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Baseball: Owls visit Houston for first road contest of 2019

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After taking two of three in the Shriner’s College Classic, Rice baseball hits the road for a short trip within the city to play Houston on Tuesday.

Two games does not a season make, but the significance of the Owls’ most recent pair of victories cannot be understated. Head coach Matt Bragga said the team dug deep after the Friday lost and finally began “playing with a sense of urgency” — and it showed.

Now they’ll look to continue their two-game winning streak with a victory over rival Houston, who went winless at Minute Maid Park over the weekend. The start time has been moved forward to account for the expected cold weather.

When and Where

Pitching matchups

Drake Greenwood and Kel Bordwine have taken some of the Owls’ midweek starts to this point. Bragga also mentioned Addison Moss could see action on Tuesday or Wednesday. His most recent outing came on Friday against Texas State where he threw two scoreless innings.

Houston has only had one midweek game to this point, a 13-5 extra-innings loss to McNeese State. They had a contest last week against Lamar postponed. Clay Aguilar got the start against McNeese, going three innings, striking out six while allowing four hits. He saw relief duty on Saturday in Houston’s loss to Texas State.  More than likely Rice will see a handful of arms for a few innings at a time.

Names to know from the plate

The Houston offense has been somewhat uninspiring so far this season. The Cougars are hitting .219, but the bulk of their offensive prowess rests on the bats of .333-hitter Jared Triolo, .282-hitter Joe Davis and .265 hitter Kobe Davis. They strike out a lot, 94Ks collectively this season, and don’t have much depth. This isn’t a lineup that’s going to score in droves.

ON DECK | vs Sam Houston  (Wed), vs Oklahoma (Fri – Sun)

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Rice Baseball: Owls shock Baylor, TCU in Shriner’s Classic

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Rice baseball finished off the 2019 Shriner’s College Classic with a bang, upsetting Baylor and TCU to earn their biggest wins of the season.

After an 0-5 week which included a series sweep at the hands of visiting UC Irvine, Rice baseball needed a big weekend at the Shriner’s College Classic to prove to the college baseball world and themselves the Owls were here for the long haul. A 1-0 loss to Texas State via an unearned run got the weekend off to a sour start, but impressive wins on Saturday and Sunday against ranked Baylor and TCU made the weekend a tremendous success.

Baylor had entered the weekend undefeated. TCU had an emphatic 10-2 win over No. 1 Vanderbilt under their belts. Rice beat them both. Here’s the rundown of all three games and some final thoughts on the three game slate at Minute Maid Park.

FRIDAY | Texas State 1, Rice 0

Rice can’t realistically ask for much more than they got from their pitching staff on Friday against Texas State. Matt Canterino was every bit the ace he has been billed to be, striking out nine while allowing four hits and no walks in seven innings pitched. The lone run scored during his outing was unearned, a product of a two-error inning from shortstop Trei Cruz.

After allowing Texas State to score an unearned run in the top of the seventh, Rice had their chances. The Owls got a runner into scoring position in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings but couldn’t get him across. After scoring 25 runs in an offensive explosion on Wednesday against Prairie View A&M, Rice was held scoreless on two hits.

SATURDAY | Rice 6, Baylor 3

Perhaps the team needs to ask the administration to move the left field wall at Reckling Park a bit closer to home plate. Rice deposited two home runs into the Crawford Boxes on Saturday against Baylor to compliment a flurry of extra base hits. Andrew Dunlap and Rodrigo Duluc each went deep, helping Rice build an early 5-0 lead against No. 15 Baylor.

Rice scored in the second, third and fourth innings. Starting pitcher Evan Kravetz retired Baylor in order through the first three innings before the Bears broke through in the fourth. Two triples plated three runs and cut the Rice lead to 5-3 after four innings.

The advantage would stay at two until the eighth. With two men on and two outs, Bradley Gneiting delivered. He mashed a double which bounced of the wall in left, scoring Rodrigo Duluc and giving Rice an insurance run and a 6-3 lead. Kendall Jeffries would close things out of the pen, earning his first save of the year and closing the door on the Owls’ biggest win of the season.

