Tuesday, March 9
Houston
6:30 pm
Rice University
vs
Houston Baptist
Photo by: Maria Lysaker | Rice Athletics
Owls Welcome HBU For Midweek Rematch
3/8/2021 8:34:00 PM | Baseball
Tuesday Start Time vs. Huskies Set For 6:30 PM At Reckling Park
Rice Owls Baseball (4-6) This Week
Game 11 | vs. Houston Baptist, Tuesday, March 9, 6:30 pm
Games 12 | vs. Northern Illinois, Friday, March 12, 5 pm
Games 13 | vs. Kansas State, Saturday, March 13, 4 pm
Games 14 | vs. Northern Illinois, Sunday, March 14, 10:30 am
Games 15 | vs. Kansas State, Sunday, March 14, 2 pm
Location: Reckling Park
Video Streams: CUSAtv
Listen Online: Audio
Live Stats: Here (All Home Games)
Series vs. HBU: Rice leads, 22-4 (Last Meeting: Rice Won 1-0, 2/22/21)
Series vs. NIU: Rice leads, 2-0 (Last Meeting: Rice Won 1-0, 3/30/70)
Series vs. KState: Rice leads, 3-1 (Last Meeting: Rice Won 13-4, 6/1/09)
HOUSTON — The Rice baseball team (4-6) is back home at Reckling Park on Tuesday, Mar. 9, for a non-conference clash against crosstown foe Houston Baptist. First pitch against the Huskies is set for 6:30 pm. The Owls then welcome in a pair of teams, Kansas State and Northern Illinois, to play a total of four games this weekend at Reckling Park.
SEATING UPDATES AT RECKLING PARK - Seating at Reckling Park has been reduced in 2021 due to COVID-19 protocols and a limited number of reserved season tickets remain available as well as a limited amount of general single game tickets. Reserved seats have been assigned in a physically distanced manner and fans will be required to wear masks at all times unless actively eating or drinking. Fans are encouraged to review all of the protocols before attending the games this weekend.
LIMITED CONCESSIONS NOW AVAILABLE
A limited food menu featuring hot dogs and hamburgers will be available for home games at Reckling Park.
PARKING AT THE PARK - Parking is free in the Greenbriar Lot west of Rice Stadium and $5 in the Orange Lots (West Lot 3, 4 and 5).
SEASON TICKETS - Season tickets for the 2021 campaign are currently on sale. Season ticket members and donors who have purchased tickets for the 2021 season will then have their seats assigned in priority order based on Owl Club/season ticket status. Seat assignments are available now. Season ticket members can renew their seats online at Riceowls.com/myaccount and new season tickets can be purchased here. Group tickets will be made available, pending availability, on a first-come basis. Interested parties should fill out this form to indicate your interest in bringing a group to a game this season. Details on the confirmation of ticket purchases and seating locations will be emailed directly to season ticket members and student-athlete families. Current Rice students will receive emails with further information on how to access a limited number of tickets, which will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis. Any ticketing questions should be directed to the ticket office by calling 713-348-6957 or emailing tickets@rice.edu.
Watch Reckling Park Games Online Via CUSAtv
Rice home baseball games are slated for a live online video broadcast via CUSAtv. The broadcast is a subscription 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.
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. Different broadcasters are scheduled to announce some upcoming games until the completion of the respective Rice men's and women's basketball seasons. Jason Metko has the next three games. Matt Pedersen has the Sunday split double-header.
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.
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.
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 478-445-2. Bragga is aided by assistant coaches Cory Barton (Memphis, 2007, third year), Paul Janish (Rice, 2004; fourth year), and Trevor Putzig (Tennessee Tech, 2018; first year).
Possible Starting Pitchers
Coach Bragga announced Tuesday's starting pitcher for the HBU game as left-hander Brandon Deskins (0-1, 5.19). Coach Bragga will announce Rice's starting rotation for the weekend at a later time.
• So far this season Brandon Deskins has compiled 8.2 innings in four relief appearances, most recently in Friday's opener of the College Classic vs. Sam Houston. Deskins leads the staff in appearances and a start Tuesday would be only the fourth of his collegiate career. He's already faced this same HBU squad in the opening weekend on the season. On Opening Day the Friendswood, Texas, native fired a career-long 3.2 innings without allowing any runs nor walks while registering three strikeouts. In 2020 Deskins led the staff in appearances (7) and ERA (3.38), and was tied for second in starts (3) when the collegiate season came to an early end.
Previously: Owls Go 1-2 In Weekend At Minute Maid Park
Rice played three games in the annual Shriner's College Classic tournament downtown at Minute Maid Park, the major league home of the Houston Astros. In Sunday's tournament finale, Texas State registered a six run third inning in a 9-1 win over the Owls. In Saturday's contest Rice posted season highs in runs and hits on the way to a 16-5 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. In Friday's opening game Sam Houston recorded a 12-4 win over the Blue & Gray.
Of Note
• Some of Rice's top hitters in the weekend tournament included Will Karp (.417, 5-for-12, 2B, three runs scored, three RBI), and Antonio Cruz (.400, 4-for-10, 2B, two runs, one RBI).
• Cade Edwards drew a pair of walks to extend his streak of reaching base to nine straight games.
• Already with a Minute Maid Park home run earlier in the tournament, true freshman Guy Garibay made his pitching debut Sunday in the bottom of the eighth. The rookie left-hander recorded a pair of strikeouts to highlight a solid 1-2-3 inning of work.
• Rice has played 51 games at Minute Maid Park since the start of the event in 2001. The Owls are now 30-21 in the downtown MLB venue.
