Rice seeking consistency before it’s too late
When Rice coach Matt Bragga took the reins of the Owls’ baseball program, he expected some early hiccups.
Five of the Owls’ first eight opponents were ranked in the top 25 and the team struggled accordingly, going 3-7 until the final two games of the Minute Maid Classic. The team surprised many by topping back-to-back ranked opponents (Baylor and TCU) by a combined score of 18-5, culminating in a win over the Horned Frogs that was called in the seventh inning with the Owls leading by 10.
But afterwards, the team stumbled again, losing 10 of its next 13.
That inconsistency — particularly in the batter’s box — has characterized the Owls as they’ve evolved through their first season under Bragga. Now, as the team prepares for Wednesday’s Conference USA tournament opener against Southern Mississippi, the team is hoping its more productive side emerges.
“We have been a little bit of Jekyll and Hyde,” Bragga said of the Owls (24-31, 14-16 in C-USA).
“This group has been a resilient group all year. All of a sudden you think they’re out, there’s no chance and then next thing you know we show up and beat Southern Miss two out of three, beat Louisiana Tech three in a row, win our last games against TCU and Baylor at the Minute Maid Classic. So this is a group that’s proven they can play and beat anyone in the country, but we need to be that team this week.”
Indeed the Owls won a series from the Golden Eagles just two weekends ago, winning the final two games by a combined score of 11-2. The wins knocked Southern Miss from the top of the conference standings and helped Rice ultimately secure its spot as the seventh-seeded team. Southern Miss (34-19, 20-10) is the No. 2 seed.
“It does give you a little bit of confidence going in, so our guys are excited for that matchup and it’ll be fun,” Bragga said.
To win again, Bragga said, “we’ve got to (perform) in all three phases. We’ve got to have quality at-bats, we’ve got to execute pitches, and we’ve got to minimize freebies. When we don’t do all three things, it’s very difficult for us to win. It’s hard to have poor at-bats and do the other two and win. There’s some teams that don’t always have to do all three, but we have to.”
After winning the Silver Glove Series from Houston on May 14, Rice lost its final three games of the regular season to Marshall in heartwrenching fashion.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen three walk-off losses in a row. That’s a tough weekend, but our guys are tough,” Bragga said. “I think we’ve lost six games this year in the conference alone where we had a lead in the eighth inning or later.”
Bragga said the defeats were a bit deflating, but he’s convinced his team is ready for its rematch with Southern Miss. The only difference will be the absence of pitcher Addison Moss, who will miss the postseason with a ulnar collateral ligament tear.
For second team all-CUSA shortstop Trei Cruz, the Marshall series is a thing of the past. If the Owls can score in the early innings — as they did in the final two games of the Southern Miss series earlier this month — he’s confident they can replicate their success.
“To get walked off three games in a row is tough, but obviously it’s behind us. That’s the regular season and we’re not even thinking about that at all,” Cruz said.
“If there’s been anything we’ve shown this year it’s that we can compete with the best of them. I think if we just go with the same game plan as last time we can beat them. We have a lot of talent and good pitching. I have confidence in (C-USA Pitcher of the Year Matt Canterino) to shut it down and we’re going to come out swinging.”