Baseball takes season series from Texas
Although they have witnessed stretches of poor pitching and lethargic offense, fans seem to be only a little worried about the baseball team's ups and downs this year. True, in the last two weeks Rice (24-10, 7-2 Conference USA) has dropped two games against the University of Southern Mississippi and one to Dallas Baptist University (20-9). But the Owls also swept Memphis University, thumped Lamar University (20-11) and walked away with more wins in the season series than the 13th-ranked University of Texas for the first time since 2003. But through all the streakiness, the Owls have still landed on soft ground, with the most wins in Conference USA and a No. 6 national ranking to their name.The Owls continue their current homestand this weekend against the University of Alabama-Birmingham, which is currently dead last in C-USA. But records do not always tell the whole story - the underdog Blazers (13-17, 1-5 C-USA) have beaten Tulane University and the University of Alabama this season, and are led offensively by Ryan Keedy's .429 batting average and 29 RBIs. UAB will also be counting on pitchers Mitch Kloskowski, who has 35 strikeouts in 42.1 innings, and Kyle Roberson, who has 25 strikeouts in 26.1 innings, to silence the prominent Rice bats. The three-game series begins tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Reckling Park.
After being surprised by Southern Miss' (20-10, 5-4 C-USA) recent success against his squad, head coach Wayne Graham said the Owls will avoid underestimating any of their conference opponents.
"All the teams in our league are dangerous," Graham said. "We're going to have to play well to win. Everybody's got talent."
Unfortunately for struggling UAB, things have started to come together for Rice on multiple levels. Starting pitchers sophomore Ryan Berry and senior Chris Kelley have turned in some excellent performances, as have relievers freshman Matt Evers and junior Bryan Price. In fact, Berry was named this week's C-USA Pitcher of the Week for the first time this year and for the fourth time in his short career.
On offense, sophomore third baseman Diego Seastrunk is tied for second in the league in hits, junior outfielder Jared Gayhart sits in second for RBIs and junior designated hitter Aaron Luna is tied for third in runs scored.
Despite its gaudy statistics, the vaunted Rice offense could do little against the arms of the Golden Eagles two weekends ago. The Owls dropped the first game 1-0 as Southern Miss ace Barry Bowden went 8.2 innings and struck out 10, only allowing four Owl hits. Berry countered with an impressive 8.1 innings and 13 strikeouts of his own, but a solo home run in the first inning from Trey Sutton proved enough to win the game.
Rice roared back the next day with a well-rounded 9-0 victory, riding 6.2 strong innings from Kelley for the triumph.
In the rubber game of the series, the Owls fought back twice from early deficits, but despite having the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning, they could not push across the tying run and lost 8-7. The second defeat of the weekend concluded Rice's first home series loss since April 2001.
For most teams, facing Texas (22-10) just after a poor home performance would be a tough pill to swallow. But for Rice, the Longhorns were just what the doctor ordered. Although Texas took an early lead in the second inning, Evers and Price combined to hold the Longhorns scoreless for the rest of the game, giving the offense time to cement the 7-3 victory. The Owls had a little help along the way - Texas committed five errors on the day, including one in the ninth inning that helped Rice tack on three insurance runs.
On the road trip to Memphis, Tenn. three days later, the Owls won both games of a doubleheader on Saturday before completing the sweep of the Tigers (12-19, 3-6 C-USA) with a 7-6 nail-biter on Sunday. Berry and Kelley combined to hold Memphis to just one run in 18 innings of play, and the Owls' offense was effective and efficient, turning walks and singles into runs on multiple occasions.
Tuesday night, the Owls defeated Lamar (20-9) by a score of 13-5, as Luna and senior first baseman J. P. Padron had three hits apiece.
More from The Rice Thresher
Local Foods launches in newly renovated Brochstein space
Local Foods Market opened at Brochstein Pavilion Nov. 19, replacing comfort food concept Little Kitchen HTX. The opening, previously scheduled for the end of September, also features interior renovations to Brochstein. Local Foods is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends.
Scan, swipe — sorry
Students may need to swipe their Rice IDs through scanners before entering future public parties, said dean of undergraduates Bridget Gorman. This possible policy change is not finalized, but in discussion among student activities and crisis management teams.
Energy summit talks the policy behind power
The 16th annual Rice Energy Finance Summit was held at Jones Business School Nov. 15. Speakers from the energy industry discussed topics including renewable energy, the Texas power grid and the future of energy policy under a second Trump administration.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication by The Rice Thresher.