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Rice Baseball: 2021 Season Preview

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Rain, snow or shine, Rice baseball is set to begin their 2021 season soon. Here’s a rundown of the Owls on the mound and in the batter’s box.

The long wait is finally over for Rice baseball. The Owls saw their 2020 season come to a premature end because of COVID-19 and they’re anxious to get back onto the field at Reckling Park this weekend.

The pitching staff

The weeks leading up to the regular season is really where the rubber meets the road when it comes to how Rice baseball will deploy its pitchers. Head coach Matt Bragga has a general idea for which guys will get the nods to be at the top of the pitching rotation, but the finalized plan regarding how to divvy up the innings are still coming together.

Bragga knows he’ll need almost every capable arm in some capacity this season. The revised 2021 schedule includes grueling four-game weekends, including a Saturday double header. As a result, it’s going to require teams to find at least 15 more outs every weekend. That means more arms.

“I think this year could lend itself to playing more guys and pitching more guys,” Bragga said, going on to note a particularly important truth, “Our depth is definitely better.”

Projected weekend rotation

  1. Roel Garcia, RHP
  2. Blake Brogdon, RHP
  3. Mitchell Holcomb, RHP
  4. Brandon Deskins, LHP

Next up, Possible midweek starters

  • Alex DeLeon, RHP
  • Dillon Janac, RHP
  • Garret Zaskoda, RHP

The top of the rotation isn’t much of a surprise. Roel Garcia has the arm talent to be a true ace for Rice when he’s healthy. According to Bragga, Garcia feels as good as he’s felt in the past several years and “a Friday-night type of young man” and “a game one starter”. Having him fully healthy would be huge for the Owls.

After Garcia, Brogdon will look to build on a strong, albeit short, 2020 campaign. He went five innings in three of his five starts and had 18 strikeouts 19.1 innings. An improvement in command and a few less walks are key things for him to take the next step in his game this season.

Rounding out the rotation will be some combination of intriguing young arms or veteran pieces. Of that group, transfer Mitchell Holcomb looks like the most likely to clinch a weekend spot. A four-year weekend starter at Penn, Holcomb has impressed in his time at South Main, particularly catching Bragga’s eye with his superb command.

The last spot truly is up for grabs. Deskins was electric in fall intrasquad practices. DeLeon was the opening day starter a year ago. Janich is an intriguing freshman with a power arm and a great slider. Zaskoda is a bit of a wild card, but finished second on the team in ERA this fall (behind Holcomb) and showed tremendous improvement from his freshman season.

At first glance, the rotation lacks the punch of Rice rotations of old, but there’s still a lot to like. That said, the Owls have more options in the rotation than they did last spring. If Garcia steps into his role as an ace and someone else seizes the No. 2 role, the depth should be good enough to keep Rice in games and win a few of them almost on their own.

Key bullpen pieces (in no particular order)

  • Dalton Wood, RHP
  • Drake Greenwood, RHP
  • Kel Bordwine, RHP
  • Matthew Linskey, RHP
  • Micah Davis, RHP
  • Reed Gallant, RHP
  • Cristian Cienfuegos, RHP
  • AC Plum, RHP
  • Caleb Burgess, RHP

Rice baseball could be in line for a step change in their bullpen production compared to where things stood when Bragga arrived on campus. 16 of the 20 pitchers than threw in the fall hit speeds of at least 90 miles per hour. Bragga himself said, “that doesn’t win you games,” but it’s “an extra weapon that you have.”

That starts with Dalton Wood. A power armed righty that missed most of last year recovering from injury, he has the potential to be a shutdown option out of the pen Rice was earnestly searching for last spring.

After wood, guys like Greenwood and Bordwine should see work in the middle innings. Both have starting experience and have proven to be dependable for the Owls in the past. Others like Cienfuegos and Plum have shown flashes, but hope to build upon that with improved consistency.\

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Freshman Reed Gallant, Matthew Linskey and Micah Davis have inserted their names into the mix. Both stood out during scrimmage outings. Rice will need someone to shut things down in key moments. Could Davis’ and his 96 mph fastball get the call? It’s certainly possible.

