Rice University Athletics
Owls Wrap-Up Homestand Tuesday vs. Houston
3/28/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 28, 2011
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(All start times listed are CENTRAL TIME)
Mar. 29 (Tues.) 6:36 pm; Rice vs. Houston
Game televised by Comcast Sports Southwest
TITLE SPONSOR: Fidelity Investments
Special Promotion:Rice Baseball Trading Card Strips, courtesy of Fidelity Investments. Featured on Strip 3 are head coach Wayne Graham, Ryan Lewis, Craig Manuel and Chase McDowell.
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Mar. 30 (Wed.) 6:30 pm; Rice at Sam Houston State
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Apr. 1 (Fri.) 6:30 pm; Rice vs. Marshall
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Apr. 2 (Sat.) 1 pm; Rice vs. Marshall
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Apr. 3 (Sun.) 10 am; Rice vs. Marshall
Kids get to take the field for the National Anthem and run the bases post-game!
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Rice Wraps-Up Homestand Tuesday vs. Houston; Game Slated For TV Broadcast
The Rice baseball team, 16-11 this season and ranked as high as 24th in the nation, wraps-up its current homestand with game two in the annual season-long best-of-five series vs. crosstown rival Houston for Silver Glove Trophy on Tuesday (Mar. 29). Start time with the Cougars is set for 6:36 pm at Reckling Park. Just like game one of the Silver Glove series last week, Tuesday's crosstown-showdown will televised by Comcast Sports Southwest... Rice is then back on the road the next day (Wed., Mar. 30) for game at longtime rival Sam Houston State. First pitch against the Bearkats at Don Sanders Stadium in Huntsville is 6:30 pm... The Owls return home for the second weekend of Conference USA league play on Friday (Apr. 1). The Blue & Gray host C-USA foe Marshall in a three-game weekend series at Reckling Park. Note some of the new start times against the Thundering Herd that are a change from some earlier listings. The Marshall game times are 6:30 pm (Fri.), 1 pm (Sat.) and 10 am (Sun.).
It's Prime T.V. Time on Comcast Sports Southwest
As if a showdown with the crosstown rival Cougars wasn't big enough, Tuesday night's game will be broadcast on cable television. Comcast Sports Southwest, a broadcasting leader in televising collegiate sports across the country, will air the game. Broadcasters John Granato (play-by-play) and former major leaguer Steven Sparks (commentary) will call the action at Reckling Park.
Non-League Affair
Tuesday's game against Houston is not a Conference USA league contest. The three-game C-USA series with the Cougars is set for May 6-7 across town at Cougar Field.
Watch Home Games On OwlVision All Access
Home games at Reckling Park are slated for a live on-line video broadcast by OwlVision All Access. OwlVision is a subscription-based service which matches the play-by-play audio with a video feed to create a television-like broadcast on the Internet (either live or in an archived format). The service has proved to be very popular with fans and alumni living throughout the world. Information about the service and subscription prices are available here. Access the service on game day at the above links. note that OwlVision is subject to the CSS broadcast blackout area.
Audio Broadcasts - Catch Every Rice Baseball Game On The Web
Every Rice baseball game this season will be broadcast live around the world on the Internet at RiceOwls.com. Use the above link to access the Internet audio home page. The Rice broadcasting tag-team this season is primarily David Brady and J.P. Heath, with help from some of our Rice broadcasting friends. Tune-in to the pregame show 30 minutes before each game's first pitch.
Live Stats On GameTracker
Live play-by-play text and statistics from every Rice game will be posted on RiceOwls.com. Look for the GameTracker links on either the Rice Athletics front page, the weekly series preview or the baseball schedule page.
National Ranking Update • Rice Now 24th In The Polls
After six weekends of college baseball action the Owls are now 24th in the nation according to CollegeBaseballLineup.com. Not only has the Blue & Gray won games over powerhouse teams Stanford, Arizona and Texas A&M, other opponents that weren't ranked when the Owls played them have now moved up (or in) to some of the polls (ie: California, Baylor and UCF). Here's a closer look at the current polls:
| Poll | This Week | Last week |
| CollegeBaseballLineup.com | 24 | 23 |
| NCBWA | 25 | 23 |
| USA Today/ESPN | r.v. | r.v. |
| PerfectGame.com | n.r. | 18 |
| Baseball America | n.r. | 25 |
| Collegiate Baseball Magazine | n.r. | n.r. |
99th Season Since The Start; 95th Season On The Field
The 2011 season marks the 99th year since Rice played baseball for the first time. Rice Owls baseball made its debut in the spring of 1913, just one semester after the school (The Rice Institute) opened its doors for higher education in the fall of 1912. The 2011 season is, however, only the Owls' 95th season on the diamond. The school cancelled its season in 1919 and did not field a team for three years (1933-35) during the Great Depression. Rice returned to the diamond in the spring of 1936 and has been playing ever since... The Rice baseball program's all-time record is 1,793 - 1,460 - 9.
