Photo by: Maria Lysaker | Rice Athletics
A Cap of Any Color
2/15/2024 8:11:00 PM | Baseball
Ben Dukes looks to build on last year's strong finish, with or without his signature Rice cap.
Ben Dukes is not the first baseball player who stubbornly holds on to a favorite cap long after most would have traded it for a fresh model.
Countless players have proudly sported caps whose distinctive colors have dulled far past the official school or team standards thanks to constant bombardment from the sun and the salty residue from the sweat generated from countless hours spent honing their craft in the hopes of greater opportunity.
Dukes heads into his senior season looking to build on the success he enjoyed at the end of last season, seizing upon an opportunity that at times felt like it had passed him by. From the start of his journey to Rice to the start of his senior season, his weathered lid has been along for the ride.
"I got this hat when I was a junior in high school from a Rice former player (Justin Collins) who went to my high school (Memorial). He gave it to me to wear in summer league and I've worn it every year since. I wore it that summer, and then the next year in summer ball before I came to Rice, and then once I came here. It's been through a lot with me."
Depending on the lighting, his cap can appear to just be a little dirty, then just as quickly turn into a different shade of blue altogether. Long hours on the field made their impact as did the additional hours in the sun while it sat in his car. The process also has resulted in a rigid quality that has the added benefit of having become truly fitted to his head.
"It always drives me crazy seeing hats fly off outfielders the minute they go after fly balls. This thing is molded to my head. You'd have to use the jaws of life to get this off my head, it's not coming off."
Dukes began his career at Rice in the fall of 2020, but his cap already had the look of a veteran. He got off to a strong start before a freak accident during the fall put an end to that.
"I came in my freshman year and was slated to contribute as much as I could. One day when it had been raining at practice, I went into the tunnel to get my bat and I tried to jump up a few steps. I hit my head on the roof, split my head open and when I fell, I broke my tibia, my fibula, my ankle and I tore every ligament from my knee down to my ankle."
He somehow was able to recover and made the starting lineup in the opening series at Louisiana. He went on to play in 26 games and proved to be one of the Owls' top pinch hitters, reaching base in six of 13 plate appearances.
The following year, Dukes was battling for playing time under a new coaching staff after Jose Cruz Jr. took over as head coach.
He made a pair of starts in the opening weekend at Texas but went hitless and found himself struggling to get additional opportunities.
"I didn't play my best (at Texas) and never really got a shot again after that. It was a hard lesson to learn. I was bitter that year and I wasn't happy with the coaching staff or with myself."
He came back as a junior determined to put those frustrations behind him and move himself back into contention for playing time.
"There were 40 dudes on the roster last year and I was #40. I told coach Cruz that whether he thought it or not at that time, he would need me at some point, and I was going to be here with a smile on my face every day. I got all the anger out of my system and committed that the best way to go about things was to show up with a smile on my face and the opportunity would come at some point."
As the Owls were pushing to earn a spot in the C-USA Championship to be held at Rice, that opportunity presented itself and Dukes found himself taking advantage and validating his prediction by delivering.
He started six of the last eight games and hit in five of the last seven (.400, 8-for-20), including three multi-hit games and four doubles.
"I learned that there is no benefit to being bitter about situations that you're in. Nobody feels sorry for you. I feel a lot of people could learn from that situation.
"My parents came to me near the end of last year and told me they didn't care if I never played another inning for Rice baseball, I'd done everything I could, and I should be so proud. And I realized, you know what? That's what it's all about."
Dukes drew additional inspiration from teammate Micah Davis, a fellow 2020 recruit who has seen his career derailed multiple times by injury, the latest coming earlier this preseason.
"Micah has more talent than anybody on this field but he hasn't gotten his chance to show what he has. He just can't seem to get it healthy. But that guy shows up with a smile on his face as the best teammate every single day. I've learned a lot from him through that.
"I will remember more what somebody like Micah has done off the field than anything that anybody did on the field."
This season, Dukes' cap will likely only be on display during practices to stay on the right side of the rule book. For some, the discolored caps can be an issue of fully adhering to the rules regarding uniforms as outlined by the NCAA. For others, it can raise suspicions of ulterior motives. Dukes suspects, however, the weathered version might be the more popular choice if it came to a vote.
"There are a lot of people here that want me to keep wearing it, but I don't want it to be a distraction or cost me playing time. I'm not willing to die on that hill, but if I start the season wearing a new hat and I'm not hitting or not playing like I want, (then) this (cap) is going to be back on my head at some point."
Two years ago, Dukes' former teammate Roel Garcia saw his gnarled game cap, which had taken on mythic status among his teammates, called into question by the opposition, suggesting the accumulated weathering might be meant to hide some hidden substance to aid his grip of the baseball.
Before this year, Dukes might have pulled off the cap switch during a night game at home, but Reckling's new lighting system will make it tougher to pull off.
"I remember early in my career, you would go out to left field and about four lights were working, but not now. The whole landscape of Rice Baseball is different than when I got here and it's all for the better. The new turf, the new lights, the uniforms, everything about it. It may not be my place to say, but I'm proud of what coach Cruz has done.
"It's a cool thing to have seen the whole process happen. When I am through playing, it's going to be a place that I want to come back to. I don't know if I would have said that my freshman year."
But for the immediate, the 2024 season is at hand. As he took off his cap before a practice earlier this week, Dukes smiled and held it out to reveal its interior. There remains a bloodstain from hitting his head before his fall as a freshman, that is surrounded by the accumulation of six years of work. What remains of the original labels is barely legible, making the original sizing information impossible to determine.