Winning Is Always In Fashion
For the fashion-minded, Rice's 2021 W-L records while wearing the various uniform combinations is as follows:
2-0 in modern white
1-0 in gradient blue with white pants
1-1 in gray "R" top
0-1 in blue top with 'Rice' in Old English and pinstripe pants
0-2 in pinstripes
0-2 in gradient blue with gray pants
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
Game 11 | vs. Houston Baptist, Tuesday, March 9, 6:30 pm
Games 12 | vs. Northern Illinois, Friday, March 12, 5 pm
Games 13 | vs. Kansas State, Saturday, March 13, 4 pm
Games 14 | vs. Northern Illinois, Sunday, March 14, 10:30 am
Games 15 | vs. Kansas State, Sunday, March 14, 2 pm
Location: Reckling Park
Video Streams: CUSAtv
Listen Online: Audio
Live Stats: Here (All Home Games)
Series vs. HBU: Rice leads, 22-4 (Last Meeting: Rice Won 1-0, 2/22/21)
Series vs. NIU: Rice leads, 2-0 (Last Meeting: Rice Won 1-0, 3/30/70)
Series vs. KState: Rice leads, 3-1 (Last Meeting: Rice Won 13-4, 6/1/09)
LIMITED CONCESSIONS NOW AVAILABLE
A limited food menu featuring hot dogs and hamburgers will be available for home games at Reckling Park.
PARKING AT THE PARK - Parking is free in the Greenbriar Lot west of Rice Stadium and $5 in the Orange Lots (West Lot 3, 4 and 5).
SEASON TICKETS - Season tickets for the 2021 campaign are currently on sale. Season ticket members and donors who have purchased tickets for the 2021 season will then have their seats assigned in priority order based on Owl Club/season ticket status. Seat assignments are available now. Season ticket members can renew their seats online at Riceowls.com/myaccount and new season tickets can be purchased here. Group tickets will be made available, pending availability, on a first-come basis. Interested parties should fill out this form to indicate your interest in bringing a group to a game this season. Details on the confirmation of ticket purchases and seating locations will be emailed directly to season ticket members and student-athlete families. Current Rice students will receive emails with further information on how to access a limited number of tickets, which will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis. Any ticketing questions should be directed to the ticket office by calling 713-348-6957 or emailing tickets@rice.edu.
Watch Reckling Park Games Online Via CUSAtv
Rice home baseball games are slated for a live online video broadcast via CUSAtv. The broadcast is a subscription 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.
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. Different broadcasters are scheduled to announce some upcoming games until the completion of the respective Rice men's and women's basketball seasons. Jason Metko has the next three games. Matt Pedersen has the Sunday split double-header.
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.
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.
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 478-445-2. Bragga is aided by assistant coaches Cory Barton (Memphis, 2007, third year), Paul Janish (Rice, 2004; fourth year), and Trevor Putzig (Tennessee Tech, 2018; first year).
Possible Starting Pitchers
Coach Bragga announced Tuesday's starting pitcher for the HBU game as left-hander Brandon Deskins (0-1, 5.19). Coach Bragga will announce Rice's starting rotation for the weekend at a later time.
• So far this season Brandon Deskins has compiled 8.2 innings in four relief appearances, most recently in Friday's opener of the College Classic vs. Sam Houston. Deskins leads the staff in appearances and a start Tuesday would be only the fourth of his collegiate career. He's already faced this same HBU squad in the opening weekend on the season. On Opening Day the Friendswood, Texas, native fired a career-long 3.2 innings without allowing any runs nor walks while registering three strikeouts. In 2020 Deskins led the staff in appearances (7) and ERA (3.38), and was tied for second in starts (3) when the collegiate season came to an early end.
Previously: Owls Go 1-2 In Weekend At Minute Maid Park
Rice played three games in the annual Shriner's College Classic tournament downtown at Minute Maid Park, the major league home of the Houston Astros. In Sunday's tournament finale, Texas State registered a six run third inning in a 9-1 win over the Owls. In Saturday's contest Rice posted season highs in runs and hits on the way to a 16-5 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. In Friday's opening game Sam Houston recorded a 12-4 win over the Blue & Gray.
Of Note
• Some of Rice's top hitters in the weekend tournament included Will Karp (.417, 5-for-12, 2B, three runs scored, three RBI), and Antonio Cruz (.400, 4-for-10, 2B, two runs, one RBI).
• Cade Edwards drew a pair of walks to extend his streak of reaching base to nine straight games.
• Already with a Minute Maid Park home run earlier in the tournament, true freshman Guy Garibay made his pitching debut Sunday in the bottom of the eighth. The rookie left-hander recorded a pair of strikeouts to highlight a solid 1-2-3 inning of work.
• Rice has played 51 games at Minute Maid Park since the start of the event in 2001. The Owls are now 30-21 in the downtown MLB venue.
Winning Is Always In Fashion
For the fashion-minded, Rice's 2021 W-L records while wearing the various uniform combinations is as follows:
2-0 in modern white
1-0 in gradient blue with white pants
1-1 in gray "R" top
0-1 in blue top with 'Rice' in Old English and pinstripe pants
0-2 in pinstripes
0-2 in gradient blue with gray pants
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
OF
/ Baseball
P
/ Baseball
Inf.
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
WBB: Rice vs. Marshall Postgame Presser
Wednesday, March 09
VB: Rice-Texas Postgame Presser
Saturday, December 04
VB: Rice-San Diego Postgame Presser
Thursday, December 02