Rice Owls baseball
| Rice Owls | |
| Founded: 1913 | |
 |
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| University | Rice University |
|---|---|
| Conference | C-USA |
| Location | Houston, TX |
| Head Coach | Wayne Graham (17th year) |
| Home Stadium | Reckling Park (Capacity: 5,700) |
| Nickname | Owls |
| Colors | Blue and Gray
|
| National Championships | |
| 2003 | |
| CWS Appearances | |
| 1997, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008 | |
| NCAA Tournament Appearances | |
| 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 | |
| Conference Tournament Champions | |
| SWC: 1996 WAC: 1997, 1998, 1999 C-USA: 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011 |
|
| Conference Champions | |
| WAC: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 C-USA: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011 |
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The Rice Owls baseball team is the interscholastic baseball team representing Rice University in Houston, Texas. The Rice Owls have been a regular fixture in the NCAA Tournament, participating in every tournament since 1995 including a victory in the 2003 College World Series, the first national championship for Rice athletics in any sport.
Rice is a member of Conference USA and held an unbroken streak of 13 straight conference championships: three in Conference USA, nine in the Western Athletic Conference, and a victory in the final baseball tournament of the now-defunct Southwest Conference. The streak ended in 2009 when East Carolina won the regular-season conference title; however, Rice won the post-season tournament. Rice subsequently won the 2010 and 2011 regular-season C-USA titles.
The Owls are managed by head coach Wayne Graham, whose 785 victories over 17 seasons make him both the winningest and longest-tenured coach in Rice history. Graham is currently under contract through the 2011 season.[1]
Rice plays its home games at Reckling Park on the Rice campus in Houston. Rice is also a yearly participant in the local Houston College Classic, held since 2001 at Houston's Minute Maid Park.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Conference Membership History
- 1913: Independent
- 1914-1996: Southwest Conference
- 1997-2005: Western Athletic Conference
- 2006–Present: Conference USA
[edit] Head coaches
[edit] Southwest Conference (1914-1996)In 83 years of Southwest Conference play, Rice spent most of those years being dominated by superior SWC opponents. Rice finished in the bottom half of the conference in 72 seasons, including an entire decade, the 1920s. Rice finished in last place for 24 of those seasons. The highest Rice rankings in SWC regular season play were second place finishes in 1984 and 1994.[2] Rice was, however, the victor in the last Southwest Conference game, prevailing over Texas to win the final Southwest Conference Tournament Championship.[3] [edit] The Wayne Graham Era (1992-present)Current head coach Wayne Graham has turned the Rice baseball team from bottom-feeder of the SWC to a national power since his entry in the early nineties. After a lengthy and storied career at San Jacinto College that included five junior college championships, Graham brought his winning ways back to Houston. From his spot on the Owls' third-base line, Graham has coached 27 different players to All-America honors.[4] Recently, Baseball America ranked Rice as the best baseball program in a nine-year survey of all 293 Division I programs since 1999. Data cited in the survey included Rice's five College World Series appearances and 2003 championship, its 35 major-league draft picks, and its 15 All-America selections over that span.[5] [edit] Championship: 2003 College World Series
Rice entered the 2003 postseason having earned the WAC regular-season championship, and moved handily through the regionals, defeating McNeese State once and Wichita State twice at their home-field Reckling Park to advance. In the super-regional round, Rice faced off against conference and cross-town rival, the University of Houston. Rice carried a 30-game win streak into the series and had already bested the Cougars four games to one in their regular season series.[7] After losing the first game 5-2, Rice rallied to win the second game 10-2 behind four home runs, including a three-run homer by Vincent Sinisi.[8] Rice finished off the Cougars with a 5-2 victory in Game 3.[9] Entering the 2003 College World Series, Rice was feared from the start due to their overpowering pitching behind a trio of sophomores, Jeff Niemann, Wade Townsend, and Philip Humber.[10] Rice moved through the tournament with three straight victories, a 4-2 win over Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State University), a 12-2 drubbing of the University of Texas, and another victory to eliminate reigning CWS-champion Texas.