Friday, February 16
Reckling Park
6:30 p.m.
Rice University
vs
Notre Dame
Photo by: Maria Lysaker | Rice Athletics
Irish Kick Off Reckling's 25th Season
2/15/2024 9:02:00 PM | Baseball
Opening Day 2024
Reckling's 25th Opens With Fighting Irish
Rice opens its 25th season at Reckling Park with another milestone of sorts, the first-ever series of games between the Owls and Notre Dame. The opening series of the season kicks off a stretch of nine home games in the first 12 contests of 2024. After the opening three with the Fighting Irish, Rice will host Sam Houston on Tuesday night before hitting the road next weekend for three games in Lafayette against Louisiana. The Owls return to Reckling to close out February with the first appearance of defending national champion LSU on campus since Rice swept the Tigers with a pair of shutouts in the 2002 Super Regional to advance to the College World Series (more on that later). Stanford follows LSU to Reckling for a three-game series (March1-3) before the extended home action closes with a game vs. Prairie View on March 5.
Watch ESPN+
Listen: Online / Varsity Network
Live Stats: Sidearm
Full Game Notes: RiceOwls.com
On the Air
All Rice games are available over the internet at RiceOwls.com and on the Varsity Network app. J.P. Heath will be back for his 16th season calling games with an assist on basketball conflict days by Jason Metko. All home games will also be carried on ESPN+ for the first time in 2024. Heath will simulcast a number of games, but all three with Notre Dame will be called by Gerald Sanchez with Kyle Rogers (Friday), Erique Cruz (Saturday), and Austin Davis (Sunday) joining him in the booth.
For Openers
All Rice is 13-11 in opening games at Reckling Park, including a 5-6 record in season openers, The Owls have dropped the last five season openers and the last five home openers since they dropped Samford 8-7 in Orlando, Florida in the 2018 season opener and Texas State 8-6 to open the 2018 home season.
Owls and Irish
This weekend will be the first series of games between the two schools in baseball. They have split the two previous meetings, with Notre Dame taking a 5-3 decision in an elimination game of the 2002 College World Series and Rice winning 9-0 in the opening game of the 2009 Rice Invitational at Reckling Park. In 2002, Rice reached the CWS as the top-ranked team in the country after shutting out LSU in back-to-back games of the Super Regional at Reckling Park. The Owls dropped a 2-1 decision to Texas in their CWS opener and then saw Notre Dame score three in the bottom of the ninth, the final two on a walk-off home run with one out to eliminate Rice. In 2009, Ryan Berry tossed his second straight two-hit shutout to open the season, facing only one batter over the minimum. He only reached three balls on one-hitter and fanned six of the last 11 and needed just 1:55 to complete the assignment.
Pitching Matchups
RHP Parker Smith(2-3, 3.26) vs. Caden Spivey (4-1, 4.11)
LHP J.D. McCracken (1-5, 5.53) vs. Jackson Dennies (0-4, 3.11)
LHP TBA vs. Matt Bedford (1-3, 6.86)
Owls on the Hill
#26 Parker Smith
6-4, 230 Jr. Houston, Texas (Bellaire)
Preseason All-AAC, first-team selection by conference coaches... First-team, All-Conference USA selection in2023 and invited to attend the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team training camp after a standout season at the front of the Owls' rotation … Finished the regular season ranked second in C-USA with a 2.75 ERA, tied for second in innings (85), and ranked fifth in strikeouts (80), strikeouts looking (26), and opponent's batting average (.231) … Made 15 consecutive starts, 14 as the series opener, the most since Matt Canterino started 15 straight in 2019 … Owls scored 39 runs for him in his 15 starts, 24 in 10 C-USA starts (22 in his last 8) ... Left seven of his starts with the lead and trailed in just three ... Rice was 6-9 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 … Became the first Owl since 2019 to be named C-USA Pitcher of the Week for his 1-0 win at FAU on March 30 ... Worked a career-best 8.2 innings and struck out a career-high nine before Matthew Linskey came on to retire the final hitter and close out the first home conference shutout against FAU since 2017 ... Bettered his strikeout total two weeks later when he fanned 14 vs. Charlotte in a 1-0 loss … Made four starts in the regular season 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 decisions while posting a 2.45 ERA in those outings (6 ER in 22.0 IP). He was named to the 2023 Shriners College Classic All-Tournament team after he tossed six shutout innings against #15 Texas Tech.
#29 J.D. McCracken
6-3, 215 Jr. Murfreesboro, Tennessee (Middle Tennessee Christian/Tennessee)
Second on the team with 13 starts, 71.2 innings, and 58 strikeouts in his first extensive collegiate action … Closed the regular season strongly, posting a 3.29 ERA over his last two starts, highlighted by a C-USA Pitcher of the Week performance vs. FIU to set the stage for the Owls' postseason-clinching win… Held the Panthers to a first-inning double over 7.2 innings while striking out six and walking just two … Retired 17 in a row at one point vs. the Panthers ... Struck out a season-high seven in five innings vs. DBU... Set career highs with 5.1 innings and five strikeouts vs. Texas A&M on 3/8.
