Rice University
Charlotte
Charlotte Closes Eight-Game Homestand
4/14/2023 1:14:00 PM | Baseball
Series opener at 6:30 Friday
Rice wraps up an eight-game homestand by hosting Charlotte for three games. Friday's opener is set for 6:30, followed by a 2 p.m. start on Saturday and a 1 p.m. finale on Sunday.
How to Follow:
Watch: CUSAtv
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Full Game Notes
Pitching Matchup
Friday: RHP Parker Smith (2-1, 1.90/1.14) vs. RHP Wyatt Hudepohl (2-4, 4.26/1.22)
Saturday: LHP J.D. McCracken (1-2, 6.34/1.32 vs. RHP Cameron Hansen (2-1, 3.35/1.02)
Sunday: Both teams TBD
Owls on the Hill
#26 Parker Smith
6-4 230 So. Houston, Texas
Making his ninth start of the year, all as the Friday starter...First Owl since 2019 to earn C-USA Pitcher of the Week honors … Allowed five of the first six to reach base in the first inning of his last start (LA Tech), but escaped with only two runs allowed thanks to a bases-loaded double play and shut out the Bulldogs into the sixth as Rice rallied to take the lead... Second in C-USA with a 1.90 ERA, seventh in opponent's batting average (.238) innings (47.1), and strikeouts (46), and leads the league with only one home run allowed… Rice is 4-3 in his starts...3-1 with a 2.50 ERA in eight career appearances (seven starts) vs. C-USA foes (30.1, 31, 12, 8, 9, 27)... Earned his first win of the year over HCU on 3/10, 5-1 (5,5,1,1,3,4)... Named to the 2023 Shriners College Classic All-Tournament team after he tossed six shutout innings against Texas Tech, which came into the game hitting .351 and scoring 12.1 runs per game (6,3,0,0,1,8)… Averaging 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings this year (46 in 47.1), compared with 4.8 as a freshman (23 in 43)... 46 strikeouts are a career-high... Went 5.2 innings against #2 Stanford on 2/24, allowed six hits, four runs (one earned), walked one, and struck out five… Worked six innings against Louisiana in his debut in the Friday starting slot (6,5,3,31,5)... Appeared in 13 games with 10 starts (tied for second on the team) in his freshman campaign… Finished the season with a 2-3 record and a 4.19 ERA, tops among the starters… Was 1-1 with a 3.97 ERA in four games (three starts) in Conference USA action… Winning pitcher in the Owls' first and last wins of 2022… Made his collegiate debut at Texas on 2/20 and his starting debut three days later against HBU… Worked six shutout innings, allowed a pair of hits, and struck out four while throwing just 56 pitches to earn both his and his head coach Jose Cruz Jr.'s first career victories... Closed the season with a win at FIU in the season finale, (5.1, 3,1,0,1,0)… 2-0 with a 2.38 ERA in seven games (five starts) on the road while holding hitters to a .226 batting average.
#29 J.D. McCracken
6-3 202 So. Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Making his seventh start of the year (second on the team) and fifth consecutive... Fifth in the conference with a .227 opponents' batting average and leads with 11 hit batters... Holding opposing batters to a 305 slugging percentage (40 bases in 131 at-bats)... Struck out five in a start vs. UTSA on 3/25 (the third time this year he has reached that mark) while picking up his first career win and the second by an Owls' starter this year... Matched his career high with five strikeouts (4.1 innings) in a start vs. UAB on Saturday... Set career highs with 5.1 innings and five strikeouts vs. Texas A&M on 3/8... Transfer from Tennessee who made three appearances for the Vols in 2022…Gave up three runs in 0.1 innings in his debut vs. Bellarmine on 4/19 but did not allow a run in three innings over his final two appearances… Struck out a pair vs. Alabama A&M on 5/3.
Headed for a Break
With no midweek games scheduled next week, the Owls will have their longest break between games so far this year. They have not had more than two days off at any point this season.
Making Progress
Rice is 16-18 through 34 games, playing the 47th-toughest schedule in the country (through games of 4/12). The Owls were 10-24 at the same point last year after a win at Sam Houston and finished 2022 at 17-39. The last time Rice had more than 16 wins in 34 games was in 2016 when the Owls were 23-11. They finished that season 38-22
Formidable Slate
Rice's 2023 schedule ranks as the 47th toughest in Division I through games of April 12. The Owls faced the 52nd toughest schedule in the nation last year, the highest since they faced the 24th toughest in 2018. This year's lineup of 34 teams averaged 33 wins last year, highlighted by three games at Stanford (2022 CWS), two vs. Texas A&M (2022 CWS) and three-game series against NCAA tournament teams Louisiana, Louisiana Tech and Dallas Baptist.
Streak Breakers
The win in the second game of the doubleheader with Louisiana Tech snapped a nine-game overall losing streak for the Owls as well as a six-game losing streak vs. the Bulldogs at Reckling. The Owls' 1-0 win at FAU on 3/31 snapped an eight-game losing streak to C-USA's other group of Owls, while Rice's 3-2 win over Texas Tech at Minute Maid Park broke a seven-game losing streak for Rice while also snapping the Red Raiders' 10-game streak to open the season.
