Wednesday, March 17
San Marcos
6 pm
Rice University
at
Texas State
Photo by: Maria Lysaker
Update To Weekend Baseball Schedule
3/17/2021 8:50:00 AM | Baseball
One Single Game vs. Southern Saturday At 1 pm
HOUSTON – There is a change to the Rice Baseball schedule for this Saturday, March 20, Owls head coach Matt Bragga announced. The originally scheduled double-header vs. Southern University will now be just one nine-inning game. The start time Saturday at Reckling Park remains at 1 pm.
Rice season ticket members will be contacted at the end of the season with additional information for canceled games in accordance with the ticket assurance program.
Rice Owls Baseball (8-7) This Week
Game 16 | at Texas State, Wednesday, March 17, 6 pm
Location: Bobcat Ballpark; San Marcos, Texas
Listen Online: Audio
Video Stream: ESPN+
Texas State Live Stats: Here
Series vs. Texas State: Rice leads, 61-20 since first meeting in 1984 (Last Meeting: Texas State won 9-1, 3/7/21)
Game 17 | vs. Southern, Friday, March 19, 6 pm
Game 18 | vs. Southern, Saturday, March 20, 1 pm (UPDATE: one game only)
Game 19 | vs. Southern, Sunday, March 21, 1 pm
Location: Reckling Park
Video Stream: CUSAtv
Listen Online: Audio
Rice Live Stats: Here (All Home Games)
Series vs. Southern: First Meeting
Baseball Game Day Program
BATTER UP! The Rice baseball team (8-7) is on the road to face longtime foe Texas State on Wednesday (March 17). Start time at the Bobcat Ballpark in San Marcos is set for 6 pm. After the one-day road trip, the Owls' first true road game since playing at Louisiana-Lafayette on Feb. 28, Rice is back home at Reckling Park for a weekend series March 19-21. The Blue & Gray welcome the Southern University Jaguars to Reckling Park for the first baseball meeting between the programs. Friday's opening game of the series is set for a 6 pm first pitch.
ESPN+ Broadcast
The game at Texas State has been selected for a live broadcast on ESPN+. With some of the most comprehensive coverage of collegiate competitions across the country, ESPN+ is a leader in showcasing the next generation of sports stars. Broadcasters Brant Freeman (play-by-play) and Ty Harrington (analysis) have the call Wednesday night.
Rice 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 10 minutes before first pitch. Veteran J.P. Heath is now in his 13th season as the voice of the Owls.
OWL IN
The Owl In logo represents the continued commitment of Rice Athletics' student-athletes, coaches, and staff to come together for positive change throughout our department, campus, and world. With increased efforts in education, policy development, and action as it relates to diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice, members of the Rice Athletics community will become better equipped to ensure we can fulfill our department's desire to be a more inclusive and welcoming place. To learn more about being Owl In, visit RiceOwls.com/OwlIn.
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.
Follow The Tweeting Rice Owls
The official Rice baseball Twitter account is @RiceBaseball while the Rice Athletics department is @RiceAthletics. Twitter is perhaps the fastest way to get weather-related changes to the schedule/updated start times.
Head Coach Matt Bragga
A 20-year veteran of the head coaching ranks, Matt Bragga was named the 21st head coach in Rice baseball history on June 15, 2018. He went 26-33 at Rice in his first season in 2019. The Owls were 2-14 when the 2020 season came to an abrupt end, but consider Rice's (non-conference) schedule featuring road series at Texas Tech and UC Irvine, plus another four games against Texas and Texas A&M, was rated as the 11th-toughest in all of Division I. Prior to Rice Bragga sent 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 10 years while reaching 40 or more wins in four of six seasons from 2013-2018. 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 482-446-2. Bragga is aided by assistant coaches Cory Barton (Memphis, 2007, third year), Paul Janish (Rice, 2004; fourth year), and Trevor Putzig (Tenn Tech, 2018; first year).