"It doesn't really doesn't fold much anymore. It's pretty solid at this point. It's kind of become a part of me in a way, you know, fighting through, battling back and persevering."
If it's not on his head when he's on the field, rest assured the cap is in the dugout, ready if needed.
Countless players have proudly sported caps whose distinctive colors have dulled far past the official school or team standards thanks to constant bombardment from the sun and the salty residue from the sweat generated from countless hours spent honing their craft in the hopes of greater opportunity.
Dukes heads into his senior season looking to build on the success he enjoyed at the end of last season, seizing upon an opportunity that at times felt like it had passed him by. From the start of his journey to Rice to the start of his senior season, his weathered lid has been along for the ride.
"I got this hat when I was a junior in high school from a Rice former player (Justin Collins) who went to my high school (Memorial). He gave it to me to wear in summer league and I've worn it every year since. I wore it that summer, and then the next year in summer ball before I came to Rice, and then once I came here. It's been through a lot with me."
Depending on the lighting, his cap can appear to just be a little dirty, then just as quickly turn into a different shade of blue altogether. Long hours on the field made their impact as did the additional hours in the sun while it sat in his car. The process also has resulted in a rigid quality that has the added benefit of having become truly fitted to his head.
"It always drives me crazy seeing hats fly off outfielders the minute they go after fly balls. This thing is molded to my head. You'd have to use the jaws of life to get this off my head, it's not coming off."
Dukes began his career at Rice in the fall of 2020, but his cap already had the look of a veteran. He got off to a strong start before a freak accident during the fall put an end to that.
"I came in my freshman year and was slated to contribute as much as I could. One day when it had been raining at practice, I went into the tunnel to get my bat and I tried to jump up a few steps. I hit my head on the roof, split my head open and when I fell, I broke my tibia, my fibula, my ankle and I tore every ligament from my knee down to my ankle."
He somehow was able to recover and made the starting lineup in the opening series at Louisiana. He went on to play in 26 games and proved to be one of the Owls' top pinch hitters, reaching base in six of 13 plate appearances.
The following year, Dukes was battling for playing time under a new coaching staff after Jose Cruz Jr. took over as head coach.
He made a pair of starts in the opening weekend at Texas but went hitless and found himself struggling to get additional opportunities.
"I didn't play my best (at Texas) and never really got a shot again after that. It was a hard lesson to learn. I was bitter that year and I wasn't happy with the coaching staff or with myself."
He came back as a junior determined to put those frustrations behind him and move himself back into contention for playing time.
"There were 40 dudes on the roster last year and I was #40. I told coach Cruz that whether he thought it or not at that time, he would need me at some point, and I was going to be here with a smile on my face every day. I got all the anger out of my system and committed that the best way to go about things was to show up with a smile on my face and the opportunity would come at some point."
As the Owls were pushing to earn a spot in the C-USA Championship to be held at Rice, that opportunity presented itself and Dukes found himself taking advantage and validating his prediction by delivering.
He started six of the last eight games and hit in five of the last seven (.400, 8-for-20), including three multi-hit games and four doubles.
"I learned that there is no benefit to being bitter about situations that you're in. Nobody feels sorry for you. I feel a lot of people could learn from that situation.
"My parents came to me near the end of last year and told me they didn't care if I never played another inning for Rice baseball, I'd done everything I could, and I should be so proud. And I realized, you know what? That's what it's all about."
Dukes drew additional inspiration from teammate Micah Davis, a fellow 2020 recruit who has seen his career derailed multiple times by injury, the latest coming earlier this preseason.
"Micah has more talent than anybody on this field but he hasn't gotten his chance to show what he has. He just can't seem to get it healthy. But that guy shows up with a smile on his face as the best teammate every single day. I've learned a lot from him through that.
"I will remember more what somebody like Micah has done off the field than anything that anybody did on the field."
This season, Dukes' cap will likely only be on display during practices to stay on the right side of the rule book. For some, the discolored caps can be an issue of fully adhering to the rules regarding uniforms as outlined by the NCAA. For others, it can raise suspicions of ulterior motives. Dukes suspects, however, the weathered version might be the more popular choice if it came to a vote.
"There are a lot of people here that want me to keep wearing it, but I don't want it to be a distraction or cost me playing time. I'm not willing to die on that hill, but if I start the season wearing a new hat and I'm not hitting or not playing like I want, (then) this (cap) is going to be back on my head at some point."
Two years ago, Dukes' former teammate Roel Garcia saw his gnarled game cap, which had taken on mythic status among his teammates, called into question by the opposition, suggesting the accumulated weathering might be meant to hide some hidden substance to aid his grip of the baseball.
Before this year, Dukes might have pulled off the cap switch during a night game at home, but Reckling's new lighting system will make it tougher to pull off.
"I remember early in my career, you would go out to left field and about four lights were working, but not now. The whole landscape of Rice Baseball is different than when I got here and it's all for the better. The new turf, the new lights, the uniforms, everything about it. It may not be my place to say, but I'm proud of what coach Cruz has done.
"It's a cool thing to have seen the whole process happen. When I am through playing, it's going to be a place that I want to come back to. I don't know if I would have said that my freshman year."
But for the immediate, the 2024 season is at hand. As he took off his cap before a practice earlier this week, Dukes smiled and held it out to reveal its interior. There remains a bloodstain from hitting his head before his fall as a freshman, that is surrounded by the accumulation of six years of work. What remains of the original labels is barely legible, making the original sizing information impossible to determine.
"It doesn't really doesn't fold much anymore. It's pretty solid at this point. It's kind of become a part of me in a way, you know, fighting through, battling back and persevering."
If it's not on his head when he's on the field, rest assured the cap is in the dugout, ready if needed.
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