Baseball sweeps Conference USA preseason awards

Photo by Rice Athletics Communications | The Rice Thresher

Rice pitcher Blake Fox was chosen by coaches as the Conference USA preseason pitcher of the year.

The Conference USA coaches’ poll unanimously announced Rice as the favorite to be crowned 2015 C-USA champions on Jan. 28. Additionally, Rice junior pitcher Blake Fox was named the preseason Pitcher of the Year and senior catcher John Clay Reeves was named preseason Player of the Year.

The Owls are currently ranked no. 13 in the nation on d1baseball.com and no. 15 on Perfect Game.

Reeves made an immediate impact last season in his first year with the Owls. He was named C-USA Newcomer of the Year after starting 56 of the 62 games as catcher and designated hitter, and was among the top players in the Conference in multiple hitting categories with seven home runs, 41 RBIs and a .439 slugging percentage.

Reeves said the seniors on the squad are focused on teaching the younger players what it means to be a part of Rice baseball and have a drive to win in the postseason.

“I think like every other year you want to win, and not just our conference, but go deep into the [NCAA] tournament,” Reeves said. “With this great group of guys and multiple seniors on the team, we want to lead by example and teach the younger guys how to uphold the Rice baseball name.”

Reeves said individual awards are nice but do not take away from preparing and working hard day in and day out.

“It’s always nice to be recognized, but every year is different, so we [have] to remain focused and keep working hard daily,” Reeves said.

Fox earned first team all-American honors last season after going 12-0 on the mound with a 1.46 earned run average. He was named one of three finalists for the College Baseball Hall of Fame National Pitcher of the Year award.

Fox said he believes his teammates and coaching staff this season must have a competitive mindset to be successful.

“As a pitcher, my goal is to get out there and compete to the best of my ability to give my team a chance to win,” Fox said. “I believe that if we all go out there and have that same goal then we will be very successful by [maximizing] all the talent on this team.”

Fox said he was honored to be named as a finalist, but keeps things simple in terms of his approach to the game.

“It was an honor to be named as one of the finalists, [but] just like my past two years … I want to go out there to compete, do my best and have fun,” Fox said.

Head Coach Wayne Graham said Fox and Reeves are key players both on and off the field.

“They are definitive leaders on the team and high citizenship, hard working men,” Graham said. “Obviously Fox has been a great pitcher for us and Reeves is a good catcher who can call his own game and is probably our best hitter.”