Rice University Athletics
Owls Host Tulane In C-USA Weekend Series
4/14/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 14, 2011
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Apr. 15 (Fri.) 6:30 pm; Rice vs. Tulane
Title Sponsor: Chick Fil A
Special Promotion: Rice Baseball Trading Card Strips, courtesy of Fidelity Investments. Featured on Strip 4 are Holt McNair, Geoff Perrott, Jeremy Rathjen and Michael Ratterree.
Watch it on the web.
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Apr. 16 (Sat.) 2 pm; Rice vs. Tulane
Title Sponsor: Houston Community Newspapers
Breast Cancer Awareness Game
; Join Rice Athletics in the fight against breast cancer. Special auction items at Reckling Park will help raise money and support for the Methodist Hospital Breast Center. Purchase tickets here using the promo code BCAware2011 Watch it on the web.
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Apr. 17 (Sun.) 1 pm; Rice vs. Tulane
Title Sponsor: The Houston Chronicle
Kids Take Over The Park!
This unique Rice Baseball event is now in its 11th year. Watch it on the web.
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Internet features activate at game time.
Rice Hosts Tulane In C-USA Weekend Series
The Rice Owls baseball team, 24-13 this season and tied for the lead in the Conference USA standings with a 6-3 league record, continues its current five-game homestand at Reckling Park this weekend. Rice hosts a key three-game C-USA series against Tulane (20-12 overall, 3-6 conference) from Friday-Sunday (Apr. 15-17). The start times for the games against the Green Wave are set for 6:30 pm on Friday (April 15), 2 pm Saturday (April 16) and 1 pm Sunday in the series finale. Fans should note that there will be a Rice baseball card give-away on Friday night, Saturday has been designated as a day to wear pink to the ballpark for Breast Cancer Awareness, and that Sunday is the annual Kids Take Over The Park Day.
Watch The Games On OwlVision All Access
Home games at Reckling Park and C-USA league games 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.
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 the Rice Athletics front page, the weekly series preview or the baseball schedule page.
National Ranking Update • Rice Now 18th In The Polls
Full-steam ahead into April, the Owls are 18th in the nation according to CollegeBaseballLineup.com. Not only has the Blue & Gray won games over powerhouse teams Stanford, Arizona and Texas A&M (twice), other opponents that weren't ranked when the Owls played them (California, Baylor and UCF) have also spent some time in the polls this season. Here's a closer look at the current polls:
| Poll | This Week | Last week |
| CollegeBaseballLineup.com | 18 | 21 |
| NCBWA | 22 | 22 |
| Collegiate Baseball Magazine | 26 | 23 |
| USA Today/ESPN | r.v. | 25 |
| Baseball America | n.r. | n.r. |
| PerfectGame.com | 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 1,801 - 1,462 - 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 894-353 with the Owls (542-123 at home, 267-180 in road games and 85-50 at neutral sites). His Rice winning percentage is .717, the best in school history. Another way of looking at Graham's .717 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: 20-4 vs. Tulane (9-0 at home, 11-4 road)... 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
Six to 900
Coach Graham now only needs six more wins to reach 900 in his Rice career.
1,469 Wins • A Baseball Odyssey
Wayne Graham owns 894 career wins at Rice, but his career victories tally to 1,469 when you include his 11 years at San Jacinto North College where he won five national championships. Graham's overall collegiate record is 1,469-466 in a 30-year career that began in 1981.
Tune-In Monday's To The 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.
Wear Pink On April 16 In The Rice Owls' Fight Against Breast Cancer
Purchase tickets here using the promo code BCAware2011
Rice Athletics encourages fans to wear their blue & gray, but there will be an exception for the home game on Saturday, April 16. For that 2 pm contest fans for both Rice and Tulane are encouraged to wear pink as part of the Breast Cancer Awareness Game. Both teams will be wearing special hats with a pink logo on the front. Rice baseball moms who have battled breast cancer will be throwing out a ceremonial first pitch and breast cancer survivor Suzanne Mitchell will sing the National Anthem. There will also be a silent auction of an autographed pink bat and pink jersey, with proceeds going to the Methodist Hospital Breast Center. A portion of the proceeds from tickets purchased on-line will go to the Methodist Hospital Breast Center (be sure to use promo code BCAware2011). Call the Rice Ticket Office at 713-522-OWLS for more ticket information.
Look Out! Kids Are Taking Over The Park On April 17
This fan-favorite is now in its 11th year at Reckling Park. On Sunday, April 17, kids will be taking over Reckling Park and doing a number of performing game-day duties at the stadium. Kids who have sign-up in advance will be serving as: ticket takers, ushers, in the team store, field prep, radio broadcast, music/PA, program sales and in-game promotions. Don't miss one one most memorable days at the stadium, now in its 11th year!
