Friday, April 12
Charlotte, NC
4 PM
Rice University
at
Charlotte
Photo by: Maria Lysaker
Owls Open C-USA Series At Charlotte
4/11/2019 9:46:00 PM | Baseball
Baseball Set To Battle 49ers
Listen online (pregame show 15 min. before start)
Rice Game Notes PDF
Apr. 12 (Fri.) NEW 4 pm; Rice at Charlotte Watch CUSAtv Live Stats
Apr. 13 (Sat.) 5 pm; Rice at Charlotte Watch CUSAtv Live Stats
Apr. 14 (Sun.) 11 am; Rice at Charlotte Watch CUSAtv Live Stats
(Start times listed are Central Time.)
Owls Conclude Road Swing With Third League Trip
The Rice baseball team, 14-21 overall and tied for seventh in the Conference USA standings with a 5-7 league record, returns to C-USA action this weekend with a three-game series at Charlotte April 12-14. Game times against the 49ers (12-18-1 and 3-8-1 C-USA) are set for a new 4 p.m. first pitch on Friday. Saturday is set for 5 p.m. There is an 11 a.m. first pitch in Sunday's series finale. All times listed are Central Time.
Watch Conference Games Online Via CUSAtv
Conference USA games are slated for a live online video broadcast via CUSAtv. The broadcast is a subscription-based service which matches the play-by-play audio with a video feed to create a television-like production on the Internet (either live or in an archived format). Games that have been selected for TV broadcasts and other platorms can alter the online availability.
Play-By-Play Audio On The Web
Every Rice baseball game is scheduled for a live audio broadcast on the Internet at RiceOwls.com. Tune-in to the broadcast's pregame show 15 minutes before first pitch. Veteran J.P. Heath returns to the booth for his 11th season as the Voice of the Owls.
Live Stats Links Online at RiceOwls.com
Links to live play-by-play text and statistics from every game, home and away, are posted on RiceOwls.com. Look for the links on the Rice Athletics front page, the weekly series preview, and/or the baseball schedule page.
Head Coach Matt Bragga
A 19-year veteran of the head coaching ranks, Matt Bragga was named the 21st head coach in Rice baseball history on June 15, 2018. Bragga has spent the last 15 years as the Head Coach at Tennessee Tech, building that program into one of the best in the Ohio Valley Conference. The four-time OVC Coach of the Year led the Golden Eagles to three NCAA Tournament appearances, winning six OVC championships in the past 10 years while winning 40 or more games in four of the past six seasons. In 2018 he helped Tennessee Tech to its best season in school history, amassing a school and OVC-record 53 wins, the most in the country, while leading the team to the league's regular season title and its first-ever trip to the NCAA Super Regionals. The Jefferson, Ohio, native who played collegiately at Kentucky before a pro playing career, owns a Division I coaching record of 460-413-2. Bragga is aided by assistant coaches Cory Barton (Memphis, 2007, first year), Paul Janish (Rice, 2004; second year), and Connor Teykl (Rice, 2017; first year).
Matt Bragga Show Set For Monday Nights During The Season
The Matt Bragga Show, the live weekly Rice baseball show featuring the Owls' new head coach, debuted on March 18 at Christian's Tailgate Bar & Grill (located close to campus at 5114 Kirby). The show is available around the world on RiceOwls.com. Every Monday Coach Bragga reviews games from the previous weekend and previews upcoming series. In addition to discussions on college baseball's national rankings and chase for the
C-USA championship, each week's show will include current members of the team, former Owl players and special guests. Fans can catch the show on their phone by downloading the "Tune In" app. The show is a unique opportunity for baseball fans to get direct insight from the Owls' head coach.
Two Owls Coaching On The Corners
There are two former Rice Owls on Matt Bragga's 2019 coaching staff. Former major leaguer and 2003 Rice National Champion Paul Janish is in his second year with the program. Janish (Wiess College) played professionally for 13 years with nine seasons in the major leagues, most recently in 2017 with the Baltimore Orioles. Rice graduate Connor Teykl (Baker College 2017) is in his first season as an assistant coach at his alma mater. As a four-year letterman from 2013 to 2016, Teykl helped lead the Rice baseball program to three Conference USA regular season championships and two league tournament titles. On game days Janish coaches at third base and Teykl coaches at first.
