riceowlsbaseball

2008-06-17T17:49:00.000-07:00

A GREAT YEAR COMES TO A SUDDEN END

by Mark Anderson

The Rice Owls bowed out of the College World Series today when a bases-loaded double off the wall scored all three runners and ended Rice's hopes to move on in Omaha.

It was a painful loss, no doubt about it. . .(more to come)

Link for pics from Rice-LSU game

2008-06-17T17:41:00.000-07:00

http://www.chron.com/sports/photogallery/RICE_FACES_LSU_IN_COLLEGE_WORLD_SERIES.html

Here is a link to a gallery of all CWS games and action:
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaabb/gallery?pg=1&cap=0

Not Exactly What Rice Had in Mind

2008-06-15T15:10:00.000-07:00

By Mark Anderson

Well, that wasn’t exactly what Wayne Graham had in mind.

Rice faced off against Fresno State on Sunday, and the Owls simply got blindsided by Fresno State. Starting pitcher Ryan Berry had shaved his head, and hoped to shave his ERA in the College World Series from last year. Instead, he gave up nine—that’s right, Owl fans, count ‘em, nine—runs.

Two sets of threes plagued Berry. The first was three walks. But the second was more lethal—a three run home run. Overall, Owls’ pitching gave up four home runs—three of them being the three run variety.

On the bright side for the Owls, Diego Seastrunk joined in the three run home run parade by smashing one that Fresno State’s rightfielder could have stood on the wall and not been able to catch.

The scary moment for the Owls came in Adam Zornes’ last at-bat, when a pitch got way from the Fresno State hurler and caught Zornes flush on the cheek. For the Owls to lose Zornes at this stage of the season would be a devastating loss for the Feathered Flock, as Zornes is not only their leader in home runs this season, but also an anchor for them behind the plate. It will be a “wait and see” on his availability on Tuesday against either LSU or North Carolina.

Oops

2008-06-15T14:31:00.000-07:00

More CWS pics at:
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaabb;_ylt=AmdrROu5G07LrGn5k.2jG285nYcB

Look under "latest photos at the bottom left part of the page. . . .

2008-06-09T10:20:00.001-07:00

ON TO OMAHA!

By Mark Anderson

The Rice Owls clinched their third trip to the CWS in three years as they swept the Texas Aggies by a score of 6-5 Sunday evening.

SENIORS NIGHTS AT RECKLING
If this past weekend could be nicknamed anything, it would have to be "Seniors Nights at Reckling Park." Who will ever forget Jordan Dodson's heroics on Saturday (3-3, 4 RBIs, a stolen base, 2 runs scored)? Or what about Cole St. Clair? Four plus innings in relief to slam the door, lock it, and throw away the key for Texas A & M. And what about the resurrection of Bobby Bell? Bobby had the Ags guessing on what was coming next, making a few of them look flat-out silly to get the save in Game 2.

Of course, we can't forget the Z-Man, Adam Zornes, who hit the game-winning homer in the 8th inning last night. But it was other things that Z-Man did--like tag the runner out trying to steal home, throwing out another runner trying to steal third, and blocking numerous pitches in the dirt--that made a difference. But that home run--that thing was gone from the moment it left the bat.

CONGRATULATIONS TO COACH GRAHAM, THE COACHING STAFF, AND TO THE ENTIRE 2008 OWLS! LET'S MAKE THIS TRIP TO OMAHA A TRIP TO REMEMBER!

2008-06-01T22:56:00.000-07:00

A SUPER WIN

By Mark Anderson

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. Thankfully, you and I can look at the picture and not have to hear the thousand words or so Coach Graham undoubtedly had for his Rice Owls after committing six--that's right, look at the scoreboard again, six, errors committted by Rice in a 7-4 win that moved them into the Super-Regionals against either A& M or UH. . . .

MORE TO COME TOMORROW. . . .

LOOKING LIKE RICE-UT

2008-06-01T13:55:00.000-07:00

Kyle Russell just hit a two run homer in the seventh inning to put Texas ahead of St. John's, 4-1. Barring amajor comeback by St. John (hey, we can hope, right?), it looks like the 6 pm game will be Rice and Texas getting it on again. No official word yet on Rice's starter, but it seems it would be either Matt Langwell or Mike Ojala for Rice. . . . .See ya at the game.

BELL, Z-MAN,AND THE BUBBLE GUM HIT BANDIT

2008-05-31T22:33:00.001-07:00

FACES FROM FRIDAY

2008-05-31T21:52:00.000-07:00

ONE WORD FOR RICE ON FRIDAY: HOT

2008-05-31T21:41:00.000-07:00

PICSFROM RICE-SHSU: Hague safe at home

2008-05-31T21:33:00.001-07:00

2008-05-31T01:12:00.000-07:00

Rice Shows Mental Toughness in 3-2 Win

Rice to Play St. John Saturday at 6; Bearkats to Face Longhorns at 2pm
By Mark Anderson

The Rice Owls had the opportunity to blow their opening game of the Regional today and hand the Bearkats a win. The fact they didn’t is a testimony to the makeup of this team.

The Rice defense had an uncharacteristic three errors—and one that could have been scored one. That’s what happened—but what didn’t happen is even more important.

They didn’t fold their tents.

They didn’t allow mistakes to get inside their heads and send them into a funk.

They didn’t quit.

CREDIT BERRY AND BELL FOR THIS WIN
To a man, every player I spoke with after the game credited Ryan Berry and Bobby Bell for this win.

“Berry pitched his heart out,” Jimmy Comerota said after the game. “He pitched his guts out, and that’s what you expect of him. He’s a bulldog, and he gets after it, and he carried us tonight.”

“To tell you the truth, we kind of came out flat today,” Jared Gayhart said, “but our pitching came through for us tonight. Berry and Bell did a fantastic job.”

Rightfielder Chad Monzingo saw it the same way. When asked what the difference in this ballgame was, he responded, “Our two pitchers, Ryan Berry and Bobby Bell—that was the difference. We didn’t hit the ball that great, we made some mistakes in the field, but our pitchers kept them to two runs in a nine inning game against a really good hitting team.”

Starting pitcher Ryan Berry knew that the Bearkats would be loaded for bear playing Rice. “Coming into the game, we had the confidence to win the game,” Berry said. “Plus, we got out of the first few innings without giving up a great big lead.”

RICE DID THE LITTLE THINGS THAT ADDED UP
While Rice did have some problems in the field, with both Comerota and Hague committing uncharacteristic errors early on, Rice was also doing the little things right that proved to be part of the difference in the ballgame. Take Todd Sebek’s single, for instance, in the third inning to right. Chad Mozingo’s hustle and rifle arm held him to only a single on what could have easily been a double. Another heads up play by Adam Zornes resulted in two Bearkats standing on third, and Trevino was tagged out by Zornes to help ease the threat after two errors opened the inning. These two plays helped Berry stay in control of the game.

Berry pitched well for six innings, keeping the Bearkats caged up when it counted the most. The top of the seventh brought a change by Wayne Graham as he brought in Bobby Bell to begin the seventh inning.

First pitch--pop-up. One out.

Second pitch--pop-up. Two outs.

Bell used his change of speeds and change-up to throw off the Bearkats' timing. The only threat was a deep flyball that Aaron Luna caught up to in leftfield. Bell was like a masterful artist on the mound, painting the corners, and keeping the Bearkats guessing what was coming next.

They were simply overmatched by Bell.

"I Didn't Give the No-Hit Sign"
While Rice won their first game, it was very clear afterwards that Coach Graham was not pleased with the win. As the Blog was interviewing Jimmy Comerota afterwards, Coach Graham walked by and said, "I didn't give the no-hit sign tonight, did I?"

"No sir," Comerota said, "you didn't." And remember--Comerota had two hits on the night.

Another Owl, Rick Hague (a.k.a., The Bubble Gum Hit Bandit, because he was the one who took the bubble gum Joyce Hardy brought to the players) got two hits in his first two plate appearances--one a single and the other a double. The other seven Owls in the lineup managed a grand total of three hits.

Grahan was pleased the Owls won--no doubt about that. But the fact the Bearkats held down the Owl offense was something he clearly was not happy about--and neither were any of the Owls afterwards.

But on the opening day of Regionals, a win is a win, no matter how it may look in the scorebook.
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
NO COVERAGE SATURDAY DUE TO ASSIGNMENT IN STATE PLAYOFFS--COVERAGE RESUMES SUNDAY EVENING.
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________

2008-05-28T14:12:00.000-07:00

The Road to Omaha Begins Here

By Mark Anderson

The Road to Omaha and the 2008 College World Series at Rosenblatt Stadium begins for Rice Friday as they take on Sam Houston State Bearkats at Reckling Park. The two teams will face off Friday evening at 6 pm with Ryan Berry (7-4, 3.10 ERA) facing Bearkat freshman Dallas Gallant (9-3, 5.15 ERA). St. John will face Texas in the opening game Friday at 2 pm.

The winner of this game will face the winner of the first game—either St. John or Texas—Saturday evening at 6 pm. The two losers play at 2 pm on Saturday. The two winners play at 6 pm Saturday. The championship game will be played either at 6 pm Sunday or 6 pm Monday, depending on where the teams stand.

WELL-ARMED: Ryan Berry (L) and Cole St. Clair (R) are just two of the reasons Rice is well-armed this year.

From top to bottom: Jimmy Commerota, Aaron Luna, and Rick Hague will all play important roles in the Owls' quest to go to Omaha during this regional series.

2008-03-16T21:28:00.000-07:00

Matt Langwell retired nine of the last ten hitters he faced, and looked great in this start against Winthrop.

Coach Hudak makes his point while Galloway does not seem persuaded.
Now Galloway makes his point to Hudak. . . .but you can see Hudak was not in the buying mood.
After Hudak turned to return to the dugout, Galloway said something to Hudak that got his ear.

Rick Hague Makes a Leaping Catch of This Wicked Grounder

2008-03-16T21:07:00.000-07:00

The Flip To Second

2008-03-16T21:04:00.000-07:00

Nice Turn of the DP

2008-03-16T20:58:00.000-07:00

HIT PARADE

2008-03-15T23:53:00.001-07:00

Luna singles to right early in the game.
Gayhart singles up the middle on this swing.
Jimmy Baseball had a great swing here.
Zornes nailed this one for a hit.
Hague doubled in the seventh on this pitch.

MYERS SPARKS OWLS IN 4th

2008-03-15T23:47:00.000-07:00

Myers took a good swing on this 2-0 pitch, and hit a three-run homer.

