Rice University Athletics
Photo by: Maria Lysaker | Rice Athletics
Owls Wrap First Homestand With Midweek Pair
2/17/2026 11:30:00 AM | Baseball
Louisiana on Tuesday, Purdue on Wednesday
HOMESTAND WRAPS WITH LONE MIDWEEK BACK-TO-BACK: Rice hosts Louisiana on Tuesday and Purdue on Wednesday in the Owls' lone back-to-back midweek games in 2026. Rice played three sets of back-to-back midweek games in each of the last three seasons.
HOT LINKS
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: RiceOwls.com
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
PITCHING PROBABLES:
Tuesday (6:35) RHP Jackon Blank vs. RHP Sawyer Pruitt
Wednesday (6:35) TBA vs. TBA
EARLY OFFENSE SETS THE STAGE: Colin Robson and JC Davis wasted little time in setting the tone for the first season opener under Bixby Family Head Baseball Coach David Pierce, stroking back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the first inning. Their solo shots were two of the four homers the Owls would hit in a 7-6 win over Northwestern, the Owls' first on Opening Day since 2018 and the first in a season-opener at home since 2013. Rice rallied for three in the bottom of the eighth to take the second game of the doubleheader on Opening Day, to open a season with back-to-back wins for the first time since 2012 and clinch an opening weekend series for the first time since 2019.
DAVIS RECOGNIZED BY AMERICAN: JC Davis was named Honorable Mention American Conference after his explosive start to his career at Rice. The junior transfer from Weatherford College hit .636 in the three games against Northwestern, with three homers, a double, four RBI, and four runs in addition to turning five double plays in the first three games. Davis hit a total of three home runs in two seasons at Weatherford, covering 86 games and 277 at-bats.
OPENING DROUGHT: Rice has dropped its last seven season openers since defeating Samford 8-7 in Orlando to open the 2018 campaign. The Owls have dropped openers to Rhode Island (2019), Texas (2020), HBU (2021), Texas (2022), Louisiana (2023), Notre Dame (2024), and Villanova (2025). The Owls have lost six consecutive opening series since taking two of three against Rhode Island in 2019.
VS. LOUISIANA: The Owls and Ragin' Cajuns have met a total of 38 times overall. Rice leads the series 20-18, and has won three of the last four, including taking two of three in Lafayette in 2024. Rice leads the overall series on campus 12-7 but Louisiana has a 6-4 lead in games at Reckling Park. Rice's 12-8 in the final game of a weekend series in 2023 snapped an 11-game winning streak by the Cajuns in the series. The schools have played 33 times in the regular season (Rice leads 19-14) and five times over the course of two NCAA Regional appearances (1999 & 2015), with the Ragin Cajuns holding a 3-2 lead. The majority of the games (26) have been played in Houston, while 10 have been played in Lafayette and two in Austin, Texas. The games in Houston have been spread over six different venues (Rice Baseball Field, Cameron Field, The Astrodome, Reckling Park, Cougar Field, and Minute Maid Park). The schools advanced to the inaugural Super Regional round of the 1999 NCAA championship, which saw the team battle for three games at the Astrodome, the first Major League facility to host a portion of the NCAA Tournament. The top-seeded Owls were in need of an alternate location as the demolition of Cameron Field to make way for Reckling Park began immediately after the regular season concluded. The Astrodome was not available for the Regional Round, and Rice advanced to the Super Regional with a win at the Lubbock Regional. The schools also met twice in the 2015 Regional hosted by Houston at Cougar Field. The Cajuns defeated the Owls in the opening game, 7-6, and then met again less than 12 hours after the Owls had outlasted Houston in 20 innings, with Rice falling 5-2. They added a fifth venue (and second major league ballpark) in 2016 during the Astros Shriners' Classic with Louisiana taking a 4-2 decision… David Pierce is 8-6 in his career against Louisiana.
VS. PURDUE: Rice leads the series 4-1 and has won the last four games between the schools. The Boilermakers won the initial meeting, defeating the top-ranked Owls 5-2 on the first day of the Coca-Cola Classic at Reckling Park. The Owls, who had opened the season 8-0, held a 2-1 lead until Purdue scored four times in the fifth to fall 5-2. They met again in a midweek game in 2005, with Rice winning 9-2 behind four RBI from Adam Hale. They met most recently in a three-game series in 2014, with Rice sweeping the set, 3-1, 9-1, and 23-3.
