Tigers’ Return Opens Eight-Game Homestand

Rice and Memphis face off for the first time since the semifinals of the 2013 C-USA Championship when the schools open a three-game series at Reckling Park on Friday at 6:30. The series continues at 2 p.m. on Saturday and then concludes at 1 p.m. on Sunday. The series with the Tigers opens an eight-game homestand for the Owls, with midweek games vs. Incarnate Word (Tuesday) and Texas A&M Corpus Christi (Wednesday) and a weekend series with UAB (April 12-15) filling out the schedule.

Watch ESPN+
Listen: Online / Varsity Network
Live Stats: Sidearm
Full Game Notes: RiceOwls.com

On the Air
J.P. Heath returns for his 16th season behind the mic calling Rice baseball. All three games will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Heath providing the commentary as a simulcast with his radio call on Friday and Sunday and Heath and Austin Davis in the booth on Saturday. Jason Metko will take over radio duties on Saturday for Heath.

Pitching Matchups

Friday: RHP Parker Smith (2-3, 4.42/1.61) vs. RHP David Warren (4-1, 4.54/1.390
Saturday: LHP J.D.McCracken (2-3, 4.761.56) vs. RHP Seth Garner (0-0, 6.12 /1.48)
Sunday: RHP Tucker Alch (0-0, 3.27/1.54) vs. RHP Caden Robinson (1-3, 7.12 /1.81)

Owls and Tigers
Rice leads the overall series 22-9 (17-7 regular season, 4-2 at the C-USA Championship) and 8-4 at Reckling Park (6-4 in the regular season, 2-0 at the C-USA Championship). The first meeting came in Memphis on 4/14/06 as Rice won 7-3 and went on to sweep the first series. The first meeting at Reckling came in the 2006 C-USA tournament with the top-ranked Owls winning 7-4 to advance to the championship game. Rice won the first eight meetings between the schools before the Tigers won 2-1 at the 2007 C-USA Championship, which Rice answered with a 20-9 win later that day to advance to the championship game. The schools actually met six times in 2007, with Rice sweeping the three-game series at Reckling during the season and then winning two of the three in the postseason. The Tigers' first win at Reckling came on 3/27/09, 10-7. Rice has taken the season series in six of the previous eight years, with the Tigers taking two-of-three at home in 2010 and at Reckling in 2013. Rice rebounded from the home series loss in late May of 2013 to eliminate the Tigers two weeks later at the C-USA Championship to reach the title game which the Owls won in a walk-off over Southern Miss and went on to reach the Super Regional vs. North Carolina State.

Doubling Up the Outs
Thanks to their second game with four double plays this season (3/28 at Wichita State) Rice leads the AAC and ranks sixth nationally with 30 double plays in the first 29 games and 10th nationally with 1.03 per game. They finished 199th in the nation last year with 33 twin killings and 230th overall with an average of .57 per game. The last time the Owls averaged more than a double play per game was 2013 when they turned 69 in 66 games (1.08). They ranked sixth nationally in total double plays that year.

Four or More
Rice has turned four double plays in a game twice in the same season for the first time since they had a pair in 2013. The last time they had more than two was in 2009 (3) and 2002 (4). The last time they have turned more than four in a season was in 2008 when they had five vs. Southern Miss on 3/29.

In the AAC Stats
Kyte McDonald leads the AAC lead (and is 21st nationally) with a career-high three triples... Jack Riedel is tied for the conference lead with nine home runs, is second with .31 home runs per game and tied for fourth with 69 total bases... Nathan Becker is tied fourth with 23 walks... Davion Hickson is tied for fifth with four saves (T-40th nationally)... Manny Garza is tied for the AAC with eight runners caught stealing, leads the conference with 252 total chances, and is third with 230 putouts... Treyton Rank leads the conference with 25 double plays.

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