SUNDAY | Rice 12, TCU 2

Things picked up where they left off for Rice in the Shiner’s College Classic finale. After a quick first inning, TCU starting pitcher Jared Janczak started to lose command. He allowed a pair of singles to start the inning before a hit by pitch, sandwiched between two walks broke the first inning deadlock. Rice would score three in that second inning, striking first for the second game in a row.

TCU got one back in the top of the third and the fifth, cutting the Rice lead to 3-2. The Owls responded in the bottom of the fifth with three more runs on the back of three extra base hits. The bats stayed active in the sixth, scoring six addition runs on three hits to give Rice a commanding 12-2 advantage entering the seventh.

With a 10-run lead after seven innings, the run rule ended the contest. In some ways it was surreal. From the shutout Friday, Rice ended the weekend with an exclamation point.

TAKEAWAYS | Rice wins one of three in Shriner’s College Classic

1. The starting pitching will carry this team

Matt Canterino spent the offseason with Team USA and entered 2019 with a host of preaseason accolades. The Rice ace has lived up to his billing early on. Despite an 0-2 record, Canterino has been special, compiling a 2.00 ERA, 0.78 WHIP and a 24-to-3 strikeout to walk ratio in 18 innings. The only earned runs he’s surrendered this season came on a series of three home runs against UC Irvine.

Evan Kravetz picked up where Canterino left off. He was perfect through the lineup the first time before Baylor broke through with three runs in the fourth. He bounced back, going 6.2 innings, the longest of his career, before being lifted after a two-out double in the seventh. His nine strikeouts are one shy of a career-best 10K game against Rhode Island earlier this year.

Not wanting to be left out of the accolades, Jackson Parthasarathy closed out the weekend with a strong start. He went six innings, allowing five hits but just two runs (one earned).  As a unit, the Rice starting pitching put the team in position to win each game of the weekend. When that happens, good things will follow.

2. Base running errors exposed against Baylor

Baylor starting pitcher Tyler Thomas was erratic in 2+ innings, setting Rice up with a golden opportunity to break the game open in the top of the third. The Owls got runners on second and third with no outs and a 2-0 lead. Bradley Gneiting was thrown out at the plate, trying to advance on a softly hit ground ball to the left side of the infield. Give the situation, the safer decision would have been to stay put and take the out at first.

Two batters later Dominic DiCaprio would single up the middle, a hit which should have scored two runs. With Gneiting already sitting in the dugout, Braden Comeaux scored from second. Justin Collins, who was only on base because Gneiting ran into an out at home, was thrown out trying to advance to third.

Rice would get just one run in the inning. This team has had enough trouble with runners in scoring position this season. Trei Cruz was caught stealing by a wide margin the next inning and thrown out in the eighth at home plate. That’s too many outs on the basepaths.

3. Strikeouts continue to slow the offense down

The offense has been erratic through the first 12 games of the season. There are days when everyone who steps to the plate blasts a double to the gap. Then there are days when the team swings at pitches outside the zone and doesn’t battle well with two strikes. Unfortunately, the latter scenario has been the case more often than not.

Rice struck out 14 times against Texas State, 10 times against Baylor and four times against TCU. As a whole, the team has more strikeouts (120) than they have hits (118 ). That’s going to happen here and there on an odd series against top-notch starting pitching. Still, as good as the pitching the Owls faced this week was, it’s becoming a problematic trend.

The approach at the plate was much better on Sunday, not coincidentally the Owls’ best offensive performance of the weekend. Hopefully a precursor of better outings from the lineup in the coming weeks.

ON DECK | at Houston (Tues), vs Sam Houston  (Wed), vs Oklahoma (Fri – Sun)

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Baseball: Previewing Owls’ opponents at Shriners Classic

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After a 3-6 start, Rice baseball has the chance for a few marquee wins at the Shriner’s Classic. Here’s how the Owls match up with their opponents.

It’s a long season. That’s true for ballclubs who will go on to win 40 games and for those destined to lose 30+. It’s too early to declare Rice bound for either of those groups, but the results at the Shriner’s Classic could push Rice baseball toward one of those two extremes.

With conference play looming, Rice needs to pick up some notable non-conference wins against ranked opponents. They’ll get two chances this weekend against Baylor and TCU. Here’s how Rice stacks up and how each of their opponents looks entering the weekend.

