Rice University Athletics
Owls Host San Diego Tuesday; Play At Sam Houston Wednesday
3/14/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 13, 2006
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The number-three ranked Rice baseball team (15-5 on the season) is back home in Reckling Park on Tues., Mar. 14, after three-consecutive out-of-town games last weekend. The Owls host San Diego University. First pitch with the Toreros (12-8) is slated for 7 pm... After the home game Rice is right back on the road 24 hours later to face longtime rival Sam Houston State in Huntsville on the Ides of March. Game time with the Bearkats (9-8) is 7 pm. The contest will take place on campus at the new SHSU Baseball Complex.
Broadcast Info.
Rice athletics is broadcast live around the world on the Internet at www.KTRU.org. A number of games are broadcast live on the radio on KTRU (91.7 FM). A direct link to the audio feed is provided on the baseball schedule page of RiceOwls.com. Broadcasters Mike Pede, Matt McCabe and Dan Perez are mic-side for the baseball action this season.
National Ranking Update: No. 3
Rice went 2-2 last week and dropped slightly from its previous spot as the number one team in the nation. The Owls' highest ranking this week (Mar. 13) is third by Baseball America. Rice is fourth in the country in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association (NCBWA) poll. The Owls were tabbed as the nation's top team by the NCBWA on Feb. 27 and remained there until Mar. 13. Rice was also number-one in the nation according to the Internet site The Rosenblatt Report since the start of the season, but is now listed second in that ranking. The team is fifth in Collegiate Baseball .The Owls are second in the Mar. 6 Sports Weekly/ESPN/ABCA coaches poll... Rice is ranked high after backing up some lofty preseason rankings with steady play. The preseason rankings were on the strength of 20 lettermen returning from the 2005 squad that won the Baton Rouge Regional and came within four outs of reaching the College World Series. Polls will continue through June 30, 2006.
Five Games In Six Days
Rice is in a demanding stretch of the schedule where the team plays five games in six days. After wrapping up action in the Whataburger Corpus Christi Classic last weekend (Mar. 10-12), the Owls have one day without a game (Mar. 13) before back-to-back contests against San Diego and Sam Houston State. The schedule balances out by having a rare "Friday off" this weekend with no game scheduled for Mar. 17.
Head Coach Wayne Graham
Two-time national coach of the year and Texas Sports Hall of Fame inductee Wayne Graham (Texas, 1970) is in his 15th season at Rice. He is 642-262 with the Owls (397-90 at home, 188-138 in road games and 57-34 at neutral sites). His overall winning percentage is .710, the best in school history. Another way of looking at Graham's .710 win percentage is that it is the equivalent of a major league team winning 115 games in a single year... Graham is 0-0 against San Diego, 22-9 against Sam Houston State (14-5 home, 8-4 road) and 2-0 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (2-0 road)... Under Graham, the Owls clinched another automatic postseason bid in 2005, making 11-straight seasons for Rice to earn an NCAA appearance. The 2003 bid culminated with the Owls' first national championship. Rice played in the 1994-95-96 Southwest Conference tournaments (winning the final league title in '96), won the 1997-98-99 WAC tournaments, shared the 2000 WAC title with San Jose State before winning the 2001-02-03-04-05 titles outright, and advanced into the NCAA tournament in 1995-96-97-98-99-00-01-02-03-04-05... Graham was named the WAC coach of the year in 1998, '99, '02 and the co-coach of the year in '03... Rice has made four appearances in the NCAA College World Series under Graham (1997, '99, '02, '03)... Graham has led the Owls to number-one rankings for seven weeks during the 1999 season, for six weeks during the '01 campaign, two weeks in '02, six weeks in 2003 (the last of which established some staying power), three weeks in 2004 and two weeks in 2006... Graham's San Jacinto Gators dominated the NJCAA World Series in Grand Junction, Colo., in the 1980s, winning five national titles in six years (1985-86-87, 89-90)... The Austin American-Statesman named Graham its SWC coach of the year in '95 after he led the Owls to their first NCAA tournament appearance... Collegiate Baseball was especially cognizant of Graham's efforts at San Jac. He was named the newspaper's coach of the decade for all levels in the 1980s after winning those five junior college national titles, and CB tabbed him the NJCAA coach of the century... One of the few current collegiate coaches to have played in the major leagues (N.Y. Mets in 1963, Philadelphia in 1964), Graham is aided by assistant coaches Mike Taylor (Prairie View A&M, 1997; sixth year), David Pierce (Houston, 1988; fourth year), Patrick Hallmark (Rice, 1995; first year)... Graham will coach at third base. Taylor will be at first base.