Having this many options is a good problem for Bragga to have. As with the back end of the rotation, the key will be finding the handful of most dependable options as quickly as possible. This is a spot where the incoming freshman class could shine. The quantity of top-notch arm talent is exciting. Getting a few key innings out of the up-and-coming arms could elevate the whole group tremendously.

The Lineup

There will be several difficult decision Rice baseball head coach Matt Bragga will have to make before the Owls’ regular season arrived on Feb. 19. Piecing together the majority of the starting lineup shouldn’t be one of them. As Bragga himself admitted the lineup is, “truthfully, not that big of a secret.”

The straightforwardness of the Owls’ attack is generated by a strong contingent of returning veterans plus a few new live bats that could prove to be difference makers for Rice this spring.

Projected Lineup

1B – Austin Bullman
2B – Cade Edwards
SS – Hal Hughes
3B – Brayden Comeaux
C – Will Karp / Justin Collins
RF – Guy Garibay
CF – Connor Walsh
LF – Bradley Gneiting
DH – Nathan Becker

The Infield

There’s certainly no mystery here. With the exception of Trei Cruz, a third round MLB Draft selection of the Detroit Tigers last year, the remainder of the Rice infield returns for 2021 thanks in part to the extra year of eligibility afforded to all players. Upperclassmen Austin Bulman, Cade Edwards and Brayden Comeaux all figure to be top of the order bats with plus fielding attributes.

The newcomer on the dirt is LSU transfer Hal Hughes. The junior started 63 games as a true freshman for the Tigers and 109 games in his LSU career. His biggest asset is his glove. He holds a career .955 fielding percentage and has position flexibility, able to slide over to third or second should the Owls’ need it.

Designated Hitter and Catcher

As it has been over the past two years under Bragga, the designated hitter spot will likely start as a rotation of sorts until someone seizes the job (hopefully) for good. True freshman Tyler LaRue started at DH on Opening Day last spring, making it seem reasonable to expect another up-and-coming bat will get a crack at the spot early in the season. Freshman Nathan Becker, a highly-regarded first base recruit, is the favorite to get the first look.

Rice baseball could be turning to a new face at catcher in 2021. Bragga indicated he expected newcomer Will Karp, a grad transfer from Haverford, to get the nod behind the dish. Former starter Justin Collins’ availability was in question. While Bragga did go as far as sharing that his absence was “COVID-related”, he did not go into details. The positive note on the catching front was the impressive spring Karp has put together.

The Outfield

The outfield was somewhat of a work-in-progress last year, but Rice will be much deeper at the position this time around. True freshman Guy Garibay and redshirt freshman Connor Walsh, an Ole Miss transfer, both come to Rice with high expectations and should be fixtures in the lineup from the start. Both swing the bat well.

As was the case last season, left field should prove to be more contentious. There are a host of guys who will probably cycle through that position with repeat outings possible for those who earn extended playing time. Veteran Bradley Gneiting will get the first crack at the job and will probably see some time at designated hitter as well. Other returners like Justin Dunlap, Antonio Cruz and Daniel Hernandez are thought to be in the mix.

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Rice Baseball 2020: Bats quiet in road sweep by UC Irvine

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Swept for the second time in as many weekends, Rice baseball leaves a three-game stint at UC Irvine with an 0-6 record for the season.

THREE FOR THE ROAD | UC Irvine wins series 3-0

1. Roel Garcia will be the Owls’ ace

Transfer Alex DeLeon has failed to seize the Friday night role after his first two outings with the Owls. He gave up six runs in four innings on Opening Day. He followed that up with a three-inning, four-run outing against UC Irvine. His 14.09 ERA through two starts won’t knock him from the rotation just yet, but the juxtaposition of Garcia’s first outing in more than a year with DeLeon’s work against the same lineup was telling.