Pitching outlook

Addison Moss made his season debut Sunday against UC Irvine and didn’t show any noticeable discomfort. If he’s back to 100 percent, or close enough to it, he’d be a prime candidate for an extended relief appearance. He’s as trustworthy of an arm out of the bullpen as the team has right now and will push for a return to the starting rotation soon.

Here’s what the projected starting rotation looks like:

Friday vs Texas State – Matt Canterino (0-1, 3.27)
Saturday vs Baylor – Evan Kravetz (0-1, 3.00)
Sunday vs TCU – Jackson Parthasarathy (1-1, 1.80)

Hitting outlook

Shortstop Trei Cruz (.385/.478/.795) has been everything the Owls’ could have hoped for and more, but he hasn’t been the only consistent bat. When the offense has been producing, right fielder Bradley Gneiting (.381/.409/.476) has been the table setter.

Entering the Shriner’s Classic, Gneiting leads the team in at bats (42), hits (16) and has struck out just six times, the fewest of any Rice player with at least 20 at bats. Both Rodrigo Duluc (3-for-6, 6 RBI) and Andrew Dunlap (5-for-6, 7 RBI) had massive days against Prairie View A&M. Braden Comeaux has a .471 average over his last four games.

Texas State (5-4)

Friday at 11 a.m. – Watch | Listen

Last meeting with Rice: Texas State won 6-2 (3/6/2018)
Probable Starter: Nicholas Fraze (1-1, 6.00 ERA)
Hitters to know: Jaxon Williams (.517/.600/.586), John Wulthrich (.370/.486/.630), Colton Moore (.375/.444/.625)

Texas State started off the year at home, hosting Utah, Nevada and No. 24 Missouri State in the Texas State Tournament. The Bobcats took two of three from that trio, pounding Missouri State 10-0 in the final game. The followed that up the following weekend by taking two games against McNeese State and one against Creighton at the Lake Area Classic.

Baylor (8-0)

Saturday at 3 p.m. – Watch | Listen

Last meeting with Rice: Baylor won 9-2 (3/3/2014)
Probable Starter: Tyler Thomas (0-0, 5.40)
Hitters to know: Davis Wendzel (.516/.628/.903), Davion Downey (.481/.625/.963), Richard Cunningham (.389/.442/.556)

The No. 15 Baylor Bears haven’t given anyone a reason to doubt them yet. Perfect through eight games, the Bears have mowed through their early competition. Baylor posted series wins over Holy Cross and Cornell plus a midweek win over Dallas Baptist.

TCU (5-2)

Sunday at 7 p.m. – Watch | Listen

Last meeting with Rice: Rice won 7-3 (3/13/2018)
Probable Starter: Brandon Williamson (1-0, 2.08 ERA)
Hitters to know: Johnny Rizer (.429/.467/.714), Jake Guenther (.417/.516/.875), Hunter Wolfe (.375/.542/.438)

TCU has had their rough spots, dropping both of their Friday games so far this season. Unfortunately, the Owls get the Frogs on Sunday. TCU holds the most impressive win of the tournament field, taking a 10-2 decision over No. 1 Vanderbilt in the MLB4 Tournament.

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Baseball: Two grand slams rocket Owls past Prairie View A&M

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Rice baseball jumped out to a sizable lead letting out their offensive frustrations with a lopsided home win over Prairie View A&M.

Rodrigo Duluc stood on the steps of the dugout with his teammates all season, not once stepping foot in the batter’s box until Wednesday’s game against Prairie View A&M. He looked on as the team dropped midweek contests to Arizona and Texas. He was watching when UC Irvine swept Rice at home, allowing the home team to score just nine runs over the course of the weekend.

Then, finally, after patiently waiting for his turn, Duluc took his place at the plate and let it rip. With the bases loaded two outs in the bottom of the first inning, Duluc deposited a 1-2 pitch over the left field wall. The Grand Slam broke a 13-inning scoreless streak, jumpstarting an offense in desperate need of a spark.

Staked to an early 4-0 lead, Rice would pour on at least one run over the first five innings. The Owls stretched their advantage to 10-2, and although Prairie View was able to creep back with a three-run sixth inning. It wasn’t enough to cause any serious concern, but Rice would put all hopes of a Prairie View A&M comeback to bed in the seventh.