1,217 Wins
Wayne Graham owns 642 career wins at Rice, but he also has 1,217 victories in his collegiate coaching career. Graham's career record is 1,217-375 in a 25-year career that began at San Jacinto College in 1981.
900 Games At Rice
The finale of the Cal. State Fullerton series (Mar. 4) marked Wayne Graham`s 900th game at Rice.
Craig Crow To Start Tuesday
Junior right-hander Craig Crow has been tabbed as the Owls' probable starting pitcher for the San Diego game. The New Braunfels native is 2-1 with a 2.87 ERA in eight appearances, including starts vs. defending national champion Texas (Mar. 7) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Feb. 28). Crow has struck out 22 batters in 15.2 innings of work for an average of 12.6 strikeouts per nine innings, the fourth-highest total on the team... He is in his first competitive season at the Division I level after sitting out all of the 2005 season with an injury. He started for two years at Grayson College (2003-04) prior to joining the Owls.
Degerman Named A C-USA Pitcher Of The Week
In recording another solid start on the mound where he earned his fourth win of the season without a loss, senior Eddie Degerman was named the Conference USA pitcher of the week for Mar. 13, the C-USA office announced from its headquarters in Dallas on Monday... Degerman defeated longtime rival TCU in the opening game of the Whataburger College Classic tournament Friday afternoon in Corpus Christi to improve his record to 4-0 this season. The right-hander from Granada Hills, Calif., scattered five hits and three walks while striking out 10 in 6.2 innings of work in a game the Owls won 8-1. In holding 23 batters faced to a composite .217 batting average, he pitched into the seventh inning for the fourth-consecutive game. He fanned 10 for the second time this season. Degerman was named to the Whataburger Classic inaugural all-tournament team (along with Owls Chad Lembeck and Greg Buchanan)... It is the second time for Degerman to earn the pitcher of the week honor from the league. He was also the pitcher of the week on Feb. 20. Rice has had a sizable impact on C-USA's weekly honors list. Junior Josh Rodriguez was named the hitter of the week on Mar. 6 and freshman Aaron Luna on (Feb. 13)... Southern Miss senior Marc Maddox and UAB junior Zac Ward shared the Mar. 13 C-USA hitter of the week honors.
Previous Game: Rice Posts Wild 21-1 Win In Seven Innings Sunday
Rice needed only seven innings to score a season-high 21 runs on a season-high 22 hits on the way to a 21-1 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the final game of the Whataburger College Classic tournament Mar. 12 in Corpus Christi, a contest that was ordered to be cut short by umpires... Rice clubbed 22 hits and also posted season-highs in doubles (5), RBI (21) and total bases (38) while tying season-highs in home runs (3) and at bats (42). Among all the hitting stars, sophomore Chad Lembeck went 3-for-5 with five RBI, a double and a home run. Sophomore Danny Lehmann was 3-for-3 with a home run and four RBI. Freshman Aaron Luna came off the bench to go 2-for-4 with four RBI and his fifth homer of the season... The Owls jumped on the scoreboard for six runs on four hits and walk in the top of the first inning. The big blow was Lembeck's three-run shot to right. The Blue and Gray added eight more on seven hits in the third to take a 14-0 lead. Rice proceeded to score in each of the next three innings before umpires called the game through seven... Almost lost among the offense was a solid starting pitching performance by Rice right-hander Will McDaniel. The sophomore from Houston worked a career-long 5.0 innings, scattering six hits and one walk while striking out a career-high four. He worked out of a base-loaded jam with no one out in the fifth behind some defensive help from sophomore Joe Savery at first base. Savery caught a sharply hit ball and doubled-off a man on base. McDaniel struck out the next hitter to keep the Islanders in check. Pitchers Trey Sperring and Bryan Price added scoreless innings in relief.
Did You Know?
All five of the Owls losses this season have been to ranked teams and three are to the two most-recent NCAA champions.
Here's Who's Hot
Everyone seems to have some eye-opening hitting totals after Sunday's 21-1 win. Senior second baseman Greg Buchanan has a six game hitting streak and is 12-for-his-last-31 (.387) with four doubles and seven runs scored... In his last two games sophomore Danny Lehmann is 4-for-4 with two walks and a sacrifice bunt.