Garcia struck out three and allowed no hits in two scoreless innings. Some rust was understandable in his first time back on the mound since the 2018 season. Holding the Anteaters scoreless through one inning would have been an encouraging sing. Blanking them in two innings is an indication he could be closer to returning to his usual self than might have been anticipated.

The Friday night role will be Garcia’s when he’s back to 100 percent, or perhaps sooner. How DeLeon, Blake Brogdon, Dalton Wood and others fit into the rest of the rotation remains to be seen.

2. Sputtering offense struggles to string together hits

Saturday’s 2-1 nail biter was even more agonizingly close than the final score reveals. After being no-hit through four innings for the second day in a row, Rice had a runner in scoring position in the final five innings. That runner got all the way to third base in four of the final five frames. Rice recorded zero hits in eight opportunities. The only RBI came on a groundout, a productive out, but a hollow showing nonetheless.

The pitching staff has been largely a net-positive through the first two weeks of the season. Singular crushing outings by one pitcher here (and another there (DeLeona and Bordwine in this case) have led to the jagged box scores.

On most days, the Owls won’t need 10 runs to walk away with a victory. Getting two to three of those hits in clutch moments could sway games, even some series, in the Owls’ favor. What Rice can’t do is disappear completely at the plate every time they have the chance to put up a crooked number.

Rice baseball has scored 14 runs through their first six games. Frankly, that’s not good enough. Rice capped the UC Irvine series with four runs on 10 hits on Sunday. Their opponents managed twice the run total (nine) on just one fewer hit.

3. The continued development of Trei Cruz

Coaches and fellow players raved about the growth of Trei Cruz this offseason. A Cape Cod League All-Star and the Preseason Conference USA Player of the Year, Cruz has played well in the Owls’ first two series. The shortstop has made multiple Sportscenter Top 10-caliber plays in the dirt, showcasing his defensive prowess.

His bat has been as productive as the rest of the Rice hitters, but it’s been his discipline that’s been most impressive. Cruz is tied for the team lead in walks (five), taking advantage of pitchers who know how dangerous a mistake thrown his way can be.

Finding protection behind in the lineup should get him more hittable pitches. But for the time being, Cruz is extending innings and giving his teammates opportunities to produce runs. He can’t do it all himself, and he’s not trying to force it.

FRIDAY | UC Irvine 10 – Rice 1

Despite having no offensive output for most of the game, Rice kept the game within reach through five innings. Roel Garcia got the Owls off to a strong start. Alex DeLeon got roughed up upon his entrance but navigated the fourth and fifth innings allowing just one run. Then the floodgates burst and UC Irvine took complete control of the game with a 4-run sixth inning.

Aaron Baulaurier doubled to right center in the eight, breaking up UC Irvine’s combined no-hit bid. Justin Dunlap scored later that inning on a wild pitch. But salvaging a run was too little too late in a one-sided series-opening loss much more convincing than any of the Owls’ losses to Texas on opening weekend.

SATURDAY | UC Irvine 2 – Rice 1

This was the ultimate game of missed opportunities. Rice baseball was one hit away from winning this one for what felt likes hours. The hit never came. Blake Brogdon’s strong night (5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 8 K) came up void. The two runs Brogdon allowed came immediately following leadoff doubles, one in the fourth and another in the sixth. When faced with similar chances, Rice hitters couldn’t push even the tying run across.

The final effort came with two outs in the ninth. Braden Comeaux and Cade Edwards singled to put runners on the corners. Trei Cruz came to the plate, a hit from tying the game. He popped one down the right field line in foul territory. UC Irvine outfielder Riley Kasper made a play on the ball but was injured and forced to leave the game after an extended delay. Facing one more pitch after the wait, Cruz struck out.