Head Coach Wayne Graham
Four-time national coach of the year and Texas Sports Hall of Fame inductee Wayne Graham (Texas, 1970) is in his 20th season at Rice. The 2011 campaign marks his 31st year as a collegiate head coach... He is now 886-351 with the Owls (537-122 at home, 264-179 in road games and 85-50 at neutral sites). His Rice winning percentage is .716, the best in school history. Another way of looking at Graham's .716 win percentage is that it is the equivalent of a major league team winning 116 games in a single year... Graham's record vs. this week's opponents is as follows: 68-25 vs. Houston (40-7 at home, 27-18 road, 1-0 neutral)... 30-13 vs. Sam Houston State (20-6 at home, 10-7 road)... 15-2 vs. Marshall (5-1 at home, 8-1 road, 2-0 neutral)... Under Graham, the Owls clinched another postseason bid in 2010, making 16-straight seasons for Rice to earn an NCAA appearance. The Blue & Gray has advanced into the NCAA tournament in 1995-96-97-98-99-00-01-02-03-04-05-06-07-08-09-10. 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. He won C-USA regular season crowns in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010 as well as the C-USA tournament championships in `06, `07 and `09... Graham was named the WAC Coach of the Year in 1998, `99, `02 and the Co-Coach of the Year in `03. He was named the Keith LeClair C-USA Coach of the Year in `06, his first year in the league, and again in `07, `08 and `10... Rice has seven appearances in the NCAA College World Series under Graham (1997, `99, `02, `03, `06, `07, `08)... 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, 12 weeks in 2006 and five weeks in `07... 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... He was named the 2007 Division I college Coach of the Year by FieldTurf... 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; 11th year), David Pierce (Houston, 1988; ninth year), Patrick Hallmark (Rice, 1995, Brown College; sixth year)... Taylor coaches at third base this year while Hallmark coaches at first base.
Apples To Apples
Using coach Graham's first Rice season of 1992 as the starting point, here are the active Division I national leaders for coaching victories heading into the 2011 season.
1. Mike Martin, Florida State - 961
2. Gene Stephenson, Wichita State - 932
3. Wayne Graham, Rice - 870
4. Jim Morris, Miami (Fla.) - 868
5. Ray Tanner, South Carolina - 853
6. Augie Garrido, Texas - 847
1,461 Wins • A Baseball Odyssey
Wayne Graham owns 886 career wins at Rice, but his career victories tally to 1,461 when you include his 11 years at San Jacinto North College where he won five national championships. Graham's overall collegiate record is 1,461-464 in a 30-year career that began in 1981.
Wayne Graham Radio Show
Listen Here (Monday's 7 PM Central Time)
The live, weekly Rice baseball radio show featuring the Owls' legendary head coach Wayne Graham made its debut on Mar. 7, and is scheduled for a total of nine shows through the remainder of the regular season. The Wayne Graham Radio Show presented by Waste Management, originates live from Prince's Restaurant at the Southwest Freeway near Wesleyan and is broadcast in the Houston area on 1560 AM The Game (KGOW). Coach Graham, with Rice baseball broadcaster David Brady, will review games from the previous weekend and preview upcoming games and series. In addition to discussions on college baseball's national rankings and chase for the Conference USA championship, each week's show will include current members of the team, former Owl players and special guests. There will be some Rice give-away items at the show and a segment for fans to ask Coach Graham a question. It's a unique opportunity for baseball enthusiasts to get direct insight from one of the college game's most successful icons.
Probable Rice Pitcher
Wayne Graham announced the Owls' probable starting pitcher for Tuesday's game vs. Houston as sophomore right-hander Tyler Spurlin (0-0, 3.86).