[11] Texas had already lost to Rice 2-1 earlier in the season.[12] The Owls knocked the Longhorns out in dramatic fashion as catcher Justin Ruchti hit a one-run RBI in the bottom of the 9th off Texas closer Huston Street, who had been named most outstanding player in the 2002 College World Series.[13] The Owls' two wins against Texas was a change of outcome from the previous CWS, where Texas had beaten Rice in their opening game. The best-of-three championship series pitted Rice against Stanford. Rice won the first game with its second straight walkoff victory, as Chris Kolkhorst scored from second on a throwing error in the bottom of the 10th to win 4-3.[14] Stanford rallied in the second game the next night to win 8-3, but the Owls clinched their first-ever national championship in any sport with a 14-2 blowout in the finale. For their part, each member of the Owls pitching trio played a hand in the championship series; Niemann followed three early runs with seven scoreless innings in Game 1, Townsend pitched well in Game 2 despite two costly seventh inning errors, and Humber threw a complete-game five-hitter to close out the series and the College World Series championship. Upon returning to Houston, the Owls were honored in a "Parade of Champions" by the City of Houston.[15] The University commissioned a painting of the championship to sell to fans and alumni that is still available in print form.[16] Finally, the team capped off their celebrations with a visit to the White House. At the time, President Bush recalled watching Rice games in his youth, commending the team on their accomplishments.[17] [edit] Notable Rivalries[edit] University of HoustonFurther information: Rice-Houston rivalry
Since their first meeting in 1948, Rice has played Houston 145 times. They have met for each of the past 37 seasons.[18] The season-long series between these two teams has been known as the Silver Glove series since 1998, which Rice has lost only once. Overall, Rice leads the all-time series between their cross-town rivals by a record of 77-68.[19] [edit] University of Texas
Rice first played Texas in 1915, the first year of the Southwest Conference. Rice went 0-4 that first year, starting a trend of lopsided season series that lasted for 40 years, including no wins against the Longhorns for twelve years. Rice finally won two consecutive season series in 1955 and '56, and again in 1972 and '73. The only other Rice season series win before Wayne Graham came to Rice was 1978.[20] One notable win came in 1977, as Texas began the season with 34 consecutive wins, which was snapped by a 4-3 loss to the Owls in extra innings. This Texas record still stands today.[21] Since Graham arrived on South Main in 1994, the two teams have played more evenly, going 15-17 in that span. During Rice's resurgence, Rice and Texas have met twice in the College World Series. In 2002, Texas handed Rice a first-round loss. In 2003, however, Rice turned the tables, defeating the Longhorns twice en route to their eventual championship. Since their end-of-the-season meetings in 2002 and 2003, the rivalry has been acknowledged as one of the most tense rivalries in college baseball. In the run up to the 2004 Minute Maid College Classic, The Daily Texan likened the Rice-Texas rivalry to the college basketball matchup between North Carolina and Duke, one of college sport's most famed rivalries. Factors contributing to the continued rivalry between the two schools include their proximity to one another, as well as the fact that many of their players compete together in summer leagues.[22] Overall, Texas leads the series 202-52-2.[23] [edit] StadiumMain article: Reckling Park
Reckling Park is the baseball stadium at Rice University in Houston, Texas, USA. It has a capacity of 5,368 and serves as the home field of the Rice Owls baseball team. The stadium was built on the site of Cameron Field, Rice's home from 1978–99, in time for the 2000 season.[24] [edit] Current roster
[edit] Year-by-Year Results
[edit] Former playersRice has sent more than 20 players on to the major leagues.[26] Most notable among these are All-Star pitcher Norm Charlton, Gold Glover José Cruz, Jr., and five-time All-Star and St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Lance Berkman. In 2004, Rice became the first school ever to have three players selected in the first round of the MLB draft when Philip Humber, Jeff Niemann and Wade Townsend were selected third, fourth and eighth, respectively.[27]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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