Meet The Baseball Newcomers
10/7/2020 11:05:00 AM | Baseball
The group consists of five veteran transfers with previous collegiate experience and nine who are in their first Division I season. Three outfielders in the group are multi-position players who are versatile enough to contribute elsewhere on the field. The list features six pitchers, four infielders and a catcher exclusive to that position on the field. Ten are from Texas and six are from the greater Houston area.
Rice Baseball Newcomers
Nathan Becker -
Versatile left-handed hitting first baseman from Jersey Village H.S.… Lead the 17 team Five Tool Premier Collegiate League in Batting Average this past summer hitting at a .404 clip. Played in 32 games as a junior in 2019, maintaining a .406 batting average with a .574 slugging percentage in District 17-6A… Collected 41 hits in 101 at bats, including 12 doubles… Drove-in 23 runs and scored 21 times… Rated as the No. 3 first baseman in Texas, and one of the Top 30 first basemen in the nation, according to PerfectGame.com.
William Burbank -
Starting shortstop at Monsignor Kelly High School in Beaumont, Texas… Though the 2020 prep season was cut short, he finished his full 23-game junior season as the Bulldogs' leader in at bats (80), hits (25), runs (20) and doubles (7)… Hit .313 as a junior with a .396 on-base average and .438 slugging percentage… Also contributed as a right-handed pitcher and at second base… Rated by PerfectGame as one of the 100 players in the Texas and one of the Top 180 shortstops in the nation.
Micah Davis -
Right-handed pitcher from Baytown, Texas… Completed varsity career with the Homeschool Christian Youth Academy (HCYA) with a 2.45 ERA and 294 strikeouts in 155 innings… Named a Rawlings Perfect Game Preseason Honorable Mention All-Region… Played summer ball for Houston Kyle Chapman, where he maintained a 1.78 ERA and recorded 101 strikeouts in 78.2 innings... Continues a Rice legacy as his father, Dana Davis, was a four-year baseball letterman who helped lead the Owls to the program's first conference championship in 1996.
Ben Dukes -
Played all 4 years at the varsity level for Memorial High School in Houston. He played Catcher as a Freshman and worked his way into the starting right field job as a sophomore and junior. In his senior year he split time starting between catcher and centerfield. Dukes was a three time all district selection and a two time First Team All Greater Houston selection. Numerous time 6A Player of the month during sophomore and Junior campaign. His career fielding percentage in the outfield was 1.000. While helping lead the Mustangs to a record breaking 31-4-1 season his junior year he also led the district in stolen bases. Dukes was selected to the HABCA All Star Futures game as a junior and was also invited to the Team USA underclass games in Cary, NC. Dukes was ranked the 3rd best catcher and 22nd overall player in the state of Texas as a junior by PBR. He was a four time academic all district selection. Dukes also displayed his talents on the football team starting at wide receiver as a sophomore, junior, and senior. He was awarded second team all district as a junior and first team all district and an all state selection as a senior.
Reed Gallant –
Right-handed pitcher from Flower Mound, Texas… Compiled a 2-0 record, a 1.71 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 16.1 innings at Marcus High School when the 2020 season came to an early end… Also posted a .123 opponents' batting average with a 0.796 WHIP when prep season concluded… Named a Rawlings Perfect Game High Honorable Mention Preseason All-America, as well as a First Team Texas Region All-High School Senior by the same organization… Played summer ball for STIX, where he was named to the All-Tournament Team at the 2019 WWBA World Championship held in Jupiter, Fla.
Guy Garibay -
Versatile outfielder from La Marque, Texas, who starred at Dickinson High School… Maintained a .579 batting average with three home runs, 11 RBI and 10 runs scored while playing in just seven games in the abbreviated 2020 season… Posted a 2-0 record, 0.00 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 14.0 innings as a senior… Fired a no-hitter against Seven Lakes H.S. (Katy) on March 10… Named a Rawlings Perfect Game Preseason Second Team Texas Region All-High School Senior… Earned All-Greater Houston and All-Galveston County after a sensational junior season in 2019… Finished 2019 with a .430 batting average, 22 RBI and 25 runs scored for the 22-8 Gators… Went 7-2 on the mound with a 1.02 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 68.2 innings of work… Veteran summer ball player of Marucci Elite Texas Thames. Played the 2020 summer in the Five Tool Premier Collegiate League where he finished with a.318 Batting Average and 3 Home Runs in 54 at bats.