- Tyler Spurlin is in his second year with the program after joining the Owls out of The Woodlands High School in 2010. A starting assignment Tuesday would be the first of his collegiate career. Spurlin is a versatile player who has helped the team in a variety of roles. In addition to making four appearances out of the bullpen, he has also pinch hit and played as a defensive sub at first base. Last week vs. Houston he pitched, hit and played first base all in the same game. The 6-foot-2 right-hander has a 3.86 ERA in 4.2 innings this season. He has struck out a total of six batters, including a career-high three in the first meeting with UH.
- Houston announced its probable starting pitcher for Tuesday's game as junior right-hander Codey Morehouse (2-3, 5.14).
Previous Outing: UCF Slips Past Rice 5-4 At Reckling Park
HOUSTON - Visiting UCF held-off the Rice baseball team in the late innings to claim a 5-4 Conference USA win over the Owls in the finale of the three-game league series Sunday afternoon at Reckling Park. With the win UCF claimed the three-game weekend series two games to one... Trailing 5-3 to start the bottom of the eighth, Shane Hoelscher and Michael Ratterree knocked singles to Owls on first and third. Hoelscher scored on Michael Aquino's fielder's choice to cut the Knight lead to 5-4, but an error on the play allowed Aquino to move into scoring position. UCF worked out of the inning and then hung on in the bottom of the ninth for a 5-4 final... UCF is 18-6 overall and 2-1 in conference. Rice fell to 16-11 on the season 1-2 in C-USA action. The Owls have started the 2011 C-USA slate the way the team did in 2010. A year ago Rice began league play with an identical 1-2 mark but bounced back to win the C-USA regular season championship by winning 16 of the next 21 conference games... On Sunday the Knights opened the scoring with a run in the top of the first inning. Ronnie Richardson hit a one-out triple to left-center and scored on a ground out to the right side... UCF doubled the margin with a run in the fourth. The Knights loaded the bases on two hits and a walk. Erik Hempe singled up the middle to drive in a run for a 2-0 game... The Owls came right back with three runs in the bottom of the frame to take the lead. Michael Fuda singled through the left side in his return to the starting lineup since he was sidelined a month a ago. He hustled for two bases on a base hit up the middle by Anthony Rendon. Fuda scored on Craig Manuel's sacrifice fly to make it 2-1. Hoelscher and Ratterree both drew walks to load the bases. Freshman Derek Hamilton followed with a single to left-center to drive-in two and a 3-2 Owl lead... The Knights tied the game in the top of the fifth. Richardson led off with a walk and moved to scoring position with a stolen base. He scored on a Rice wild pitch that made it 3-3... UC broke the deadlock with two more in the sixth. A pair of singles by Hempe and Derek Luciano put runners on first and third. Hempe scored on a ground out, and three more walks forced-in a run that put the Knights in front 5-3... Rice had men in scoring position in the sixth and seventh before rallying for the run in the eighth. Rendon finished the game with three hits, including a double and a run scored. Hamilton collected a career-best three hits and drove-in two of the team's four runs. Sophomore right-hander Tyler Duffey was solid on the mound for the Owls. The local standout from Bellaire High School worked 3.0 scoreless frames, scattering just two hits and striking out three.
Happy Returns
Rice did have two noteworthy returns to the defensive lineup last week. Junior third baseman Anthony Rendon returned to the hot corner after spending the last month playing exclusively as the designated hitter. Rendon had a solid week at the plate, batting .429 with a pair of doubles and two runs scored, but he was also walked nine times in the Owls' five games for a .667 on-base percentage. Also, junior outfielder Michael Fuda returned to action for the first time in a month after suffering a hamstring injury in February. Fuda was 2-for-6 at the plate and in his first game in the outfield he threw a base-runner out at home plate to save a run. Fuda can add some offensive punch to the lineup while the veteran duo can elevate the defense exponentially as C-USA action continues.
Toughest Losses of the Season
The Owls have lost two key starters, junior outfielder Jeremy Rathjen and sophomore pitcher/outfielder Chase McDowell, for the remainder of the season due to injury.
