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(08/22/08 12:00am)
While in Omaha for the College World Series in June, Rice (47-15) struggled to find consistency on the mound and in the field. Key fielding errors and a struggling bullpen proved costly for the Owls' hopes for a second national title.After dropping the first game to eventual champion Fresno State (47-31), the Owls lost in heartbreaking fashion to Louisiana State University (49-19-1) and were eliminated from the NCAA tournament.
(05/16/08 12:00am)
There were many things to cheer about as the fifth-ranked baseball team played its final home series last weekend. With a sweep over rival University of Houston, the Owls (39-11, 18-3 C-USA) secured the regular season Conference USA crown, marking Rice's 13th conference title in a row dating back to 1996. In addition to the team accolades, two players were announced to be in the running for significant national collegiate baseball awards, and three were honored for their academic achievements this semester. And with the graduations of seniors Will McDaniel and Cole St.Clair last Saturday, the team had even more cause for celebration before the contest against the Cougars.Most pressing on the Owls' minds at the moment, however, is their series against Tulane University, which opened Thursday in New Orleans, Louis., and will continue tomorrow. Tulane (36-15, 13-6 C-USA) is not likely to go down easily; outside of facing the Owls, the Green Wave have dominated conference play. Tulane will rely heavily on the arm of pitching phenom Shooter Hunt, a junior with a 1.97 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 77.2 innings pitched.
(05/16/08 12:00am)
Whenever a Rice baseball player crosses the plate to tally a run, his teammates immediately head out of the dugout to meet him - a celebration that is tradition in college baseball, and one that highlights the true sense of team camaraderie in college athletics. But fans following the Owls closely this year might have noticed that one of the first players out of the dugout is almost always senior pitcher Cole St.Clair. This Santa Ana, Calif. native has been a driving force for Rice's success whenever he set sfoot on the rubber, and he has been a consistent leader for the team in the locker room during his four-year tenure at Rice.It was then no surprise to Rice fans that St.Clair was drafted in the seventh round by the Cleveland Indians last summer. His accomplishments are numerous and include several school records: 27 career saves, 103 appearances and a top 10 all-time place in both the career and season-best ERA categories. These numbers also share a spot with St. Clair's multiple awards, which include the Dell Morgan Most Valuable Baseball Player for 2006 and the 2008 Bob Quin Award, given to Rice's most outstanding male athlete on and off the field. And that's on top of being named an All-American by Baseball America in 2006 and a freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball in 2005, as well as earning a spot on Team USA in 2006. On the national team, he had a 4-0 record with three saves and an ERA of 0.69 against some of the best athletes in the world.
(04/18/08 12:00am)
The baseball team's accomplishments this past weekend surely kept fans' hearts pounding from beginning to end, although not all of the drama was on the field. No. 11 Rice (28-10, 10-2 Conference USA) almost dropped two games to the University of Alabama-Birmingham after holding substantial leads, but was saved by late-game heroics both times. The series with the Blazers (14-21, 1-8 C-USA), the worst team in the conference, also brought the return of junior reliever Bobby Bell, who took the mound for the first time since Feb. 2007 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Rounding out the week's action, the Owls took down No. 8 Texas A&M University 11-2 in College Station. Off the field, senior starter Cole St. Clair was honored at the senior athletics award banquet with the annual Bob Quin Award, the highest athletic honor for a male Rice athlete.
(04/11/08 12:00am)
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.
(03/28/08 12:00am)
Despite rain and near-freezing temperatures, the baseball team managed to keep their arms warm enough to sweep Marshall University before returning to the sunny South and handing a loss to Texas State University on Tuesday. Unfortunately, No. 12 Rice's (18-7) win streak ended at ten games Wednesday night when cross-town rival University of Houston handed the Owls an 8-5 loss, although senior Jordan Dodson's two-out fly ball in the ninth came within feet of sending the game into extra innings.Looking ahead, the Owls will be enmeshed in a tough series this weekend with the University of Southern Mississippi. The homestand, which begins today at 6:30 p.m. at Reckling Park, will give Rice a chance to pad its conference record, which stands at 4-1. The Golden Eagles (15-7) have been one of the streakiest teams in Conference USA this year - after a five-game losing streak earlier this month, they have taken nine of their last 10 to climb back above .500.
(03/21/08 12:00am)
As if five wins were not enough to make last week cause for celebration for the baseball team, head coach Wayne Graham also tacked on career victory No. 750 to his resumé. The wins - four of which came against Winthrop University and one against the University of Louisiana-Lafayette - may have coincided with the end of sophomore third baseman Diego Seastrunk's 19-game hitting streak, but freshman shortstop Rick Hague more than made up for it with a .588 batting average over the weekend, including in six RBIs on two homers in a single game.The ninth-ranked Owls (14-6) swept Winthrop (3-10) in a four-game series this past weekend before defeating La.-Lafayette (6-11) by a score of 17-6 on Wednesday evening at Reckling Park.
(03/14/08 12:00am)
The baseball team book-ended the last two weeks with a sweep of the Minute Maid Park College Classic and a 7-3 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi University, but there were a few bumps in the road in between. Not only did No. 15 Rice (9-6) drop two one-run games in a row against Sam Houston State University and Dallas Baptist University on the road, but the Owls were smashed 9-3 by Michigan State University in the opener of the Rice Classic. While the team rebounded with wins over Western Carolina University and Creighton University, the Owls rolled over against the 19th-ranked University of Texas to even the season series at 1-1.The Owls will look to defend their home field once more this weekend, facing Winthrop University four times in as many days, starting today at 6:30 p.m. The Eagles (3-10) have yet to beat a ranked opponent this year, falling three times to the University of Southern California and once to the University of North Carolina. Before the week is over, the Owls will also take on the University of Louisiana-Lafayette at home at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
