On April 11, 2008, The Rice Thresher dubbed the Club Baseball team the “Kings of the Diamond.” A copy of the full story can be found here.
The Rice Club Baseball organization is a group of Rice students who love the game of baseball enough to continue their competitive career through their college years. The team is composed of players of all skill levels, but has become more competitive in recent years. Founded in the Fall of 2004, the team has been competing in the National Club Baseball Association for more than five years. Since 2004, the team has played more than 100 games against other colleges and universities from around the country. In 2010, the club team won District VII and earned a berth in the NCBA Division II World Series in Johnstown, PA. The Owls finished 2-2, and are looking to continue their successes moving forward.
Off the field, the team is involved in various other activities. As a team, we have participated in charity events, set up tailgate parties for athletic events, and worked for the athletic department at Rice. Players on the team have worked as scorekeepers, umpires, and coaches for local little leagues and high schools. We have had players in the broadcast booth for Rice baseball games, selling programs before games, and even preparing the field at Reckling Park. During the Spring, members of the club team can be found grilling on the hill in left field for many baseball games.
From humble beginnings, the club team has grown to become one of the most recognizable groups on campus.
2005 Season (Record: 1-8)
- The team participated in its first ever NCBA season in the Spring of 2005. Led by captain/founder Steve Bryant (Sid Rich ’08), the team competed in the Gulf Coast North Conference with teams from Texas and Louisiana. The Owls scored their first win against the University of North Texas during Beer Bike weekend. Jake Schornick (Wiess ’08) led the team with 2 HRs.
- Rice Club Baseball…The Beginning
- 2005 Team Stats
2006 Season (Record: 6-15)
- The second season for the Owls proved to be a tough one, as they shared the conference with three nationally ranked teams (Texas A&M, University of Texas, and Sam Houston State). Steve Bryant led the team with a .452 batting average, and the Owls boosted their team average by 40 points.
- 2006 Team Stats
2007 Season (Record: 6-9)
- The 2007 season was the most competitive club season to date. The Owls played tough games against everyone in the conference, and finished the season in the middle of the pack. The pieces seemed to fall together after the team swept Texas A&M Galveston on the road with three run-rule victories. Jake Schornick was named Conference Player of the Week after going 7-8 with 2 HRs and Joe Cialone (Wiess ’09) was named Conference Pitcher of the Week for striking out 19 in a 9 inning CG, allowing three hits and four runs. 2007 also saw the Owls play their first game against nearby St. John’s School, winning 4-0 in 7 innings. Off the field, members of the team began their tradition of enjoying some of the nation’s best baseball from a hill overlooking left field at Reckling Park.
2008 Season (Record: 9-9)
- In 2008, the Owls stormed to their best record yet, going 6-6 and finishing second in the Gulf Coast South behind Sam Houston State. Andrew Flowers (Will Rice ’09) was named Conference Hitter of the Week following a stellar performance in College Station, and Steve Bryant was named Conference Pitcher of the Week for throwing 6 innings, allowing only one run against the nationally ranked Texas A&M Aggies. The Owls also were unable to stave off a late inning rally by the St. John’s Mavericks as the two played to a tie. 2008 marked the first season that members of the Owls traveled to Austin to participate in the Alpha Phi Hits for Hearts softball tournament to raise money for heart disease research.
2009 Season (Record: 2-21)
- Weather was not kind to the Owls in 2009, as most of their games were rained out in the Fall, and they struggled to play a full schedule in the Spring. The Owls wound up taking three trips to New Orleans to play against Tulane, two of which were impacted by rain. They also played at College Station, and in Austin. The Owls did return to winning ways against St. John’s with a solid victory. In addition to returning to Austin for Hits for Hearts, the Owls played the SMU Mustangs in softball following the Rice-SMU football game the first week of the school year.
2010 Season (Record: 14-7, Final Rank: #5)
- After a dismal 2009 season, the Owls dropped down to NCBA Division II and joined District VII. The team knew that at the Division II level, they would face equally stiff competition but would have a realistic chance at postseason play. This gave the Owls new life, and practice/game turnout increased dramatically. Behind a solid young team (mostly freshmen and sophomores), the Owls stormed through District VII. Winning every district series, the Owls earned a trip to Johnstown, PA for the NCBA World Series. Being under-estimated all year, the Owls were given the #8 seed. They went 2-2 at the series, eliminating the #1 and #4 teams before narrowly losing to the eventual national champion in the semi-finals. Following this solid performance, the Owls finished the season ranked #5 in the NCBA polls. In the fall, Rice hosted Vanderbilt’s club team for a doubleheader and BBQ before the Rice-Vandy football game. Junior Dan Bianculli and freshman Chris Walker won District VII Pitcher of the Week awards. Walker also won a District VII Hitter of the Week award, as did sophomore Chris Brown and senior Joe Cialone. The team voted Walker MVP for the 2010 season.
- 2010 Schedule/Results
2011 Season (Record: 18-16)
- The 2010 fall season was a productive one for the Owls. They hosted series with Baylor and SMU and travelled to New Orleans to play Tulane. Additionally, the Owls played in the NCBA Gulf Coast Invitational, a wood bat tournament in Richardson, TX. Competing against a mixed DI and DII field, Rice shocked the world with a run rule victory over UNT to propel their team into the tournament finals. A solid freshman class helped keep the Owls in contention in the spring, but an opening weekend series loss to eventual District VII champions Texas State set the tone for the year. Junior John Stretton won the team’s first ever national player of the week award for his two home run performance at Texas A&M Galveston.
- 2011 Schedule/Results
