Rice Owls Club Baseball

Check it out, a look at 2010 in photos

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 view it in slideshow form without descriptions …

Note: The slideshow starts in the middle, so make sure you check out the first half too!

There will be more to come as the Flickr account is filled out.  If you have photos you want to add, send them to me.

Through nine games in the fall, the Owls hold a 5-4 record against some stiff competition.  The team is looking to gel quickly with a stiff conference schedule looming in the Spring.  A full update will be posted at the conclusion of the fall schedule, but below is a quick summary of the action to date:

-9/26: Baylor 2, Rice 1: Strong pitching from freshman Mike Vatcher (2 unearned runs in 5 IP) kept the Owls in the game until late.
-9/26: Baylor 8, Rice 1: The Owls showed their rust, and continued a streak of poor play in game 2′s.

-10/3: Rice 6, SMU 1: Owls outplayed the Mustangs in just about all facets of the game.
-10/3: Rice 6, SMU 5: Owls needed a game-winning RBI single from Dan Bianculli to cap off a 4-run bottom of the 7th.

Gulf Coast Invitational (Richardson, TX) – 2nd Place!
-10/22: Rice 7, UT-San Antonio 0: Forfeit win.
-10/23: Rice 8, Texas State 3: Freshman Mike Vatcher had another great start (5 IP, 1 ER), and freshman Alex Kendall drove in 4
-10/24: TCU 8. Rice 1: With the top spot in Group B secure, Rice was able to rest its pitching staff.
-10/24: Rice 12, North Texas 2: Stunning run-rule victory behind freshman Danny Kaplan’s great start (CG, 6 IP, 11 K, 1 ER).
-10/24: Texas A&M 8, Rice 2: Tournament Championship Game. Early defensive miscues set the tone, and Rice was never able to recover.

The NCBA has released the schedule for the 2010 Gulf Coast Invitational, a wood bat tournament held in Richardson, TX.  The Owls (#5, DII) are slated to play in Group B with a chance to move into elimination play after a round robin tournament.  The top two teams from each group will play on Sunday to determine the tournament champion.

The tournament features some of the top club teams in the state.  Texas A&M and Texas Tech battled for the Gulf Coast Conference crown in 2010, and A&M finished in the semi-finals of the Division I World Series in Ft. Myers, FL.  They finished the season ranked #4, while Tech finished at #11.  Perennial power Sam Houston State finished ranked #30 nationally.

In Group B, Rice will face familiar foe Texas State and square off against TCU and UTSA for the first time.  UTSA finished in the middle of the pack in the Gulf Coast Conference, and TCU is not a member of the NCBA.

Group-Play Schedule:

Fri 10/22 – Rice @ UT-San Antonio (11 AM)

Sat 10/23 – Texas State @ Rice: (9 AM)

Sat 10/23 – TCU @ Rice (7:30 PM)

The Owls begin play again this week, in a whole new league.  A team of Rice club members and former players kicks off the summer season with Houston Hardball League in the Houston Area Metro League – Open Conference.  The season will continue through the start of the fall semester.  You can follow the Owls here.

The Owls have slated to more series for the fall, home sets against Baylor University and Southern Methodist University.  Both series will be held in Houston the same weekends as the Baylor and SMU football teams are in town to take on the Owls at Historic Rice Stadium.  Full fall schedule can be found here.

The Owls, looking to build on their recent successes, have begun putting together games for Fall 2010.  Rice recently has added series in Austin, TX against the Texas Longhorns and in New Orleans, LA against the Tulane Green Wave.  The trip to Austin will occur over Rice’s Fall Recess (October 9) and the set against Tulane will coincide with the Rice-Tulane football game (November 13).  An up-to-date fall schedule can be found here.

The NCBA released their final poll yesterday, and the Owls jumped into the ranking at #5.  This was the first time all season the Owls had been in the Top 15.  They earned their top-5 spot through a strong 2-2 showing at the NCBA World Series in Johnstown, PA.  The full poll can be found here.

Game 1: #8 Rice Owls vs. #1 William and Mary Tribe

William and Mary 8, Rice 2

The Owls came out of the gates a bit rusty in an 8-2 loss to #1 seed William and Mary.  Uncharacteristically, the Owls walked 8 batters and made multiple errors in the field.  What should have been a tight game got out of hand as Rice continually struggled to get the third out each inning.

Game 2: #8 Rice Owls vs. #4 Western State College of Colorado

Rice 5, Western State 2

In their first elimination game, the Owls managed to show up loose and play a consistent game of baseball despite a 30 minute rain delay.  Junior Ben Lopez picked up his second win of the season behind a solid complete game effort.  The Owls won 5-2, eliminating Western State and setting up a rematch with #1 William and Mary.  The Owls had were the feature story in the Johnstown Tribune-Democrat, here.

Game 3: #8 Rice Owls vs. #1 William and Mary Tribe

Rice 6, William and Mary 4

In a tough rematch, the Owls pulled off a 6-4 upset victory and eliminated top-seeded William and Mary.  The strong pitching of Dan Bianculli and Brandon Davies helped Rice move into the semi-finals of the NCBA World Series.

Game 4: #8 Rice Owls vs. #5 Northeastern University Huskies

Northeastern 6, Rice 3

The Owls’ season came to a close with a loss to eventual champion Northeastern.  The Huskies had won their first two games in dominating fashion before squeaking past the Owls in the semi-finals.  Senior Dave Garland threw 4+ strong innings for the Owls before tiring in the fifth.  The Huskies’ four-run fifth inning was the difference in their 6-3 victory.  The story from the local news can be found here.

The Rice club team was eliminated from the 2010 World Series by a 6-3 loss to Northeastern University.  The Owls had advanced to the semifinals in their first ever World Series berth, and finished with a 2-2 record.  The previous two days, the Owls had eliminated #1 William and Mary and #4 Western State College of Colorado.  The Owls are looking forward to a strong season next year as the majority of the team will be returning for 2011.  More World Series coverage will follow.

Sophomore pitcher Brandon Davies busts a move at a dance-off in downtown Johnstown, PA as part of the NCBA World Series pre-game ceremonies.