Probable Pitchers
Coach Bragga announced the first two Rice starting pitchers for the Charlotte series as Matt Canterino (3-4, 3.02) and Evan Kravetz (2-2, 5.36), respectively. The third and final starter will be announced at a later time.
• This year Matt Canterino garnered a host of preseason attention in college baseball circles. The junior right-hander was voted the Conference USA Preseason Pitcher of the Year by the league head coaches, a preseason All-American by Baseball America and the baseball writers (NCBWA), and to the initial watch list for the Golden Spikes Award as the best amateur player in the country. Last summer Canterino was selected to pitch for the United States collegiate national team and he was later the winning pitcher of the Cape Cod League All-Star game. The Southlake, Texas, native was a prep star at Carroll H.S. and has been the Owls' Friday night ace almost his entire career. He has notched wins each of his last two starts, including tying a career-high with 12 strikeouts while working 6.0 innings at Old Dominion (March 29). One week ago he posted the first complete game of his collegiate career with 9.0 frames against FIU (April 5). At Rice he has posted 291 career strikeouts in 243.2 innings. He could have used some offensive support in his other outings, such as at Minute Maid Park when he was tagged with a loss despite allowing just one run (which was unearned) in 7.0 innings.
• In the opening weekend of the season senior left-hander Evan Kravetz made an (almost) unexpected start on the mound when Addison Moss was a late scratch from the lineup. All Kravetz did was fire a career-high 10 strikeouts while matching a (then) career long 5.0 innings of work. On March 2 at Minute Maid Park the veteran battled for a win over No. 12 ranked Baylor by striking out nine in 6.2 innings. At Old Dominion he posted a new career long outing (8.0 IP) for his second win of the season. Kravetz enters the weekend ranked second on the staff in strikeouts (56). He has been averaging 12.0 strikeouts per 9.0 innings of work. A year ago the Miami, Fla., native led the Owls and finished sixth in the conference in pitching appearances.
News & Notes From Previous Appearance (At Texas April 9)
AUSTIN – The No. 14 ranked Texas Longhorns claimed a 3-1 win over the visiting Rice baseball team Tuesday evening in Austin, Texas.
Streaking Owls: Andrew Dunlap extended his hitting streak to seven games. Aaron Beaulaurier stretched his current hitting streak to a career-best six games. Junior Braden Comeaux has now reached base in each of the last eleven games.
On The Mound: By design Rice used a total of six pitchers in the midweek game. Kel Bordwine made his third start and worked 2.0 innings. He was followed on the bump by Jackson Tyner (1.0), Drake Greenwood (1.0), Blair Lewis (2.0), Dalton Wood (1.0) and Garrett Gayle (1.0). The staff allowed only one walk all game long.
Behind The Dish: Senior Brandt Frazier made his first start of the season at catcher and was sound and solid working with Rice's six pitchers (and their different styles). He threw out two runners attempting to steal second base, showcasing a strong defensive arm, in the third and seventh.
Flashing The Leather: Junior Bradley Gneiting made his first career start at first base and was sensational defensively. Gneiting started (and finished) a 3-6-3 double play in the bottom of the first inning that kept the game close. He ended the second inning by snaring a hard line drive just below his knees, then diving to touch first base with his glove ahead of the (also diving) Longhorn runner. In the fourth, he made a tricky catch on a long throw from Beaulaurier in center for the team's third double play. Gneiting later fielded the Owls' season-high fourth double play in the sixth.
Time Of Game: For a game that saw a total of 11 pitchers used, and was televised on the Longhorn Network, it lasted just two hours and 29 minutes. The contest was Rice's second-shortest (by duration) this season.
Power Surge
Rice already has 11 triples this year to match its full-season total from a year ago. The Owls have also hit almost as many home runs this year (30) as the team did all of last season (35). The team is close to matching its 2018 home run total in just 62.2-percent of the at-bats.
Here's Who's Hot
Senior Andrew Dunlap beat a defensive shift by the Longhorns Tuesday to keep his seven-game hitting streak alive, but there is a little more to his hot streak than that. When going back over the last 27 games, Dunlap is 39-of-105 (.371) with ten home runs, a triple and seven doubles for an eye-opening .743 slugging percentage. He's also been reaching base at a .476 pace over the last 27 games... Keep an eye on Aaron Beaulaurier heating up over the last six games. Not only is the junior outfielder a combined 11-for-24 (.458) with two doubles and a triple (.625 SLG%), he has scored seven runs during the six-game stretch... Junior third baseman Braden Comeaux is 5-for-15 (.333) over the last four games with four RBI and three runs scored. Comeaux has been hitting .351 conference-only games this season and he has reached base in 11-straight games.
24 Career Homers For Andrew Dunlap
Andrew Dunlap launched another home run on April 5 vs. FIU, his team-leading tenth homer of the season and the 24th of his collegiate career. That's the most home runs for an active Rice player, and the most by an Owl since Michael Ratterree reached 31 in 2013. So far Dunlap has belted nine home runs at Reckling Park and 15 other four-baggers at 12 different ballparks. The non-Reckling round-trippers includes: UTSA, U.H., Western Kentucky, Charlotte, LSU, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, FAU, Texas A&M, Minute Maid Park, UAB (twice) and Old Dominion (three times).
Cruzin' Among The C-USA Leaders
Sophomore shortstop Trei Cruz has jumped out to rank among the C-USA statistical leaders in a host of categories. Cruz is tied for second in the league in triples (4), and third overall in both at bats (135) and total plate appearances (161). The former Houston prep star is fifth in total bases (71) and tied for sixth in both home runs (6) and RBI (28). Cruz is tied for seventh in the league in runs scored (28) and he ranks tenth in walks (21).
Winning Is Always In Fashion
For the fashion-minded, Rice's 2019 W-L records while wearing the various uniform combinations is as follows:
5-5 in blue Old English jersey with pinstripe pants
2-2 in blue & gray "R" jersey with gray pants
1-1 in all-gray
2-3 in all-white
2-4 in all-pinstripes
1-2 in blue 'flag' jersey with pinstripe pants
1-2 in blue 'flag' jersey with white pants
0-1 in blue Old English jersey with white pants
0-1 in blue & gray "R" jersey with pinstripe pants
Rice Game Notes PDF
Apr. 12 (Fri.) NEW 4 pm; Rice at Charlotte Watch CUSAtv Live Stats
Apr. 13 (Sat.) 5 pm; Rice at Charlotte Watch CUSAtv Live Stats
Apr. 14 (Sun.) 11 am; Rice at Charlotte Watch CUSAtv Live Stats
(Start times listed are Central Time.)
Owls Conclude Road Swing With Third League Trip
The Rice baseball team, 14-21 overall and tied for seventh in the Conference USA standings with a 5-7 league record, returns to C-USA action this weekend with a three-game series at Charlotte April 12-14. Game times against the 49ers (12-18-1 and 3-8-1 C-USA) are set for a new 4 p.m. first pitch on Friday. Saturday is set for 5 p.m. There is an 11 a.m. first pitch in Sunday's series finale. All times listed are Central Time.
Watch Conference Games Online Via CUSAtv
Conference USA games are slated for a live online video broadcast via CUSAtv. The broadcast is a subscription-based service which matches the play-by-play audio with a video feed to create a television-like production on the Internet (either live or in an archived format). Games that have been selected for TV broadcasts and other platorms can alter the online availability.
Play-By-Play Audio On The Web
Every Rice baseball game is scheduled for a live audio broadcast on the Internet at RiceOwls.com. Tune-in to the broadcast's pregame show 15 minutes before first pitch. Veteran J.P. Heath returns to the booth for his 11th season as the Voice of the Owls.
Live Stats Links Online at RiceOwls.com
Links to live play-by-play text and statistics from every game, home and away, are posted on RiceOwls.com. Look for the links on the Rice Athletics front page, the weekly series preview, and/or the baseball schedule page.
Head Coach Matt Bragga
A 19-year veteran of the head coaching ranks, Matt Bragga was named the 21st head coach in Rice baseball history on June 15, 2018. Bragga has spent the last 15 years as the Head Coach at Tennessee Tech, building that program into one of the best in the Ohio Valley Conference. The four-time OVC Coach of the Year led the Golden Eagles to three NCAA Tournament appearances, winning six OVC championships in the past 10 years while winning 40 or more games in four of the past six seasons. In 2018 he helped Tennessee Tech to its best season in school history, amassing a school and OVC-record 53 wins, the most in the country, while leading the team to the league's regular season title and its first-ever trip to the NCAA Super Regionals. The Jefferson, Ohio, native who played collegiately at Kentucky before a pro playing career, owns a Division I coaching record of 460-413-2. Bragga is aided by assistant coaches Cory Barton (Memphis, 2007, first year), Paul Janish (Rice, 2004; second year), and Connor Teykl (Rice, 2017; first year).
Matt Bragga Show Set For Monday Nights During The Season
The Matt Bragga Show, the live weekly Rice baseball show featuring the Owls' new head coach, debuted on March 18 at Christian's Tailgate Bar & Grill (located close to campus at 5114 Kirby). The show is available around the world on RiceOwls.com. Every Monday Coach Bragga reviews games from the previous weekend and previews upcoming series. In addition to discussions on college baseball's national rankings and chase for the
C-USA championship, each week's show will include current members of the team, former Owl players and special guests. Fans can catch the show on their phone by downloading the "Tune In" app. The show is a unique opportunity for baseball fans to get direct insight from the Owls' head coach.
Two Owls Coaching On The Corners
There are two former Rice Owls on Matt Bragga's 2019 coaching staff. Former major leaguer and 2003 Rice National Champion Paul Janish is in his second year with the program. Janish (Wiess College) played professionally for 13 years with nine seasons in the major leagues, most recently in 2017 with the Baltimore Orioles. Rice graduate Connor Teykl (Baker College 2017) is in his first season as an assistant coach at his alma mater. As a four-year letterman from 2013 to 2016, Teykl helped lead the Rice baseball program to three Conference USA regular season championships and two league tournament titles. On game days Janish coaches at third base and Teykl coaches at first.
Probable Pitchers
Coach Bragga announced the first two Rice starting pitchers for the Charlotte series as Matt Canterino (3-4, 3.02) and Evan Kravetz (2-2, 5.36), respectively. The third and final starter will be announced at a later time.
• This year Matt Canterino garnered a host of preseason attention in college baseball circles. The junior right-hander was voted the Conference USA Preseason Pitcher of the Year by the league head coaches, a preseason All-American by Baseball America and the baseball writers (NCBWA), and to the initial watch list for the Golden Spikes Award as the best amateur player in the country. Last summer Canterino was selected to pitch for the United States collegiate national team and he was later the winning pitcher of the Cape Cod League All-Star game. The Southlake, Texas, native was a prep star at Carroll H.S. and has been the Owls' Friday night ace almost his entire career. He has notched wins each of his last two starts, including tying a career-high with 12 strikeouts while working 6.0 innings at Old Dominion (March 29). One week ago he posted the first complete game of his collegiate career with 9.0 frames against FIU (April 5). At Rice he has posted 291 career strikeouts in 243.2 innings. He could have used some offensive support in his other outings, such as at Minute Maid Park when he was tagged with a loss despite allowing just one run (which was unearned) in 7.0 innings.
• In the opening weekend of the season senior left-hander Evan Kravetz made an (almost) unexpected start on the mound when Addison Moss was a late scratch from the lineup. All Kravetz did was fire a career-high 10 strikeouts while matching a (then) career long 5.0 innings of work. On March 2 at Minute Maid Park the veteran battled for a win over No. 12 ranked Baylor by striking out nine in 6.2 innings. At Old Dominion he posted a new career long outing (8.0 IP) for his second win of the season. Kravetz enters the weekend ranked second on the staff in strikeouts (56). He has been averaging 12.0 strikeouts per 9.0 innings of work. A year ago the Miami, Fla., native led the Owls and finished sixth in the conference in pitching appearances.
News & Notes From Previous Appearance (At Texas April 9)
AUSTIN – The No. 14 ranked Texas Longhorns claimed a 3-1 win over the visiting Rice baseball team Tuesday evening in Austin, Texas.