Rice scored 13 runs on 14 hits, coming one batter shy of hitting around, twice. The mashed three home runs within the inning. The final score of 25-5 marked the most runs scored by Rice since a 26-17 victory over UAB in 2017.

Takeaways

1. The offense definitely exists

Rice hit .091 with runners in scoring position over the weekend, converting two opportunities in the span of three games. On Wednesday, Rice not only surpassed their weekend run total, but they also picked up 12 hits with runners in scoring position 20 tries.

In addition to Duluc’s coming out party, Bradley Gneiting and Andrew Dunlap had career-high five-hit games. Trei Cruz had his second grand slam of the season.

Justin Collins, Cade Edwards, Braden Comeaux each had multi-hit games. Prairie View is far from the caliber of pitching staffs the Owls have faced to this point and have on the docket this coming weekend. But, Rice should have scored in bunches against this squad, and they rose to the occasion — and then some. If Wednesday night isn’t proof they’re capable of packing a punch at the plate this season, what not much else will.

2. Kel Bordwine bounces back

Almost two weeks prior, the first win of the Matt Bragga era was made possible by a strong relief outing by Kel Bordwine. He threw the first three extra innings on the Saturday game against Rhode Island, allowing three hits, one walk and striking out two. Although he was charged with the go-ahead run, it was Zach Esquivel who allowed the runner to circle the bases.

His next outing wasn’t nearly as encouraging. Arizona knocked him out of his prior Wednesday start after he allowed six hits and three runs in the first three innings. Which Bordwine is the real deal? A five-hit, no earned run performance through five against Prairie View is a vote in favor of the season-opening version.

3. A complete team win is what this team needed

For whatever the reason, Rice hasn’t really gotten the offense, defense and pitching in sync this season. The Owls are still searching for their first error-free game of 2019, but the rotation and the lineup have each had bursts. Bordwine started the Owls off on the right foot on the mound and the offense was electric. The relief corps had a hiccup before settling down late in the game. The defense, again, wasn’t perfect. And Rice won by 20.

Winning big with some built-in mistakes is a step in the right direction. If Rice wants to contend with the heavyweights of the sport, they’ll need to start combining all phases in the same game. This was definitely a step in the right direction.

ON DECK | vs Texas State (Fri), vs Baylor (Sat), vs TCU (Sun)

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Baseball: Owls seek pick-me-up win vs Prairie View A&M

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After suffering their first weekend sweep at home since 1993, Rice baseball looks to rebound against Prairie View A&M at Reckling Park.

It’s been a tough start for Rice baseball, but Prairie View A&M hasn’t come out of the gates full speed either. Winners of one of their first six games, the Panthers need this one as much as the Owls. After their midweek bout with Rice, Prairie View A&M starts conference play against fellow SWAC opponent Arkansas-Pine Bluff over the weekend.

When and Where

Pitching matchups

Drake Greenwood and Kel Bordwine got midweek starts for Rice last Tuesday and Wednesday night, respectively. Neither lasted more than three innings before giving way to a slew of arms out of the bullpen. Unless the starter comes out locked in, it’s highly probably a variety of pitchers see action on Wednesday. At some point we could see Evan Kravetz, who started the last two Saturday games, return to a bullpen role, freeing up someone else to pitch Tuesdays.

Brian Williams started Prairie View A&M’s only midweek game of the season to this point against Texas A&M. The Navarro Junior College product tossed 5.2 innings, allowing four runs on five hits, walking two and striking out three.

Names to know from the plate

Prairie View A&M relies on a core of four players at the plate, Alex Martinez, Daniel Lingua, Dalton Horner and Demarie Smith. 14 different players have appeared in at least half of the Panthers’ games this season, but only that quadrant have played in all six of their contests.

Smith has gotten off to a slow start from the plate, hitting .222, but the rest of the group has been on a tear. Martinez is slashing .400/.444/.680 with a 1.124 OPS. Lingua’s line sits at .381/.500/.571. Horner rounds out the group with a .364/.440/.545 clip.

It’s a mixed bag beyond that core, but in general, this is a team that hits for average (.248) without a ton of power. The heart of their order doesn’t strike out much, but the dropoff from the top is noticeable. If their pitching can hold up, the offense has proven they can score some runs.

ON DECK | vs Prairie View A&M (Wed), vs Texas State (Fri), vs Baylor (Sat), vs TCU (Sun)

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