SUNDAY | UC Irvine 9 – Rice 4

Comeaux slapped a leadoff single to start the game, ruining any no-hit bids out of the gate. Rice would tally 10 hits on the day, three more than they’d managed in the first two games of the series. The Owls wouldn’t score until the eighth inning. By that time the game was essentially over.

UC Irvine dealt a three-run blow to Rice starter Drake Greenwood in the second inning. The finishing blow came as soon as he was relieved in the fifth. Kel Bordwine was ambushed upon his entrance. He allowed six runs (five charged to him) on four hits and one walk, retiring two of the seven batters he faced. Down 9-0, Rice baseball played things out to the finish.

ON DECK | at Texas State (Tues), vs Missouri State (Fri-Sun)

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Rice Baseball 2020: Texas sweeps Owls on opening weekend

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Rice baseball played a trio of close games against longtime rival Texas, but found themselves on the wrong side of each contest, starting the season 0-3.

THREE FOR THE ROAD | Texas wins series 3-0

1. The starting pitching didn’t dazzle but kept Rice in every game

Alex DeLeon, Blake Brogdon and Kel Bordwine combined to throw 14.1 innings, allowing 14 hits, 12 runs while striking out eight. That’s not up to the lofty standard set by Matt Canterino and Evan Kravetz in 2019, but it’s not going to doom a weekend on its own. It’s a modest starting point for a weekend rotation that will go through several permutations before settling on the three men tasked with carrying a typical series.

Roel Garcia and Dalton Wood could both figure into how the rotation looks come conference time. Both are currently working back to health and should be available in some capacity later in the season. Garcia is expected to make his season debut on Tuesday with the possibility of a Sunday outing from him depending on how he fares in his first time out.

The short outings were the biggest worry spot from the weekend. Not having any of their three starters finish the sixth inning is an unsustainable hindrance for a team with eyes on a winning season.

2. The bats have to wake up

The Rice offense was purported the most likely unit to click this season. Amid concerns with new faces on the mound, Rice returned their best hitters from last season. They’d also added key transfers like Austin Bulman and Daniel Hernandez. Seeing the unit come out somewhat sluggish early on was a bit disappointing.

With opening weekend in the books, five Rice hitters are hitting better than .270 this year

  • Braden Comeaux – .417, 1 HR, 3 RBI
  • Cade Edwards – .375, 3B, 1 RBI
  • Austin Bulman – .308, 1 HR, 1 RBI
  • Trei Cruz – .300, 2B
  • Daniel Hernandez – .273, 2B, 1 RBI

There’s plenty of room for growth. And it should get better. Sunday was a testament to that. The Owls produced 10 hits, but only two runs. Third baseman Braden Comeaux, who went 4-for-4 in the finale, said Rice “just had to change our plan and our approach slightly at the plate. We were doing a little bit of guessing.”

That’s a decent portion of the lineup hitting reasonably well. The problem has been the situational hitting combined with multiple hitless outings from the likes of Tyler LaRue, Brayden Combs and Justin Collins. The 4-hole hitters combined to go 2-for-12 on the weekend.

Granted, the arms Texas through during the series were some of the better ones the Owls will face this season. Friday’s muted second inning against Bryce Elder — in which Rice scored just twice after being gifted three hit batsman and an error — serves as the uncomfortable encapsulation of the current state of the offense.

3. Don’t fix the stuff that isn’t broken

The schedule is one of the more challenging slates in the conference, if not the nation. Rice baseball doesn’t have any “gimme” weekends to iron out the kinks. They’ll play at UC Irvine, at Texas Tech and home against Missouri State over the next several weekends. Those are quality postseason teams with Omaha experience. Rice is going to have to figure things out on the fly.

The defense and the relief pitching shined on opening weekend. After starting the 2019 campaign as one of the most error-prone teams in Conference USA, Rice eventually became the best fielding team at the conference tournament. That consistently held true against Texas. The Owls watched the Longhorns commit three errors. Rice had none during the first two games before committing two on Sunday.