Myers watches the ball take flight.

The congratulatory handshake at third by Coach Graham.
Myer's teammates greet him as he arrives at home plate.

2008-03-15T17:44:00.000-07:00

MYERS SPARKS FOURTH INNING RALLY, LEADS OWLS TO 12-2 WIN

Langwell Sharp; 6 Owls Have Two (or More) Hits

By Mark Anderson

When Hamilton Bennent took the mound Saturday, his strategy was obvious from the very start: keep the Owls off-balance with off-speed pitches. Two things were missing in that strategy: you can’t throw too many off-speed pitches, and you have to get the pitches down to be effective.

Hamilton did neither, and he was not effective.

Rice opened the scoring in the bottom of the first when, with two outs, Adam Zornes doubled to left and Aaron Luna drove him in with a single to right. Padron walked, but Hague ended the inning on a grounder to first to put Rice up, 1-0.

Winthrop tied the game up in the top of the second when Henderson worked a walk off of Langwell, and Rohan followed that up with a single. Brunetti reached on an error by Zornes on a sacrifice bunt to load the bases. Jordan’s double play grounder brought in Henderson, tying the score at 1-1. Mc Bride ended the inning on a drag bunt attempt that failed, but the game was tied 1-1.

An Easter Bunny Sighting
In the top of the third, Bonomi opened the frame with a sinking liner to left that Derek Myers caught. The Eagles thought they had better eyes, and the debate involving Winthrop head coach Joe Hudak and third base umpire Rodney Galloway was on. Hudak turned to go to first base when Galloway said something to him. Hudak put his finger to his ear, and Galloway was about to be transformed into the Easter Bunny. “Are you the head coach or is someone else?” Galloway asked. He then told Hudak, “I’ve had enough—go sit down.” Hudak turned and was walking to do just that—and Galloway had turned his back as well—when a fan in the stands shouted, “Ump, you can take your paycheck and eat it.” Galloway turned around and again told the Winthrop dugout that was enough, earning him the Rabbit Ears Umpire of the Game Award.

“I saw it was a soft liner coming in, and I was determined right off the bat to go and catch that ball,” Myers told the Blog afterwards. “I went in and slid, and I did catch it. It was at the end of my glove, but I did catch it,” Derek explained.

Rice added their second run of the day in the bottom of the inning when Gayhart singled up the middle, moved to second on a wild pitch by Bennett, and scored on an Adam Zornes single. Luna was walked, but Padron and Hague both struck out to end the threat.

In the top of the fourth, Winthrop scored their second—and what would turn out to be their last run of the day—when Eddie Rohan took a Matt Langwell pitch out of the park to bring the Eagles and the Owls even.

It would be the last time Winthrop would score.

MYERS GETS A 2-0 PITCH--CHA CHING!
In the fourth inning, Jordan Dodson led off with a single. Seastrunk followed with another single. Comerota laid down a sacrifice bunt, and third baseman Henderson bungled it, allowing Dodson to score on the play. That brought up Derek Myers, who got a 2-0 fastball and turned on it, drivingit out to left for a homerun and three RBIs.

“Well it was a 2-0 piptch, it was right down the middle, and runners on first and third, and I was looking for a pitch I could drive,” Myers told the Blog afterwards. “Luckily, it was right down the middle and I made great contact.”

That contact ignited the Owl offense. Instead of being tied by the Eagles, they began soaring over them by a score of 6-2.

Meanwhile, Matt Langwell hit cruise control, retiring nine of the last ten batters he faced beginning in the fifth inning. The only blemish against him in that time was a walk to Rohan in the sixth.

The Owls almost added injury to insult when a high J.P. Padron pop-up had three Eagles circling around it—only to hit the face of Hamilton Bennett flush in foul territory. Perhaps Hamilton Bennett had not gotten the unwritten memo that pitchers are to stay clear of pop-ups for a reason. There’s no doubt he got it after that play.

HANDOSOME RICK HAGUE HAD THREE HITS. . . .THE LAST TWO WERE HUGE
In the seventh, Rick Hague led off against Mike Ritson with a hustling double to left. Jordan Dodson doubled to left and brought Hague in. That brought a change of pitchers, but not a change in result, as Seastrunk singled through the left side, but Dodson had to hold at third. Comerota then hit an RBI fielder’s choice to increase the Owls’ lead to 10-2.

In the bottom of the eighth, Aaron Luna led off with a walk, and Rick Hague stepped to the plate against Cam Walters. Hague drove a pitch deep over the centerfield fence for a two-run homer to close out the scoring for Rice.

“It feels good,” Hague told the Blog afterwards. “Me and Coach Hallmark have been working on some things, and I think they’re helping with the swing,” Hague said afterwards. “It feels good.”

QUOTABLE:
AARON LUNA, on what the Owls expected: “Well, he (Bennett) was obviously good and everyone comes out here—it’s going to be a challenging opponent. We were able to stay back on his off-speeds, and see the ball up, and we were able to capitalize when he made mistakes.

(On the off-speed pitches): “That’s what the scouting report was in this guy [Bennett] coming in. So we knew we had to stay back and the results kind of speak for themselves.”

DEREK MYERS, on the contested catch: “Yeah, I did, actually [get a kick out of watching the ump and Coach Hudak debate the catch]. I did like it. He was over there, like coaches, yelling and screaming. But yeah, I did get a little kick out of that.”

JORDAN DODSON, on his good day: “everybody’s been hitting the ball well against these guys. Seems like the pitches we’re getting to hit, we’re making better adjustments and hitting the pitches and we actually get the hits. I think everyone is coming along as a team now.

On the slow speed of Bennett’s curve: “Yeah, someone that slow, his curveball is about 68-72, we’ve got to focus on staying back. Once you do that, it gets a little bit easier, I think. In the third and fourth inning, we started hitting the ball a lot better off that guy. It’s mainly just just keeping your weight back and staying back on those off-speeds.”

2008-03-15T10:35:00.000-07:00

Rice Puts Winthrop Away With Berry Minimal Effort

Berry, Owls Cruise; Graham Gets Win #750

by Mark Anderson

The Rice Owls defeated the Winthrop Eagles by a score of 10-4 on Friday at Reckling and gave Coach Graham his 750th win in a Rice uniform.

The Owls jumped out early as they took a 2-0 kead in the second inning as Jimmy Commarota singled with one out. . . .(we'll post the rest of this story later. . . .most of you are ar Beer Bike!)

More Winthrop-Rice pics

2008-03-15T10:26:00.000-07:00

Z-Man hit the ball hard all night, but only had one hit to show for it.
Gayhart does triple duty here: he scores a run, high five's Luna, and picks up the bat for the bat boy.
This is NOT the situation Jordan Rogers wanted to find himself in Friday night.
Matt Evers came in and closed the door on Winthrop.

Winthrop Rice pics from Friday continued

2008-03-15T10:16:00.000-07:00

Jp. puts a good swing on this pitch. . . .

Gayhart hammered this pitch for a double in the fifth inning.
J.P. can play small ball too, laying down this bunt to move the runner up.
J.P. holds the runner close at first.

How to Field 3b by Diego Seastrunk. . . .No Words Necessary

2008-03-15T10:05:00.000-07:00

Winthrop Rice pics from Friday

2008-03-15T09:52:00.001-07:00

Ry-an Ber-ry was on his game, allowing only the minimum number of hitters through five innings.
Jimmy Baseball fielded this high hop.

And then he throws out the runner with ease.
Dodson smoked this pitch for an RBI double.
Home plate umpire Rodney Galloway and Coach Graham share a laugh between innings.

Rice vs. Texas Tech at MMC

2008-03-14T12:59:00.000-07:00

Matt Langwell struggled early, but got better as the game went along.
Rick Hague throws 'em out at first.
Jimmy Baseball hustles to first on every single ball hit.
Aaron Luna arrives at third.

FACES: Rice vs. Texas Tech at MMC

2008-03-14T12:52:00.000-07:00

Aaron was his old expressive self.
Watch the Z-Man--this guy always has a smile.
OK, well, almost.

The home plate umpire had no love to give to the Texas Tech bench late in the game.

Tough Luck: Rice vs. Texas Tech at MMC

2008-03-14T12:44:00.001-07:00

"YERRRRR OUT--YESTERDAY!"
Texas Tech IF does some fancy footwork to avoid stepping on Hague.
J.P. Padron made Graham groan on this play at the plate.

Rice vs. Texas Tech at Minute Maid

2008-03-14T12:35:00.000-07:00

aaron Luna greeted after crossing the plate by his teammates.
Derek Myers slides in safe at third.
Gonzo took some good cuts.
Diego Seastrunk was outstanding in the three game series.
This catcher must have used Burma Shave because he had a few very close calls with bats in this game.

SATURDAY NIGHT SPECIAL

2008-03-03T21:04:00.000-08:00

SATURDAY NIGHT SPECIAL: OWLS MARCH PAST LONGHORNS

3 HRS, 5 Errors, Doom Horns

By Mark Anderson

(Houston, March 1) The clock read 8:54 pm when the Rice Owls took the field at Minute Maid Park tonight. But for the Owls, the clock struck midnight early, and Rice ended up marching past the Hornsby a score of 10-4.

In last March’s game at Reckling when Rice beat Texas, it was Chris Kelley that took the hill as the starting pitcher, and Cole St. Clair came in to shut the door. Tonight, it was Cole St. Clair that took the hill as a starter. In the first inning, the Horns loaded the bases with one out. First baseman Brandon Belt knocked in the first run with a sacrifice fly, but escaped further damage by popping up Kyle Russell to end the top half of the first with the score Horns 1, Rice coming up.

The bottom of the first had a rather inauspicious beginning when Jared Gayhart struck out swinging. But Gayhart didn’t let failure ruin the night—he had seen something that would change the course of the night—beginning with Chad Mozingo, the very next hitter.

An Important Exchange
“I talked to Jared right after his at-bat on the way to the plate, and he told me he [Kasparek] was pretty flat,” Chad Mozingo said afterwards. “So I went up there ready to jump on the first fastball. I got it up and in, and I just got a pretty good swing on it.”

Mozingo’s homer tied the game at 1-1. But Diego Seastrunck changed that when he stepped up next and homered over the left field scoreboard to put the Owls up, 2-1.

Texas wasn’t ready to roll over and play dead just yet. With two outs, shortstop David Hernandez homered to right to tie the score at 2-2. Tucker then reached when he was hot by St. Clair with a feather, and advanced to third when his pickoff threw when over Padron’s head and down the rightfield line. But Torres grounded out to PAdron to end the inning and leave the score knotted at 2-2.