Six For The Show
Six former Rice players are on the official Opening Day Rosters of major league teams in 2011. Congratulations to former Owls Lance Berkman (Cardinals), Tim Byrdak (Mets), Philip Humber (White Sox), Paul Janish (Reds), Jeff Niemann (Rays) and rookie Josh Rodriguez (Pirates). *Also, David Aardsma began the season on the Mariners' disabled list.
Probable Rice Pitchers
Wayne Graham announced the Owls' probable starting pitcher for the first game of the Tulane series as freshman right-hander Austin Kubitza (3-3, 1.32). The remaining Rice starters will be announced at a later time.
- Freshman Austin Kubitza caught the coaches' attention with solid outings in the fall training program, worked his way into a starting assignment for the opening weekend of the season against nationally-ranked Stanford, and has been so impressive that he has been moved up to the Friday night starting spot. The rookie from Colleyville, Tex., leads the staff with a 1.32 ERA and he has held all opposing hitters to a composite .217 batting average. Not only does Kubitza average just 2.3 walks per 9.0 innings, his strikeouts-to-walks ratio is a steady 4.1-to-1... The former Heritage High School star pitched a brilliant game against nationally-ranked Texas A&M on Mar. 5, firing a complete game five-hit shutout in a 1-0 victory. Last week on the road at East Carolina he fanned a career-high 11 in just 5.2 innings while allowing only one run, which was unearned... Kubitza's record is 3-3, but a closer look shows he has not received a lot of offensive nor bullpen support from his teammates in his outings. In Kubitza's eight starts the Owls have averaged just 3.5 runs per game and hit a composite .248. Likewise, the Owl relievers who have pitched after him have a combined ERA of 4.41 in 16.1 total innings... For as well as he has pitched this season, the Owl rookie has been even better as of late. In his last six starts Kubitza has maintained a 0.63 ERA in 43.0 innings of work. In that time he's held opponents to a .205 average, fanned 9.4 batters per nine innings, and averaged 7.0 innings per start.
Previous Outing: SIMMS CITY! Owls Blank Texas A&M 2-0
HOUSTON - Rice freshman pitcher John Simms posted a career high 11 strikeouts in a career-long 7.2 innings to help lead the Owls to a 2-0 shutout victory over visiting Texas A&M Tuesday night at Reckling Park... On a night when runs and hits proved to be at a premium for both teams, Simms delivered his best collegiate outing against a Texas A&M team ranked as high as No. 5 in the country. The freshman from The Woodlands, Tex., scattered three singles and hit a batter, but did not walk any while striking out 11... After working out of a jam in the top of the first inning where two Aggies reached scoring position, the rookie right-hander was in control. Krey Bratsen singled with one away and Matt Juengel was hit by a pitch with two outs. The runners both advanced on a double-steal, but Simms retired the side with the first of his double-digit strikeouts... He then proceeded to retire 20 of the next 21 batters he faced. The lone Aggie to reach in that stretch was a base hit through the left side by Adam Smith in the fifth inning, but Simms had a part in quickly ending that threat. Rice first baseman J.T. Chargois caught a high foul ball near the Owl dugout and alertly turned and fired to Simms covering the base for a 3-1 double-play... Rice was equally opportunistic to score the first run of the game in the bottom of the second inning. Michael Ratterree led off with a single and an Aggie fielding error on the play allowed him to take second base. He moved to third on a ground out and scored on Geoff Perrott's RBI grounder for a 1-0 Owl lead... Texas A&M held firm for the next five innings and the 1-0 duel lasted into the eighth. In the top of the eighth, Simms retired the first two batters before surrendering a base hit. He left to a roaring ovation from the season-high 4,785 fans in attendance. Senior left-hander Tony Cingrani took the hill and promptly finished the eighth with a strikeout... With a narrow 1-0 lead Rice could still wanted some insurance for the final frame. Perrott drew a leadoff walk and Craig Manuel laced a pinch-hit double down the left-field line to put men on second and third. Freshman Keenan Cook followed with a single into shallow left-center to score Perrott and double the margin to 2-0... There still was no shortage of drama for the ninth. Aggie right fielder Tyler Naquin led off with a single to left field. Bratsen then hit a high and hard line drive that was heading to right-center field, but Ratterree snared the ball with a sensational leaping catch at his second baseman's spot. When he finally landed, he then fired back to first base to complete a key second double-play of the night. Another Cingrani strikeout later, the Owls' 13th of the night, and the Blue & Gray had secured a 2-0 victory... The win was the first of Simms career (1-1). Cingrani earned his team-leading fourth save with 1.1 innings of one-hit relief, striking out two... Rice notched its second win of the season over the Aggies, both by a shutout. In early March the Owls claimed a 1-0 victory over A&M behind a six-hit complete game effort by freshman right-hander Austin Kubitza. Rice is now 24-13 overall. Texas A&M moved to 24-9 on the season.