The Silver Glove Trophy Series - 2011 Edition
Like the big rivalries in college football, the city of Houston's top two college baseball programs play for a coveted prize (the Silver Glove Trophy) as part of their annual series. Rice has won 12 of the 13 series with Houston since play for The Glove began in 1998. The Owls won the trophy in its first two years and have held the hardware now for ten years in a row (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 & 2010)... Game one of the 2011 Silver Glove Trophy series was played on March 23 at Reckling Park. Rice claimed a 7-2 victory on the strength of a 14-hit attack and some solid relief work by the Owl bullpen... Game two is at Rice, but the trophy will be determined at Cougar Filed in early May.
Recap of 2010 Silver Glove Series
The 2010 edition of the Silver Glove Trophy series had a familiar intensity. The Owls claimed an 8-2 victory in game one and then all three C-USA/Silver Glove games on April 1-3 by the scores of 6-0, 11-2 and 8-7 in 12 innings, respectively. The 12-inning affair is tied for the second-longest game in series history and was the most baseball played between the two teams since 1996. Rice won game five at Cougar Field 15-5. The C-USA Tournament game held at UH on May 27 last season was not a `glove game'... The 2010 All-Silver Glove Series Team consisted of Most Outstanding Player Chad Mozingo (OF, Rice), pitchers Taylor Wall (Rice), Jared Rogers (Rice) and Matt Creel (UH); Chris Wallace (C, UH), Jimmy Comerota (1B, Rice), Michael Ratterree (2B, Rice), Anthony Rendon (3B, Rice), Blake Kelso (SS, UH), Jeremy Rathjen (OF, Rice), Zak Presley (OF, UH), Caleb Ramsey (OF, UH), Joel Ansley (OF, UH) and Rick Hague (wild card, Rice).
Rice-Houston Series History
The Silver Glove has only been around for a baker's-dozen (13) years. The Owls and Cougars have a long-standing rivalry that dates back to 1948. In 158 games played since the first meeting between the two schools in 1948, Rice leads the all-time series with Houston 89-69. The teams became Southwest Conference rivals when UH joined that league in the 1970s. The teams renewed the conference rivalry in 2006 as C-USA foes. There have been 46 one-run games in the series. In 2003 the city rivals played each other a record eight times.
Rice 15th In Average Home Attendance (Mar. 28)
Rice baseball is averaging a steady 3,409 fans for 17 home games. That's the 15th highest total in the country as of Mar. 28. Here are the early national attendance leaders through that date.
1. LSU 10,877
2. Ole Miss 8,004
3. South Carolina 7,306
4. Arkansas 7,253
5. Texas 6,325
6. Mississippi State 5,742
7. Florida State 4,738
8. Clemson 4,537
9. TCU 4,401
10. Florida 4,047
11. Alabama 3,770
12. Texas A&M 3,615
13. Hawaii 3,540
14. Arizona State 3,417
15. Rice 3,409
Rice Now 15th In Total Home Attendance (Mar. 28)
Rice has drawn almost 58,000 fans to Reckling Park through March 28 (the first 17 home games of the season). The Owls are now 15th in the nation in total home attendance.
Best Opening Weekend In Reckling Park History
The Stanford series proved to be the best-attended opening weekend in Reckling Park history. Here's how some other opening weekends have added-up. (Many of the previous opening weekends were in a tournament format against three different opponents.)
Year, 1st Weekend Total (Average)
1. 2011 - 12,182 (4,060)
2. 2009 - 10,950 (3,650)
3. 2004 - 10,117 (3,372)
4. 2010 - 9,198 (3,066)
5. 2001 - 8,885 (2,961)
Conference Championship Streak Reaches 15-Straight Years
Rice has won or shared a total of 15-straight conference championships (including either regular season or conference tournament titles) dating back to 1996. The streak covers the Owls' membership in three different leagues beginning with the Southwest Conference, to nine seasons in the Western Athletic Conference (1997-2005) and five Conference USA titles in as many years.
We Remember 0-3 In `05
The Owls lost their C-USA opening series of the season to UCF, two games to one. Rice did the same to Memphis last season, but went on to win 16 of its next 21 league games to claim the C-USA regular season title. In 2005 not only did Rice lose its Western Athletic Conference opener at San Jose State, the Owls were swept by the Spartans to start league play that season. The Blue & Gray was able to rebound from its 0-3 start and win the 2005 WAC title. Rice baseball is 120-30 in the 150 league games (WAC & C-USA) since then.
Winning Is Always In Fashion
For the fashion Dynamo out there, Rice is 7-6 in its all-white uniforms, 6-1 in the pinstripes, 2-4 in the all-gray, and now 1-0 the debut of blue jerseys and gray pants on Mar. 22.