Texas took what would turn out to be their only—and very short-lived lead of the night in the fourth. Kyle Russell opened the inning with a single past a diving Jimmy Baseball at second. Rupp then doubled to left, with Russell advancing to third. That was the end of St. Clair’s night, and Chris Kelley came on in relief. Moulderhauer pinch-hit for Keyes, and singled through the left side to bring home Russell, but Rupp wisely held up at third. But with no outs, Hernandez then committed the cardinal sin of laying down a suicide squeeze: he bunted the ball too hard and Padron fielded it, and threw home in plenty of time to catch Rupp. Tucker reached on another fielder’s choice when his grounder to third erased Mouldenhauer. Kelly struck out Torres to end what was a very promising, and very pivitol fourth for Texas, with the Horns hanging onto a 4-3 lead.

That lead would be very short-lived.

The Game Changed for Good in the Fourth as Midnight Struck for the Horns
In the bottom of the fourth, Rick Hague stepped to the plate with one out, and drove a pitch to left for his first homer in a Rice uniform. Zornes followed with a single, and went to third when Jimmy Baseball singled to left field. The throw came to try and erase Zornes, but midnight had struck for the Horns as second base was left unattended, and Commerota went to second without a contest.

That’s when Augie had seen enough. He walked up to the umpire and indicated a change was coming—which happened to be shortstop David Hernandez being replaced by Pat McCrory. After Mc Crory had thrown some warn-ups, Augie came back out to change pitchers, inserting Whitmore for Kasparek. Coach Graham countered by pinch-hitting with “The Bellville Banger,” who promptly singled to right, scoring two runs. Gayhart struck out and Derek Myer advanced to second on a pitch that sailed over the catcher’s leaping attempt to lasso it. Mozingo flied out to end the inning, but the damage had been done and the game turned in favor of the Owls., with the score being 5-3.

Rice Wasn’t Finished
But the Rice offense wasn’t finished yet. With Luna on second via a walk and stolen base, with two outs, Hague singled to score Luna. Augie began a pitching tryout camp of sorts at this point, as he would bring in five different relievers, all to no avail. Ruffin came in, only to have Zornes reach on catcher’s interference, and Zornes advanced to second on Ruffin’s error. Jimmy Baseball then singled to right, scoring Zornes, and then stole second. Myers ended the inning by flying out, but the damage had been done and the score was now 8-3 in favor of Rice.

The Owls loaded the bases in the sixth inning, but could only push one run across. Derek Myers, who had pinch run for Gayhart earlier, opened with a single. Mozingo reached on an error by the first baseman. Seastrunk singled to load the bases with no outs. Augie brought in Tackett, who popped up Luna for the first out, got Padron to ground to the first baseman to have Myers score on a fielder’s choice, then Hague flew out to right to end the threat, but increase the lead to 9-3.

"This is Pitching U."
Erstwhile, Chris Kelly was sailing along. Kelly isa great example of what Diego Seastrunk said after the game: “This is Pitching U. So long as we get them runs early, and they get comfortable on the mound, they can go however far we need them to go.” While Kelly was comfortable on the mound, he was making the Texas hitters very uncomfortable with his style of pitching.

“I knew from last year playing them that I had to keep them off-balance with all my pitches, work on throwing strikes, and work ahead of people,” Kelly told the blog afterwards. He sees coming out of the bullpen an advantage for him. “It makes me really focus on just coming out there and throwing strikes,” Kelly explained.

Chris Kelly is obviously in the honors classes at Pitching U. Coach Graham, speaking of Kelly after the game, said, “I believe Kelly is going to have a really good year this year.” Graham explained why he believed that by saying, “He knows how to use his pitches, he’s matured more, his arm is alive, and he’s going to be a really good pitcher.”

Also moving into the honors class is Bryan Price. Price came in, slammed the door shut, locked it, and threw the key away as he dominated the Horns in his 1 1/3 innings. Bryan couldn’t have been happier if he had to have been. “I felt really good about it,” Price told the blog. “We played a great game all around, and hit the ball really well, played great defense. We really put it on them. It felt really good.”

Texas-Rice MMC: The Price is Right

2008-03-03T07:41:00.000-08:00

Bryan Price gets ready to bring it.
Ready or not. . . .
Here it comes. . . .
Look at the confidence and intensity on Bryan's face.
GOTCHA!

Texas-Rice MMC: Faces

2008-03-03T07:26:00.001-08:00

Rick Hague

Chris Kelley
Aaron Luna
Another group of three amigos look skyward. . . .is ait a bird? a plane? No! It's a sky-high pop-up!

Texas-Rice: Meet Rick Hague

2008-03-03T07:10:00.001-08:00

Rick Hague starts the swing that produced the HR.
Hague follows through and watches the ball take flight.
Hague gets the customary hand shake from Coach Graham as he rounds third.

Think Rick wasn't excited?

More From Texas-Rice MMC: Z Man

2008-03-03T06:56:00.000-08:00

Zornes gets ready to catch the throw to the plate on the squeee bunt.

Zornes blocks the plate and applies the tag.

Zornes and the runner both look to the home plate umpire for the call.
And the ump got this one right, saying emphatically, "YER OUT

More Pics from Texas-Rice MMC

2008-03-03T06:40:00.000-08:00

Jimmy Baseball made an outstanding play here to get the runner at first.
Hey, you in the orange--YEEEEEER OUT!
The Bellville Banger singles to right on this pitch.
Yes, it really was a late night game. . . .
Chris Kelley did yeoman's work in spelling Cole St. Clair and earning the W in the process.

First Pics Texas vs, Rice Saturday MMC

2008-03-03T06:30:00.000-08:00

Chad Mozingo holds his breath as he watches his HR fly out of the park in the first inning.
Diego Seastrunk followed Mozingo's blast with one of his own.
Mozingo turns second on his way to third.

Faces

2008-02-29T22:23:00.001-08:00

J.P. sported aninteresting look.
Aaron Luna and J.P. talk it over in the on-deck circle late in the game.

Finally, we see Jordan's eyes!
The three amigos (Berry, Sestrunk, and Luna) look on from the dugout.

Pics From Rice OU

2008-02-29T21:24:00.000-08:00

Zornes home run sent a resounding "gong" through the ballpark.
A smiling Zornes is greeted by teammates after being on the Gong Show.

Diego Seastrunk lays it down.
Lucas Luetge kept the Sooners off the board and impressed Coach Graham with his effort.

Ry-an Ber-ry can F-I-E-L-D his position, snagging this one bare-handed.
Hague gets ready to slide in his attempt to steal second.
Hague slides right into the throw.

Coach Graham heads back to the dugout after talking with Berry and Zornes.
Ber-ry labored in the foutrh inning, and it showed when he came off the field.
Dodson lays one down.
This throw by Wise didn't catch Jimmy Baseball as he stole second base.
Jimmy Baseball hit the ball hard against the Sooners.
Two centerfielders stare eacdh other down as Mozingo arrives at second.
Aaron Luna singles to drive in the seventh run iof the day in the ninth inning.

2008-02-29T21:22:00.000-08:00

Owls Leap Over Sooners
By Mark Anderson

(Feb.29, Houston) The Rice Owls jumped all over Andrew Doyle as they scored three runs in the third inning to take an early lead hat was never relinquished.

The fun began with two outs when Jimmy “Baseball” Commerota singled, and then stole second. Jared Gayhart walked, putting runners at first and second,. Mozingo singled for the second time in three innings to right, and Commerota came in to score. But right fielder Casey Johnson tried to get Gayhat going to third, and overthrew former Owl Trey Sperring to score Gayhart and move Mozingo to second. Seastrunk then hit a seeing-eye single right up the middle to score Mozingo and make the score 3-0, Owls.

Meanwhile, Ry-an Ber-ry was mowing them down the Sooners. Six of the first nine outs came on groundouts. Coach Graham said after the game that Berry’s fastball was hitting 93 on the radar gun, “and he should have used it more.”

The Owls added another run in the fourth when Luna reached first on an error by pitcher Andrew Doyle. Padron followed with a single to left, and then Rick Hague laid down what was intended to be a sacrifice bunt, only Luna ended up being out at third. Adam Zornes then reached by catcher’s interference. Dodson got an RBI on a groundout from second to short that scored Padron. Dodson stole second, but Commerota grounded out to end the inning with the Owls apparently on cruise control by ascore of 4-0.

Ry-an Ber-ry had been cruising to this point, but in the fourth inning, the Sooners tried to knock the wheels off of the car. After a strikeout to open the inning, Selby singled, followed by Wise singling and Harughty singled again to load the basesWise scored. Ber-ry then walked Johnson to plate Oklahoma’s first run. Sperring struck out for out number two, bringing up pinch hitter Mike Gosse, who struck out—but the ball got away from Zornes, and J.T. Wise scored from third. Ber-ry got his fourth strikeout of the inning as Jamie Johnson struck out to end the inning, but the Sooners jumped back into the game by a score of 4-2.

In the sixth inning, Chad Mozingo doubled to left-center with one out, moved to third on a passed ball, and scored as Seastruck grounded to second to get the run in and put Rice up 5-2.

As the innings moved on, Berry knew he had to stay in as long as possible to spell the bullpen from Wednesday’s game. When Grahan removed him for Lucas Luetge after 6 2/3 innings, Berry had given up six hits, but had kept the Sooners at bay.

Adam Zornes put the game on ice for the Owls in the eighth when he stepped to the plate and crushed a pitch that hit metal and a resounding “gong” was heard throughout Minute Maid Park. Luetge closed the door for the Owls, allowing no hits over the final 2 1/3 innings. Graham praised Luetge’s effort, acknowledging that it was important for Lucas and for the Owls.

Tomorrow night at 7 pm Rice takes on Texas, with Cole St. Clair taking the hill for Rice.

Minute Maid Schedule for 2008

2008-02-28T14:25:00.000-08:00

Friday, February 29
Noon - Oklahoma vs. Rice
3:30 pm - Texas Tech vs. Houston
7:00 pm - Texas vs. Tennessee

Saturday, March 1
Noon - Oklahoma vs. Houston
3:30 pm - Texas Tech vs. Tennessee
7:00 pm - Texas vs. Rice

Sunday, March 2
11:00 am - Oklahoma vs. Tennessee
2:30 pm - Texas Tech vs. Rice
6:00 pm - Texas vs. Houston

The Blog wil be there defintely for the first two games, and probably the Sunday game as well. Look for coverage, pics, and interviews here.

