Something has got to give on Tuesday night (6:30pm CT start time) as the crosstown rivals meet as both Top 15 ranked teams for the first time in close to a decade. Rice boast national rankings of #1 in ISR, #4 in RPI and #13 in S0S; Houston currently ranks #2 in ISR, #1 in RPI and #37 in SoS. The Owls are riding a nine game win streak and winners of 12 of their last 13 games; the Coogs have won eight of their last 9 games. Both are coming off weekend home sweeps of quality opponents (UH over College of Charleston; Rice over FAU). Rice has proven to be road warriors with a 7-1 road record; UH has been almost unbeatable at home (15-1), with their lone home loss coming at the hands of Lamar last Tuesday.
In addition to keeping it's hot streak going, the Owls seek to avenge their 3-0 loss at Reckling the first week of the regular season; and game which was a 1-0 pitchers duel until the Coogs scratched out two run in the 9th inning off our bullpen. The Coogs threw two left-handers against us, and we were unable to square up on anything, as we were limitted to just 4 hits. The Coogs started Jr LHP Matt Locus against us, but he only went 3.2 innings (and has only pitched a total of 2.0 additional innings all year in 3 other appearances). It was Sr LHP Tyler Ford (10 app, 2-0, 1 save, 18.1 IP, 0.98 ERA, .210 BAA, 0 BBs, 8 Ks on the year) who got the win, pitching the final 5.1 innings and limitting us to just 2 hits. Here's the boxscore to that first game...
http://www.riceowls.com/sports/m-basebl/...92014.html
...given how important this game is to both teams, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Ford gets the start against us. He only pitched 2 innings in relief over the weekend (on Saturday), and UH does not have a second mid-week game this week. Obviously, he has great control, but is more of a soft-tossing, finesse southpaw than a strikeout threat. Consequently, we should be aggressive at the plate.
Here's the UH game notes, though they have yet to announce a starting pitcher...
http://www.uhcougars.com/sports/m-basebl...14aaa.html
Here's Houston's schedule and results over their first 23 games (19-4 overall record, 15-1 at home, 6-2 vs. Top 50, 14-2 vs. Top 100)...
http://warrennolan.com/baseball/2014/schedule/Houston
And here's their individual and team stats to date...
http://www.uhcougars.com/sports/m-basebl...mcume.html
...as strong as the Rice pitchers have been, the Coogs' staff has been even better (albeit against slightly weaker competition). They are national ranked in ERA #1, shutouts #4, BAA #3, and fewest walks issued #5. The staff has posted a 1.53 ERA, .198 BAA, an off-the-charts 4.6 K:BB ratio, and averaging just 1.5 walks per game. Though their strength is their weekend rotation (Garza, Lemoine, West), they have won their mid-week games thanks to a quartet of upperclass relievers: Sr LHP Tyler Ford (see stats above), Sr RHP and closer Chase Westbrook (8 app, 6 saves, 14.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, .200 BAA, 1 BB, 17 Ks), Jr RHP Jared Robinson (8 app, 2-1, 17.1 IP, 2.08 ERA, .206 BAA, 2 BBs, 17 Ks) and Jr RHP David Longville (3 starts, 13.2 IP, 1.32 ERA, .220 BAA, 0 BBs, 11 Ks). Actually, Longville has been a mid-week starter, but he's likely to see action against us-- either as starter (with Ford coming by the 4th or 5th inning) or in relief. The more I think about it, the more I think this is the more likely scenario, as it would force us to alter our lineup after several innings-- going from left-handed batters (e.g., Williamson in CF, McDowell at DH) to right-handed pinch hitters...and then back again if UH is in a position to close with Westbrook
Offensively, it is a typical UH team relying heavily on small ball, good plate discipline, aggressive baserunning and timely hitting. As a team they're hitting .277/382/.358, with 5 HRs, 41 doubles/triples, 27-37 in stolen bases and averaging 4.9 runs per game. They have received 7 more free passes (BBs, HBPs) than times they've struck out, and already have 5 guys with double-digit walk totals, led by Casey Grayson with 22 BBs. Six regulars are hitting .290 or better. Whomever is pitching for us, they need to trust our defense and pound the strikezone, or it could be a long night.
If we're to continue our long-standing (since 2000) defense of the Silver Glove trophy, we must find a way to beat the Coogs at their place. Let's keep our streaking alive, and get revenge on our earlier loss. Go Owls!