Rice opens its 25th season at Reckling Park with another milestone of sorts, the first-ever series of games between the Owls and Notre Dame. The opening series of the season kicks off a stretch of nine home games in the first 12 contests of 2024. After the opening three with the Fighting Irish, Rice will host Sam Houston on Tuesday night before hitting the road next weekend for three games in Lafayette against Louisiana. The Owls return to Reckling to close out February with the first appearance of defending national champion LSU on campus since Rice swept the Tigers with a pair of shutouts in the 2002 Super Regional to advance to the College World Series (more on that later). Stanford follows LSU to Reckling for a three-game series (March1-3) before the extended home action closes with a game vs. Prairie View on March 5.
Watch ESPN+
Listen: Online / Varsity Network
Live Stats: Sidearm
Full Game Notes: RiceOwls.com
On the Air
All Rice games are available over the internet at RiceOwls.com and on the Varsity Network app. J.P. Heath will be back for his 16th season calling games with an assist on basketball conflict days by Jason Metko. All home games will also be carried on ESPN+ for the first time in 2024. Heath will simulcast a number of games, but all three with Notre Dame will be called by Gerald Sanchez with Kyle Rogers (Friday), Erique Cruz (Saturday), and Austin Davis (Sunday) joining him in the booth.
For Openers
All Rice is 13-11 in opening games at Reckling Park, including a 5-6 record in season openers, The Owls have dropped the last five season openers and the last five home openers since they dropped Samford 8-7 in Orlando, Florida in the 2018 season opener and Texas State 8-6 to open the 2018 home season.
Owls and Irish
This weekend will be the first series of games between the two schools in baseball. They have split the two previous meetings, with Notre Dame taking a 5-3 decision in an elimination game of the 2002 College World Series and Rice winning 9-0 in the opening game of the 2009 Rice Invitational at Reckling Park. In 2002, Rice reached the CWS as the top-ranked team in the country after shutting out LSU in back-to-back games of the Super Regional at Reckling Park. The Owls dropped a 2-1 decision to Texas in their CWS opener and then saw Notre Dame score three in the bottom of the ninth, the final two on a walk-off home run with one out to eliminate Rice. In 2009, Ryan Berry tossed his second straight two-hit shutout to open the season, facing only one batter over the minimum. He only reached three balls on one-hitter and fanned six of the last 11 and needed just 1:55 to complete the assignment.
Pitching Matchups
RHP Parker Smith(2-3, 3.26) vs. Caden Spivey (4-1, 4.11)
LHP J.D. McCracken (1-5, 5.53) vs. Jackson Dennies (0-4, 3.11)
LHP TBA vs. Matt Bedford (1-3, 6.86)
Owls on the Hill
#26 Parker Smith
6-4, 230 Jr. Houston, Texas (Bellaire)
Preseason All-AAC, first-team selection by conference coaches... First-team, All-Conference USA selection in2023 and invited to attend the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team training camp after a standout season at the front of the Owls' rotation … Finished the regular season ranked second in C-USA with a 2.75 ERA, tied for second in innings (85), and ranked fifth in strikeouts (80), strikeouts looking (26), and opponent's batting average (.231) … Made 15 consecutive starts, 14 as the series opener, the most since Matt Canterino started 15 straight in 2019 … Owls scored 39 runs for him in his 15 starts, 24 in 10 C-USA starts (22 in his last 8) ... Left seven of his starts with the lead and trailed in just three ... Rice was 6-9 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 … Became the first Owl since 2019 to be named C-USA Pitcher of the Week for his 1-0 win at FAU on March 30 ... Worked a career-best 8.2 innings and struck out a career-high nine before Matthew Linskey came on to retire the final hitter and close out the first home conference shutout against FAU since 2017 ... Bettered his strikeout total two weeks later when he fanned 14 vs. Charlotte in a 1-0 loss … Made four starts in the regular season 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 decisions while posting a 2.45 ERA in those outings (6 ER in 22.0 IP). He was named to the 2023 Shriners College Classic All-Tournament team after he tossed six shutout innings against #15 Texas Tech.
#29 J.D. McCracken
6-3, 215 Jr. Murfreesboro, Tennessee (Middle Tennessee Christian/Tennessee)
Second on the team with 13 starts, 71.2 innings, and 58 strikeouts in his first extensive collegiate action … Closed the regular season strongly, posting a 3.29 ERA over his last two starts, highlighted by a C-USA Pitcher of the Week performance vs. FIU to set the stage for the Owls' postseason-clinching win… Held the Panthers to a first-inning double over 7.2 innings while striking out six and walking just two … Retired 17 in a row at one point vs. the Panthers ... Struck out a season-high seven in five innings vs. DBU... Set career highs with 5.1 innings and five strikeouts vs. Texas A&M on 3/8.
Players Mentioned
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VB: Rice-San Diego Postgame Presser
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