Rice University Athletics
On Pitchers And RPI
4/21/2010 3:10:47 PM | General, Blog
As difficult as it might be to believe, something good did develop from the Owls' 7-1 loss to Texas A&M in College Station on Tuesday night. The Owls' pressing concerns over righthanded relief have been discussed at length in this space, but against the Ags the Owls took a small step forward in building righthanded bullpen depth to complement southpaws Abe Gonzales, Doug Simmons and Holt McNair, all of whom have produced beyond expectations.
Jr. RHP Boogie Anagnostou enjoyed arguably his best outing of the season, surrendering only one hit through four innings before his defense failed him with one out in the nightmarish fifth. His fastball was lively and his command of his breaking ball superior, but of greater importance is the fact that Anagnostou felt good about himself following his performance. When The OG lifted Anagnostou in the fifth, he instructed him that he could be used in relief against East Carolina. If Anagnostou continues to throw strikes and trust his defense, as wobbly as it has been of late, he will be a factor down the stretch and into the postseason.
For a second consecutive Tuesday, a freshman RHP emerged to give The OG another option to consider. Last week in Huntsville it was Jeremy Fant; last night College Station native Chase McDowell made his first mound appearance in two months and worked two shutout innings of one-hit ball, fanning two in the process. Just as Fant earned another look last night, expect McDowell to earn the same once the Owls return to action following their finals hiatus.
How the pitching staff unfolds remains the biggest mystery relative to the 2010 Owls. The OG pointed out that he used just five pitchers - Jeff Niemann, David Aardsma, Wade Townsend, Philip Humber and Josh Baker - in Omaha during the Owls' national championship run in 2003, thus if the Owls were to avoid the losers' bracket in a regional or at the CWS, five trustworthy pitchers could be sufficient. The Owls appear to currently have five pitchers that fit that tag: So. LHP Taylor Wall, Sr. RHP Mike Ojala, Sr. RHP Jared Rogers, Fr. RHP Tyler Duffey and Gonzales. I would argue that supreme talent had more to do with the Owls' needing just five pitchers to work their way through the bracket in Omaha seven years ago, but The OG's point is well taken. Would the Owls be better off if they could extend the number of reliable pitchers to eight in advance of the postseason? Yes. So, who are the other three?
Anagnostou should be on that short list. Simmons, given the right circumstances (which don't include the bases loaded with one out) should be, too. McNair has carved a niche as a situational lefthander, but it would be wonderful if another RHP filled that final void. Fant? McDowell? Or perhaps Fr. J.T. Chargois, should he suddenly create some tilt on his curveball? All are viable options, so expect The OG to continue auditions in search of the final candidate.
Of course, something terribly troubling unfolded at A&M, and it had nothing to do with defense. The ugly loss to A&M hurt because it represented the Owls' final chance to gain a significant RPI boost. Currently the Owls are on the outside of the bubble looking in with regards to hosting a Houston Regional, and while the setback had minimal negative impact on their RPI (down to 29 from 26), the Owls won't get another shot to drastically improve their RPI over their final 15 games of the regular season. Here is their remaining opponents' current RPIs:
East Carolina (3): 68
TSU: 252
@Marshall (3): 134
@Oklahoma State: 130
Southern Miss (3): 105
@Houston: 79
UAB (3): 136
There were whispers that Rice should consider swapping its date with TSU for a non-conference game with Texas State (RPI: 46) in order to make up an earlier date that was rained out. Rumors of such a move have not been broached, let alone confirmed, but given the daunting possibility of being a No. 2 seed in Austin or Baton Rouge, Rice should consider all options that might boost its slim hopes for opening the NCAA Tournament at The Reck.
Jr. RHP Boogie Anagnostou enjoyed arguably his best outing of the season, surrendering only one hit through four innings before his defense failed him with one out in the nightmarish fifth. His fastball was lively and his command of his breaking ball superior, but of greater importance is the fact that Anagnostou felt good about himself following his performance. When The OG lifted Anagnostou in the fifth, he instructed him that he could be used in relief against East Carolina. If Anagnostou continues to throw strikes and trust his defense, as wobbly as it has been of late, he will be a factor down the stretch and into the postseason.
For a second consecutive Tuesday, a freshman RHP emerged to give The OG another option to consider. Last week in Huntsville it was Jeremy Fant; last night College Station native Chase McDowell made his first mound appearance in two months and worked two shutout innings of one-hit ball, fanning two in the process. Just as Fant earned another look last night, expect McDowell to earn the same once the Owls return to action following their finals hiatus.
How the pitching staff unfolds remains the biggest mystery relative to the 2010 Owls. The OG pointed out that he used just five pitchers - Jeff Niemann, David Aardsma, Wade Townsend, Philip Humber and Josh Baker - in Omaha during the Owls' national championship run in 2003, thus if the Owls were to avoid the losers' bracket in a regional or at the CWS, five trustworthy pitchers could be sufficient. The Owls appear to currently have five pitchers that fit that tag: So. LHP Taylor Wall, Sr. RHP Mike Ojala, Sr. RHP Jared Rogers, Fr. RHP Tyler Duffey and Gonzales. I would argue that supreme talent had more to do with the Owls' needing just five pitchers to work their way through the bracket in Omaha seven years ago, but The OG's point is well taken. Would the Owls be better off if they could extend the number of reliable pitchers to eight in advance of the postseason? Yes. So, who are the other three?
Anagnostou should be on that short list. Simmons, given the right circumstances (which don't include the bases loaded with one out) should be, too. McNair has carved a niche as a situational lefthander, but it would be wonderful if another RHP filled that final void. Fant? McDowell? Or perhaps Fr. J.T. Chargois, should he suddenly create some tilt on his curveball? All are viable options, so expect The OG to continue auditions in search of the final candidate.
Of course, something terribly troubling unfolded at A&M, and it had nothing to do with defense. The ugly loss to A&M hurt because it represented the Owls' final chance to gain a significant RPI boost. Currently the Owls are on the outside of the bubble looking in with regards to hosting a Houston Regional, and while the setback had minimal negative impact on their RPI (down to 29 from 26), the Owls won't get another shot to drastically improve their RPI over their final 15 games of the regular season. Here is their remaining opponents' current RPIs:
East Carolina (3): 68
TSU: 252
@Marshall (3): 134
@Oklahoma State: 130
Southern Miss (3): 105
@Houston: 79
UAB (3): 136
There were whispers that Rice should consider swapping its date with TSU for a non-conference game with Texas State (RPI: 46) in order to make up an earlier date that was rained out. Rumors of such a move have not been broached, let alone confirmed, but given the daunting possibility of being a No. 2 seed in Austin or Baton Rouge, Rice should consider all options that might boost its slim hopes for opening the NCAA Tournament at The Reck.
WBB: Rice vs. Marshall Postgame Presser
Wednesday, March 09
VB: Rice-Texas Postgame Presser
Saturday, December 04
VB: Rice-San Diego Postgame Presser
Thursday, December 02