The source for Rice sports news

Rice Baseball swept by Stanford

By

Rice baseball left Reckling Park without a win this weekend, falling in three straight games to Stanford.

FRIDAY | Stanford 6 – Rice 2

The home crowd exploded with cheers when Jack Riedel launched a seventh-inning pitch over the left field berm for a no-doubt, leadoff home run. While the blast was impressive, it also represented the Owls’ first hit of the night in a game they trailed 5-0 before that ball crossed over the fence.

Last Time Out: Rice Baseball drops midweek bout with LSU

Stanford starting pitcher Matt Scott had allowed just two base runners to that point, both on walks. Smith outdueled Rice ace Parker Smith who had labored through six innings, earning the loss. A late-inning rally would prove too little, too late.

SATURDAY | Stanford 8 – Rice 2

Following a spectacular complete game the weekend prior, Rice pitcher JD McCracken was not as fortunate this time out. He labored through 5.2 innings, leaving in a precarious spot in the sixth before two more runs were added to his ledger on a double surrendered by Jack Ben-Shoshan.

Trailing 8-0 with one hit of their own, Rice couldn’t mount a meaningful comeback. Jack Riedel gave the Owls their only offensive spark of the day, lifting a two-out home run over the wall to prevent a shutout. That salvaged some pride but had no impact on the Owls’ chances at a comeback.

SUNDAY | Stanford 4 – Rice 3

Although Stanford did strike first once again, things were much closer on Sunday in the series finale. After the Cardinal put up a two-spot in the first, Rice rallied to tie the game in the second inning. Treyton Rank delivered a key RBI double to even the score at 2-2.

The game would remain deadlocked there until the fifth inning when Stanford chased Rice start Ryland Urbanczyk from the game and moved ahead on a two-run homer off his successor, Tom Vincent. Rice got one back in the bottom half of the inning but wouldn’t score again.

Rice had a chance to break through in the eighth but stranded the bases loaded. Davion Hickson was a bright spot in the late innings, striking out five in 3.1 scoreless.

THREE FOR THE ROAD

Rice baseball wrapped up a rough week on the diamond with a weekend sweep at the hands of Stanford. Here are three takeaways from the series:

Subscriber content.<br /> Please login to see the full post or visit our Patreon page.

1. Missing my Guy

Sorry! This part of content is hidden behind this box because it requires a higher contribution level ($10) at Patreon. Why not take this chance to increase your contribution?

ON DECK | vs PVAMU (Tues), at Hawaii (Fri-Mon)

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Baseball swept by Notre Dame on Opening Weekend

By

Rice Baseball got several leads, but couldn’t hold any of them, leaving opening weekend without a win in a three-game series with Notre Dame.

FRIDAY | Notre Dame 3 – Rice 1

Seven strikeouts through four-plus innings is typically indicative of an encouraging start, but that wasn’t the case this time for Rice baseball ace Parker Smith on Friday night. The righty struggled with command, dancing through danger in every inning but the third because of two hit batters, four walks and a couple of defensive errors behind him.

More: Parker Smith’s journey to Rice baseball ace

Smith left in the fifth inning, earning the loss after Jack Ben-Shoshan was unable to keep a pair of inherited runners from scoring. Davion Hickson would deliver a sterling, four-inning, hitless performance, but it wasn’t enough. Rice managed just one run, credited to Nathan Becker on an RBI single in the very first inning.

SATURDAY | Notre Dame 9 – Rice 5

Jack Riedel got the scoring going on Saturday, earning the first of two RBI on a solo home run in the first inning. JD McCracken did his part on the mound, holding Notre Dame to three runs (two earned) through 5.1 innings before handing the ball to Tyler Hamilton in relief. The Owls held a 4-3 lead at that point and kept the score there through seven innings before disaster struck.

Hamilton was tagged for two home runs which gave the Irish the lead. It was Garrett Stratton who came on next, but he registered just one out before being forced from the game. And just like that, a 4-3 Rice lead became a 9-4 deficit entering the ninth as the bullpen failed to hold on in the final innings.

SUNDAY | Notre Dame 13 – Rice 10

The ball was flying all over the yard on Sunday, beginning in the opening inning with a two-run shot off the bat from Pierce Gallo to give the Owls a 2-0 lead which miraculously persisted into the third inning despite five walks and a hit batsman from Rice starter Jackson Mayo who lasted just two innings.

Rice looked to have claimed a commanding lead in the sixth on a three-run bomb by Jack Riedel, but the Owls’ bullpen crumbled quickly soon afterward, allowing a five-run inning from the Irish and coughing up the lead. Trailing 8-7 in the eighth, Rice managed to even the score, but Notre Dame responded with a crushing five-run ninth to secure the series sweep.

THREE FOR THE ROAD

Rice baseball leaves opening weekend without a win. A series sweep will always sting, especially when the Owls were within striking distance in each contest. Here are three takeaways from a tough weekend at home.

Subscriber content.<br /> Please login to see the full post or visit our Patreon page.

1. Free passes and hit batsmen loom large

Sorry! This part of content is hidden behind this box because it requires a higher contribution level ($10) at Patreon. Why not take this chance to increase your contribution?