Possible Starting Pitcher
Coach Bragga announced Rice's starting pitcher for the Texas State game as second-year freshman Garret Zaskoda (1-0, 4.15). Coach Bragga will announce the Owl starters for the Southern series at a later time.
• Zaskoda has put in the work, both this season and a year ago, to earn his first collegiate start Wednesday night at Texas State. In his debut season of college baseball in 2020 Zaskoda shared the staff lead with seven appearances, all of which were out of the bullpen. In the abbreviated 2020 season the Sealy, Texas, native averaged a strikeout per inning and maintained a 3-to-1 strikeouts-to-walk ratio. The work he put in over the offseason and during the fall training program caught the coaches' attention. In three appearances so far in 2021, Zaskoda has already earned his first career win when he pitched a career-long 4.0 innings against crosstown foe Houston Baptist on the opening weekend of the season. He's averaged 10.4 strikeouts per 9.0 innings of work. Zaskoda was a multi-sport prep star at Sealy High School who helped the Tigers reach the each the Region 4 Quarterfinals of the 2019 4A state tournament.
Previously: Owls Win Sunday Pitching Duel Sunday vs. Kansas State
The Rice duo of Brandon Deskins and Dalton Wood won a close duel over an equally strong effort from a pair of Kansas State pitchers in a dramatic 1-0 Owl victory Sunday evening at Reckling Park. With a lot of college baseball games these days often resulting in football-like scores, there is still something about a pitchers' duel that is distinctive and intense. Sunday's Rice-Kansas State clash was worth waiting through a rainy Houston afternoon. The starting pitchers, Rice's Brandon Deskins and K-State's Connor McCullough, both found their groove and exchanged scoreless innings. Deskins worked his way out of danger by stranding Wildcat runners in scoring position in the second through fifth innings. In Deskins' fifth and final inning KSU started the frame with a pair of base hits, but lefty dug deep to strikeout each of the next three batters - who were also the first three hitters in the WIldcat order. Deskins finished with six strikeouts in 5.0 shutout innings. He was relieved by Dalton Wood to begin the bottom of the sixth and the right-hander continued the theme. Wood allowed just one hit and a walk for three more scoreless innings to get the game to the bottom of the eighth. That's when Rice was able to break the 0-0 deadlock with a pair of walks and infield hit by Braden Comeaux. On the play, true freshman Ben Dukes alertly dashed home from third base as KSU had trouble corralling the ball in damp infield dirt behind the mound. Rice had taken a narrow 1-0 lead, but there was still the top of the ninth to go. Wood fanned the first two batters to give him a career-high six strikeouts on the night. The Owl outfielders then may have gotten a little tangled up while hustling to get a ball hit into the left-center gap, but the catch was made for the game's final out
Of Note Last Weekend
• For the full week's worth of action Deskins finished with allowing just one run on six hits in 11.0 innings of work. The left-hander from Friendswood had just one walk while posting a combined 17 strikeouts.
• On the offensive side of the five-game week, veteran Bradley Gneiting batted .412 (7-of-17) with a home run, four RBI and a pair of stolen bases.
• Dalton Wood, who was sidelined for the shortened 2020 season, earned his first win since 2019. His 4.0 innings and six strikeouts Sunday were both career highs.
Rice-Texas State Series
Rice leads the all-time series with Texas State 61-20, dating back to the first meeting held in 1984. The squads met earlier this year at Minute Maid Park (March 7), where the Bobcats claimed a 9-1 win. Rice 15-10 when playing Texas State in San Marcos. The Bobcats have won six-straight games in the series dating back to March of 2018.