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.
Rice Now 13th In Total Home Attendance (Apr. 11)
Through the first 22 home games of the season Rice has drawn more than 73,000 fans to Reckling Park (through April 11). The Owls are now 13th in the nation in total home attendance. Here are the early national attendance leaders (by home total) through that date.
1. LSU 259,900
2. Ole Miss 178,169
3. South Carolina 159,457
4. Arkansas 145,567
5. Mississippi State 134,210
6. Texas 132,725
7. TCU 101,807
8. Florida State 95,161
9. Clemson 92,669
10. Florida 92,011
11. Alabama 83,747
12. Hawaii 81,104
13. Rice 73,465
Rice 15th In Average Home Attendance (Apr. 11)
Rice baseball is averaging a steady 3,339 fans for 22 home games. That's the 15th highest total in the country as of April 11.
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 (March 27), 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 125-31 in the 156 league games (WAC & C-USA) since the San Jose State series in 2005.
Winning Is Always In Fashion
For the fashion Dynamo out there, Rice is 10-6 in its all-white uniforms, 8-2 in the pinstripes, 4-5 in the all-gray, and 2-0 in blue jerseys and gray pants.
Did You Know?
At 24-13 Rice's record through 37 games is two games better than this same point one year ago (22-15 record in 2010). A year ago the Owls ended up putting together another dynamic 40-win season on the way to a conference championship and NCAA Regional appearance. Rice has won 6-of-its-last-8, but a closer look at the team's 13 losses this season is in order. In addition to playing eight games against nationally-ranked teams Stanford, Arizona, Texas A&M, and California, the Owls have 3 one-run losses and 4 two-run losses. Three of the team's losses have been in extra innings.
Here's Who's Hot
Anthony Rendon has been heating up at the plate, a fact the opposition seem to know already. In the Owls' eight games this month Rendon is 9-of-20 (.450) with two doubles for a .550 slugging percentage. Opposing teams have been very careful with Rendon at the plate during this same stretch, issuing him 17 walks for an eye-opening .703 on-base percentage. That OB% means he has reached base 26 times in his last 37 trips to the plate dating back to the start of the Marshall series on April 1. Rendon's been intentionally walked 15 times this season, but last weekend featured something new for his Owl career - he was intentionally walked with first base occupied. Not only has the Houston native scored five runs and driven-in six in the last eight games, he has also stolen two bases... Over the last 12 games junior catcher Craig Manuel is 12-for-30 (.400) with three doubles and eight RBI. He's also walked twice and been hit by a pitch twice for a .457 on-base percentage during the current stretch... Sophomore first baseman J.T. Chargois is 10-for-27 (.370) the last seven games with team-bests for RBI (seven), runs scored (five) and doubles (three) during that span. Chargois also has drawn two walks, stole a base and had two sacrifice bunts... Keep an eye on freshman outfielder Keenan Cook. In his last four games Cook is 5-for-14 (.357) with a pair of runs scored, an RBI, a walk, two steals and a sacrifice bunt.
This & That
Rendon has been walked 53 times this season, the highest total in the nation. He is also third in the nation with a .559 on-base percentage. Rendon is ninth on Rice's all-time list for RBI with 178. He needs one more to tie Will Ford (1996-1999) for eighth... The Owls had chance to claim sole possession of first place in the C-USA standings, but could not complete a three-game road sweep of East Carolina. Rice had a dominant pitching performance to win game one over ECU, striking out 18 batters in a 2-1 duel. The Blue & Gray then rallied to win game two by scoring late runs to tie the game before winning in 10 innings. The 18 strikeouts Rice pitchers recorded in the Friday ECU win was the most by an Owl staff since striking out 19 at Louisiana Tech in 2005. Rice also had a masterful 21 strikeouts in a single game that year (vs. Central Missouri State on Opening Day)... This season the Owls are 19-1 when leading after seven innings.
For The Record
The 18 runners the Owls left on base in the Louisiana game (Apr. 5) tied for the most in a single game in school history. Rice left 18 men on base one other time, 58 years ago in a home game against the University of Texas (March 31, 1953). A little more recently, but still not very recently per se, the Blue & Gray left 17 men on base in a home non-conference game against Tulane in 1996. Rice's previous 2011 season-high for runners left on base was 12, which the Owls did three times (vs. Arizona, UC Santa Barbara and the second meeting with Houston). During the 2000 season, visiting McNeese State left 18 men on base in a home game the Owls went on to win 4-1.
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.
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 available through the At Bat Flex Packs... 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... 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).