And although the relievers entered with just as many question marks (if not more) than the starting pitching, the Rice pen was superb throughout the series. Cristian Cienfuegos, Josh Larzabal and Drake Greenwood had great outings, spanning multiple innings against what looks to be a decent hitting team. It’s early, but those two units looked particularly crisp in their first action of the year.

FRIDAY | Texas 7 – Rice 4

Both teams came out a bit rusty on opening night. All Big-12 pitcher Bryce Elder hit three batters in the second inning and Texas committed their first of three errors on the night. That enabled Rice — despite not hitting a ball out of the infield — to take an early 2-1 lead.

Strong bats were enough for the visitors to overcome those lapses. A home run in the third and another in the fourth staked Texas to a 5-2 lead. The third Texas dinger came in the seventh, putting the Owls into a 7-3 hole from which they were unable to recover.

SATURDAY | Texas 4 – Rice 0

The Rice baseball offense was quiet again in the series-deciding Saturday loss. Rice mustered five hits and failed to convert in clutch moments, going 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position and 2-for-8 with runners on base.

Blake Brogdon pitched 5.2 strong innings on the mound, allowing three runs and keeping the Owls in the game before handing things over to the bullpen duo of Drake Greenwood and Garrett Zaskoda. A few solo home runs by the Longhorns proved enough for them to snag the series win.

SUNDAY | Texas 5 – Rice 4

It was Texas which struck first again in the series finale. The Longhorns smoked four balls to the outfield in the first inning, forcing Kel Bordwine to battle back from behind. He eventually settled in, at one point retiring six in a row before being relieved in the fifth inning.

The Rice bats were limited to small bursts. Cade Edwards had an RBI single in the fourth. Austin Bulman had a solo home run in the sixth. A recurring theme from last year reared it’s head again — hitting with runners in scoring position. Rice went 3-for-22 with runners in scoring position this weekend.

ON DECK | at Sam Houston St (Tues), at UC Irvine (Fri-Sun)

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Rice Baseball 2020: Previewing the Owls’ pitching rotation and bullpen

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Pitching has always been the backbone of Rice baseball. Can the 2020 rotation and bullpen carry on that rich tradition of excellence?

It’s about time to get back to the ballpark for the beginning of the 2020 Rice baseball season. The Owls open up against long-time rival Texas on Valentine’s Day. Who will be on the mound for that Friday night tilt?

More: 2020 Rice Baseball lineup and position player breakdown

“Pitching is where the story is written most of the time,” head coach Matt Bragga said before diving into depth charts. With that as our frame of reference, here’s a breakdown of the potential starting pitching rotation and a look at the Owls’ bullpen.

Projected Starting Rotation

  1. Alex De Leon, RHP
  2. Roel Garcia, RHP
  3. Kel Bordwine, RHP
  4. Dalton Wood, RHP
  5. Drake Greenwood, RHP

I fully expect Alex De Leon to throw the first pitch of the 2020 Rice baseball season. Taking over for Matt Canterino is no small task, but De Leon has done nothing but impress in his short stint at Rice. Coach Matt Bragga said De Leon “has been our most consistent guy from the moment he got here as a junior college transfer until now.”

While De Leon will get the Opening Day nod, he could be supplanted down the line by Roel Garcia. After missing the entire 2019 season with injury, Garcia is getting close to being back to his usual self. He’s back on the mound and throwing bullpens, but isn’t likely to be extended more than a few innings until March.

That timeline would put him back in the starting rotation at the beginning of conference play. Bragga considers him “an absolute Friday night guy”, which could bode well for a rotation replacing two Top 5 round MLB draft picks, Canterino and Evan Kravetz.

The rest of the rotation is fluid. Kel Bordwine inserted himself into a weekend role late last season, but the staff has spoken highly of Dalton Wood, too. Wood came on strong at the end of the year, turning himself into a reliable piece out of the bullpen. Those two, along wide Drake Greenwood who was a midweek starter in 2019, will more than likely fill out the Sunday role and midweek jobs.