ON DECK | vs Sam Houston (Tues), at Louisiana (Fri-Sun)

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Baseball 2024: Names to Know — Pitching

By

Entering Year 3 under head coach Jose Cruz Jr the Rice baseball roster is starting to take shape. Here are a few names to know on the mound.

Rice baseball has a frontline ace and lots of unproven potential on the mound entering the 2024 season. In their second season under pitching coach Parker Bangs, the entire pitching staff will look to take a step forward. Here are the key pieces the Owls will have to work with on the mound this season.

Moving On

Rice lost arguably its two most talented bullpen arms to the MLB Draft this past offseason as Matthew Linskey and Justin Long moved on to test the professional ranks. Also departing are veterans Garret Zaskoda and Krishna Raj.

Coming Back

The best news for the Rice baseball pitching staff should be the starting rotation. The Owls bring back staff ace Parker Smith, who dazzled on Friday nights last year and should do so again. Behind him, JD McCracken should be the frontrunner for Saturdays with Sunday less certain at this point. Tyler Hamilton is thought to be a strong contender for that spot right now.

More: Potential the word for Rice Baseball in Year 3 under Cruz

The bullpen is where things get tricky. Jack Ben-Shoshan is probably the most trustworthy known quantity there, but another year of development should be promising for players like Garrett Stratton and Ryland Urbancyzk.

Micah Davis should make his return at some point, recovering from an injury that forced him to miss last season. Mauricio Rodriguez, Reed Gallant and Tom Vincent will provide some veteran depth as some of the younger players come along throughout the season.

Added to the Mix

The back end of the bullpen likely offers the most opportunity for new faces to make a name for themselves in the early goings of the season. Given the lack of established horses, a newcomer who compiles a couple of solid outings could warrant a longer runway for evaluation. Davion Hickson is one such name to monitor.

Hickson joins Rice from Florida State, although he only pitched one inning for the Seminoles before transferring to South Main. He was a name singled out by veteran catcher Manny Garza before spring workouts began, along with freshman righty Jake Melvin.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Baseball 2023 Season Review: Bullpen

By

The bullpen was a perpetual work in progress for Rice baseball in 2023. There was talent, but the control and dependability were erratic.

The Rice baseball pitching staff never quite settled in during the 2023 season. Individuals had their moments, but it was hard to know what was going to happen when the ball changed hands late in games, particularly in high-leverage situations. The starting rotation was addressed previously. This roundup focuses on the relievers.

Subscriber content.<br /> Please login to see the full post or visit our Patreon page.
Sorry! This part of content is hidden behind this box because it requires a higher contribution level ($10) at Patreon. Why not take this chance to increase your contribution?
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Baseball swept by WKU, extending Owls’ C-USA slump

By

Rice Baseball was swept for the third consecutive weekend, this time falling in three games to Western Kentucky on the road.

FRIDAY | WKU 5  – Rice 4 (10 inn.)

Rice baseball ace Parker Smith was met with a forceful greeting on Friday night in Bowling Green, allowing four runs in the first two innings, more than he typically allows over the course of a full start. Even with the rocky beginning, though, Smith settled in and was able to pitch into the eighth, allowing no further runs as he waited for the offense to arrive.

Last Time Out: Rice baseball snaps losing skid with win over Houston

The Owls got on the board for the first time in the fifth, using three doubles to score three runs, followed a frame later by a solo home run from Drew Holderbach to even the score. Smith left without a decision, but the game was within reach. He had done his job. Justin Long would be less fortunate. He pitched a scoreless remainder of the eighth and a flawless ninth before WKU walked it off against him in the tenth.

SATURDAY | WKU 10 – Rice 2

With JD McCracken on the bump, Rice and WKU moved quickly through a pitching-centric game in the early goings on Saturday. Both starters had allowed just one run through four innings and it wasn’t until McCracken ran into some trouble in the fifth that the bats on either side began to wake up. McCracken would battle through another two innings, leaving in the seventh in a one-rune game.

Jack Ben-Shoshan was called upon for just one batter — he walked him — before handing the ball to Krishna Raj. That would turn out to be a fateful decision. Raj was handed the disservice of entering the game with the bases loaded an no outs, but he was pelted to the tune of seven runs (four charged to him) as Rice fell behind 10-2. That would be the eventual final score.

SUNDAY | WKU 5 – Rice 2

Rice struck first in the finale on a Guy Garibay RBI single in the top of the second, but the lead was short-lived. WKU took the lead back in the bottom of the inning, scoring twice. The Hilltoppers added single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings to cautiously extender their advantage. Much of those insurance runs would prove unneeded.

Jack Riedel, who saw his 16-game hit streak snapped, delivered an RBI groundout in the top of the seventh, scoring the Owls’ only other run of the afternoon. Rice simply had no answer for WKU hurler Dawson Hall who earned the win with six innings of one-run ball, tallying as many strikeouts (five) as hits allowed.

THREE FOR THE ROAD

Rice baseball couldn’t afford to be swept this weekend, but they were handed three-straight losses nonetheless. Here are three takeaways from a tough weekend on the road.

Subscriber content.<br /> Please login to see the full post or visit our Patreon page.

1. Fast start fizzles again

Sorry! This part of content is hidden behind this box because it requires a higher contribution level ($10) at Patreon. Why not take this chance to increase your contribution?

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

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts