Rice University Athletics
Friday, May 3
Bowling Green, KY
3 pm
Rice University
at
Western Kentucky (Game 1)
Photo by: Maria Lysaker - Rice
New Schedule Friday At WKU
5/2/2019 10:06:00 PM | Baseball
First Pitch Now 3 PM For New Friday Twinbill
Listen online (pregame show 15 min. before start)
Rice Game Notes PDF
May 3 (Fri.) NEW 3 pm Double-header; Game 1 - Rice at Western Kentucky Watch CUSAtv Live Stats
(approx. 30 min after game 1) Game 2 - Rice at Western Kentucky Watch CUSAtv Live Stats
May 4 (Sat.) no game scheduled
May 5 (Sun.) 1 pm; Rice at Western Kentucky Live Stats no CUSAtv this game
(Start times listed are Central Time.)
Rice Opens Road Swing At Western Kentucky; Owls & Hilltoppers To Play New Friday Double-Header
The Rice baseball team, 21-24 on the season and in third place in the Conference USA standings with a 12-9 league record, opens a four-game road swing with a key C-USA series at Western Kentucky on May 3-5. Note the schedule changes against the Hilltoppers (20-22-1 and 11-9-1 C-USA). Friday starts with a new 3 pm double-header, where game two would start 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one. There is no game scheduled for Saturday. Sunday's C-USA series finale is set for 1 pm. All times listed are Central Time.
Watch League Games Online Via CUSAtv
Most C-USA baseball 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 platforms can alter the 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 467-416-2. 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 To Return May 13 After May 6 "Rain Out"
The Matt Bragga Show, the live weekly Rice baseball show featuring the Owls' new head coach, will take a break from its usual Monday night air date on May 6. The show is scheduled to return on May 13, with a full preview of the final week of the college baseball regular season.
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 WKU series as the veteran tandem of Matt Canterino (6-4, 2.69) and Evan Kravetz (4-2, 3.69), respectively. The third and final starter will be announced by coach Bragga 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 five starts, including last week's home win over No. 18 ranked Louisiana Tech, a career high tying 12 strikeouts in 6.0 innings at Old Dominion (March 29) and the first complete game of his collegiate career with 9.0 frames against FIU (April 5). Last week Canterino also posted double-digit strikeouts for the third time this season (and 12th time in his career). He has amassed 313 strikeouts in his career and now needs just one more to tie Eddie Degerman (314 from 2004-2006) for ninth in Rice history, and four to tie both Darrell Richardson (1991-1993) and Marc Gwynn (1997-2000) for seventh.
• In the opening weekend of the season senior left-hander Evan Kravetz made late-notice start on the mound when Addison Moss was scratched from the lineup. All Kravetz did was fire a (then) 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 the southpaw posted a new career long outing (8.0 IP) for his second win of the season. Two weeks ago against Middle Tennessee he turned in a performance earned him National Pitcher of the Week honors. Kravetz enters the weekend second on the staff in strikeouts (84). He has been averaging 11.9 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.
Power Surge
Last weekend Rice added another home run to give the team a season total of 38 this year, zooming past the 35 round-trippers the squad had in all of 2018. The Blue & Gray surpassed its 2018 home run total in just 67-percent of the at-bats. The Owls are tied for sixth in the conference in home runs and have been blasting the taters at a rate of just under one per game (0.84), and one per every 41.74 at bats, the best the program has done in both categories the last two years. Overall the squad's slugging percentage is higher this season (.415) than a year ago (.386). Rice already has 14 triples to surpass its full-season total from one year ago.
News & Notes From Previous Appearance (vs. Houston)
HOUSTON – The visiting Houston Cougar baseball team scored six runs in the top of the tenth inning on the way to an 8-2 win over the Rice Owls in the second game of the annual Silver Glove Trophy series Wednesday evening at Reckling Park.
Records: Rice saw its six-game win streak come to an end as the team fell to 21-24 overall. Houston improved to 27-18 on the season.
Series Now Tied: After the first two games the season-long crosstown series is now tied 1-1. Like the big rivalries in college football the Rice and Houston baseball teams play for an annual trophy, The Silver Glove.
Still One More Game vs. Houston: The deciding game of the series is still ahead. The Owls & Cougars are scheduled to play on May 14 (Tuesday) at the neutral site of Constellation Field in Sugar Land. The venue is the minor league home of the Sugar Land Skeeters.
Edwards Collects Three Hits: Junior second baseman Cade Edwards went 3-for-5 with a double and a RBI. He posted his sixth three-hit day of the season to raise his season batting average to .339.
Still Cruzin': Sophomore shortstop Trei Cruz went 2-for-5 with a RBI and a run scored on the way to extending his current hitting streak to seven-straight games. Over the last month Cruz has raised his batting average a full 39 points (from .281 to .320).
Comeaux Streak Snapped: Junior third baseman Braden Comeaux saw his streak of reaching base in 20-straight games come to an end. The mark is the longest on the team this season.
Bordwine Matches Career High: Kel Bordwine was solid making his seventh start on the mound. Not only did the sophomore right-hander tie a career long with 5.0 innings, he did not allow any runs while holding the Cougars to just one base hit.
Extras: Rice is now 2-3 in extra inning games this season.
Here's Who's Hot
Junior second baseman Cade Edwards is 19-for-41 (.463) over the last 11 games. He has a home run, a triple and six doubles for a .732 SLG% to go with a .489 OB%. Edwards has also driven in six runs and scored six times in the last 11 games... Sophomore shortstop Trei Cruz is 18-for-42 (.429) with a home run, a triple and four doubles (.643 SLG%) to go along with two steals over the last ten games, but he has also drawn five walks for a .489 OB%... Sophomore catcher Justin Collins is a combined 4-for-9 with four walks (.615 OB%) and a run scored.
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 offensive categories. Cruz is second in the league in triples (5), fourth in total bases (96) and fifth in both at bats (163) and plate appearances (194). The former Houston prep star is also tied for ninth in the league in runs scored (35), tied for tenth in hits (56) and tied for 12th in RBI (34). Cruz is 13th in the league in slugging (.545) and tied for 13th in home runs (7).
25 Career Homers For Andrew Dunlap
Andrew Dunlap launched a home run at Charlotte (April 12), his team-leading 11th homer of the season and the 25th 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 16 other four-baggers at 12 different ballparks. The non-Reckling round-trippers includes: UTSA, U.H., Western Kentucky, LSU, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, FAU, Texas A&M, Minute Maid Park, Charlotte (twice), UAB (twice) and Old Dominion (three times).
Winning Is Always In Fashion
For the fashion-minded, Rice's 2019 W-L records while wearing the various uniform combinations is as follows:
2-1 in all-gray
4-3 in all-white
6-5 in blue Old English jersey with pinstripe pants
4-4 in all-pinstripes
2-3 in blue 'flag' jersey with pinstripe pants
2-4 in blue & gray "R" jersey with gray 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 Since 1999
Using the 1999 season as the starting point (the year the NCAA expanded the postseason tournament field to 64 teams with the current Super Regional format), Rice baseball has maintained one of the nation's top win percentages over the last 20 years. Here's a closer look at the country's winningest programs from 1999-2018 (note: this listing will not be updated to include games played in 2019):
Team Years Wins Loses Ties PCT
Florida State 20 965 363 1 .726
North Carolina 20 890 380 1 .701
Rice 20 896 388 2 .698
LSU 20 898 401 6 .690
South Carolina 20 898 406 0 .689
Coastal Carolina 20 849 387 1 .687
Cal St. Fullerton 20 850 396 0 .682
Oral Roberts 20 814 380 0 .682
Miami-Fla. 20 841 397 3 .679
Texas 20 853 420 1 .670
Oregon State 20 770 393 2 .662
Virginia 20 794 418 3 .655
Arizona State 20 754 399 2 .654
Clemson 20 842 449 1 .652
Dallas Baptist 20 780 416 1 .652
Florida 20 838 447 2 .652
Georgia Tech 20 804 432 1 .650
Louisville 20 802 431 1 .650
TCU 20 799 434 0 .648
Stanford 20 778 423 2 .648
Florida Atlantic 20 768 429 3 .641
Kent State 20 752 423 0 .640
East Carolina 20 773 438 4 .638
Texas A&M 20 799 453 3 .638
Nebraska 20 762 437 3 .635
Southern Miss 20 771 444 1 .634
Col. of Charleston 20 740 437 2 .628
Oklahoma State 20 755 450 1 .626
Florida G.C. 16 565 337 3 .626
St. John's (NY) 20 709 425 3 .625
Ole Miss 20 774 465 1 .625
Vanderbilt 20 772 466 1 .623
Louisiana 20 758 462 2 .621
Arkansas 20 771 474 0 .619
Rice Game Notes PDF
May 3 (Fri.) NEW 3 pm Double-header; Game 1 - Rice at Western Kentucky Watch CUSAtv Live Stats
(approx. 30 min after game 1) Game 2 - Rice at Western Kentucky Watch CUSAtv Live Stats
May 4 (Sat.) no game scheduled
May 5 (Sun.) 1 pm; Rice at Western Kentucky Live Stats no CUSAtv this game
(Start times listed are Central Time.)
Rice Opens Road Swing At Western Kentucky; Owls & Hilltoppers To Play New Friday Double-Header
The Rice baseball team, 21-24 on the season and in third place in the Conference USA standings with a 12-9 league record, opens a four-game road swing with a key C-USA series at Western Kentucky on May 3-5. Note the schedule changes against the Hilltoppers (20-22-1 and 11-9-1 C-USA). Friday starts with a new 3 pm double-header, where game two would start 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one. There is no game scheduled for Saturday. Sunday's C-USA series finale is set for 1 pm. All times listed are Central Time.
Watch League Games Online Via CUSAtv
Most C-USA baseball 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 platforms can alter the 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 467-416-2. 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 To Return May 13 After May 6 "Rain Out"
The Matt Bragga Show, the live weekly Rice baseball show featuring the Owls' new head coach, will take a break from its usual Monday night air date on May 6. The show is scheduled to return on May 13, with a full preview of the final week of the college baseball regular season.
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 WKU series as the veteran tandem of Matt Canterino (6-4, 2.69) and Evan Kravetz (4-2, 3.69), respectively. The third and final starter will be announced by coach Bragga 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 five starts, including last week's home win over No. 18 ranked Louisiana Tech, a career high tying 12 strikeouts in 6.0 innings at Old Dominion (March 29) and the first complete game of his collegiate career with 9.0 frames against FIU (April 5). Last week Canterino also posted double-digit strikeouts for the third time this season (and 12th time in his career). He has amassed 313 strikeouts in his career and now needs just one more to tie Eddie Degerman (314 from 2004-2006) for ninth in Rice history, and four to tie both Darrell Richardson (1991-1993) and Marc Gwynn (1997-2000) for seventh.
• In the opening weekend of the season senior left-hander Evan Kravetz made late-notice start on the mound when Addison Moss was scratched from the lineup. All Kravetz did was fire a (then) 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 the southpaw posted a new career long outing (8.0 IP) for his second win of the season. Two weeks ago against Middle Tennessee he turned in a performance earned him National Pitcher of the Week honors. Kravetz enters the weekend second on the staff in strikeouts (84). He has been averaging 11.9 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.
Power Surge
Last weekend Rice added another home run to give the team a season total of 38 this year, zooming past the 35 round-trippers the squad had in all of 2018. The Blue & Gray surpassed its 2018 home run total in just 67-percent of the at-bats. The Owls are tied for sixth in the conference in home runs and have been blasting the taters at a rate of just under one per game (0.84), and one per every 41.74 at bats, the best the program has done in both categories the last two years. Overall the squad's slugging percentage is higher this season (.415) than a year ago (.386). Rice already has 14 triples to surpass its full-season total from one year ago.
News & Notes From Previous Appearance (vs. Houston)
HOUSTON – The visiting Houston Cougar baseball team scored six runs in the top of the tenth inning on the way to an 8-2 win over the Rice Owls in the second game of the annual Silver Glove Trophy series Wednesday evening at Reckling Park.
Records: Rice saw its six-game win streak come to an end as the team fell to 21-24 overall. Houston improved to 27-18 on the season.
Series Now Tied: After the first two games the season-long crosstown series is now tied 1-1. Like the big rivalries in college football the Rice and Houston baseball teams play for an annual trophy, The Silver Glove.
Still One More Game vs. Houston: The deciding game of the series is still ahead. The Owls & Cougars are scheduled to play on May 14 (Tuesday) at the neutral site of Constellation Field in Sugar Land. The venue is the minor league home of the Sugar Land Skeeters.
Edwards Collects Three Hits: Junior second baseman Cade Edwards went 3-for-5 with a double and a RBI. He posted his sixth three-hit day of the season to raise his season batting average to .339.
Still Cruzin': Sophomore shortstop Trei Cruz went 2-for-5 with a RBI and a run scored on the way to extending his current hitting streak to seven-straight games. Over the last month Cruz has raised his batting average a full 39 points (from .281 to .320).
Comeaux Streak Snapped: Junior third baseman Braden Comeaux saw his streak of reaching base in 20-straight games come to an end. The mark is the longest on the team this season.
Bordwine Matches Career High: Kel Bordwine was solid making his seventh start on the mound. Not only did the sophomore right-hander tie a career long with 5.0 innings, he did not allow any runs while holding the Cougars to just one base hit.
Extras: Rice is now 2-3 in extra inning games this season.
Here's Who's Hot
Junior second baseman Cade Edwards is 19-for-41 (.463) over the last 11 games. He has a home run, a triple and six doubles for a .732 SLG% to go with a .489 OB%. Edwards has also driven in six runs and scored six times in the last 11 games... Sophomore shortstop Trei Cruz is 18-for-42 (.429) with a home run, a triple and four doubles (.643 SLG%) to go along with two steals over the last ten games, but he has also drawn five walks for a .489 OB%... Sophomore catcher Justin Collins is a combined 4-for-9 with four walks (.615 OB%) and a run scored.
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 offensive categories. Cruz is second in the league in triples (5), fourth in total bases (96) and fifth in both at bats (163) and plate appearances (194). The former Houston prep star is also tied for ninth in the league in runs scored (35), tied for tenth in hits (56) and tied for 12th in RBI (34). Cruz is 13th in the league in slugging (.545) and tied for 13th in home runs (7).
25 Career Homers For Andrew Dunlap
Andrew Dunlap launched a home run at Charlotte (April 12), his team-leading 11th homer of the season and the 25th 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 16 other four-baggers at 12 different ballparks. The non-Reckling round-trippers includes: UTSA, U.H., Western Kentucky, LSU, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, FAU, Texas A&M, Minute Maid Park, Charlotte (twice), UAB (twice) and Old Dominion (three times).
Winning Is Always In Fashion
For the fashion-minded, Rice's 2019 W-L records while wearing the various uniform combinations is as follows:
2-1 in all-gray
4-3 in all-white
6-5 in blue Old English jersey with pinstripe pants
4-4 in all-pinstripes
2-3 in blue 'flag' jersey with pinstripe pants
2-4 in blue & gray "R" jersey with gray 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 Since 1999
Using the 1999 season as the starting point (the year the NCAA expanded the postseason tournament field to 64 teams with the current Super Regional format), Rice baseball has maintained one of the nation's top win percentages over the last 20 years. Here's a closer look at the country's winningest programs from 1999-2018 (note: this listing will not be updated to include games played in 2019):
Team Years Wins Loses Ties PCT
Florida State 20 965 363 1 .726
North Carolina 20 890 380 1 .701
Rice 20 896 388 2 .698
LSU 20 898 401 6 .690
South Carolina 20 898 406 0 .689
Coastal Carolina 20 849 387 1 .687
Cal St. Fullerton 20 850 396 0 .682
Oral Roberts 20 814 380 0 .682
Miami-Fla. 20 841 397 3 .679
Texas 20 853 420 1 .670
Oregon State 20 770 393 2 .662
Virginia 20 794 418 3 .655
Arizona State 20 754 399 2 .654
Clemson 20 842 449 1 .652
Dallas Baptist 20 780 416 1 .652
Florida 20 838 447 2 .652
Georgia Tech 20 804 432 1 .650
Louisville 20 802 431 1 .650
TCU 20 799 434 0 .648
Stanford 20 778 423 2 .648
Florida Atlantic 20 768 429 3 .641
Kent State 20 752 423 0 .640
East Carolina 20 773 438 4 .638
Texas A&M 20 799 453 3 .638
Nebraska 20 762 437 3 .635
Southern Miss 20 771 444 1 .634
Col. of Charleston 20 740 437 2 .628
Oklahoma State 20 755 450 1 .626
Florida G.C. 16 565 337 3 .626
St. John's (NY) 20 709 425 3 .625
Ole Miss 20 774 465 1 .625
Vanderbilt 20 772 466 1 .623
Louisiana 20 758 462 2 .621
Arkansas 20 771 474 0 .619
Players Mentioned
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