UP NEXT: Rice heads west this weekend for the first three-game series between Rice and USC in Los Angeles. Game times are set for 8:05 on Friday and Saturday and 2:05 on Sunday.
HOT LINKS
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: RiceOwls.com
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
PITCHING PROBABLES:
Tuesday (6:35) RHP Jackon Blank vs. RHP Sawyer Pruitt
Wednesday (6:35) TBA vs. TBA
EARLY OFFENSE SETS THE STAGE: Colin Robson and JC Davis wasted little time in setting the tone for the first season opener under Bixby Family Head Baseball Coach David Pierce, stroking back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the first inning. Their solo shots were two of the four homers the Owls would hit in a 7-6 win over Northwestern, the Owls' first on Opening Day since 2018 and the first in a season-opener at home since 2013. Rice rallied for three in the bottom of the eighth to take the second game of the doubleheader on Opening Day, to open a season with back-to-back wins for the first time since 2012 and clinch an opening weekend series for the first time since 2019.
DAVIS RECOGNIZED BY AMERICAN: JC Davis was named Honorable Mention American Conference after his explosive start to his career at Rice. The junior transfer from Weatherford College hit .636 in the three games against Northwestern, with three homers, a double, four RBI, and four runs in addition to turning five double plays in the first three games. Davis hit a total of three home runs in two seasons at Weatherford, covering 86 games and 277 at-bats.
OPENING DROUGHT: Rice has dropped its last seven season openers since defeating Samford 8-7 in Orlando to open the 2018 campaign. The Owls have dropped openers to Rhode Island (2019), Texas (2020), HBU (2021), Texas (2022), Louisiana (2023), Notre Dame (2024), and Villanova (2025). The Owls have lost six consecutive opening series since taking two of three against Rhode Island in 2019.
VS. LOUISIANA: The Owls and Ragin' Cajuns have met a total of 38 times overall. Rice leads the series 20-18, and has won three of the last four, including taking two of three in Lafayette in 2024. Rice leads the overall series on campus 12-7 but Louisiana has a 6-4 lead in games at Reckling Park. Rice's 12-8 in the final game of a weekend series in 2023 snapped an 11-game winning streak by the Cajuns in the series. The schools have played 33 times in the regular season (Rice leads 19-14) and five times over the course of two NCAA Regional appearances (1999 & 2015), with the Ragin Cajuns holding a 3-2 lead. The majority of the games (26) have been played in Houston, while 10 have been played in Lafayette and two in Austin, Texas. The games in Houston have been spread over six different venues (Rice Baseball Field, Cameron Field, The Astrodome, Reckling Park, Cougar Field, and Minute Maid Park). The schools advanced to the inaugural Super Regional round of the 1999 NCAA championship, which saw the team battle for three games at the Astrodome, the first Major League facility to host a portion of the NCAA Tournament. The top-seeded Owls were in need of an alternate location as the demolition of Cameron Field to make way for Reckling Park began immediately after the regular season concluded. The Astrodome was not available for the Regional Round, and Rice advanced to the Super Regional with a win at the Lubbock Regional. The schools also met twice in the 2015 Regional hosted by Houston at Cougar Field. The Cajuns defeated the Owls in the opening game, 7-6, and then met again less than 12 hours after the Owls had outlasted Houston in 20 innings, with Rice falling 5-2. They added a fifth venue (and second major league ballpark) in 2016 during the Astros Shriners' Classic with Louisiana taking a 4-2 decision… David Pierce is 8-6 in his career against Louisiana.
VS. PURDUE: Rice leads the series 4-1 and has won the last four games between the schools. The Boilermakers won the initial meeting, defeating the top-ranked Owls 5-2 on the first day of the Coca-Cola Classic at Reckling Park. The Owls, who had opened the season 8-0, held a 2-1 lead until Purdue scored four times in the fifth to fall 5-2. They met again in a midweek game in 2005, with Rice winning 9-2 behind four RBI from Adam Hale. They met most recently in a three-game series in 2014, with Rice sweeping the set, 3-1, 9-1, and 23-3.
UP NEXT: Rice heads west this weekend for the first three-game series between Rice and USC in Los Angeles. Game times are set for 8:05 on Friday and Saturday and 2:05 on Sunday.
Players Mentioned
OF
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