Streaking Owls: Andrew Dunlap extended his hitting streak to seven games. Aaron Beaulaurier stretched his current hitting streak to a career-best six games. Junior Braden Comeaux has now reached base in each of the last eleven games.
On The Mound: By design Rice used a total of six pitchers in the midweek game. Kel Bordwine made his third start and worked 2.0 innings. He was followed on the bump by Jackson Tyner (1.0), Drake Greenwood (1.0), Blair Lewis (2.0), Dalton Wood (1.0) and Garrett Gayle (1.0). The staff allowed only one walk all game long.
Behind The Dish: Senior Brandt Frazier made his first start of the season at catcher and was sound and solid working with Rice's six pitchers (and their different styles). He threw out two runners attempting to steal second base, showcasing a strong defensive arm, in the third and seventh.
Flashing The Leather: Junior Bradley Gneiting made his first career start at first base and was sensational defensively. Gneiting started (and finished) a 3-6-3 double play in the bottom of the first inning that kept the game close. He ended the second inning by snaring a hard line drive just below his knees, then diving to touch first base with his glove ahead of the (also diving) Longhorn runner. In the fourth, he made a tricky catch on a long throw from Beaulaurier in center for the team's third double play. Gneiting later fielded the Owls' season-high fourth double play in the sixth.
Time Of Game: For a game that saw a total of 11 pitchers used, and was televised on the Longhorn Network, it lasted just two hours and 29 minutes. The contest was Rice's second-shortest (by duration) this season.
Power Surge
Rice already has 11 triples this year to match its full-season total from a year ago. The Owls have also hit almost as many home runs this year (30) as the team did all of last season (35). The team is close to matching its 2018 home run total in just 62.2-percent of the at-bats.
Here's Who's Hot
Senior Andrew Dunlap beat a defensive shift by the Longhorns Tuesday to keep his seven-game hitting streak alive, but there is a little more to his hot streak than that. When going back over the last 27 games, Dunlap is 39-of-105 (.371) with ten home runs, a triple and seven doubles for an eye-opening .743 slugging percentage. He's also been reaching base at a .476 pace over the last 27 games... Keep an eye on Aaron Beaulaurier heating up over the last six games. Not only is the junior outfielder a combined 11-for-24 (.458) with two doubles and a triple (.625 SLG%), he has scored seven runs during the six-game stretch... Junior third baseman Braden Comeaux is 5-for-15 (.333) over the last four games with four RBI and three runs scored. Comeaux has been hitting .351 conference-only games this season and he has reached base in 11-straight games.
24 Career Homers For Andrew Dunlap
Andrew Dunlap launched another home run on April 5 vs. FIU, his team-leading tenth homer of the season and the 24th of his collegiate career. That's the most home runs for an active Rice player, and the most by an Owl since Michael Ratterree reached 31 in 2013. So far Dunlap has belted nine home runs at Reckling Park and 15 other four-baggers at 12 different ballparks. The non-Reckling round-trippers includes: UTSA, U.H., Western Kentucky, Charlotte, LSU, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, FAU, Texas A&M, Minute Maid Park, UAB (twice) and Old Dominion (three times).
Cruzin' Among The C-USA Leaders
Sophomore shortstop Trei Cruz has jumped out to rank among the C-USA statistical leaders in a host of categories. Cruz is tied for second in the league in triples (4), and third overall in both at bats (135) and total plate appearances (161). The former Houston prep star is fifth in total bases (71) and tied for sixth in both home runs (6) and RBI (28). Cruz is tied for seventh in the league in runs scored (28) and he ranks tenth in walks (21).
Winning Is Always In Fashion
For the fashion-minded, Rice's 2019 W-L records while wearing the various uniform combinations is as follows:
5-5 in blue Old English jersey with pinstripe pants
2-2 in blue & gray "R" jersey with gray pants
1-1 in all-gray
2-3 in all-white
2-4 in all-pinstripes
1-2 in blue 'flag' jersey with pinstripe pants
1-2 in blue 'flag' jersey with white pants
0-1 in blue Old English jersey with white pants
0-1 in blue & gray "R" jersey with pinstripe pants
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