What to give a man turning 80? More home runs, fewer errors
What would the start of baseball season be without championship expectations for Rice? Winners of 20 consecutive conference titles, the Owls again are the favorite to win Conference USA. Five lineup regulars and two standout pitchers return for a team that will have fewer holes than last season. Projected lineup: CF RF Ryan Charlie Chandler Warren 1B SS Connor Tristan TeyklGray 2B C Hunter Grayson KopycinskiLewis 3BLF DayneDane Myers Wunderlich DH Top Blake pitchers:Fox LHP Blake Fox RHP Jon Duplantier RHP Ricardo Salinas RP Dane Myers RP Glenn Otto
Coach: Wayne Graham (1,076-442 in 24 seasons at Rice). 2015 record: 37-22. Conference: Conference
USA. Preseason Ranking (Baseball America): Not
ranked. Projected Conference USA finish: First. Last postseason appearance: 2015, Houston
Regional.
Key additions: P Zach Esquivel, P Jackson Parthasarathy, OF Cody Staab.
Key losses: 2B Ford Stainback, LF Kirby Taylor, C John Clay Reeves, P Austin Orewiler, P Matt Ditman, P John Williamson, P Jordan Stephens.
Player to watch: CF Ryan Chandler. He burst onto the scene last season, starting all 59 games as a true freshman. He hit .302 with 17 doubles on his way to C-USA Freshman of the Year honors.
Newcomer to watch: Esquivel. With only two starters with big-time experience returning, at least one freshman could find his way into the regular rotation. Esquivel had a tremendous career at Clear Creek and was a three-time Under Armour Preseason All-American.
Stat that matters: 82 errors. Beating the top teams is difficult enough when you don’t throw it around.
With yet another rigorous schedule on tap this season, the Owls need to cut back on their defensive mistakes. Three story lines to keep an eye on:
1. Will anybody hit home runs? Gone are the days when Rice routinely had a handful of players who could hit it out of the park. Last season, the Owls hit only 16 home runs in 59 games. Eight of them came from graduated John Clay Reeves. The top returning home run hitter is Tristan Gray, who hit three a year ago.
2. Duplantier’s return. Everybody will look to Blake Fox as the top hurler, but if Jon Duplantier is as healthy as he was as a freshman, he could be star, too. The Seven Lakes product with a low-90s fastball missed all of his sophomore season with an injury.
3. Graham keeps going and going and going. Graham, whose contract runs through 2018, will turn 80 on April 6. Despite his advanced age, this season, just like all the others, seems to have as much promise as usual. If the Owls qualify for the NCAA Tournament, it will be their 22nd in a row.
Can reach Omaha if: Several players make big improvements. The returning hitters have had solid production in their careers, but the Owls need to find some next-level production to make a run against the elite teams in the NCAA Tournament. No chance of reaching Omaha if: The pitching does not evolve. There are a few proven hurlers, and others are promising, but the Owls will need some new names to eat innings and get big outs if they’re going to win in the tournament.