Mitchell Holcomb -
Graduate transfer from the Ivy League (Penn) who is originally from Georgetown, Texas… Division I veteran with 31 career pitching appearances, including 28 starts, totaling 163.0 innings… Maintained a 4.03 career ERA and averaged 7.8 strikeouts per 9.0 innings of work… In 2020 the right-hander made two starts on the mound for the Quakers totaling 13.0 innings… Fired 8.0 shutout innings scattering four hits and striking out eight for a road victory at Conference USA foe FIU (March 7)… Finished the abbreviated 2020 season holding opposing hitters to a composite .213 batting average… Started nine games as a junior in 2019, posting a 6-1 record to tie for the best in the Ivy League… Maintained a 3.76 ERA and finished second on the team with 51 strikeouts… Fanned a career-high 12 batters at Yale in 2018… Threw 20 innings in abbreviated 2020 summer for the Round Rock Hairy Men in the Texas Collegiate League where he posted a 2-0 record with 17K's and a 2.70 era. A 2016 graduate of Meridian High School (located between Fort Worth and Waco)… Two-time First Team All-State selection who led the Yellow Jackets to back-to-back 2A state titles in 2015-2016.x
Hal Hughes -
Veteran infielder who has started 109 games for LSU over the past three seasons… Sound and solid defensive player who can play anywhere on the infield. Started at shortstop on Opening Day for the Tigers in the abbreviated season of 2020… Named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll each of his first two collegiate seasons… Outstanding prep career in hometown of Norman, Oklahoma, earning USA Today First Team All-State… Helped lead Norman North HS to regional championships in 2016 and 2017… Played the summer of 2020 for the Florida Pokers in the South Florida Collegiate League where he was named the defensive player of the year while finishing 15th in the 10 team league with a .317 batting average…Member of the National Honor Society… Son of Pete Hughes, the head baseball coach at Kansas State (who has also served as head coach at Boston College, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma)… Both parents were Division I student-athletes at Davidson University.
Dillon Janac –
Right-handed pitcher from College Station High School…Veteran varsity arm for CSHS under head coach Scott Holder... Helped the Cougars post a 22-9 record as a junior in 2019... There were only three games played before the 2020 season came to a close... Ranked 241 Nationally and 33 in Texas by Prep Baseball Report. Was a member of the Texas Rangers Underclass Area Code team that competed in Long Beach, Calif.
Will Karp -
Graduate transfer from Division III Haverford College (Pennsylvania)… Registered a sensational start to the 2020 season before it came to an abbreviated end – batting .489 (22-of-45) with 13 doubles, 13 RBI and 19 runs scored in the team's 12-game season… Earned Third Team All-Region, First Team All-Centennial Conference and the league's Gold Glove of the Year as a junior in 2019… First player in conference history to win back-to-back Gold Glove awards (2018 & 2019)… Started 38 games at shortstop for the Fords in 2019, batting .377 and leading the league with 29 stolen bases… Completed four-year DIII career as a .323 hitter with 82 stolen bases in 94 attempts… Three-time selection to the Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll.
Matthew Linskey –
Versatile right-handed pitcher from Atascocita High School, just northeast of the downtown Houston area… Jumped out to a sensational start to senior year, posting a 2-0 record and 1.75 ERA while striking out 20 batters in 12.0 innings before the 2020 prep season came to an early end... Pitched in six games a junior in 2019, working his way into one start for the Eagles… Recorded 11 strikeouts in 8.0 innings of work… Was named the most valuable pitcher and to the all-tournament team for his club at the 2019 WWBA 17U South National Championship... Went 4-1 with a 2.50 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 36.1 innings in the summer of 2019.