Long Beach State University pics

2008-02-28T14:15:00.001-08:00

Recognize the face on the left? That's Wayne Graham's 2006 Friday Night Special, Eddie Degerman, with his brother on the right. (Photo by Mike Ross.

Chad Mozingo loosens up. (Photo by Mike Ross)
Chad Mozingo and J.P. Padron tried to heat up the bats, but to no avail on this night. (Photo by Mike Ross)
The Owl dugout was into the game, cheering on their team. (Photo by Mike Ross)

Pics From Long Beach State

2008-02-28T13:55:00.000-08:00

Mike Ross answered the Blog's call to send in some pictures from the Long Beach series. These pics come from Friday night. Mike, sorry I couldn't get them posted sooner. I truly appreciate what you went through to get the pictures.

Two Ryan Berry pitches: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=486142009003336187 http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5357899170314559610andhttp://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8677555569909032528Mike has three short videos from last Friday as well.

Pictures coming soon. . . .

See Joe Savery's Smiling Face Again

2008-02-16T22:16:00.000-08:00

http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/media/player/mp_tpl.jsp?racking_var=external&catCode=gen_video&w_id=611544&w=mms%3A//a1503.v108692.c10869.g.vm.akamaistream.net/7/1503/10869/v0001/mlb.download.akamai.com/10869/2008/open/teams08/phi/video/021408_phi_savery_blog_400.wmv&pid=gen_video&vid=1&mid=200802142374018&cid=mlb&fid=gen_video400&v=2&mType=w&type=v_free&_mp=1

Check out our "old" friend Joe Savery at the Phillies' major league camp by clicking the link above! Enjoy!

Just Another Day in Paradise.....

2008-02-08T22:47:00.000-08:00

All-American Cole St. Clair, Adam Zornes, Jared Gayhart, Matt LAngwell, andone other Owlshare moments of camradrarie in the dugout after the scrimmage.

Adam Zornes holds court.
Derek Myers and Jimmy "baseball" Comerota talk after the scrimmage.
Sunset over paradise.

Another Day in Paradise. . . .

2008-02-08T22:40:00.001-08:00

This swing of Chad Mozingo look familiar?
Zach Harwell delivers.
Rick Hague takes his cuts.
Jordan ripped this pitch. . . .but foul.

More pics from paradise

2008-02-08T22:32:00.001-08:00

Tinsley pops up to fire to second base. . . .and then watches as the runner is tagged out.

Is this a new dance at home plate with the umpire?
Here's all 6'8" and 280 pounds of Andy Hamilton coming at home plate. Wanna bat?
Doug Simmons heads for home after "Simmonzing" a pitch over the right field wall.

"Just Another Day in Paradise"

2008-02-08T21:59:00.001-08:00

Matt Langwell delivers in the first innning.

Yes, Hamilton is THAT big.
DeBiasse and Gonzalez tangle at first--go figure.

Ry-an Ber-ry tries his hand as a first base ump. Look at the green field behind him!

by Mark Anderson

Those were Wayne Graham's words as he exited the field after the Blue-Grey Scrimmage this afternoon. Normally, I try and give a play by play, but will leave that for others on different message boards. But there were some things that deserve some notice:

Matt Langwell looked ready to start the season, havingthe best oputing of all the pitchers;

Andy Hamilton shut out the Blue team while he was on the mound. He constantly had runners on, but would settle down to wiggle out of the inning. When he gets to 100%, this kid is going to be scary good.

Travis Wright had the roughest outing of all the pitchers, having one of his pitches "Simmonized" by Doug Simmons over the 330 sign in right, out of Jordan Dodson's reach.

Catches John Hale and Garrett Tinsley were very impressive, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Hale framed several pitches well to get the strike call from the umpire, and Tinsley threw out a runner trying to steal and tagged out a runner at home for the last out of another inning. Tinsley's footwork was especially impressive.

Aaron Luna ripped the cover off of two balls he hit, both going for doubles as I recall.

Chad Monzingo has to be a body clone of Aaron Luna. Their builds are very similar. He also reminds one of Tyler Henley in centerfield and at the plate.

A Bird's Eye View of the Alumni Game

2008-02-04T15:25:00.000-08:00

by Steven Herce
(Special to the BLOG)

Mark Anderson asked me to give an insider’s perspective on the 2008 Rice Baseball Alumni Game. Rather than construct a narrative I thought I’d share a few stories from the day in no particular order. Of course, in keeping with the cloak and dagger clubhouse rules of baseball, the juicy stuff stays at Reckling and the State Grille…

Jon Skaggs and I spent a few hours at Reckling the night before the game setting up the check-in station, organizing the old jerseys our alums wore, dividing up the teams and throwing each other batting practice in the indoor tunnel. I met up with a few guys from my era in the Village for a few beers afterward and had an interesting exchange with Clay Reichenbach.

Reichenbach: “So, are there even going to be enough guys playing to make it a game?”
Herce: “We’ve got about 50 guys that want to play.”
Reichenbach: “I signed up to play but I don’t know. I don’t want to play unless it’s going to be a game.”
Herce: “Just play Reichenbach.”
Reichenbach: “Are any young guys going to play?”
Herce: “(Sigh) Yeah, Reichenbach, there are going to be young guys on the field.”
Reichenbach: “All right, I guess I’ll play. But I might not.”

Reichenbach, for those of you that didn’t attend the game, hit a grand slam. He crossed home plate and changed back into his shorts, done for the day.

As soon as introductions concluded, my four year-old son, Jimmy, and my one-year old son, Teddy, joined me in the dugout. My one year-old has flaming red hair (kind of like mine used to look before I got married and had two kids…). He draws a crowd on account of this and, well, he’s pretty dang cute. Each time one of my fellow alums asked, “Who’s this little guy?” Teddy would grip his shirt and wait for me to say, “Show him your belly button.” A big grin grabbed his face, he pulled up his shirt, and pointed to his belly button. He was a big hit. When he wasn’t flashing belly button he was picking up all the trash on the dugout floor for me to hold. Kids!

Jake Baker, who graduated the year before I matriculated, was catching hell (actually “heck” – those Bakers don’t curse) from his brother-in-law, Lance Berkman. Lance wanted Jake to enter the home run derby. I told Jake it was fine by me but that he would need to recruit another guy from the current team so the teams would be even. I don’t think Jake really wanted to swing in the derby so he just told Lance, “Herce won’t let me.” I reckon the flu dulled Lance’s notorious sense of humor because he looked a little irritated with me. Hey Lance, it’s not my fault Jake was scared of Luna!

Skaggs, Will Ford and I hung around after the game cleaning up the check-in station and throwing each other batting practice in the tunnel. It was so much fun we’re going to talk Coach Graham into letting us host “Batting Practice for Breakfast.” We’ll all get together and take hacks, play ping-pong, shower up in the locker room and head off to work. At least, this is the adrenaline-induced scheme Skaggs and Ford hatched. Those of us with young kids are probably out on this one.

A lot of people asked me why I didn’t toe the rubber. I would say I didn’t want to kill anybody since I haven’t taken the hill since March 2005 but I don’t throw hard enough any more to even hurt anyone, let alone kill a batter. But, ask Skaggs about the round of BP I threw him: down the middle, down the middle, in the dirt, down the middle, down the middle, behind his back, down the middle, at his head, down the middle, a foot outside…

My favorite new alumni friend has got to be Glenn Fuller. Glenn was the, ahem, older gentleman that played 3rd base much of the afternoon. Glenn lost out on first pitch honors to Bob Willard by one year. Glenn graduated in 1950 and came all the way down from Minnesota to play in the Alumni Game. And when I say “play”, I mean PLAY. He was on Coach Prather’s butt from the first pitch wanting to know when he was going to get in. Glenn made a few stabs at 3rd. Here’s hoping I can do anything but get hit in the teeth by a grounder when I’m 80 years old!

Finally, dinner at the State Grille was the most fun I’d had in a long time. True, it was mostly younger alums in attendance, but there was a loud and proud contingent of ‘70’s era players that stayed until all the beer was gone. I might miss a few but Don “Wheels” Loveless, Tom Smart, Bryan Boyne, Ted Nowak, David Ownby, Jeff Hays and Shible “Skate” Simon and their spouses commandeered a corner table and had a great time. Skate is particularly a character. I much enjoyed his stories of being Lebanese in the Southwest Conference in the’70’s.

We had a great time and we hope you did, too.

Fall Ball November 12, 2007 pics 2

2007-11-15T11:44:00.001-08:00

Luna took some good natured ribbing

But he wasn't amused at this ribbing

Not in the least. . . .

The Bellville Banger is at it again

No, this is NOT Bobby Bramhal, even though the number
on the uniform and the motion make you think so--
it's Jonathon Runnels.

Fall Ball November 12, 2007 pics

2007-11-15T11:22:00.000-08:00

Ouch! That's stitches on the hand of freshman SS Rick Hague--
pretty ugly stitches if I do say so myself.

Rick Hague, however, is going to be drawing a little attention
from the female fans. . . .

Welcome back! That's the message I got on the first picture
I took as SS J.P. Padron mailed this one over Dodson and
in front of me on a bounce.

Thankfully, J.P. didn't mail this one over Kelley. . . Abel
Gonzalez fielded a JAred Gayhart grounder right down the line.

Chris Kelley delivers a pitch durng the inter-squad game.

FALL BALL 2007 PICS 2

2007-10-29T18:17:00.000-07:00

CoachGraham visits with fans in the stands.

This picture. . .

and this one don't even do justice to Reckling's new field.

You have to see it with your own eyes.

Coach Graham looks on during batting practice.

FALL BALL 2007 PICS 1

2007-10-29T18:10:00.000-07:00

Derek Myers loved having the aluninum bat in his hand.

Jared Gayhart was licking his lips in aniticipation of playing
on a beautiful fall afternoon.

The Price was right all summer--and today too.

Check out what's in Jordan's left hand.

ALL POST GAME INTERVIEWS COMING SOON

2007-06-24T14:12:00.000-07:00

All post-game interviews will be posted this week. Stay tuned to hear what the guys said in victory and in defeat.

CWS: THIS WAS A TOUGH LOSS

2007-06-24T13:56:00.001-07:00

Cole St. Clair does not like losing--look in those eyes and you can see his competitive nature spilling out.
Coach Graham fights tears as he listens to Savery talk about his last at-bat as an Owl.
Savery reflects on the situation at hand and his Rice career.

"That pitch was at least six inches outside," Joe told the media afterwards. "And then they played it on the scoreboard for God and everyone to see."