Projected Bullpen

  • Jack Conlon, RHP
  • Caleb Burgess, RHP
  • Matthew Santos, LHP
  • Andrew Kane, RHP
  • Blake Brogdon, RHP
  • A.C. Plum. RHP
  • Brandon Deskins, LHP
  • Ryan Rickett, RHP

Rice will be retooling in the bullpen as well. Garrett Gayle and Kendal Jefferies, their first two arms out of the pen on most nights, are both gone. The most intriguing name to watch is junior righty Jack Conlon. The former fourth round draft pick has a huge arm and has dazzled during the offseason. Bragga was adamant he’d have an important spot out of the bullpen.

Caleb Burgess is another guy who could ascend into the forefront of the relief corps. Currently rehabbing from Tommy John, Burgess “has a chance to be special” according to Bragga. Like Garcia, Burgess is likely to be eased in slowly as he works back toward being 100 percent.

Freshman Matthew Santos alongside transfers Andrew Kane and Ryan Rickett are three names to watch. Each of those guys has the potential to work themselves into a staple in the bullpen. They’ve each been successful at previous stops. Now they have to show they can do it at Rice. Meanwhile Blake Brogdon, A.C. Plum and Brandon Deskins have continued to develop after seeing brief action in 2019.

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Rice Baseball 2019 Season Review: Starting Pitching shines

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The starting pitching was the crown jewel of the 2019 Rice baseball team, giving the Owls a chance every time they took the diamond.

Coach Matt Bragga’s first season at South Main was filled with highs and lows. Now that the last pitch has been thrown, it’s time to take a closer look at 2019 starting with the starting pitchers, who more than lived up to their lofty early season expectations.

Matt Canterino

6-5 Record | 2.81 ERA | 99.1 innings | 121 strikeouts | 23 walks | .199 batting average against

In every way, Canterino was as advertised this season. As the offense and defense swung from one extreme to another he remained consistent. His bad outings were serviceable and his best outings were the kind of gems noticed by pro scouts. Canterino was the preseason Conference USA Pitcher of the Year and awarded the same honor at the conclusion of the regular season. The junior will be an early round selection in the upcoming MLB Draft, a fitting end to an impressive collegiate career.

Evan Kravetz

6-2 Record | 3.24 ERA | 80.2 innings | 108 strikeouts | 32 walks | .200 batting average against

Addison Moss was meant to be the Saturday night starter this year. Injuries kept that from ever materializing, while at the same time opening the door for Evan Kravetz. The senior southpaw took the opportunity and ran with it, becoming arguably the most unexpected, yet impactful member of the Rice team this season. His numbers are comparable to Canterino’s. That alone is an impressive feat

Jackson Parthasarathy

4-8 Record | 4.32 ERA | 73 innings | 68 strikeouts | 23 walks | .276 batting average against

The Owls’ Sunday starter for most of the season, Parthasarathy excelled when it was his turn on the bump. He threw strikes and got outs while setting career highs across the board. He didn’t come close to the strikeout numbers of Canterino and Kravetz, but he was one of the handful of arms able to consistently go deep into games and battle through a rough patch or too without having things fall apart.

Kel Bordwine

1-3  Record | 4.37 ERA |  45.1 innings | 27 strikeouts | 19 walks | .265 batting average against

The only other member of the Rice pitching staff with more than three starts, sophomore hurler Kel Bordwine settled into the midweek starter role rather early in the season. As he proved his effectiveness in short outings, he was trusted with more. Bordwine’s role will only grow with this team.

Others on the bump

Addison Moss, Drake Greenwood, Garrett Gayle, Dalton Wood

There weren’t many remaining starting opportunities to go around. Only four other Owls’ got starts, to varying degrees of success. Most of the impact of these four came as members of the relief corps, with the exception of Moss who saw his season ended abruptly with injuries.

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