Winning Is Always In Fashion
For the fashion-minded, Rice's 2021 W-L records while wearing the various uniform combinations is as follows:
4-0 in gradient white jersey
1-0 in white jersey, 'Rice' old English script in blue
1-0 in gradient blue jersey with white pants
1-1 in gray "R" jersey
1-1 in blue jersey, 'Rice' in Old English and pinstripe pants
0-2 in gradient blue jersey with gray pants
0-3 in pinstripes
Preseason Accolades For Comeaux
Rice's Braden Comeaux was selected to 2021 Preseason All-Conference USA Baseball Team in the league's annual head coaches' poll, the C-USA office announced on Thursday (Feb. 11). The Rice graduate who is playing with an added year of eligibility led the Owls in hitting (.349) and slugging percentage (.535) in 2020. He was also second on the on the squad in runs scored (7), on-base average (.404) and home runs (1) – all while playing in just ten of the team's 16 games during that abbreviated collegiate season. Comeaux reached base safely in eight of his ten games played and batted .333 with runners in scoring position. Comeaux has long-had the full attention of the C-USA head-coaches, but now his reputation is growing. On Feb. 10 he was one of just 48 players from across the country named to the preseason watch list for the prestigious 2021 Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award. From its headquarters in the DFW Metroplex, the Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation has combined a passion for baseball and providing youngsters with the incentive and opportunity to pursue a college education for more than 25 years. At the conclusion of the season one position player will be presented with the foundation's Slugger Award. Since its inception in 2017 the award is based on performance at the plate, academics and personal integrity.
The C-USA Preseason Poll
In the 2021 C-USA head coaches preseason poll Rice was selected third in the new divisional format being introduced this year. Here are the results of the league's 12 head coaches (first place votes in parentheses):
WEST
1. Southern Miss (10)
2. Louisiana Tech (2)
3. Rice
4. Middle Tennessee
5. UTSA
6. UAB
EAST
1. Florida Atlantic (10)
2. Old Dominion (1)
3. FIU (1)
4. WKU
5. Charlotte
6. Marshall
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 21 years. Here's a closer look at the country's winningest programs from 1999-2020 (note: this listing will not be updated to include games played in 2021):
Team Years Wins Loses Ties PCT
Florida State 22 1019 391 1 .723
North Carolina 22 948 406 1 .700
LSU 22 950 432 6 .687
South Carolina 22 938 438 0 .682
Coastal Carolina 22 896 418 2 .682
Rice 22 924 435 2 .680
Miami (Fla.) 22 894 421 3 .679
Oral Roberts 22 849 416 0 .671
Cal St. Fullerton 22 881 434 0 .670
Texas 22 894 450 1 .665
Oregon St. 22 811 422 3 .657
Louisville 22 866 453 1 .656
Arizona St. 22 805 422 2 .656
Georgia Tech 22 858 456 1 .653
Virginia 22 840 446 3 .653
Florida 22 888 474 2 .652
Clemson 22 891 478 1 .651
Rice season ticket members will be contacted at the end of the season with additional information for canceled games in accordance with the ticket assurance program.
Rice Owls Baseball (8-7) This Week
Game 16 | at Texas State, Wednesday, March 17, 6 pm
Location: Bobcat Ballpark; San Marcos, Texas
Listen Online: Audio
Video Stream: ESPN+
Texas State Live Stats: Here
Series vs. Texas State: Rice leads, 61-20 since first meeting in 1984 (Last Meeting: Texas State won 9-1, 3/7/21)
Game 17 | vs. Southern, Friday, March 19, 6 pm
Game 18 | vs. Southern, Saturday, March 20, 1 pm (UPDATE: one game only)
Game 19 | vs. Southern, Sunday, March 21, 1 pm
Location: Reckling Park
Video Stream: CUSAtv
Listen Online: Audio
Rice Live Stats: Here (All Home Games)
Series vs. Southern: First Meeting
Baseball Game Day Program
The game at Texas State has been selected for a live broadcast on ESPN+. With some of the most comprehensive coverage of collegiate competitions across the country, ESPN+ is a leader in showcasing the next generation of sports stars. Broadcasters Brant Freeman (play-by-play) and Ty Harrington (analysis) have the call Wednesday night.
Rice 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 10 minutes before first pitch. Veteran J.P. Heath is now in his 13th season as the voice of the Owls.