CWS GAME FOUR VS.NC: JUST OUT OF REACH

2007-06-24T13:42:00.000-07:00

This pick-off was called a balk.
He's begging for some help--otherwise he was OUT.
Savery hit the ball hard but with no results. Thanks, Joe, for the great memories!
Ackley's home run was a moon shot, as Tyler Henley will attest.
"That was six inches outside. And then they put it up on the scoreboard for God and everyone to see." Joe steps out of the batter's box for Rice for the final time.

CWS GAME FOUR VS.NC: JUST OUT OF REACH

2007-06-24T13:30:00.001-07:00

Jess Buenger watches Jordan Dodson sky in an attempt to make a miracle catch and save a home run.

That's an 8 foot wall out there--look where Jordan is (he's already on the way down) as he leans in vain for this homer.
This two run single was just out of Brian Friday's reach.
The ball is just beyond his grasp--and so was a national title.

2007-06-24T12:53:00.000-07:00

JUST OUT OF REACH

National Title Hopes Dashed

By Mark Anderson

Rosenblatt Stadium, Omaha--In the end, it brought Wayne Graham to tears. Forget the saying, “There’s no crying in baseball.” When you get this close, there is.

Thursday’s game was the end of the line for several members of the freshman class of 2005. For Joe Savery and Brian Friday, it would be the last time to wear a Rice uniform in a game that mattered (hopefully, we’ll see them at the alumni game in January). It may be the end of the line for Cole St. Clair, Bobby Bramhall, Danny Lehmann, Tyler Henley, and a few others as well.

It was a bitter pill to swallow.

What had been Rice’s trademark all season—outstanding pitching—betrayed them when it counted the most. But to be fair, things weren’t the same here in Omaha as they had been the entire year.

Take for example, the batter’s box. According to Danny Lehmann, “It was two inches from home plate.” Lehmann complained about it to home plate umpire David Buck, who acknowledged Danny was right, but “”We’ll fix it in the next set of games.”

That didn’t help Rice pitching at all. It enabled North Carolina hitters to hang out over the home plate like vultures. That’s why Rice pitching gave up four home runs in the final game of the season. Rice had not given up three home runs in any game until they reached Omaha. If you’re wondering how they suddenly became batting practice pitchers with all the home runs, look no further than what Danny Lehmann had to say (by the way--they didn't fix it--and Wayne Graham thought North Carolina had the best pitching next to Rice--but look st Saturday's results--not any different than what we endured).

One thing that didn’t help matters was Matt Langwell tweaked his back before the game. He thought he could pitch through it. It was only when Coach Graham was alerted to the situation that a change was made. But that was two home runs after the fact, and the tone of the game had been set by then. Ackley absolutely parked Langwell's homer over the batter's backdrop in centerfield--and that takes a shot of monster proportions to hit something that far.

Yes, Rice scored to bring the game back to 3-2. But once Langwell was pulled in favor of Bobby Bramhall, things went downhill in a hurry. Bobby had a phenomenal year for Rice, but gave up the same number of home runs in the game (2) as he had all season. And this isn't blaming Bramhall--he simply could not adjust to the new conditions of a closer batter's box. In Bramhall's defense, there weren't many in this series that could or did.

But perhaps the cruelest fate of all fell on Joe Savery in the seventh inning. Joe took what was a pitch six inches off the plate for a called third strike, and you could see by Joe's reaction--during the game and afterwards--that he felt robbed.

"That pitch was six inches outside,"Joe said afterwards, "and then they showed it up on the scoreboard for God and everyone to see."

Now it's time for one question.

Did the Owls choke?

No.

Go back and look at games three and four. The Owls were hitting the ball hard in both games. A line drive by Lehmann in game three was an atom ball at the third baseman. Another line drive was speared for a double play. The Owls were not striking out--they had only a handful in game four, including two at critical points.

This team played with heart.

There was no quit on this team or on the bench.

It simply wasn't meant to be this year.

That's the hard facts that are tough to swallow.

A SEASON TO BE PROUD OF

2007 should go down in history as one of the finest in Owl history for several reasons. Let's look at a few.

First--they finally overcame the stigma of not being able to beat Texas. Joe Savery believed this was the turning point of the season. Before that, they were only 19-10. Look at their record today. They lost only one game in April. They lost one in May. They lost only two in June. That says a lot about this team right there.

I was told after the Texas game--and it's here on the blog--that the goal was not to lose another game this year. That sounded like a bold statement then. But they actually came close to pulling that off.

Second--they overcame injuries. Cole St. Clair, Bobby Bell, and others were injured during the year. At the end of the season, they lost their number two starter in Ryne Tacker. Others like Aaron Luna played hurt virtually the entire season. It was a far more difficult road to Omaha than last year because of those injuries.

Third--this team was a true team. They were like the Three Musketeers--all for one and one for all. There was no selfishness on this team as others got more playing time. Role players like Jess Buenger, Jared Gayhart, and others began emerging out of the shadows and played important roles in how well Rice played. Did you expect Gayhart to hit around the .350 mark this year for the most part? Enough said.

Fourth--this team should be nicknamed "The Die-Hards." Who can ever forget that win against the Aggies in the tenth inning? I don't think Joe Savery, Danny Lehmann, or Jordan Dodson will. They played hard to the last out. Every game.

Every pitch.

That's what Rice baseball was in 2007. I know that I'm supposed to be unbiased. I can't be when it comes to this team. To all the Rice players, coaches, and Coach Graham--thanks for a wonderful 2007 season. It won't be forgotten here--I hope that you won't forget it anytime soon either. Also--thanks to all the parents who have shown their support in this venture. It's been great to get to know many of you.

To the players not returning and going pro--I wish you all nothing but the very best (yes, even when you come and play the Astros).

To the returning players and staff--looking forward to 2008 and seeing what unfolds in that new season.

A GREAT LINK FOR CWS PHOTO COVERAGE

2007-06-21T12:53:00.000-07:00

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=3939

I've been very impressed with the Omaha paper. Sat right next to the photographer that took these pics yesterday (you'll notice we have some of the same).

Great Article on Wayne Graham

2007-06-21T12:52:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen or read this, it's worth a click.

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=1200&u_sid=10056838

CWS: MORE PICS FROM OMAHA AGAINST N.C.

2007-06-21T12:18:00.000-07:00

Jordan Dodson nailed this pitch, but pulled it foul.
Talk about a close play at first. . . this was it.
Savery hit this one a long way, but not far enough.

Coach Graham has some words for his players after the top of the second.
Ry-an Ber-ry delivers his knuckle curve.
Chris Kelley pitched well in relief.
Scott Longeran releases a pitch.
Henley put the screws to this one.

CWS: GREAT PLAY BY SEASTRUNK

2007-06-21T12:13:00.001-07:00

Diego reacts to the crack of the bat.
He snags it in his glove.
Diego gets up and transfers the ball.
He reaches back to put some zip on it to first.
Seastrunk fires to first to get the runner.

CWS: GREAT PLAY BY LUNA

2007-06-21T12:07:00.000-07:00

Luna ranges far, going behind the bag to make the snag.
Luna sets himself for the throw.
Luna cocks to fire to Savery at first.
Luna fires to first for the out.

CWS: FRIDAY BLINDED BY THE LIGHT

2007-06-21T12:01:00.001-07:00

Friday starts back in the second inning for what seems to be a routine pop-up.
You can see he has it in range--it looks like he will make the play.
Suddenly, that seems a little less likely.
As the ball drops, look at Brian's reaction--he is most likely seeing spots and can't see the ball.
Henley rushes in to keep the damage to a minimum, and Friday is still struggling to see the ball.

ANY DOUBTS FRIDAY WASN'T TAGGED?

2007-06-21T11:59:00.000-07:00

http://riceowls.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/rice-07-ncaa-cws-central.html

This settles it once and for all--he was not tagged and was in the baseline.

CWS: FRUSTRATION

2007-06-20T18:36:00.000-07:00

Brian Friday appeared to have not been tagged and is in the baseline.
He slides for second.
Friday looks for the safe sign.
"Whaddya mean?"
"I was SAFE!"

2007-06-20T18:31:00.000-07:00

NORTH CAROLINA TURNS UP HEAT
Owls Offense Cooked by North Carolina Pitching, Mistakes

by Mark Anderson

Rosenblatt Stadium, Omaha—As if it wasn’t already hot enough on the field, Robert Woodward turned it up a notch with his great pitching, leading the Tar Heels to victory over Rice by a score of 6-1.

Ryan Berry started in a similar fashion as he did the previous start—by hitting the first batter. But while Whiting stuck his elbow out to get on, Fronk got drilled in the knee. Fronk shook off the effects as Federoff singled to left and advanced to third. Horton followed with a single that brought across the Heel’s first run. But with runners on first and second and no outs, Berry struck out Federowicz, and induced Seager to line into a double play at first to end the inning with the Heels up, 1-0.

The bottom of the first started off promising when Brian Friday opened with a single to left. After Gayhart popped out, Woodward caught Friday off first. Depending on whom you listen to, Friday may well have been safe at second, but was called out. That play would define the day for the Owls, and be just the beginning of a nightmare for Friday. Henley grounded out to end the inning, and Rice was still down, 1-0.

In the second, Berry got Flack to pop up to Brian Friday. But the usually sure-handed shortstop dropped it, and that opened the door for the Tar Heels. The next batter grounded to what looked lie a sure double play, but another error—this time by Luna—left two on and no out. Williams struck out swinging for the first out, but Gore singled to center, but Fox held Flack at third. Berry then walked Fronk to force across the second Tar Heel run. Fedroff hit a sacrifice fly tobring across the third run and Gore took third on a good throw from Gayhart. Berry then hit Horton to load the bases again. But Berry struck out Federowicz again, and the nightmare seemed to be over. The third inning started off well for Berry as he got the side in order. But that would be his last hurrah in this game.

In the fourth, Berry walked Williams to open the frame, and Gore moved him to second on a sacrifice bunt. After a grounder to Savery sent Fronk to third, Berry went wild, in a manner of speaking, hitting Fedroff and Horton in consecutive at-bats. That was all Coach Graham’s blood pressure could take, as he lifted Berry in favor of Chris Kelley. Federowicz flied out to end the inning, but the damage was done, and the Heels were up by a count of 3-0. The next three innings were uneventful, unfortunately, for both sides.