Did You Know?
Rice's 16-11 record is a game better than last season's 15-12 start. A year ago the Owls were a game over .500 through the first 27 games, but put together another dynamic 40-win season on the way to a conference championship and NCAA Regional appearance.
This & That
Rice batters were hit by a pitch a season-high a season-high three times in Saturday's win over UCF... Junior third baseman Anthony Rendon was walked four times in Friday's UCF game, the most free passes to an Owl this season and tying Rendon's career-high (4) set last season in the Stanford series... The Owls slugged a season-high four doubles in last week's victory over Houston... Rice has now defeated the Cougars a total of 10 times in a row dating back to 2009... Rendon started at third base last week vs. Houston, his first time at the hot corner in exactly one month (at Texas State on Feb. 23)... In the extra-inning game against California (Mar. 12), first baseman J.T. Chargois recorded a total of 19 defensive put outs. Chargois' total was only three off the school's single-game record of 21 put outs set back in 1948.
The Long & Short of It
The Owls played one of the longest games of the college baseball season this year with a 15-inning affair on March 12 against California at AT&T Park, home of the world champion San Francisco Giants. The extra-inning marathon was the Owls' longest game by innings dating back to Wayne Graham's first Rice season in 1992. It was also the program's longest game by time (four hours, 33 minutes) dating back to 1996. The note within in the note is that the Owls have also already had the shortest game by time in the Wayne Graham era: a one-hour, 45-minute (1:45) game against Texas A&M on March 5 that beat a 1:49 game in 1997 by four minutes.
Pac-10 East
If you need any insight into Pac-10 baseball just ask Rice. The Owls have already played three games against Stanford and USC, two at Arizona and one on the road against Cal. Rice owns a winning 5-4 ledger against the rugged Pac-10 conference.
Most Homers In A Major League Park This Season
When the Owls were at AT&T Park over the weekend, sophomore second baseman Michael Ratterree hit his third home run of the season to tie for the team lead. Ratterree has already homered in two major league parks this season, including a round-tripper against Kentucky at Minute Maid Park on March 4.
Career Longball Leaders
As the 2010 national player of the year and a unanimous 2011 preseason All-America selection, junior third baseman Anthony Rendon has both the eye of the media covering college baseball, and the full-attention opposition. It seemed it was only going to be a matter of time before he broke into the Rice top ten for career home runs, and he enters his junior year already in the top three. The junior standout from nearby Lamar High School has two players in front of him who also happen to be some of the most prominent players in Rice baseball history. Rice's top ten career home run hitters are as follows:
1. 67, Lance Berkman (1995-97)
2. 59, Bubba Crosby (1996-98)
3. 49, Anthony Rendon (2009-current)
4. 43, Jose Cruz Jr. (1993-95)
5. 42, Eric Arnold (1999-2002)
T 6. 39, Jay Knoblauh, (1985-88)
T 6. 39, Aaron Luna (2006-2008)
8. 37, Damon Thames (1998-99)
9. 33, Jacques Landry (1995-96)
10. 32, Enrique Cruz (2001-03)
Sign Up For "Dollars For Dingers"
Owl fans are encouraged to support Rice Athletics by signing up for the 2011 edition of the Dollars for Dingers program. Signing up on-line at this link is easy and secure... for Dingers is a fun way to support Rice student-athletes. The popular program ties the total number of Owl home runs hit during the season to a financial contribution from our fans. Last year, participants in the Dollars for Dingers program contributed more than $30,000 to the Owl Club Scholarship Fund supporting all of Rice's student-athletes... Rice invites fans to make your pledge today as the Owls try to eclipse last year's home run total of 96. The Development Office will keep track of the count all the way through the College World Series, and let fans know their gift amount at the end of the season. Every pledge of $2 or more qualifies participants for a special souvenir... The Rice baseball team will again be swinging for the fences this year. On behalf of the student-athletes who benefit from your generosity, Rice sends its deepest appreciation and hopes the wind is blowing our way each time the Owls are up to bat!
