Thursday, April 17
Memphis, TN
6 PM
Rice University
at
Memphis
Photo by: Maria Lysaker | Rice Athletics
Owls Take On Tigers This Weekend
4/16/2025 11:35:00 PM | Baseball
Rice's first appearance in Memphis since 2012
OWLS OPEN ROAD STRETCH IN MEMPHIS: Rice opens a six-game stretch to close out the month of April by returning to Memphis for the first time since 2012 for a three-game series moved up a day due to the Easter holiday. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. on Thursday and Friday while Saturday's finale has been moved up an hour and will start at noon. The Owls do not have a midweek game scheduled next week and will return to action April 25-27 in Birmingham against UAB.
HOT LINKS
Watch: EPSN+
Listen: RiceOwls.com
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
COMPLETE GAME NOTES
PITCHING MATCHUPS:
Thursday RHP Tucker Alch (3-2, 4.14 ERA vs. RHP Seth Garner (2-4, 3.51 ERA)
Friday LHP J.D. McCracken (1-3, 5.53 ERA) vs. LHP David Case (1-4, 6.39)
Saturday TBA vs. TBA
ON THE AIR: J.P. Heath will call the game on RiceOwls.com while Jeff Brightwell and Greg Gaston will have the call on ESPN+.
RICE RECENTLY: The Owls are hitting a combined .265 as a team over the last 21 games (175x661) after hitting .239 in the first 18 games. On the mound, Rice pitchers have posted a 5.60 ERA (105 ER in 168.2 IP) in the last 21 games (7.89 ERA to start the season). Rice pitchers have allowed 16 home runs in the last 21 games (none in 12 of the 21) after surrendering 26 in the first 18 games. The Owls have gone 7-14 over the last 21 games after opening the season 2-16. Eight of those 21 games have been decided by two runs or less, compared with two of the first 18.
SERIES NOTES:
FAMILY AFFAIR: Brothers Landon and Graiden West came into this season with one combined hit in 44 career at-bats for the Owls but have turned their final opportunity to play together into a memorable one, combining for a .308 average (45x146) with three homers and 20 RBI. Landon was 0x9 as a freshman in 2024 after joining his older brother at Rice. He was named the MVP of the Owls' fall World Series and was the Opening Day starter at catcher for the Owls in Puerto Rice. He hit his first career homer in the home opener vs. Sam Houston. He has made 23 starts at catcher and seven at first base and leads the Owls in walks (21) and OBP (.407). Graiden came into 2025 with one hit in 35 career at-bats, the last of those coming late in the 2023 season. He doubled his hit total with a pinch-hit single vs. Tennessee on March 1 and seven days later collected a career-high three hits and his first career home run in a start at second base vs. Yale. He hit in seven of his next eight games to raise his average to .406 before he was injured in a collision at first base at Lamar on May 25. He returned to action in the second game of the USF series and doubled in a run in his first at-bat.
HONORED: Hiram Bocachica was named to the AAC Honor Roll after posting a 1.433 OPS in four games last week. Bocachica slugged .900 last week, with two homers and six RBI, also scored six runs and had an on-base percentage of .533. He twice matched his career-high for RBI, driving in three vs. Houston on April 8 and South Florida on April 12. Prior to the weekend, reliever Jack Ben-Shoshan and Jamie Arnold of Florida State were named Driveline Baseball's pitchers of the week. Ben-Shoshan was honored for his previous week's work including a save at Sam Houston in which he struck out a career-high nine.
UP NEXT: The Owls hit the road for the next six games over the next two weekends, taking on Memphis and UAB in three-game series before returning to Reckling Park on May 2 to host Charlotte.
HOT LINKS
Watch: EPSN+
Listen: RiceOwls.com
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
COMPLETE GAME NOTES
PITCHING MATCHUPS:
Thursday RHP Tucker Alch (3-2, 4.14 ERA vs. RHP Seth Garner (2-4, 3.51 ERA)
Friday LHP J.D. McCracken (1-3, 5.53 ERA) vs. LHP David Case (1-4, 6.39)
Saturday TBA vs. TBA
ON THE AIR: J.P. Heath will call the game on RiceOwls.com while Jeff Brightwell and Greg Gaston will have the call on ESPN+.
RICE RECENTLY: The Owls are hitting a combined .265 as a team over the last 21 games (175x661) after hitting .239 in the first 18 games. On the mound, Rice pitchers have posted a 5.60 ERA (105 ER in 168.2 IP) in the last 21 games (7.89 ERA to start the season). Rice pitchers have allowed 16 home runs in the last 21 games (none in 12 of the 21) after surrendering 26 in the first 18 games. The Owls have gone 7-14 over the last 21 games after opening the season 2-16. Eight of those 21 games have been decided by two runs or less, compared with two of the first 18.
SERIES NOTES:
- Rice leads the overall series 22-12, but Memphis brings a three-game winning streak into the weekend and has won in five of the last six.
- The schools have only met as conference foes, with Rice leading 22-9 as members of Conference USA and Memphis leading 3-0 when the series resumed under the AAC banner last year.
- This will be the fifth series between the schools in Memphis with Rice holding a 9-3 advantage. They have met 27 times in the regular season (Rice 17-10) and seven at the CUSA tournament (Rice leads 5-2).
- Last year in Houston, Rice held Memphis to a combined .147 batting average and .186 slugging percentage, but the Tigers swept the three games, thanks in part to 17 walks and eight hit batters by Rice pitching.
FAMILY AFFAIR: Brothers Landon and Graiden West came into this season with one combined hit in 44 career at-bats for the Owls but have turned their final opportunity to play together into a memorable one, combining for a .308 average (45x146) with three homers and 20 RBI. Landon was 0x9 as a freshman in 2024 after joining his older brother at Rice. He was named the MVP of the Owls' fall World Series and was the Opening Day starter at catcher for the Owls in Puerto Rice. He hit his first career homer in the home opener vs. Sam Houston. He has made 23 starts at catcher and seven at first base and leads the Owls in walks (21) and OBP (.407). Graiden came into 2025 with one hit in 35 career at-bats, the last of those coming late in the 2023 season. He doubled his hit total with a pinch-hit single vs. Tennessee on March 1 and seven days later collected a career-high three hits and his first career home run in a start at second base vs. Yale. He hit in seven of his next eight games to raise his average to .406 before he was injured in a collision at first base at Lamar on May 25. He returned to action in the second game of the USF series and doubled in a run in his first at-bat.
HONORED: Hiram Bocachica was named to the AAC Honor Roll after posting a 1.433 OPS in four games last week. Bocachica slugged .900 last week, with two homers and six RBI, also scored six runs and had an on-base percentage of .533. He twice matched his career-high for RBI, driving in three vs. Houston on April 8 and South Florida on April 12. Prior to the weekend, reliever Jack Ben-Shoshan and Jamie Arnold of Florida State were named Driveline Baseball's pitchers of the week. Ben-Shoshan was honored for his previous week's work including a save at Sam Houston in which he struck out a career-high nine.
UP NEXT: The Owls hit the road for the next six games over the next two weekends, taking on Memphis and UAB in three-game series before returning to Reckling Park on May 2 to host Charlotte.
Players Mentioned
RHP
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RHP
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LHP
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INF
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