OWL IN
The Owl In logo represents the continued commitment of Rice Athletics' student-athletes, coaches, and staff to come together for positive change throughout our department, campus, and world. With increased efforts in education, policy development, and action as it relates to diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice, members of the Rice Athletics community will become better equipped to ensure we can fulfill our department's desire to be a more inclusive and welcoming place. To learn more about being Owl In, visit RiceOwls.com/OwlIn.
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.
Follow The Tweeting Rice Owls
The official Rice baseball Twitter account is @RiceBaseball while the Rice Athletics department is @RiceAthletics. Twitter is perhaps the fastest way to get weather-related changes to the schedule/updated start times.
Head Coach Matt Bragga
A 20-year veteran of the head coaching ranks, Matt Bragga was named the 21st head coach in Rice baseball history on June 15, 2018. He went 26-33 at Rice in his first season in 2019. The Owls were 2-14 when the 2020 season came to an abrupt end, but consider Rice's (non-conference) schedule featuring road series at Texas Tech and UC Irvine, plus another four games against Texas and Texas A&M, was rated as the 11th-toughest in all of Division I. Prior to Rice Bragga sent 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 10 years while reaching 40 or more wins in four of six seasons from 2013-2018. 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 482-446-2. Bragga is aided by assistant coaches Cory Barton (Memphis, 2007, third year), Paul Janish (Rice, 2004; fourth year), and Trevor Putzig (Tenn Tech, 2018; first year).
Possible Starting Pitcher
Coach Bragga announced Rice's starting pitcher for the Texas State game as second-year freshman Garret Zaskoda (1-0, 4.15). Coach Bragga will announce the Owl starters for the Southern series at a later time.
• Zaskoda has put in the work, both this season and a year ago, to earn his first collegiate start Wednesday night at Texas State. In his debut season of college baseball in 2020 Zaskoda shared the staff lead with seven appearances, all of which were out of the bullpen. In the abbreviated 2020 season the Sealy, Texas, native averaged a strikeout per inning and maintained a 3-to-1 strikeouts-to-walk ratio. The work he put in over the offseason and during the fall training program caught the coaches' attention. In three appearances so far in 2021, Zaskoda has already earned his first career win when he pitched a career-long 4.0 innings against crosstown foe Houston Baptist on the opening weekend of the season. He's averaged 10.4 strikeouts per 9.0 innings of work. Zaskoda was a multi-sport prep star at Sealy High School who helped the Tigers reach the each the Region 4 Quarterfinals of the 2019 4A state tournament.
Previously: Owls Win Sunday Pitching Duel Sunday vs. Kansas State
The Rice duo of Brandon Deskins and Dalton Wood won a close duel over an equally strong effort from a pair of Kansas State pitchers in a dramatic 1-0 Owl victory Sunday evening at Reckling Park. With a lot of college baseball games these days often resulting in football-like scores, there is still something about a pitchers' duel that is distinctive and intense. Sunday's Rice-Kansas State clash was worth waiting through a rainy Houston afternoon. The starting pitchers, Rice's Brandon Deskins and K-State's Connor McCullough, both found their groove and exchanged scoreless innings. Deskins worked his way out of danger by stranding Wildcat runners in scoring position in the second through fifth innings. In Deskins' fifth and final inning KSU started the frame with a pair of base hits, but lefty dug deep to strikeout each of the next three batters - who were also the first three hitters in the WIldcat order. Deskins finished with six strikeouts in 5.0 shutout innings. He was relieved by Dalton Wood to begin the bottom of the sixth and the right-hander continued the theme. Wood allowed just one hit and a walk for three more scoreless innings to get the game to the bottom of the eighth. That's when Rice was able to break the 0-0 deadlock with a pair of walks and infield hit by Braden Comeaux. On the play, true freshman Ben Dukes alertly dashed home from third base as KSU had trouble corralling the ball in damp infield dirt behind the mound. Rice had taken a narrow 1-0 lead, but there was still the top of the ninth to go. Wood fanned the first two batters to give him a career-high six strikeouts on the night. The Owl outfielders then may have gotten a little tangled up while hustling to get a ball hit into the left-center gap, but the catch was made for the game's final out
Of Note Last Weekend
• For the full week's worth of action Deskins finished with allowing just one run on six hits in 11.0 innings of work. The left-hander from Friendswood had just one walk while posting a combined 17 strikeouts.
