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Rice Baseball: Owls ready for unique 2021 season

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The schedule is strange. Rosters are deep. But more than anything, Rice baseball wants to get back onto the field as soon as they can.

Almost a year removed from an abridged 16-game season, Rice baseball is ready to give it another go. The Owls had barely begun conference play last spring when COVID-19 brought a swift halt to their season. The ripple effects from that strenuous week are still being felt.

The most notable deviation from “normal” will be the 42 players listed on the roster this season. In a typical year, rosters are capped at 35 individuals. Rice will have seven more this season, primarily composed of seniors who believed their last year of college baseball was going to wrap up last summer. Veterans like Braden Comeaux, Cade Edwards and Bradley Gneiting will don pinstripes for one more ride.

Head coach Matt Bragga is excited about the depth, which along with an influx of talent, should help him navigate this team to a better season than last year’s shortened start. But his optimism don’t stop at the walls of Reckling Park. In his estimate, “this should be one of the best years in the history of college baseball.”

The MLB Draft was shortened from 40 rounds to five rounds. Roster limitations have been suspended for the season. Every roster has more talent, more weapons, than they thought they’d have before the pandemic arrived. Now each team will have to make the best of it that they can.

“We’re anxious to get back out,” Bragga said, “I really like this crew. The product continues to get better, as it should.”

The return to action includes a revised schedule with less distanced travel and a few interesting twists. There are less midweek games. When conference play arrives on March 26 they’ll play just one team outside of C-USA.

Conference weekends will look different too. Rather than the standard Friday to Sunday three-game slate, there will be four games played each weekend, with a Saturday doubleheader of seven-inning games injected to increase the chances of playing as many games as possible. Bragga wanted four full nine-inning games but was in the minority

Whether it’s three-game weekends or four, Bragga just wants to get back onto the grass.  “I don’t like being judged on 28% of a season,” he said, recalling a disappointing 2020 start. He and the Owls will have their chance in a few short weeks. Opening Day against Arkansas Little Rock is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 19. Stay tuned for future updates on the pitching staff and the lineup.

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Rice Baseball: 2021 schedule dates, opponents announced

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The 2021 Rice Baseball schedule has been announced. After a truncated 2020 season, the Owls are slated to have a busy spring this year.

There are 56 games on the 2021 Rice Baseball schedule as currently constructed. That includes 31 home games. Per a release by Rice Athletics, the department is “working with the University’s Crisis Management Team to determine the seating layout and how many fans will be allowed at each game for the 2021 season.”

The slate also includes another appearance in the College Classic at Minute Main Park. This year’s the Owls are scheduled to face Sam Houston State, Texas State and Texas Tech. The Owls played both Texas State and Texas Tech in last year’s shortened season.

Conference USA will play four game series each weekend, including a double header, currently scheduled for the middle day of the series. That’s a new adjustment given current safety and travel limitations. Rice has less C-USA East teams on their schedule, but otherwise it’s still a fairly full slate.

Opening Day is set for Feb. 19 against Arkansas Little Rock. The Conference Tournament is scheduled to begin on May 26.

Here is the complete schedule

February

Feb 19. Arkansas Little Rock
Feb 20. Washington
Feb 21. Houston Baptist
Feb 23. at Lamar
Feb 26-28. at Louisiana

March

Mar 3. Prairie View A&M
Mar 5. Sam Houston
Mar 6. Texas State
Mar 7. Texas Tech
Mar 9. Houston Baptist
Mar 10. Texas A&M Corpus Christi
Mar 12. Northern Illinois
Mar 13. Kansas State
Mar 14. Northern Illinois / Kansas State
Mar 17. at Texas State
Mar 19-21. Southern
Mar 23. at Texas A&M
Mar 26-28. UTSA

April

Apr 1-3. at MTSU
Apr 9-11. at LaTech
Apr 13. Incarnate Word
Apr 16-18. at ODU
Apr 23-25. at UTSA
Apr 30-May 2. So Miss

May

May 7-9. at UAB
May 14-16. Charlotte

We’ll have a few more updates on the team in the coming weeks. Stay tuned and get ready for some sunny days at Reckling Park in the not-too-distant future.

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Rice Baseball: 2020 MLB Owls – End of regular season update

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The 2020 MLB season is winding down and Rice baseball alums are heating up. Here’s the latest on the MLB Owls at the end of the regular season.

The 60-ish game regular season has come to an end with one former Rice baseball alum still aiming for a World Series ring. Tyler Duffey’s Minnesota Twins are the last team standing with an Owl on the roster. Anthony Rendon’s Angels, Brock Holt’s Nationals, and Jon Duplantier’s Diamondbacks missed the cut this time around.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

Anthony Rendon’s first season on the west coast didn’t end as planned, but the former World Series champ turned in a banner year nonetheless. Rendon finished second in the American League in WAR (wins above replacement), trailing only Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez. Rendon even topped his teammate and former MVP Mike Trout, edging him by two spots (Trout finished fifth).

Rendon was far and away one of the most impactful additions the Angels made during the offseason. Unfortunately, the pitching staff didn’t match the production at the plate. The Angels were 13th in the AL with a 5.09 team ERA.

