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Rice Athletics: Top 10 Moments from 2021

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2021 was filled with highs and lows for Rice Athletics. The Roost picked out 10 moments that stood out the most along the way.

10. Rice Basketball goes on C-USA Tournament run

For the first time since 2007, Rice basketball won multiple games in the Conference USA Tournament. The Owls beat Southern Miss and knocked off Marshall before falling to UAB. After sneaking into the tournament as the sixth seed in the West, Rice put their best foot forward when it counted the most, building momentum as the team heads into the 2021-2022 season.

9. Owls shine at Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics

The realm of collegiate athletics wasn’t the only area where Rice impressed. The Owls also faired well on one of the world’s greatest stages: the Olympics. Ariana Ince competed in the Tokyo Olympics in the javelin throw. Soon after, Ahalya Lettenberger took home a silver medal in the Paralympic Games.

8. Rice Women’s basketball wins WNIT

It feels like forever ago at this point, but Rice Women’s Basketball marched through the WNIT in March, thumping Ole Miss to win the program’s first-ever WNIT Championship. The roster has changed dramatically since then, but the accomplishments of Tina Langley, Nancy Mulkey and Co. will not be forgotten.

7. Rice Football signs another Top 5 recruiting class

Recruiting has been one of the brightest spots for Rice football under head coach Mike Bloomgren and the most recent 2022 recruiting class appears to be no exception. The Owls took home a Top 5 class in Conference USA and the No. 2 rated class in program history. Each of the last three classes currently ranks in the Top 5 highest-rated classes in school history. More recruiting notes here.

6. Grace Forbes wins C-USA Female Track, XC Athlete of the Year

While track and field might not draw the same spotlight as other collegiate sports, it’s hard not to be transfixed by the level of dominance Grace Forbes has displayed in her young Rice career. Forbes was named C-USA Female Track Athlete of the Year and C-USA Cross Country Athlete of the Year. From start to end, she was the best of the best.

5. Rice baseball hires Jose Cruz Jr. as next head coach

Rice elected to make a change at the top of the baseball program following the 2021 season and athletic director Joe Karlgaard made a splash with the hiring of former Rice great Jose Cruz Jr. Cruz has already made notable additions on the transfer front and increased the visibility of the program within the city and on social media. The 2022 season can’t come soon enough.

4. Rice Soccer upsets WVU in NCAA Tournament

Making the NCAA Tournament is an accomplishment. Winning a game is another. Rice soccer went beyond both bars in their spring season, knocking off 5-seed West Virginia in route to the first Sweet 16 appearance by a Conference USA school since 2011 and tying the program record for wins a season with 14.

3. Rice Volleyball makes NCAA Tournament, twice!

Rice arrived in Omaha in mid-April but had their first NCAA Tournament appearance of the year ended by COVID-19 cases within the program. Undeterred, they bounced back and earned another NCAA bid in their traditional fall season. Finally given the opportunity to compete, Rice beat San Diego in the first round before falling to Texas in the second round.

2. Rice football beats UAB

For the second consecutive season, Rice football won a game as a three-touchdown underdog on the road. In 2020, Marshall was the victim a dominant defensive performance by the Owls. This time around, UAB was caught in the crosshairs of what was indisputably the most complete performance by all phases in the 2021 season with team-favorite Wiley Green at the helm.

1. Rice Athletics accepts AAC invite

The giant of conference realignment awoke during the summer when Texas and Oklahoma announced moves to the SEC. That decision sent ripple effects across college athletics all the way to Houston, Tx where Rice Athletics was invited to join the American Athletic Conference. The Owls don’t have a date when the move becomes official yet, but the announcement itself is a massive moment in Rice Athletics history.

Honorable Mentions…

How about you? Which of these moments from Rice Athletics did you enjoy the most? Cutting this down to 10 was challenging. Which Rice Athletics events should be added to the list?

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Rice Baseball: Jose Cruz Jr. brings in immediate reinforcements

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Rice baseball hit the Transfer Portal hard this summer, adding several reinforcements that will help the Owls on the field next season.

Newly named Rice baseball head coach Jose Cruz Jr. hit the ground running in Houston roughly one month ago. He hasn’t slowed down his pace since. In the past few weeks he’s hired pitching coaching Colter Bostick, invited current Houston Astros’ star Alex Bregman to stop by Reckling Park and hammered the Transfer Portal.