"At Flex Packs" Now Available
Owl Single game tickets for the 2011 Rice baseball season are now available through the At Bat Flex Packs, the Rice Ticket office announced... The Flex Packs are a convenient and economic way for fans to purchase tickets of their choice, including on-line purchases. The Flex Packs are available in four options; the single, double, triple and home run. Here's what they deliver:
Single - eight tickets for $60
Double - 12 tickets for $80
Triple - 16 tickets for $100
Home Run - 20 tickets for $120
Flex Pack fans will be sent vouchers that can be redeemed for printed tickets at the Rice ticket office or at the Reckling Park ticket window the day of the game. The vouchers may be used all at one game, or spread out over several games. For example, with the Single Pack, a fan and a friend can go to four games, bring a group of eight to one game, or get one ticket to eight different games, etc.... Fans are encouraged to specify the games they would like to attend when they order online or by phone. Otherwise, fans will receive vouchers that can be redeemed during ticket office business hours or at Reckling Park on the day of a game while supplies last... Tickets purchased with the Flex Packs will be in Concourse 2 at Reckling Park, with the exception of games against Texas A&M (April 12) and the University of Houston (March 23 & 29), which will be general admission... For more information, call the Rice Ticket Office at 713-522-OWLS. Link directly to Rice Ticket Page.
Kubitza Named Most Outstanding Player of College Classic
HOUSTON - With freshman right-hander Austin Kubitza leading the way as the Most Outstanding Player of the 2011 Houston College Classic, four Owls were named to the All-Tournament team it was announced on the final day of the tournament at Minute Maid Park on March 6. Joining Kubitza as Owls to earn All-Tournament honors are freshman Shane Hoelscher (3B), sophomore Michael Ratterree (2B) and junior Anthony Rendon (DH). Rice, Baylor and Utah all had 2-1 records at the Classic. The full all-tournament team and the weekend statistics of the honorees are listed below:
C John Cannon, Houston .375 (3x8), 2B, 3B, 4RBI, BB
1B C.J. Cron, Utah .556 (5x9), 2BB, 2HB, 3RBI
2B Michael Ratterree, Rice .250 (3x12), 3R, BB, HR, 2RBI
3B Shane Hoelscher, Rice .454 (5x11), 2R, BB, 2RBI, SB
SS Landis Ware, Baylor .700 (7x10), 2R, 2B, 3RBI, 2BB
OF Brian Adams, Kentucky .333 (4x12), 2B, 2RBI
OF Tyler Naquin, Texas A&M .286 (4x14), 2R, 2B, 3B, HR, 6RBI
OF Jake Runte, Houston .454 (5x11), 3R, BB, 2B, RBI, SB
DH Anthony Rendon, Rice .454 (5x11), 3R, 2BB, 2 2B, HR, 2RBI, 2HBP
P Rick Anton, Utah 1-0, 7.0IP, 5H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 8SO
P Austin Kubitza, Rice 1-0, 9.0IP, 6H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 7SO
P John Stilson, Texas A&M 0-0, 6.0IP, 6H, 1R, 1ER, 2BB, 10SO
P Logan Verrett, Baylor 1-0, 6.2IP, 7H, 2R, 1ER, 2BB, 7SO
Rice Baseball Picked For Seven Televised Games This Season
HOUSTON - Rice baseball is slated to have seven of its regular season games televised, Conference USA and Rice Athletics Director Rick Greenspan announced. With a winning tradition and a fan-and-TV-friendly Reckling Park as its home stadium, the Owls are again a favorite for live televised broadcasts. CBS Sports Network (formerly CBS College Sports - CBSC), a national leader in televising a host of collegiate sporting events, will nationally televise Rice's May 19 road game against Southern Miss. The contest is a rematch of the same two teams that a year ago met in the Conference USA Championship Final. Six games are regional telecasts on Comcast Sports Southwest (CSS) that have potential for wider distribution. Three of the CSS games will be played at Reckling Park. All five games of the Owls' annual season-long series against crosstown rival Houston will be broadcast on CSS. Rice's April 12 home game against longtime foe Texas A&M is now a CSS game.
