Owls Face Grand Canyon and Saint Mary's on Final Non-Conference Weekend

NINE-GAME ROAD SLATE WRAPS UP IN PHOENIX: Rice wraps up its current nine-game stretch of games away from Reckling Park with a set of four games in Phoenix, Arizona, against Grand Canyon and Saint Mary's. The Owls will face both schools on Friday, with a 3 p.m. (central) opener against Saint Mary's followed by an 8 p.m. matchup with Grand Canyon. Rice will face Grand Canyon at 8 p.m. on Saturday and then wrap up the weekend at 1 p.m. on Sunday vs. Saint Mary's. Rice returns to Reckling Park on St. Patrick's Day to host UTRGV and then head back on the road to open American Conference action at USF (March 20-22).

ON THE AIR: Heath will call the action on RiceOwls.com and the Varsity Network app all weekend. There will be no stream available for the Saint Mary's games, but both Grand Canyon games will be carried on the Mountain West Network, with Tim Wilhelm and Elijah Buries in the booth.

HOT LINKS
Watch:   Mountain West Network (GCU games only)
Listen: RiceOwls.com
Live Stats: Statbroadcast

PITCHING PROBABLES:
Friday vs. Saint Mary's
Tanner Wiggins (0-0, 2.13) vs. RHP John Damozonio (2-1, 2.25)
vs. Grand Canyon
Anthony Diaz (2-1, 6.92) vs. RHP Garrett Ahern (1-2, 4.91)
Saturday vs Grand Canyon
Ryland Urbanczyk (0-1, 2.63) vs. LHP Chase Frey (0-3, 6.91)
Sunday vs. Saint Mary's
TBA vs. LHP Jake Hilton (3-0, 2.12)

FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME: Rice is 1-0 in its history against Saint Mary's, thanks to a 10-6 win in 2003, while the Owls are 2-1 against Grand Canyon after a three-game series at Brazell Field between the schools in 1997. The game with the Gaels was a midweek meeting between road series in the WAC for Rice at Nevada and San Jose State and was tied 4-4 until Rice scored in five of the next six innings, highlighted by home runs by Austin Davis and Enrique Cruz. Dane Bubela was 4x5 to lead the offense while Colin Matheny came on early in relief of Steven Herce and worked 6.2 scoreless innings to pick up the win. The three games with the Antelopes came on the final weekend of the WAC regular season and saw the Owls score in double digits in each game, winning 18-12 and 12-4 before dropping the finale 14-11. Rice Special Assistant Lance Berkman was 7x13 in the three games with three home runs, two doubles, and 12 RBI, seven on them in the second game. The Owls went on to win the WAC Tournament and rolled undefeated through the Central Regional to reach the College World Series for the first time in program history.

EARLY SUCCESS: With its 8-6 comeback win over ACU on Saturday night, Rice moved three games over .500 (9-6) for the first time since the last day of the 2017 season when they defeated SE Louisiana in an elimination game at the Baton Rouge Regional to improve to 33-30. The Owls' season ended later that night when LSU eliminated the Owls, who finished 33-31. The Owls have nine wins in the first 17 games, and with a win in the opener vs. Saint Mary's, they would reach 10 wins in the fewest games since they were 10-8 in 20-21. Since 2021, Rice reached its 10th win in the 34th game in 2022, the 19th in 2023, the 34th in 2025, and the 40th last season.   The Owls' 10th win last year, a 10-5 win at Memphis, was also David Pierce's 500th win in his career.

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