inning and held MTSU to three runs on five hits, but he did not get the support he needed from his offense to make the game competitive down the stretch.

SATURDAY | MTSU 5 –  Rice 4 (10)

Manny Garza opened up the scoring with a single that drove in Pierce Gallo in the bottom of the second inning. The Rice lead would not last long. Middle Tennessee answered immediately with three runs in the third and one more in the sixth, taking a 4-1 lead into the ninth inning.

For the second day, Rice struggled to get productive at bats against MTSU’s starting pitcher. This time, though, they were able to do some damage against their bullpen. Rice scored three in the ninth inning, two from a Jack Riedel home run, to force extra innings. Matthew Linskey would be charged with the loss allowing one run in the 10th in his third inning of relief.

SUNDAY | MTSU 21 – Rice 7

All smiles that lingered from Senior Day festivities were quickly put away in the Sunday finale as the Middle Tennessee bats went to work. The visitors scored one run in the first, two in the second and 11 in the third. Starter Mark Perkins was driven from the game in the third but Thomas Burbank did little to stifle the Blue Raiders’ attack, ceding to Garrett Zaskoda before the inning was over.

Trailing 14-0, Rice got its first hit of the game in the bottom of the third. Two runs that inning wouldn’t be nearly enough to stem the onslaught. MTSU would go on to hang 21 runs on Rice, taking the game and the series in landslide fashion.

ON DECK | vs Houston (Tues),  vs FIU (Thr-Sat)

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Rice Baseball compiles complete performances in WKU series win

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Rice Baseball took a much-needed weekend series against Western Kentucky, staying alive in the race for the Conference USA Tournament.

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

Rice baseball dropped the opening game before storming back to take the series thanks to a pair of one-sided affairs that ended in landslide victories on Saturday and Sunday. The pitching was good, the defense was stellar and the bats were explosive.

The series win is the Owls’ first since taking two of three from Marshall in later March. Rice is now 13-30 overall and 6-15 in conference play. Here are a few takeaways from the weekend.

1. Bring out the bats

Rice baseball scored five runs against Southern Miss last weekend across three games. They followed that up with a three-run outing on Friday night. Then the bats woke up. And when they did, they shook Reckling Park for the remainder of the weekend. Rice scored 24 runs over the final 20 innings of the weekend.

While it was the usual suspects who led the charge, Rice got contributions up and down the lineup. That’s what enabled the Owls to cobble together so many crooked numbers. Rather than wait for Austin Bulman, Guy Garibay or Aaron Smigelski to deliver the big hit, the entire lineup contributed in key moments.

Last Time Out: Rice baseball swept by No. 6 Southern Miss on the road

Pierce Gallo went 4-for-5 on Saturday with four RBI while hitting from the sixth spot. Hal Hughes was a perfect 2-for-2 on Sunday, scoring twice and doubling along the way. Catchers Justin Long and Manny Garza each had RBI hits during the weekend. Great players can drive in runs here and there, but it truly takes a village to score like the Owls did this weekend.

2. Sneaky strong starting pitching

Despite not having Cooper Chandler on Friday night, Rice starting pitching produced one of their most competitive weekends of the season. Thomas Burbank had the shortest outing, only going 2.2 innings, but things would only get better from there.

On Saturday, David Shaw through five innings, allowing one earned run on just three hits. It was Alex DeLeon’s turn to dazzle on Sunday, hurling five innings of one-run ball himself. Both of those outings allowed the offense time to work on the Western Kentucky staff with tremendous results.

DeLeon tipped his cap to the herculean defensive efforts of his outfielders behind him like Connor Walsh. “It makes you kind of calm down out there, kinda relax and get back into a groove,” he said.

Few teams are able to turn in three quality starting outings from their weekend rotation on a consistent basis. That said, it’s hard to be upset with what the Rice staff was able to accomplish this weekend.

3. Building momentum?

Head coach Jose Cruz Jr. acknowledge it would take some time to get the program to where he wanted it to be shortly after taking the job last year. The year has been filled with road bumps, but this weekend served as a positive note as the calendar turns to May. It’s too late to rewrite box scores from March and April — that damage has been done — but Rice still controls what happens from this point onward.

The teams that are remembered are the ones that win in May. To regurgitate an age-old sports adage, it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. Because they were able to take a series this weekend they’ll now have the opportunity to win back-to-back series for the first time this year. That’s how all good runs start, by winning the next game.

“We’re basically going to have to win every series to even have a chance,” Cruz Jr. said, aware of how large the task at hand is for his team. “We’re just going to have to show up and play the best ball we’ve played. Right now we’re trending in that direction.”

THE PLAY BY PLAY

FRIDAY | WKU 5 – Rice 3

Western Kentucky jumped out in front early on Friday night, scoring twice in the second inning off Rice starter Thomas Burbank, who went 2.2 innings before ceding to Brandon Deskins, who escaped a jam and kept WKU off the board for the remainder of his outing.

Rice would tally 11 hits on the afternoon but was unable to turn them into runs until the seventh inning. At that point, Western Kentucky had taken a 4-0 lead and Rice was forced to play catch up. Home runs by Austin Bulman and Manny Garza in the late innings helped narrow the gap, but Rice would fall 5-3.

SATURDAY | Rice 13 – WKU 8

Rice fell behind in the second game of the series, but they wouldn’t spend long trailing. The Owls took the lead with a two-run second inning. Then Rice exploded for 10 runs in the second inning, the most runs Rice has scored in a single inning in conference play since scoring 10 at Charlotte in 2019. Aaron Smigelski and Pierce Gallo each had multiple RBI hits in the frame, putting Rice in front 12-1.

Western Kentucky cobbled together seven additional runs over the course of the next seven innings, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Owls’ sizable early lead. Cristian Cienfuegos would come on to pitch the final two innings to preserve the win.

SUNDAY | Rice 8 – WKU 2

After swapping runs in the first inning, Rice took their first lead of the rubber game on a sacrifice fly from Guy Garibay in the third inning. Garibay would extend the lead himself in his next plate appearance, diving to right field to score one just before Austin Bulman delivered a two-run blast.

Leading 5-2 at that point, the Rice offense struck for three more in the sixth courtesy of doubles from Jack Reidel and Hal Hughes plus a wild pitch. Alex DeLeon was terrific on the mound, holding WKU to two runs in five innings. Matthew Linskey came on to close things out in the eighth, endured a 49-minute lightning delay, then finished out the ninth to lock down the win.

ON DECK | at Charlotte (Fri-Sun)

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