• On the offensive side of the five-game week, veteran Bradley Gneiting batted .412 (7-of-17) with a home run, four RBI and a pair of stolen bases.
• Dalton Wood, who was sidelined for the shortened 2020 season, earned his first win since 2019. His 4.0 innings and six strikeouts Sunday were both career highs.
Rice-Texas State Series
Rice leads the all-time series with Texas State 61-20, dating back to the first meeting held in 1984. The squads met earlier this year at Minute Maid Park (March 7), where the Bobcats claimed a 9-1 win. Rice 15-10 when playing Texas State in San Marcos. The Bobcats have won six-straight games in the series dating back to March of 2018.
Winning Is Always In Fashion
For the fashion-minded, Rice's 2021 W-L records while wearing the various uniform combinations is as follows:
4-0 in gradient white jersey
1-0 in white jersey, 'Rice' old English script in blue
1-0 in gradient blue jersey with white pants
1-1 in gray "R" jersey
1-1 in blue jersey, 'Rice' in Old English and pinstripe pants
0-2 in gradient blue jersey with gray pants
0-3 in pinstripes
Preseason Accolades For Comeaux
Rice's Braden Comeaux was selected to 2021 Preseason All-Conference USA Baseball Team in the league's annual head coaches' poll, the C-USA office announced on Thursday (Feb. 11). The Rice graduate who is playing with an added year of eligibility led the Owls in hitting (.349) and slugging percentage (.535) in 2020. He was also second on the on the squad in runs scored (7), on-base average (.404) and home runs (1) – all while playing in just ten of the team's 16 games during that abbreviated collegiate season. Comeaux reached base safely in eight of his ten games played and batted .333 with runners in scoring position. Comeaux has long-had the full attention of the C-USA head-coaches, but now his reputation is growing. On Feb. 10 he was one of just 48 players from across the country named to the preseason watch list for the prestigious 2021 Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award. From its headquarters in the DFW Metroplex, the Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation has combined a passion for baseball and providing youngsters with the incentive and opportunity to pursue a college education for more than 25 years. At the conclusion of the season one position player will be presented with the foundation's Slugger Award. Since its inception in 2017 the award is based on performance at the plate, academics and personal integrity.
The C-USA Preseason Poll
In the 2021 C-USA head coaches preseason poll Rice was selected third in the new divisional format being introduced this year. Here are the results of the league's 12 head coaches (first place votes in parentheses):
WEST
1. Southern Miss (10)
2. Louisiana Tech (2)
3. Rice
4. Middle Tennessee
5. UTSA
6. UAB
EAST
1. Florida Atlantic (10)
2. Old Dominion (1)
3. FIU (1)
4. WKU
5. Charlotte
6. Marshall
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 21 years. Here's a closer look at the country's winningest programs from 1999-2020 (note: this listing will not be updated to include games played in 2021):
Team Years Wins Loses Ties PCT
Florida State 22 1019 391 1 .723
North Carolina 22 948 406 1 .700
LSU 22 950 432 6 .687
South Carolina 22 938 438 0 .682
Coastal Carolina 22 896 418 2 .682
Rice 22 924 435 2 .680
Miami (Fla.) 22 894 421 3 .679
Oral Roberts 22 849 416 0 .671
Cal St. Fullerton 22 881 434 0 .670
Texas 22 894 450 1 .665
Oregon St. 22 811 422 3 .657
Louisville 22 866 453 1 .656
Arizona St. 22 805 422 2 .656
Georgia Tech 22 858 456 1 .653
Virginia 22 840 446 3 .653
Florida 22 888 474 2 .652
Clemson 22 891 478 1 .651
Players Mentioned
Inf.
/ Baseball
P
/ Baseball
OF/Inf.
/ Baseball
P
/ Baseball
P
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