While it may have seemed the offense had gone to sleep, that really wasn’t the case. Balls were hit hard by Rice, but simply didn’t fall in. Rice just couldn’t find the holes. And the defense was playing well. While Woodward was making great pitches along the way, the Owls didn’t give in a single inch. IN the seventh, however, it began to slip away for the Owls. With two outs, Seager walked, and Flack singled up the middle, with Seager moving to third. Ackley hit a home run just out of the reach of right fielder Jared Gayhart, and suddenly, the Heels had a bigger lead and scored more runs than they had in the previous meeting with Rice on Sunday.

In each of the last three innings, Rice tried to mount a comeback. In the seventh, Gayhart opened the inning by singling up the middle, and Henley singled to right to put runners on first and second with no outs. Savery grounded into a double play, but Gahart moved to third. Luna walked, and Danny Lehmann doubled down the leftfield line to put Rice on the board. But Seastrunk grounded out to first to end the inning.

In the eighth, Dodson walked with one out, and Friday singled to right to put runners on first and third with one out. At that point, North Carolina brought in their third pitcher of the day—Andrew Carrigan, the closer who was throwing bullets. Gayhart and Henley flied out, and that opportunity went by the boards.

Savery opened the ninth for the Owls with a single to right off the flame-throwing closer. Luna walked again, and Danny Lehmann came to the plate and ripped a hard line drive down the left field line—but the third baseman snagged it for the first out. Seastrunk hit into the second one on a fielder’s choice, and Savery advanced to third. But Buenger grounded out to second, and that was it for the Owls today. Matt Langwell will face North Carolina in a winner goes to the finals, loser goes home game. No word yet on North carolina’s starter.

CWS: MYSTERY IN CONGRATS

2007-06-19T22:22:00.001-07:00

Ryan Berry looks like an innocent bystander just watching the game in this picture, doesn't he?

The mystery begins as Friday doubles. . . .
The double scores both Buenger and Seastrunk. . . . Buenger is welcomed home. . . .

A closer look, however, reveals something mysterious in Buenger's hair.

CWS PICS: "If the ump is grinning, you ain't winning"

2007-06-19T22:15:00.000-07:00

St. Clair hadthe runner picked off, but was called for a balk on this.

Brian Friday obviously disagreed with the call.
Coach Graham isn't winning this argument--look at the grin on the ump's face. If they grink, you don't win the argument!

CWS PICS AGAINST NC SUNDAY

2007-06-19T21:48:00.000-07:00

Joe Savery throws an "UNcle Charlie" to the first hitter.
Savery delivers. . .

. . . and follows through.
Mike Fox obviously disagrees with first base ump on the balk call.
Seastrunk singles after Savery was intentionally walked. Think he wasn't focused? Look at his eyes!

2007-06-19T21:13:00.000-07:00

RICE BRINGS OUT WHUPPING STICK AGAINST NORTH CAROLINA, 14-4
Owls Face NC Again Tomorrow in Elimination Game for Heels

By Mark Anderson

Rosenblatt Stadium, Omaha—The Rice Owls scored six runs in the second inning as they took their second win of the College World Series.

For those of you who think this sounds familiar, you’re right. It is exactly the same situation the Owls found themselves in at this point last year.

But there is something different about this 2007 squad. They will not talk in public about it, but for this team, there is a sense of unfinished business and something to prove to their critics. Twenty-nine runs over two games is not an accident. This team has the sticks to hit, from the first spot in the lineup to the ninth, including the role players on this team.

If there was any doubt whatsoever that Friday’s 15-20 win over Louisville was a fluke, the win over North Carolina made a statement that it wasn’t.

In the top of the second, Danny Lehmann—possibly the quiet MVP of this series—doubled to left with one out. Joe Savery brought him in with a single back through the middle to bring Lehmann home. Diego Seastrunk introduced himself to America by hitting a double to put Savery at third. Buenger followed that with a run-scoring single. That brought up J.P. Padron, playing first for Savery, and his at-bat was one that defined the Owls this evening as he fouled off pitches and took pitches until he walked on the twelfth pitch. That brought up Brian Friday, whose double brought in two more runs.

That was the end for starting pitcher Alex White, but not the end of the nightmare in Omaha for North Carolina. New pitcher Matt Danford, who balked before you could blink. Mike Fox, the North Carolina head coach, simply couldn’t believe David Buc’s call, and a long discussion followed, with Buck the one walking away smiling, and Fox practically ready to pull out his hair.

After Fox’s appeal fell on deaf ears, play was resumed—and the Owl offense kept going with it. Jared Gayhart kept the inning going and the runs scoring by hitting a sacrifice fly. Aaron Luna ended the inning thre way he started it—by hitting into an out. He would make up for that later, though, and the Owls took a 6-0 lead.

After North Carolina chipped away fro a run in the bottom of the second, Rice came back with two runs after two outs in the third. Seastrunk reached on Josh Horton’s error that should have ended the inning. Buenger was the n hit by a pitch, and Padron singled to left, scoring Seastrunk with Rice’s seventh run, making it a 7-1game.

North Carolina, however, stuck to a strategy—making Joe Savery run up his pitch count. And it was working, at least to a dregree. North Carolina chipped away for another run to make the score 7-2, but more importantly, Savery’s pitch count at the end of three was sixty pitches—a very high count.

But in the fourth inning, Rice did two things—it scored two runs and gave Joe a chance to gather himself. Gayhart started the inning by drawing a walk, as did Henley. Aaron Luna laid down a sacrifice bunt, moving runners up to second and third. Lehmann then hit a grounder to third baseman Chad Flack, who caught Gayhart in a rundown between third and hime, and was eventually tagged out, but not without runners advancing to second and third. That brought up Savery, who was given a free pass That brought up Diego Seastunk, who promptly singled to right on a 1-0 count to drive in two more runs for the Owls.

That was the end for Danford, who was replaced by Tyler Trice. Trice struck out Jess Buenger to end the inning, but the score was now 9-2 in favor of Rice.

When Savery came to the mound in the fourth, the issue of whether or not he would be around long enough to get his first win at the College World Series was settled—and very quickly. He threw one ball on the forst pitch, and then on three consecutive pitches, got Johnson to ground out to third, Gore to ground out to third, and then Fronk to fly out to leftfielder Aaron Luna to end the inning. Up until that point, Savery had thrown sixty four pitches through four. Although giving up an uncharacteristic four runs on seven hits and three walks, and two wild pitches on top of that, Savery ended six plus innings with a total of eighty-seven pitches in receiving that first ever CWS win.

Meanwhile, Rice continued to add to their lead. In the fifth, RBI singles by Gayhart and Henley increased the run output to eleven. IN the seventh, Danny Lehmann’s RBI single added another run. And in the top of the ninth, Henley reached by getting hit with two outs, bringing Aaron Luna to the plate. Luna finished off the scoring with a homer to left center, making the final score 14-4.

Cole St. Clair, the Owls’ All-American reliever, came in to take over for Savery in the seventh, and gave up only two hits and allowed no runs while striking out two.

Wednesday’s game will be a rematch against North Carolina. While the starting pitchers have not officially been named, expect Ry-an Ber-ry to get the start in an attempt to vanquish North Carolina. North Carolina most likely will send out their best in Robert Woodward. Both have similar records and ERAs.

2007-06-16T15:39:00.000-07:00

RICE BREAKS CURSE IN A BIG WAY

Rice rallies from 10-4 Deficit to take Game, 15-10

By Mark Anderson

For anyone that has followed the Rice Owls this year, there’s no question that this team can hit and hit in the clutch.

They proved that in a big way Saturday, coming back from a 10-4 deficit to take game one from a stunned Louisville Cardinal team by a score of 15-10.

Not the Best Start

It didn’t start well for the Owls. The first pitch Ryan Berry threw hit leadoff hitter Boomer Whiting. Berry wasn’t pleased in the least by the call at the plate, feeling that Whiting had made no attempt to get out of the way. Berry would be justified later when Whiting was hit again, but the umpire called it a ball and he hit a pop foul that Friday would make an outstanding catch on.

But that was later. Meanwhile, back in the first inning, after Johnson flied out to right, Berry hit Burton with another pitch. After Howes struck out swinging, Castillo singled up the middle to bring home Louisville’s first run. But Dominguez ended the inning by striking out and kept the damage minimized to a score of 1-0.

The Owls looked like they were going to get back in it when Friday led off the bottom of the first with a double. He would be marooned at second after Gayhart flied to right and Henley and Savery struck out to end the inning.

In the Cardinal second, Rodriguez singled to left to open the inning. Alfonso laid down a sacrifice bunt, but Rodriguez might have been had at second as he did a bumbling and stumbling act there, but the play went to first. Berry then uncorked a wild pitch to send Rodriguez to third. Cates then grounded to Friday, who had no play at the plate, and the Cardinals increased their lead to 2-0.

An Opportunity Disappears

After Lehmann was hit leading off the second, the Owls had another opportunity when, with two outs, Buenger singled to center. But again, the Owls couldn’t capitalize, and it remained 2-0.

It didn’t stay that way long, however. Burton led off with a single, and was erased on a 6-4 fielder’s choice, leaving Howes at first. Castillo singled, bringing up Dominguez. There was no bumbling and stumbling act when Dominguez swung the bat, and launched
a three run homer over Jordan Dodson and the left centerfield fence to make the score 5-0. After Berry struck out Rodriguez, Alfonso doubled and that ended Berry’s first appearance in the CWS. Graham brought in Langwell, who seduced Cates into a fly ball to end the inning, but the Owls were down, 5-0.

Owl bats wake up

But the Owl bats finally awakened in Omaha in the bottom of the inning when Friday fouled out. Gayhart singled up the middle, and so did Henley. Savery flied out for the second out, making it look like the Owls would not score again.

Wrong.

But Danny Lehmann took the ball to right for a base hit that scored Gayhart. Seastrunk’s single brought home Henley and moved Lehmann to third. Luna’s single brought Lehmann home and moved Seastrunk to second. Jess Buenger’s single brought Seastrunk across the plate. However, Luna rounded third and was caught in no man’s land and tagged out for the third out of the inning. But that didn’t happen before four runs had scored, and the Owls were within a run, 5-4.

The Louisville fourth began with Langwell walking Whiting. Whiting, however, was pegged out by Danny Lehmann throwing down to Brian Friday. And it was a good thing, because Johnson hit the first of two home runs on the day to make it 6-4, Cardinals. But they could muster no threat after that in the fourth.

The Louisville fifth inning was a different story. With one out, Alfonso singled. Cates followed with a double to left that moved Alfonso to third. Alfonso and to dive back into third because of over-running it and was just able to get back in. Whiting singled in a relieved Alfonso, and that was it for Langwell as Graham brought in Scott Longergan.