Rendon finished the season with a .286 average and a career-best .418 on-base percentage. His .915 OPS marks the fourth consecutive season with an OPS better than .900. He hit nine home runs, 11 doubles and walked 38 times to his 31 strikeouts.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

Duffey celebrated with his teammates on Sunday after clinching the division. “I think having the banner, having that pennant up, matters,” he said. “Second place means you got in, third place whatever, but having that banner with that year on it, that’s forever. And that’s something we all think is very special.”

The ace reliever was an integral part of the Twins winning achieving that feat. Only he and fellow reliever matt Wisler posted season-long ERAs below 2.00 and Duffey did it with a stunning .792 WHIP.

Duffey finished the regular season with 31 strikeouts in 22 appearances. He struck out 11.6 batters per nine innings and allowed just two home runs all season. He didn’t throw a single wild pitch.

The Twins host the Astros for a best three series this week. The schedule is as follows:

  • Tues. 2:00 p.m. ET (ABC)
  • Wed. 1:00 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
  • Thr. (if necessary)

Brock Holt – Washington Nationals

Holt’s 2020 season was a tale of two halves. It started in Milwaukee with the Brewers where, for whatever reason, Holt never quite acclimated at the plate. He was released and signed with the Washington Nationals where he looked much more like his old self.

With a brief stint on the paternity list and away from the game, Holt saw his batting average double as he began to heat up at the plate. Holt finished the season hitting .209 (.262 with the Nats). He hit five extra base hits (all in DC) and played all around the diamond.

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Rice Baseball: 2020 MLB Owls update – September 17

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The 2020 MLB season is underway and Rice baseball alums are making noise. Here’s the latest on the MLB Owls from the week of September 17.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

The shortened season hasn’t put a damper on Anthony Rendon’s effectiveness. He and Mike Trout have been the bright spots in an otherwise erratic Angels lineup that ranks a tad south of the midpoint among MLB offenses. At the plate, Rendon is pushing the former MVP with a strong season of his own. As of this week, Rendon was on pace for several career-bests:

Holding up these numbers over the course of a 162 game season would be more arduous than this shortened campaign, but the eye-popping nature of some of these rates is impressive nonetheless. Rendon has proven to be everything the Angels could have hoped for when they signed him this offseason.

Through September 16, Rendon is hitting .277 with 17 extra-base hits, 33 walks and 24 strikeouts.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

Duffey was off for five days following his first blown save of the year last week. He entered a Sep. 12 game against the Indians in the eighth inning with one out and finished the frame, walking one and striking out another. Duffey, who always wears the No. 21 jersey, was joined that day by teammates Nelson Cruz, José Berríos and Eddie Rosario who also wore the number in honor of Roberto Clemente. He tossed three more scoreless innings over the next five days, allowing one hit and striking out four.

Through September 16, Duffey has a 1.77 ERA with a .836 WHIP. He’s averaging 12.9 strikeouts per nine innings.

Brock Holt – Washington Nationals

Holt appeared in 12 games with the Nationals following his release from the Brewers. His next appearance in DC will have to wait, but for good reason. Holt was placed on the Paternity list this week. During the offseason, he announced he and his wife were expecting a baby in late September.

Through September 16, Holt is hitting .221 overall and .316 with the Nationals. Since signing with Washington, Holt is 12-for-38 with four extra-base hits.

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Rice Baseball: 2020 MLB Owls update – September 10

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The 2020 MLB season is underway and Rice baseball alums are making noise. Here’s the latest on the MLB Owls from the week of September 10.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

At this point, it might be enough to leave this portion simple. Something like this: Anthony Rendon is good at baseball.

Rendon continues to produce and gives the Angels a chance. His bat helped lead the team to a series sweep over the Houston Astros over Labor Day weekend. He had a pair of home runs in the series and drove in five.

Through September 9, Rendon is hitting .291 with 15 extra-base hits, 30 walks and 24 strikeouts.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

Duffey continues to be a workhorse for the Twins. He’s appeared in more than a third of their games and has only allowed any earned runs on three occasions. One of those off nights came this week against the Tigers. Duffey surrendered three hits and two runs (one earned) while fanning three in 1.1 innings. He was handed his first blown save of the season.

Through September 9, Duffey has a 2.16 ERA with a .840 WHIP. He’s averaging 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings.

Brock Holt – Washington Nationals

Holt joined the Nationals at the end of August after he was released by the Brewers. His first start came on Sept. 2 at third base. A few days later his bat woke up from its slumber. Holt went 4-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI against the Atlanta Braves on Sept. 5. He raised his average more than 70 points in that outing alone.

Holt showed off his speed in the Nats next game, sliding under the tag to score from first on a single to right field.

Through September 9, Holt is hitting .250 overall and .400 with the Nationals. Since signing with Washington, Holt is 12-for-30 with four extra-base hits.

Other Owls

Jon Duplantier is unlikely to rejoin the Arizona Diamondbacks this fall. General Manager Mike Hazen indicated Duplantier’s season is most likely finished as he works to rehab from injury.

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