Justin Long -
A 2020 graduate of Kingwood High School, just north of the Houston area... Three-year baseball letterman and two-year team captain for the Mustangs... Batted .380 and saw time on the mound, recording three saves in the pre-district action, during the abbreviated 2020 season... Earned First Team All-District 22-6A and was named the Defensive Player of the Year as a junior in 2019... Batted .378 for the season and .483 in district play... Led the Mustangs to a second-straight district title and to the state's Regional Finals, batting .414 during the 2019 playoff run... Selected as Houston Area Baseball Coaches Association Underclass All-Star... Helped Kingwood win District 22-6A and reach the state's Regional Quarterfinals as a sophomore in 2018.
Connor Walsh -
Joined Rice from the University of Mississippi, where he gained a redshirt year in his debut season of 2020… A 2019 graduate of Niceville High School (Fla.), where he was named First Team Perfect Game Preseason All-Region and Florida All-Star his senior year... Multi-year letterman for head coach Rod Taylor… Followed a .438 batting average as a junior by hitting .435 with team MVP honors as a senior… Totaled 67 RBI, 12 doubles, 13 triples and nine home runs in prep career… Rated as the No. 27 prospect, and No. 9 shortstop, in the nation by Perfect Game.
Will West -
Joined Rice from Columbia University, where he graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in biomedical engineering… Pursuing a Master of bioengineering while at Rice with a goal of becoming a practicing physician… Pitched in a total of eight games dating back to his freshman year in the spring of 2017… Made three relief appearances as a senior when the 2020 season came to an abrupt end… Highlights were firing a scoreless frame at Nebraska and striking out a career-high eight batters in a career-long 4.0 innings at Fresno State… Named to the 2020 Spring Academic All-Ivy League Team and was nominated for the 2020 Rhodes Scholarships... Did not see action in 2018, the year the Lions won the Ivy League title and earlier faced the Owls at Reckling Park… A 2016 graduate of Niceville High School (Fla.) where he was a three-year baseball letterman… Earned all-area honors as a sophomore, junior and senior… Posted a prep career ERA of 1.63 with 183 strikeouts in 115.2 innings pitched… Perfect Game All-Florida Honorable Mention as a junior in 2015... Helped the Eagles win the district championship in 2014.
| NAME | POS | B/T | HT | WT | CL-EXP | HOMETOWN (SCHOOL) |
| Nathan Becker | INF | L-L | 6-2 | 215 | Fr.-HS | Jersey Village, Texas (Jersey Village HS) |
| William Burbank | INF | R-R | 6-0 | 175 | Fr.-HS | Beaumont, Texas (Monsignor Kelly HS) |
| Micah Davis | RHP | R-R | 6-3 | 215 | Fr.-Club | Baytown, Texas (home school) |
| Ben Dukes | C/OF | L-R | 6-0 | 175 | Fr.-HS | Houston, Texas (Memorial HS) |
| Reed Gallant | RHP | R-R | 6-1 | 170 | Fr-HS | Flower Mound, Texas (Marcus HS) |
| Guy Garibay | OF/LHP | L-L | 6-0 | 190 | Fr-HS | La Marque, Texas (Dickinson HS) |
| Mitchell Holcomb | RHP | R-R | 6-2 | 205 | Gr.-Tr. | Georgetown, Texas (Penn Univ.) |
| Hal Hughes | INF | R-R | 5-11 | 178 | Jr.-Tr. | Norman, Okla. (LSU) |
| Dillon Janac | RHP | R-R | 6-4 | 185 | Fr.-HS | College Station, Texas (College Station HS) |
| Will Karp | INF | R-R | 5-9 | 190 | Gr.-Tr. | Princeton, N.J. (Haverford College) |
| Mathew Linskey | RHP | R-R | 6-7 | 245 | Fr.-HS | Humble, Texas (Atascocita HS) |
| Justin Long | C | R-R | 6-1 | 170 | Fr.-HS | Kingwood, Texas (Kingwood HS) |
| Connor Walsh | INF/OF | R-R | 6-1 | 195 | Fr.-Tr. | Niceville, Fla. (Mississippi State) |
| Will West | RHP | R-R | 6-3 | 208 | Gr.-Tr. | Niceville, Fla. (Columbia Univ.) |