Dodson's Hit Streak Ends At 14
Sophomore Jordan Dodson saw his 14-game hitting streak come to an end against nationally-ranked Arizona State (Mar. 11). In his first at bat against the Sun Devils Dodson executed a sacrifice bunt that set up the Owls first run of the game. The standout from The Woodlands is hitting .345 for the season and there's only been to games this year where he hasn't had a base hit when he's been in the lineup.
Our New Address In Conference USA
After nine seasons as a member of the Western Athletic Conference, Rice Athletics made the dramatic move to Conference USA for all varsity sports on July 1, 2005. The move has been a success with the Owls posting C-USA championships in soccer and women's cross country... Rice helps make C-USA's highly-regarded baseball league even better. In 2005, four C-USA teams earned NCAA regional bids. Fellow league newcomer Central Florida has averaged 41 wins for the past two years.
C-USA Coaches Pick Rice To Win 2006 League Crown
With Conference USA preseason player of the year selection Joe Savery leading the way, Rice was the unanimous pick of the league's nine head baseball coaches to win the 2006 conference title. Rice baseball competes in C-USA for the first time in 2006 but the Owls' reputation precedes them. The team is ranked as high as fourth in the nation in preseason polls after posting a 45-19 record and NCAA Super Regional appearance. Junior righthander Tim Bascom of fellow first-year C-USA member UCF was named as the league's preseason pitcher of the year.
Predicted Order of Finish
1. Rice (nine first place votes)
2. Tulane
3. Southern Miss
4. Houston
5. UCF
6. East Carolina
7. UAB
8. Memphis
9. Marshall
Player of the Year - Joe Savery, Rice (So., p/if)
All-America Candidates
Rice senior Eddie Degerman, junior Josh Rodriguez and sophomore Joe Savery were selected to Collegiate Baseball's 2006 Louisville Slugger preseason all-America teams... Savery was named to the publication's preseason all-America first team as a utility player for his multiple skills as a hitter, first baseman and pitcher. Rodriguez was named second-team all-America at shortstop and Degerman was tabbed as a starting pitcher on the all-America third team. Savery and Rodriguez were also 2006 preseason all-America honorees by the NCBWA... Savery was a consensus all-America pick as a true freshman and the national freshman of the year by Collegiate Baseball. The Houston native from nearby Lamar High School led the Western Athletic Conference in hitting with a .382 average and he was second in the league with a 2.43 ERA in 19 starts on the mound... Rodriguez moved from second base to shortstop midway through the 2005 season with no drop off in play on either side of the ball. The former South Houston High School star batted .345 with a team-leading 11 home runs and 54 RBI in 63 games started. Rodriguez also maintained a .555 slugging percentage with 48 runs scored and nine stolen bases. Defensively, he started or turned 45 of the Owls' 67 double plays... Degerman is a veteran right-hander who went 8-1 with a 3.28 ERA a year ago. The Granada Hills, Calif., native opted to return for his senior season in 2006 despite being selected by the defending world champion Boston Red Sox in the 2005 major league draft. In one start last season, Degerman struck out 16 batters in just 7.1 innings. He averaged 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings of work.
Two Owls On Clemens Watch List
Rice senior Eddie Degerman and sophomore Joe Savery are among a list of 40 pitchers who have been named to the initial watch list for the 2006 Roger Clemens Award, which honors the top pitcher in college baseball... The Roger Clemens Award is named after major league great Roger Clemens. As a professional, Clemens has won 341 games (ninth-best in history), fanned 4,502 hitters and been honored with seven Cy Young Awards as the top pitcher in his league. The Roger Clemens Award is the only award of its kind, honoring the finest pitchers in college baseball... Savery, the national freshman of the year in 2005, is a preseason all-America selection for 2006. The left-hander from Houston was 8-5 with a team-best 2.43 ERA in 19 starts last season. Savery, who also starts at first base when not on the mound, posted 129 strikeouts and just 37 walks in 118.2 innings... Degerman is a veteran right-hander who went 8-1 with a 3.28 ERA for the Owls last season. The Granada Hills, Calif., native opted to return for his senior season in 2006 despite being selected by the defending world champion Boston Red Sox in the 2005 major league draft. In one of his starts last season, Degerman fanned 16 batters in just 7.1 innings of work. He averaged 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings... The watch list is comprised of all Division I pitchers who were named as pre-season all-America by either Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball or the NCBWA. Additional pitchers will be added each week when honored as National Pitchers of the Week by the NCBWA and after the NCAA releases its statistical rankings during the college baseball season... The third Clemens Award will be presented to the nation's top college pitcher at the conclusion of a gala dinner in Houston in July. All Division I head baseball coaches will take part in the voting for the honor, in addition to a selected panel of national media... For media information on The Roger Clemens Award, please contact Chuck Pool (832) 244-6476... The Owl trio of Jeff Niemann, Wade Townsend and Philip Humber were all nominated for the first award in 2004.