But even Graham could not have imagined what would happen on the very next pitch.

Remember Johnson—the guy who homered in the previous inning? Guess what he did—on the very first pitch? CHA-CHING! Lonergan was the most surprised person in the ballpark, because, as he told the blog afterwards, “I made my pitch.” Johnson had simply hit Longergan’s best pitch. While Howes would reach with two outs, it was of no consequence, but Louisville had added four runs to make it 10-4, Cardinals.

The Beginning of the End

If you turned off the TV and stomped away, you missed one of the best comebacks you could ever hope to witness. Those ten runs looked huge, but not to the Owls. Graham said afterwards, at that point in the game, “We’re going to win the ballgame. Can anyone truly define baseball? That’s what makes it truly a great game. Unpredictable. Obviously I didn’t think it would be 15-10.”

With one out in the bottom of the fifth, Danny Lehmann singled, and Diego Seastrunk followed with another single to put Lehmann at third. But at this point, Louisville began to fall apart as a Luna grounder to short ended up as an error, scoring Lehmann, and put runners on second and third. Buenger hit a sacrifice fly to score Seastrunk and move Luna to third. Dodson then doubled to left center, bringing in Luna. That ended Pitt’s day on the mound for Louisville. Logsdon got Friday on a lineout to short to end the inning, but the Owls had scored three to make the score 10-7.

Dominguez led off the sixth for the Cardinals with a single, but was immediately erased trying to steal, and now the Owls were starting to get it together as Longergan pitched another shutout inning.

Homers by Savery and Luna inch the Owls Closer

In the bottom of the sixth, if momentum had not swung to the Savery came Owls, it did here. Joe Savery came up with two outs. He had been robbed twice—once by the rightfielder, and once by the centerfielder. But not this time. Joe swung, and CHA-CHING! He hit it where they weren’t for a home run, and the Owls were within two runs, 10-8.

An inning later, Aaron Luna, who had been struggling at the plate in the regionals and super-regionals, put all that frustration behind him with one swing of the bat, and CHA CHING!—the Owls now trailed by a single run.

Bobby B. brings relief

At this point, Graham replaced Longergan with Bramhall, who is the type of pitcher that tortures coaches, as Graham admitted afterwards. “He’s a lefty. He’s been like that all year. He’s going to throw what he’s going to throw, and he believes in himself.” Bobby gave up only one hit—but walked three to make Graham want to reach for his blood pressure medicine once more.

One of the Greatest Innings in Rice Owl Baseball

Bramhall keeping the game at 10-9 in the eighth opened the door to one of the greatest moments in Rice Owl baseball in the bottom of the eighth. Magnusen was brought in to shut the door. Instead, he opened it, and then lost the handle and the key as well. Lembeck began by singling to right. Henley laid down a bunt to move him up, but beat the throw, putting two on and bringing up Savery. Savery singled to bring in Lembeck and put Henley at second and knot the game up at 10-10.

Not for long.

Lehmann came to the plate to lay down a sacrifice bunt. With two strikes, he turned as if to bunt—then run and putting Savery at third. After Seastrunk grounded out, holding the runners, Luna was walked intentionally. Buenger flied out to left, bringing Lehmann home. Dodson cleared the bases with a booming double to left. Brian Friday reached on another error by shortstop—a costly one. Lemback followed Friday by reaching on an error—this tme by the third baseman as Dodson scored. The inning ended as Friday tried for third, but was pegged out by the shortstop.

If that doesn’t qualify as one of the great innings in Rice Owl baseball history—and one of the most important and exciting as well—I don’t know what will.

UPCOMING
The Owls will play the North Carolina Tar Heels Sunday at 6pm. Joe Savery is expected to get the start for the Owls.

More PICS FROM GAME ONE CWS

2007-06-15T18:13:00.000-07:00

Ry-an Ber-ry was not pleased with the result and call of the first pitch of the game. Whiting was hit a second time, and it was disallowed and called a ball.
Matt Langwell delivers in relief of Berry.

Jess Buenger nails this pitch for an RBI single.
Seastrunk scores on Buenger's single.
Friday hustles back to first later in the game.

OWLS COME BACK TO WIN GAME ONE OF CWS

2007-06-15T17:46:00.000-07:00

Joe Savery finally "hit 'em where they ain't" (at least the Louisville outfielders).

Aaron Luna wowed the crowd with this home run. Wanna know how far he hit it? Look at Danny Lehmann in the background (third from left).

Brian Friday gets ready to make a great catch down the leftfield foul line.
Chad Lembeck slides home with the go-ahead run in the eighth inning.

RICE-LOUISVILLVE TO OPEN CWS FRIDAY

2007-06-11T15:00:00.000-07:00

Rice and Louisville will open the College World Series this Friday at 1 pm Central. No word yet on starting pitchers for either team, but ESPN2 will be televising it nationally. Set those TiVOs up now!

We'll let you know who the starting pitchers will be as soon as we get word ourselves.

OOPS!

2007-06-11T14:56:00.001-07:00

I received several comments and meant to publish them here. However, having never had a comment to publish before, I hit the wrong buton--and they are out there--somewhere.

Those who sent comments in--and those who would like to--would you please resend those comments? I'm still learning about this blog every time I use it and what I can and can't do. I thought I published those comments--but I thought wrong. Give me another chance! Let's see if I can figure it out the second time around.

SMILES EVERYWHERE

2007-06-10T17:23:00.001-07:00

You think "The Bellville Banger" didn't have a reason to smile?

Adam Zornes displays a big smile after Saturday's win.

Ry-an Berr-ry is all smiles after the win.
Matt Langwell, Jess Buenger, and Coach Pierce are all smiles.
Tyler Henley, Jordan Dodson, Brian Friday, Aaron Luna, and Chad Lembeck, among others, are all smiles after the win.

OWLS PUT THE BAT ON THE BALL SATURDAY

2007-06-10T17:20:00.001-07:00

SAVERY HR IN SECOND SPARKS OWLS

2007-06-10T16:27:00.000-07:00

Savery readies himself for the pitch.
Savery puts the opposite field swing on a fastball.
Savery follows through with an opposite field HR to left that sparked the Owls.

INTERVIEW WITH MATT LANGWELL AND JOE SAVERY ON THE WIN AGAINST A & M SATURDAY

2007-06-10T14:20:00.000-07:00

After the Owls' exciting win Saturday to send Rice to the College World Series, Matt Langwell and Joe Savery were gracious to give an interview on the exciting win and what's coming up. Hear what they had to say here:

http://www.ricefootball.net/tamu6-9.wav

JORDAN DODSON INTERVIEW FROM FRIDAY NIGHT

2007-06-10T14:14:00.000-07:00

Listen to Jordan Dodson as he talks about his run that tied the ninth and his game-winning hit in the tenth:

http://www.ricefootball.net/tamu6-8.wav

2007-06-09T22:51:00.000-07:00

L-R:Aaron Luna, Jared Gayhart, Tyler Henley, and J.P. Padron give the fans a hand.
Aaron Luna responds to the fans.
Brian--is that a tear in your eye?
Jess Buenger, Aaron Luna, Danny Lehmann, Tyler Henley, and Chris Kelley visit with the fans and celebrate the win.

Joe Savery tips his cap for what could be his last time as a player for the Owls at Reckling Park.

2007-06-09T22:49:00.000-07:00

O-MA-HA! O-MA-HA!

Interference play in first, Savery HR spark Owls to CWS

By Mark Anderson

Matt Langwell did one of the best Houdini impressions in recent memory as he wiggled out of a bases load and no outs situation in the first inning, and Joe Savery’s solo homer in the second to put the Owls up by 2-0 sparked the Owls as they completed their quest for Omaha.

Langwell, who usually pounds the strike zone with pitches, did anything but early in the game. He struggled with his control early, walking three and throwing a wild pitch in for good measure. But after struggling early and getting out of the bases loaded jam, Langwell began to settle down and take command of the game.

Meanwhile, the Owls began to do a slow water drip torture on the Aggies. They never exploded and scored a bunch of runs at once, although they certainly had those opportunities. Instead, they added one run at a time to pad their lead.

In the fourth inning, the Owls scored a run as Lehmann led of the inning by getting hit by a pitch. Friday beat out a bunt attempt. Gayhart followed Friday by beating out another bunt attempt to load the bases with no outs. At this point, A & M made a pitching change, bringing in the hard-throwing Rivers. Henley brought Lehamnn across the plate by grounding into a tailor-made 4-6-3 double play, leaving Friday at third. But Savery grounded out to end the inning, and the Owls let opportunity to blow the game open pass them by.

The sixth inning was another opportunity missed as Dodson led off with a single, and Lehmann singled on a bunt to put runners on first and second with no outs. But Stinson’s pickoff from catcher to short caught Dodson by surprise for the first out. Friday then hot a line shot that was snagged by A & M second baseman Parker Daltopn, whose quick throw back to first beat Lehmann back to the bag. And just as quick as you could blink an eye, the Owls’ promising inning was over.

In the top of the seventh, however, the Owls pushed across another run when Tyler Henley tripled with one out and Joe Savery singled to drive him in anmd make the score 4-1 in favor of the Owls.

The Owls struck again in the eighth inning as well when Buenger reached first when Hicks committed his third error in two games. Seastrunk laid down a bunt that moved The Bellvile Banger to second, where he was replaced by pinch runner Derek Myers and Campbell came in to pitch for A & M. Myers took third on a wild pitch when Campell threw a wild pitch with Dodson at the plate. Dodson eventually walked, bringing up the qiuet leader of the offense over the weekend in the person of Danny Lehmann. Lehman attempted a safety squeeze, but fouled it off. Lehmann then laid down a perfect suicide squeeze to bring home Myers and make the score 5-1.

With Cole St. Clair on the mound, that lead seemed invincible. But Blake Stouffer drove a pitch from St. Clair over the left field wall, giving the Aggies the faintest of heartbeats, pulling within the score of 5-2.

But Cole St. Clair would give up only one other hit in his 2 2/3 innings of relief, and tin the ninth, the Aggies got a grounder to St. Clair, a fly ball to Lembeck in right, and then a pop-up to Savery to end the game and the series to send the Owls to Omaha for the sixth time in eleven years.

RALLY TIME!!!! CELEBRATION TIME AT THE RECK

2007-06-09T12:12:00.000-07:00

Lehmann drops a surprise bunt with two outs and the third baseman back.
After Savery's walk, Dodson comes through on the first pitch, grounding it just past a diving A & M shortstop.
Danny Lehmann is obviously delighted after scoring the winning run.

