Friday, April 11
6:30 PM
Rice University
vs
USF
Photo by: Maria Lysaker | Rice Athletics
Owls Host Bulls on Blue-Gray Weekend
4/10/2025 11:40:00 PM | Baseball
First pitch at 6:30 p.m.
BACK HOME WITH THE BULLS: Rice opens a brief four-game home slate by welcoming the South Florida Bulls back to Reckling Park for the first since the schools met in a single game in 2002. The three games with USF are part of Rice's annual Blue-Gray Weekend and will feature several promotions, including the annual Rice University Faculty & Staff Appreciation Day on Friday, a Rice Alumni Tailgate and Crawfish Boil on Saturday and Special Olympics Day and Autism Speaks Day on Sunday. The finale on Sunday is also another Bark in the Park game.
HOT LINKS
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: RiceOwls.com
Live Stats: Sidearm
Full Game Notes
ON THE AIR: J.P Heath will have the call on RiceOwls.com and the Varsity Network app on Friday, while Jason Metko will handle the call for the final two, and Heath will move to ESPN+. Randy McIlvoy and Enrique Cruz will have the broadcast on Friday. Cruz will join Heath on Saturday and Austin Davis on Sunday.
THROUGH 9: Rice is 1-8 through the first three weeks of AAC play this year, which mirrors the Owls' start in their inaugural season in 2024. Rice surged to win 10 of its last 18 in the conference last year and qualify for the AAC Championship, beginning by taking two of three over UAB during 2024's Blue-Gray Weekend. .
WEEKENDERS: The Owls have topped double figures in hits in six of nine AAC games this season, including the last four in a row. They had 10 double-digit hit totals in conference games last year but never had more than two in a row.
LAST MEETING: Trey Duffield keyed an early explosion with a three-run, pinch-hit double, and Jackson Blank delivered 3.1 innings of shutout relief to lift Rice to a 10-3 win and complete a three-game sweep of the weekend series by the Owls. Rice broke out on top with a run in the second when Pierce Gallo doubled home Jack Riedel who had opened the frame with a walk. They exploded for five runs in the third when Jacob Devenny reached on a fielder's choice after the original call of a double play was overturned after a video review. Devenny moved to third when he knocked the ball out of the shortstop's glove on a steal attempt and scored on a ground out by Ben Dukes. Treyton Rank followed with a double and the Bulls then chose to intentionally walk Riedel. Both runners moved up on a double steal and Gallo worked a walk to load the bases. After a pitching change, Duffield came on to pinch hit against the lefthander and drilled the ball into the leftfield corner to clear the bases. Manny Garza followed with a double to bring home Duffield. USF scored three in the fourth after two outs without the ball leaving the infield. The Bulls collected their first hit on a grounder that struck the first base bag scoring a runner who had reached on an error. Their second run came on chopper just off Tobias Motley's glove. A bases-loaded walk brought in their third run of the inning before Blank came in to end the inning with a strikeout. The Bulls loaded the bases again in the next inning against Blank, but he slammed the door on the threat with another strikeout. The Owls extended the lead with two runs in the eighth and ninth innings. In the three games vs. South Florida, Rice scored 15 runs in the final two innings after scoring just 32 all season while topping double figures in each game.
LAST TIME AT RECKLING (2/23/02): Rice downed USF 6-2 in the only previous meeting between the schools at Reckling Park. The game was part of the Coca-Cola Rice Classic, which was one of two early-season round-robin events Rice baseball hosted at the start of the college season. Philip Humber and Wade Townsend combined to hold the Bulls to six hits with their runs coming on a two-run homer by Myron Leslie off Humber in the fourth to cut the Rice lead to 4-2. Vincent Sinisi was 3x4 on the day, while Erice Arnold drove in three of the Owl's six runs with a homer and fielder's choice with a walk.
UP NEXT: Rice welcomes Houston to Reckling next Tuesday to host the Cougars in the final game of the 2025 Silver Glove Series before playing the next six away from Houston (weekend series at Memphis and UAB).
HOT LINKS
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: RiceOwls.com
Live Stats: Sidearm
Full Game Notes
ON THE AIR: J.P Heath will have the call on RiceOwls.com and the Varsity Network app on Friday, while Jason Metko will handle the call for the final two, and Heath will move to ESPN+. Randy McIlvoy and Enrique Cruz will have the broadcast on Friday. Cruz will join Heath on Saturday and Austin Davis on Sunday.
THROUGH 9: Rice is 1-8 through the first three weeks of AAC play this year, which mirrors the Owls' start in their inaugural season in 2024. Rice surged to win 10 of its last 18 in the conference last year and qualify for the AAC Championship, beginning by taking two of three over UAB during 2024's Blue-Gray Weekend. .
WEEKENDERS: The Owls have topped double figures in hits in six of nine AAC games this season, including the last four in a row. They had 10 double-digit hit totals in conference games last year but never had more than two in a row.
LAST MEETING: Trey Duffield keyed an early explosion with a three-run, pinch-hit double, and Jackson Blank delivered 3.1 innings of shutout relief to lift Rice to a 10-3 win and complete a three-game sweep of the weekend series by the Owls. Rice broke out on top with a run in the second when Pierce Gallo doubled home Jack Riedel who had opened the frame with a walk. They exploded for five runs in the third when Jacob Devenny reached on a fielder's choice after the original call of a double play was overturned after a video review. Devenny moved to third when he knocked the ball out of the shortstop's glove on a steal attempt and scored on a ground out by Ben Dukes. Treyton Rank followed with a double and the Bulls then chose to intentionally walk Riedel. Both runners moved up on a double steal and Gallo worked a walk to load the bases. After a pitching change, Duffield came on to pinch hit against the lefthander and drilled the ball into the leftfield corner to clear the bases. Manny Garza followed with a double to bring home Duffield. USF scored three in the fourth after two outs without the ball leaving the infield. The Bulls collected their first hit on a grounder that struck the first base bag scoring a runner who had reached on an error. Their second run came on chopper just off Tobias Motley's glove. A bases-loaded walk brought in their third run of the inning before Blank came in to end the inning with a strikeout. The Bulls loaded the bases again in the next inning against Blank, but he slammed the door on the threat with another strikeout. The Owls extended the lead with two runs in the eighth and ninth innings. In the three games vs. South Florida, Rice scored 15 runs in the final two innings after scoring just 32 all season while topping double figures in each game.
LAST TIME AT RECKLING (2/23/02): Rice downed USF 6-2 in the only previous meeting between the schools at Reckling Park. The game was part of the Coca-Cola Rice Classic, which was one of two early-season round-robin events Rice baseball hosted at the start of the college season. Philip Humber and Wade Townsend combined to hold the Bulls to six hits with their runs coming on a two-run homer by Myron Leslie off Humber in the fourth to cut the Rice lead to 4-2. Vincent Sinisi was 3x4 on the day, while Erice Arnold drove in three of the Owl's six runs with a homer and fielder's choice with a walk.
UP NEXT: Rice welcomes Houston to Reckling next Tuesday to host the Cougars in the final game of the 2025 Silver Glove Series before playing the next six away from Houston (weekend series at Memphis and UAB).
Players Mentioned
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