Rice baseball has picked up commitments from three new Owls, all of which have the potential to make an impact for the team on the diamond in 2022. Here’s a quick rundown of the new commits:

Tom Vincent, LHP – Texas A&M

Vincent was a two-way player during his days at Memorial High School in Houston, hitting .545 his senior year at the plate with a 2.55 ERA on the mound. He signed with Texas A&M last year but did not play for the Aggies during the 2021 season. Perfect Game tabbed him as the No. 10 LHP in Texas in his class. He has four years of eligibility remaining.

Drew Woodcox, SS – Texas Tech

Woodcox played his high school ball at Lamar High School and made his collegiate debut this spring. He played sparingly for Texas Tech, tallying just 36 official at bats with seven hits, a .167 average. Perfect Game ranked him as the No. 49 player in the state of Texas coming out of high school. He has three years of eligibility remaining.

Jack Reidel, INF – North Carolina

A versatile infielder, Reidel is also returning home to Houston. The former Houston Memorial product saw limited action at North Carolina this past season, participating in eight games with two hits in 10 at bats, both of which came in his collegiate debut against James Madison. Reidel was the No. 19 player in the state of Texas coming out of high school and according to Mark Berman, drew interest from Texas A&M and TCU before choosing Rice.

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Rice Baseball: “Dreams do come true” for Jose Cruz Jr.

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Rice baseball officially welcomed Jose Cruz Jr. as its 22nd head coach, a moment that sparked hope and excitement in the Owls’ fanbase.

Flanked by his family, Jose Cruz Jr. was officially welcomed as the 22nd Rice baseball head coach on Tuesday evening. Donning a No. 22 jersey just like his playing days, the newest Owl coach flashed a familiar smile, delivering a confident, almost whimsical remark: “Hey, dreams do come true.”

In his introductions, athletic director Joe Karlgaard was crystal clear regarding the significance that Cruz has already had on South Main, calling him “one of the architects” that built Rice baseball into an Omaha-caliber program. Cruz didn’t stray far from his roots in his return to Houston, and in Karlgaard’s own estimation, “there weren’t many people who’d seen more Rice baseball games over the past five or six years than Jose.”

Cruz will have a much closer view the next time he walks through the gates of Reckling Park. For the time being, he’s been on the phone with his team. He already knows a good portion of the roster from his time around the ballpark. Now he’s going deeper, sharing his vision and talking about what he intends to build at South Main.

As for his coaching style, Cruz tipped his cap to former Houston Astros’ manager and current Detroit Tiger skipper, AJ Hinch for his teaching in recent months, saying he’s learned a lot from Hinch and others over his career in baseball.

More: Roost Podcast – Rice baseball to hire Jose Cruz Jr.

When it comes to how Cruz intends to run the ship, he plans to draw from several of those lessons learned along the way. “There’s some old school to it.” Cruz said of his coaching philosophy, “but it’s more of a modern style.” He went on to add that he’s “not going to be a big yeller about stuff”, stressing instead that he’ll focus on development and giving his players “the best possible opportunity” for success.”

With the pleasantries exchanged and opening remarks nearly finished, Cruz still wore his resolute smile. “We’re going to be closer to what we’re talking about being here at Rice,” he said, looking expectantly toward the future. A day both Jose Cruz Jr., and the Rice baseball family, are eager to embrace.

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BREAKING: Jose Cruz Jr to be named Owls Rice baseball head coach

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A fan-favorite and productive player for the Owls many years ago, Rice baseball is expected to hire Jose Cruz Jr. as their next head coach.

A little more than two weeks from the start of their search, Rice baseball has a new head coach. The Owls will tab Jose Cruz Jr. to run their program.

Rice had options when it came to its coaching search. The Owls could have sought out an established assistant and were linked to some noteworthy candidates in recent weeks. Instead, Rice will return to its roots. Cruz. Jr checks both boxes given his relationship with the program’s past and present as well as experience playing and coaching at the highest levels.

Cruz Jr. returns to South Main where he first made his name for himself on the diamond. A three-time All-American with the Owls, Cruz Jr. went on to be selected as the No. 3 overall pick in the 1995 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners. He went on  to play for several teams in his 12 year MLB career, spending most of his time with the Toronto Blue Jays.

More: Check out The Roost Podcast for more Rice news and analysis

He most recently accepted a job as a hitting coach with the Detroit Tigers in December of 2020 where his son, Trei Cruz, was recently selected as a third round pick in the 2020 MLB Draft.

In addition to his time as a player at Rice, Cruz Jr. has been a fixture around Reckling Park in recent seasons. His sons Trei and Antonio Cruz were both members of the Owls’ team in recent seasons, giving Cruz Jr. ample reason to frequent campus and stay in touch with the program that he’ll now take over full time.

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