Dodson is mobbed at far rightby Friday and Luna.

Lehmann and Henley embrace--and the secret is out--look at the rally hats!
Lehmann and Henley overjoyed--and so is Brian Friday.

YES! Tyler's arms raised in "V" fpr victory.
Lehmann scores the winning run in the 10th.

Heartbreak. . . Then Ecstasy

2007-06-08T23:45:00.000-07:00

Friday shows his disappointment in being called out on a close play at third.

Look at Friday's face after Lehmann scored the winning run.

2007-06-08T23:36:00.000-07:00

FROM HEARTBREAKER TO HEARTSTOPPER

Dodson’s hit in the 10th wins it for Rice; one away from CWS

By Mark Anderson

Jordan Dodson’s late inning heroics in the last two innings brought the Owls back from what seemed like certain defeat to a heart stopping win over the #6 Aggies by a score of 3-2.

The Aggies got off to a 2-0 lead over Ryan Berry and the Owls in the second and third innings. Blake Stouffer opened the second with a double to right. He moved to third when Stintson grounded out to Savery at first, and scored as Anders singled to right to make it 1-0 for the Aggies.

They added to their lead in the third when Colligan doubled down the left field line with two outs. Hicks followed Colligan with another double to left to make the score 2-0 for the men in maroon.

David Newman and Ryan Berry then battled each other pitch for pitch. Over 6 innings, Newman gave up only 3 hits and walked nine, but had extra base runners in the form of a hit batter and three errors, 2 by shortstop Brandon Hicks and one by third baseman Brian Ruggiano. Berry lasted seven and a third innings, giving up six hits while striking out ten and walking two.

Whatever momentum the Owls seemed to pick up in the seventh was lost at a close play at third. Friday opened with a single to left. Gayhart laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Friday to second with one out. Jess Buenger then hit a fly ball to right, and Friday tagged up—but the relay throw nipped him for the third out.

In the bottom of the ninth, however, Jordan Dodson led off with a single through the left side. Henley sacrificed Dodson to second. Seastrunk singled to right to bring Dodson in just ahead of the throw and tie the game at 2-2. Friday followed with a sacrifice bunt to move Seastrunk to second with the potential go-ahead run. But Gayhart ended up grounding out to end the ninth.

The tenth inning was nothing short of a miraculous comeback by the Owls. Buenger lined out to first to open the inning off. Luna grounded out to third for the second out. Danny Lehmann came to the plate and dropped a perfect bunt down third to get a runner on. Joe Savery followed with a walk to move Lehmann to second. That brought up Jordan Dodson, who had singled to open the ninth. The Aggies brought in hard throwing righty Gary Campfield, who threw only one pitch—the one Dodson got through the hole between short and third. Danny Lehmann looked at Graham as he took off, and had no intent of stopping, sliding in with the winning run as the throw was offline.

Matt Langwell takes the hill tomorrow for Rice to try and clinch a trip to Omaha for the Owls.

RICE-A & M SUPER REGIONAL SCHEDULE

2007-06-07T10:28:00.000-07:00

Houston Super Regional
Texas A&M (48-17) at No. 2 seed Rice (52-12)
Game 1: Friday, 6 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 2: Saturday, 5 p.m. (ESPNU)
Game 3: Sunday, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN2), if necessary

INTERVIEW WITH RYAN BERRY AFTER SATURDAY'S WIN AGAINST TCU

2007-06-04T15:30:00.000-07:00

Here is the interview of Ryan Berry done right after the Owls beat TCU on Saturday:

http://ricefootball.net/tcu6-2.wav

Hear what he had to say about the job he did on the mound and other tidbits here.

INTERVIEWS WITH JOE SAVERY AND BOBBY BRAMHALL FOLLOWING THE REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

2007-06-04T14:46:00.000-07:00

Here's the interview with Bobby Bramhall, who earned the nail-biting save against TCU, and Joe Savery, the outstanding player of this regional. Listen to their comments by clicking here:

http://ricefootball.net/tcu6-3.wav

INTERVIEWS WITH TYLER HENLEY AND MATT LANGWELL FROM FRIDAY

2007-06-04T14:24:00.000-07:00

Here is the link to hear what Tyler Henley had to say about the adventures in the outfield and his home run to start the Owls off, and Matt Langwell had to say after his seven innings of shutout ball against PVAM:

http://ricefootball.net/pvamu6-1.wav

SUPER!!!!!

2007-06-04T13:38:00.000-07:00

OWLS LEAP FROG OVER HORNED FROGS TO ADVANCE
Savery’s Gutty Pitching, Timely Hitting, Help Owls Advance to Super-Regional Round

By Mark Anderson

The Rice Owls became the first national seed to sweep all three games and advance into the super-regionals with a 3-1 victory over #16 TCU on Sunday evening.

The Owls scored a run of their own in the bottom of the fourth as Savery led off with a double to left. Diego Seastrunk then doubled to bring Savery in and make it a tie game. Buenger followed with a single, and Diego Seastrunk was declared out at the plate on a very controversial call (see the photo section “Safe or Out?” for pictures of this play). The Owls could do no more damage, so the score was 1-0, Owls.

Joe Savery’s day was nothing short of super. Over seven innings, he gave up only six hits and a walk. He wiggled out of threat after threat. In the bottom of the fourth, however, the Frogs had the bases loaded. Ben Carruthers hit a sacrifice fly that was ruled a sacrifice fly and error when Tyler Henley, after a long run, could not hold the ball stretching out as fully as he could. But with runners on all the bases, and one out, Steglich hit a made-to-order double play that got the Owls out of the inning and Savery off the hook.

In the sixth inning, the Owls took the lead they would never relinquish as Savery opened the inning and weas safe on an error by shortstop Kervin. Diego Seastrunk laid down a great bunt that advanced Savery to second and brought Aaron Luna to the plate. Luna had been the player of the week during the championship tournament, but couldn’t seem to buy a base hit in the regionals. However, when all the chips were down, Luna delivered an RBI single that scored Savery with the go-ahead run and put the Owls up for good.

After Trout singled to open the eighth, Coach Graham brought in Bobby Bramhall in relief of Joe Savery. Talk about playing it just right—Bramhall induced a ground ball from Friday to Buenger to Lehmann on the very first pitch. He then stuck out Adams to end the inning and preserve the lead.

The ninth got a little dicey for Bramhall and the Owls. After Vern struck out to open the inning, Woodruff reached on Seastrunk’s error, and was replaced, interestingly enough, by McGuirk, who had ignited the TCU rally against Baylor with a grand slam in the ninth inning in the first game. Kervin then walked to bring the tying run to the plate in the person of Ben Carruthers. But Bramhall got Carruthers to hit a line drive straight to Luna in left for out number two, and only Austin Adams stood between the Owls and a regional championship. Bramhall took a deep breath on a 3-2 pitch and struck out Adams swinging to end the ball game and begin the celebration on the field.

For the record: this was a great regional tournament to view. Prairie View had Rice on the ropes and seeminly ready to surprise them until their defense was their undoing. Baylor almost came from behind to beat TCU in the opening game of the series. And who will forget McGuirk's bases loaded homer that helped the Frogs leap into the title game? And even in the title game, the Frogs threatened again and again, only to have those threats wiped away.

The Owls opponent for the super-regional has yet top be determined. Game one is Friday.

They Said It. . .

2007-06-03T23:51:00.000-07:00

"I'm going home and take my high blood pressure medicine."--Wayne Graham, moments before going in to be interviewed after the game.

"Do you want a sandwich?" -- Travis Reagan, talking to the TCU pitcher in the eighth inning to encourage him to pitch instead of throwing to first.

"This is what it is all about." --Bobby Bramhall, on what it was like to be out on the mound in a tense ninth inning.

2007-06-03T23:40:00.000-07:00

Savery threw a masterpiece and showed zip on his fastball, touching 96 mph on the gun.
Gayhart drills one.
Gayhart about to touch first, and the throw isn't there yet.
On top of piching well, Savery had a great day at the plate.
The team looks on during play.

OK. . . YOU MAKE THE CALL--SAFE OR OUT????

2007-06-03T23:20:00.000-07:00

Lehmann tells Seastrunk, "Get down!"
Diego starts the slide. . . and the catcher does not have the ball at this point.
Catcher has ball and blocks home plate, but seems to have missed something--the tag. It is also possible that Diego's hand got under the catcher and touched the plate.
Diego may have missed something here too--namely, the plate. Several different camera angles have him touching it. If he missed the plate, and the catcher missed the tag, he is neither safe nor out until one or the other happens.
What's the call?
Use the comment section on the blog and give your opinion! Anyone with a clearer angle is invited to submit their pic.

CELEBRATION ON THE OWLS' BENCH

2007-06-03T11:25:00.000-07:00

Jared Gayhart receives congrats from the Owls after his home run.

Notice who's nearby to give congrats-Ry-an Ber-ry!
Danny Lehmann gave the umps something they couldn't doubt--a home run to seal the game.

Think Danny was happy?

Notice who is there to give Danny congrats--Cole St. Clair.

A SIZE 15 SHOE HELPS PICK OFF TCU RUNNER

2007-06-03T11:16:00.000-07:00

Look closely--his hand was never on the bag.

Joe has applied the tag and now sweeps it by him. Look at his right hand and Joe's size 15 foot.

This is the tag. . . and Joe's size 15 right foot is in the way of the runner's right hand. It never touched first.

More coverage soon

2007-06-03T10:48:00.000-07:00

Duie to a time crunch on my end, I wil add pics and game story from last night as soons as possible. Hang in there!

In the mean time,root the Owls on as they play in the championship game at 6 pm tonighht against either TCU or Baylor.

MUDDING 101 in RF

2007-06-03T10:29:00.001-07:00

Adams makes a terrific catch in right.
ABOVE: Adams holds up the ball for all--incuding Diego--to see.

Adams didn't catch them all--this one went hydroplaning away.

HOW WET WAS IT?????

2007-06-03T10:21:00.000-07:00

Just when you thought it couldn't get anyworse. . . it did. The sprinklers went off during the meeting with the umpires before the game.
Welcome to the right field swamp.

Jordon Dodson sees his reflection in the left field lake--and he got his wish with a win over TCU Saturday night. Look closely and you can see the reflections of Jordan and the signs in the water.

Owls vs. PVAM game 2

2007-06-02T13:43:00.001-07:00

Owls vs. PVAM game 2

2007-06-02T13:40:00.001-07:00