Owls Close Out April Hosting #19 DBU
4/27/2023 4:47:00 PM | Baseball
First games vs. Patriots since 2017
Rice returns to action at Reckling Park and closes out the month of April by hosting #19 DBU for the first time since 2017 overall and the first time in history as conference rivals. The series opens with a 6:30 first pitch on Friday, followed by a 2 p.m. start on Saturday and then wraps up with a 1 p.m. finale on Sunday. The series is part of a four-game homestand that concludes on Wednesday (May 3) with Game Two of the 2023 Silver Glove Series with Houston. This weekend's action is the penultimate home weekend series as the Owls will be on the road at UTSA (May 5-7) and WKU (May 12-14) before concluding the regular season by hosting FIU (May 18-20).
Watch: CUSAtv
Listen: Online / Varsity Network
Live Stats: Sidearm
Complete Game Notes
Pitching Matchup
Friday: RHP Parker Smith (2-2, 1.89/1.03) vs. RHP Ryan Johnson (5-2, 2.72/.89)
Saturday: LHP J.D. McCracken (1-3, 5.68/1.33) vs. RHP Braxton Bragg (5-1, 3.78/1.22)
Sunday: TBD vs. RHP Zach Heaton (3-1, 2.82/1.17)
Owls on the Hill
#26 Parker Smith
6-4 230 So. Houston, Texas
Making his 11th start of the year, 10th in a series opener... 11 consecutive starts are the most since Matt Canterino started 13 in a row in 2019... Saw his streak of 10 straight series-opening starts end last weekend when he was pushed back to Saturday due to forecast of rain on Friday... Third start this year against a ranked opponent (#2 Stanford on 2/24; #15 Texas Tech on 3/3) and had no decision in either while posting an 0.77 ERA in those outings (1 ER in 11.2 IP)... First Owl since 2019 to earn C-USA Pitcher of the Week honors (see page two)... Fanned a career-high 14 vs. Charlotte on 4/14, but took a tough 1-0 loss... Owls have scored 23 runs for him in his 10 starts, 10 in six C-USA starts (6 in his last 4)... Ranks 12th in the nation and second in C-USA with a 1.89 ERA ... Third in innings pitched (65) and strikeouts (65), fifth in CUSA in opponent's batting average (.221), and tied for the lead with only two home runs allowed.. Rice is 5-4 in his starts...3-2 with a 2.30 ERA in 10 career appearances (nine starts) vs. C-USA foes (43.0, 39, 15, 11, 11, 46)... Earned his first win of the year over HCU on 3/10, 5-1 (5,5,1,1,3,4)... Averaging 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings this year (60 in 55.1), compared with 4.8 as a freshman (23 in 43)... 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)... 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… Winning pitcher in the Owls' first and last wins of 2022… Made his collegiate debut at Texas on 2/20/22 and his starting debut three days later against HBU… Worked six shutout innings, allowed a pair of hits, and struck out four to earn both his and his head coach Jose Cruz Jr.'s first career victories.
#29 J.D. McCracken
6-3 202 So. Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Making his ninth start of the year (second on the team) and seventh consecutive... Ninth in the conference with a .228 opponents' batting average and tied with Parker Smith for the lead with 13 hit batters... Holding opposing batters to a .310 slugging percentage (50 bases in 161 at bats)... Struck out five in a start vs. UTSA on 3/25 (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 run in three innings over his final two appearances… Struck out a pair vs. Alabama A&M on 5/3.
Plenty of Rest
With no midweek games in each of the last two weeks, Rice has played three times the previous 11 days heading into Friday's opener with DBU.
17th C-USA Series
DBU will become the 17th C-USA opponent the Owls have faced since their first season of baseball in the conference in 2006. Rice has compiled a 279-166-3 record in C-USA play since that time.
In Good Company
Ben Royo is tied for fifth in C-USA with five homers in conference games and he needs one more long ball to join a select list of Owls who have hit 10 or more homers as a freshman:
1. Anthony Rendon 20 2009
2. Aaron Luna 16 2006
3. Jose Cruz Jr. 13 1993
4. Bubba Crosby 12 1996
Vincent Sinisi 12 2002
6. Michael Ratterree 10 2010
Watch: CUSAtv
Listen: Online / Varsity Network
Live Stats: Sidearm
Complete Game Notes
Pitching Matchup
Friday: RHP Parker Smith (2-2, 1.89/1.03) vs. RHP Ryan Johnson (5-2, 2.72/.89)
Saturday: LHP J.D. McCracken (1-3, 5.68/1.33) vs. RHP Braxton Bragg (5-1, 3.78/1.22)
Sunday: TBD vs. RHP Zach Heaton (3-1, 2.82/1.17)
Owls on the Hill
#26 Parker Smith
6-4 230 So. Houston, Texas
Making his 11th start of the year, 10th in a series opener... 11 consecutive starts are the most since Matt Canterino started 13 in a row in 2019... Saw his streak of 10 straight series-opening starts end last weekend when he was pushed back to Saturday due to forecast of rain on Friday... Third start this year against a ranked opponent (#2 Stanford on 2/24; #15 Texas Tech on 3/3) and had no decision in either while posting an 0.77 ERA in those outings (1 ER in 11.2 IP)... First Owl since 2019 to earn C-USA Pitcher of the Week honors (see page two)... Fanned a career-high 14 vs. Charlotte on 4/14, but took a tough 1-0 loss... Owls have scored 23 runs for him in his 10 starts, 10 in six C-USA starts (6 in his last 4)... Ranks 12th in the nation and second in C-USA with a 1.89 ERA ... Third in innings pitched (65) and strikeouts (65), fifth in CUSA in opponent's batting average (.221), and tied for the lead with only two home runs allowed.. Rice is 5-4 in his starts...3-2 with a 2.30 ERA in 10 career appearances (nine starts) vs. C-USA foes (43.0, 39, 15, 11, 11, 46)... Earned his first win of the year over HCU on 3/10, 5-1 (5,5,1,1,3,4)... Averaging 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings this year (60 in 55.1), compared with 4.8 as a freshman (23 in 43)... 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)... 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… Winning pitcher in the Owls' first and last wins of 2022… Made his collegiate debut at Texas on 2/20/22 and his starting debut three days later against HBU… Worked six shutout innings, allowed a pair of hits, and struck out four to earn both his and his head coach Jose Cruz Jr.'s first career victories.
#29 J.D. McCracken
6-3 202 So. Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Making his ninth start of the year (second on the team) and seventh consecutive... Ninth in the conference with a .228 opponents' batting average and tied with Parker Smith for the lead with 13 hit batters... Holding opposing batters to a .310 slugging percentage (50 bases in 161 at bats)... Struck out five in a start vs. UTSA on 3/25 (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 run in three innings over his final two appearances… Struck out a pair vs. Alabama A&M on 5/3.
Plenty of Rest
With no midweek games in each of the last two weeks, Rice has played three times the previous 11 days heading into Friday's opener with DBU.
17th C-USA Series
DBU will become the 17th C-USA opponent the Owls have faced since their first season of baseball in the conference in 2006. Rice has compiled a 279-166-3 record in C-USA play since that time.
In Good Company
Ben Royo is tied for fifth in C-USA with five homers in conference games and he needs one more long ball to join a select list of Owls who have hit 10 or more homers as a freshman:
1. Anthony Rendon 20 2009
2. Aaron Luna 16 2006
3. Jose Cruz Jr. 13 1993
4. Bubba Crosby 12 1996
Vincent Sinisi 12 2002
6. Michael Ratterree 10 2010
Players Mentioned
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