The C-USA Favorites
IRVING, Tex. - With returning National Player of the Year Anthony Rendon tabbed as the 2011 Conference USA Preseason Player of the Year, along with fellow Owls Jeremy Rathjen and Taylor Wall selected as preseason all-conference honorees, the Rice baseball team was picked to finish first in the league in a head coaches poll, the C-USA office announced... Rice, East Carolina and Southern Miss all had three preseason honorees, sharing the most of any school in the annual coaches' survey... Already a unanimous preseason All-America selection, the C-USA coaches voted Rendon as the favorite to win what would be his third C-USA Player of the Year Award in as many seasons. The Owls' junior third baseman became the first freshman to win the C-USA player of the year award in 2009, and then just the second player in league history to earn the honor twice when he won it again in 2010. A year ago Rendon batted .394 and ranked among the NCAA leaders in home runs (26), RBI (85) and slugging percentage (.801). The Houston native from nearby Lamar High School was named the recipient of the 2010 Howser Trophy as the National Player of the Year... Junior outfielder Jeremy Rathjen earned second team all-conference honors after a solid sophomore season in 2010. A year ago Rathjen batted a steady .317 with 13 home runs. The local standout from Memorial High School drove-in 69 runs and scored 52 times in 57 games played... Taylor Wall is a left-handed pitcher who earned second-team all-Conference USA accolades in 2010. Wall went 5-5 with a 4.45 ERA in 15 starts. The Houston native from Westside High School finished among the C-USA leaders in starts, innings pitched (85.0) and strikeouts (61). He held all opponents to a composite .233 batting average.
2011 CONFERENCE USA PRESEASON BASEBALL AWARDS
(as selected by C-USA's head coaches)
PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
1. Rice (6)
2. Southern Miss (2)
3. East Carolina
4. UCF (1)
5. Tulane
6. Memphis
7. Houston
8. Marshall
9. UAB
(first place votes in parentheses)
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Anthony Rendon, Rice (Junior, Third Baseman)
PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Todd McInnis, Southern Miss (Senior, RHP)
ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
P, Seth Maness, Sr., East Carolina
P, Todd McInnis, Sr., Southern Miss
P, Taylor Wall, Jr., Rice
RP, Collin Cargill, Sr., Southern Miss
C, Victor Gomez, Jr., Marshall
IF, Garrett Cannizaro, So., Tulane
IF, Anthony Rendon, Jr., Rice
IF, Corey Thompson, Jr., East Carolina
IF, B.A. Vollmuth, Jr., Southern Miss
IF, Chad Zurcher, Jr., Memphis
OF, Jamal Austin, Jr., UAB
OF, Drew Martinez, Jr., Memphis
OF, Trent Whitehead, Sr., East Carolina
DH/UT, Jeremy Rathjen, Jr., Rice
Winningest Teams of The 2000's
(Since the beginning of the 2000 season)
Team Yrs. Won Lost Tied Pct.
1. Florida State 11 552 194 1 .740
2. Rice 11 534 185 0 .743
3. Texas 11 529 202 1 .723
4. South Carolina 11 521 217 0 .706
5. Wichita State 11 500 236 0 .679
6. North Carolina 11 497 212 1 .701
7. Cal St. Fullerton 11 488 213 0 .696
8. Coastal Carolina 11 487 200 0 .709
9. Georgia Tech 11 484 201 1 .699
10. LSU 11 481 232 4 .674
11. Clemson 11 481 241 1 .666
12. Miami (Fla.) 11 477 210 3 .693
13. Oral Roberts 11 476 187 0 .716
14. Nebraska 11 455 225 2 .662
15. Tulane 11 454 231 2 .662
16. Arizona State 11 449 186 2 .706
17. East Carolina 11 447 232 2 .658
18. Notre Dame 11 443 224 4 .663
19. Stanford 11 442 237 2 .651
20 Mississippi 11 434 252 1 .632
21. Florida 11 433 256 2 .628
22. TCU 11 424 247 0 .625
23. Southern Miss 11 421 237 2 .639
24. Virginia 11 421 248 1 .629
25. Florida Atlantic 11 420 256 0 .621
18-Straight 30-Win Seasons; Lookin' For 19!
Rice has reached the 30-win plateau for 18th-straight seasons. Only five other schools in the country have longer active streaks of having won at least 30 games: Arizona State (48 years), Miami-Fla. (40 years), Clemson and Cal State Fullerton (both 36 years) and Georgia Tech (28).
Postseason Streak Now 16-Straight; Lookin' For 17!
A year ago the Rice baseball program made its 16th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Baseball Championship, which ranks as the fourth-longest active streak in the country. Miami (Fla.) made the field for the 38th consecutive year, extending its own record, followed by Florida State (33) and Cal State Fullerton (19).
