Battle for Last C-USA Seed Comes Down to Final Series

Two of the three teams in a tie for the final berth in the 2023 Conference USA Baseball Tournament will battle head-to-head at Reckling Park as Rice hosts FIU in a series beginning at 6:30 on Thursday night, followed by a second 6:30 start on Saturday and a 2 p.m. first pitch for Senior Day on Saturday. Rice, FIU, and UAB all are 7-20 heading into the last weekend. UAB, which hosts LA Tech this weekend, was swept by Rice at home to open the C-USA season but took two of three from FIU in Miami from March 24-26.

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Closing Out the C-USA Saga
Rice enters its final three games of C-USA competition in any sport with this weekend's series. Rice has posted a 279-175-3 regular season record since its first game in the conference, a 4-3 loss to East Carolina on 3/24/06 at Reckling Park. After dropping their inaugural game in the conference, the Owls ripped off 17-straight wins and won the regular season title with a 22-2 record and added a win in the conference championship (held at Reckling) and went on to tie for third at the College World Series.

Pitching Matchups
Thursday; RHP Parker Smith (2-2, 2.49/1.08) vs. RHP Daniel MCauliff (0-2, 5.71/1.44)
Friday: LHP J.D. McCracken (1-4, 5.64/1.46) vs. TBA
Saturday: TBA vs. TBA

#26 Parker Smith
6-4 230 So. Houston, Texas
vs. FIU (season & career) 1-0, 0.00/0.75)
Making his 14th consecutive start of the year, 13th in a series opener... 14 consecutive starts are the most since Matt Canterino started 15 and Evan Kravetz 14 in 2019.
*1-1 with a 2.97 ERA in six home starts this year (36.1, 25, 13, 12, 10, 40)
*1-4 with a 4.13 ERA in 12 home games (11 starts) in his career (56.2, 55, 34, 26, 20, 54)
*2-2 with a 2.90 ERA in 13 career C-USA appearances (12 starts) (68.1, 61, 28, 22, 18, 62).
Closed last season by allowing on unearned run in 5.1 innings to earn the win in a 3-1 Owls' victory at FIU on the season's final day (5.1,3,1,0,1,). Ranks 20th in the nation and second in C-USA with a 2.49 ERA ... Current ERA would be the lowest to lead the Owls in a season since Addison Moss posted a 2.43 mark in 2018... Fourth in the conference in innings pitched (79.2), sixth in strikeouts (74), fifth in strikeouts looking (26), and opponent's batting average (.231), and third with three home runs allowed.. Owls have scored 31 runs for him in his 13 starts, 18 in nine C-USA starts (14 in his last 6)... Has left seven of his starts with the lead and trailed in just two... Rice is 5-8 in his starts...Saw his streak of 10 straight series-opening starts end at MTSU when he was pushed back to Saturday due to a forecast of rain on Friday... Has four starts against ranked opponents (#2 Stanford on 2/24; #15 Texas Tech on 3/3, #19 DBU on 4/28 and #22 UTSA on 5/5) and had no decision in either while posting a 2.45 ERA in those outings (6 ER in 22.0 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... Earned his first win of the year over HCU on 3/10, 5-1 (5,5,1,1,3,4)... Averaging 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings this year (73 in 72.1), 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)... 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 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
vs. FIU (season & career) First Appearance
Making his 12th start of the year (second on the team) and 10th consecutive... Worked a career-high six innings in his last starts (5/13 @WKU, 6, 9, 5,4,1,3)... Struck out a career-high seven in his start vs. DBU... Holding opposing batters to a .398 slugging percentage (80 bases in 201 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.

Formidable Slate
Rice's 2023 schedule ranked as the 47th toughest in Division I through games of May 17th. 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), three vs. Texas A&M (2022 CWS) and three-game series against NCAA tournament teams Louisiana, Louisiana Tech and Dallas Baptist.

Long Balls
Rice hit four home runs in a game in the win over Houston on 5/10, the third time this year the Owls have hit at least four in a game this year. The last time the Owls hit at least four home runs in three games in a season was in 2017 when the Owls had two games with four long balls in addition to a seven-homer game at UAB. They have hit 14 in the last six games and have hit 55 homers this year matching their best total since the NCAA adopted new bat standards in 2011 (55 in 2017).

Double Figures
Ben Royo leads the Owls with 13 homers, followed by Connor Walsh (9), Guy Garibay (8) and Jack Riedel (7). The last time the Owls had more than one player reach double figures in home runs in the same season was 2010 (Anthony Rendon 26, Rick Hague 16, Jeremy Rathjen 13, Michael Ratterree 10).

In Good Company
Ben Royo is tied for seventh in C-USA with seven homers in conference games as well as seventh with 13 homers overall and has moved into a tie for third with his head coach, Jose Cruz Jr., for the most home runs by a freshman in school history.

                1.             Anthony Rendon      20            2009
                2.             Aaron Luna               16            2006
                3.             Jose Cruz Jr.              13            1993
                                Ben Royo               13            2023

Frosh Shortstop Sluggers
Royo is tied with Wehiwa Aloy of Sacramento St. for second in the nation in home runs by freshmen shortstops. Alex Lodise of North Florida leads the pack with 16. His 13 homers are the most for an Owl since Andrew Dunlap hit 13 in 2019… The last Owls with more than 13 in a season were Anthony Rendon (26) and Rick Hague (16) in 2010.

Conference USA Long Balls
Ben Royo is tied for seventh in C-USA with seven homers in conference games matching the sixth-best total in school history.
                1.             Anthony Rendon* 11            2009
                2.             Rendon                   9            2010
                                Andrew Dunlap         9            2019
                4.             Aaron Luna* 8            2006
                                Cade Edwards   8            2021
*freshman year

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