Cox On Stopper Watch List
Senior right-hander Bryce Cox is among a group of 30 pitchers listed on the preseason watch list for the second annual NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award. Cox was selected by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the 13th round of the Major League Baseball Draft last June, but chose to return to Rice for his senior season. In 2005, he appeared in 17 games, going 1-2 with a 3.86 ERA and three saves. Cox averaged 11.6 strikeouts-per-nine innings, second-best on the staff and held the 66 batters that he faced to a composite .182 batting average. This will be the second time that the nation's top reliever is honored by the NCBWA.
Savery On Wallace Watch List
Sophomore Joe Savery was an early selection to the watch list for the Brooks Wallace Award, an honor presented to the national college baseball player of the year by the College Baseball Foundation in Lubbock. The Wallace Watch will be trimmed to 12 semifinalists in late May and narrowed to three finalists at a press conference in Omaha prior to the College World Series. The 2006 Wallace Award will be presented after the conclusion of the College World Series.
27,134 In Attendance
There were 27,134 fans in attendance at Minute Maid Park for the Owls' Feb. 11 game against tenth-ranked Texas. It's the fourth-largest crowd for a regular season college game in NCAA history. Rice's games at Minute Maid also drew 11,512 for the Feb. 12 game against TCU and 10,193 for the opening game of the tournament against Texas Tech.
The "K" Train
Rice pitchers have registered a total of 215 strikeouts in 20 games, an average 10.8 per contest. The staff has fanned 10 or more hitters in a game 14 times. Eddie Degerman fanned a team-best 11 in his start against Oklahoma (Feb. 17). Eight different Owls have more strikeouts than innings pitched this season. Sophomore Cole St.Clair has 37 K's in 23.2 innings of work, an average of 14.1 per nine innings. Junior Craig Crow struck out the side in his Division I debut against McNeese State (Feb. 7), helping the staff post a season-high total of 17 Ks for the game. The 17 strikeouts was approaching some lofty historic totals. Rice pitchers notched 21 strikeouts in a single game in 2005. The Owls fanned 19 against SMU in 1919 and 18 at McNeese State in April of 2000.
Draft Dodgers
Owls Eddie Degerman and Bryce Cox were selected in the 2005 Major League Baseball draft (June 7-8) but opted to return for their senior season. Two other Rice juniors and two seniors were drafted and signed. A former Owl who was not on the 2005 team, Wade Townsend, was the eighth player taken in the first round.
2005 Rice Draftees Rnd Pick MLB Team
Josh Geer 3rd 98th San Diego
Lance Pendleton 4th 139th New York (A)
Bryce Cox 13th 403rd Los Angeles (A)
Adam Rodgers 25th 770th St. Louis
Eddie Degerman 41st 1245th Boston
Adam Morris 47th 1420th St. Louis
Quick On Opposition
San Diego is 12-8 this season. The Toreros jumped out to a big start by sweeping a three-game home series from defending NCAA champion Texas. San Diego completed another big sweep last weekend by taking three-straight from crosstown rival San Diego State by a combined score of 29-7. USD hits .301 as a team and fields at a .980 clip... Wednesday's game at Sam Houston is the Owls' second meeting of the season against the Bearkats (9-8). Rice claimed a 9-3 win over SHSU at Reckling Park on Feb. 21. The Bearkats opened conference play last weekend and took two of three games from McNeese State. Eight of Sam Houston's nine wins this season were at its new home... Rice has already played Texas A&M-Corpus Christi twice, both times on the road. The Islanders make their first trip to Reckling Park this weekend for a pair of games. TAMCC hits a composite .290 and averages 7.5 runs per game.
This & That
Second baseman Greg Buchanan is the only Owl named to two all-tournament teams this season. The senior from Friendswood was named to both the Whataburger College Classic and Houston College Classic squads. Buchanan hit a combined .348 in those two events... The Owls are 11-0 when scoring six or more runs in a game. The team is also 11-0 when holding the opposition to two or fewer runs... Rice is 4-0 when wearing the pinstripe uniforms.
