With the CUSA regular season championship (winning by 3 full games!) in hand, keeping "The Streak" alive for a 19th consecutive season, the Baseball Owls enter the conference tournament in Hattiesburg, MS turning their attention toward two other season-long team goals: (1) notching their 20th consecutive 40-win season (we're currently 3 victories short), and (2) earning a regional host birth at Reckling Park. Despite our #10 ranked RPI, that regional host spot is still in jeopardy-- not only due to the tight cluster of teams with RPI rankings between #8 and #18, but because outside of our conference and road record, our overall resume with regard to record vs. Top 25/50 pales when compared with a number of teams below us in RPI.
We've also slipped to #17 in most of the national polls. We need to go at least 2 - 2 in the conference tournament to feel "safe" with regards to hosting a region....and, conversely, should we go 0 - 2 in Hattiesburg, we will likely lose that host birth.

Unfortunately, the way the conference tournament seeding works in CUSA, we drew a first game against #8 seed Florida International, despite the fact that FIU has the second best overall record after Rice, and leads the conference in virtually every pitching and offensive category. Every team in the tournament will be highly motivated given that no one outside Rice is in position to get invited into the NCAA post-season without winning the automatic bid that comes with the tournament title. If anything, FIU will be that much more motivated when facing us in the opener, as they boasted a lofty 17-1 record before Rice crashed their party with a road sweep mid-March (fueled by a 13-inning, come from behind 3-2 victory in the operner, after FIU failed to score with the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the 12th inning). Here's the box score from that March 14th game and an FIU blogger's look back at our earlier series, as well as the series preview I had posted on The Parliament...

http://www.fiusports.com/portals/1/conte.../fiu18.htm
http://www.fiusports.com/FanHQ/SocialMed...-Rice.aspx
http://csnbbs.com/thread-681510.html

FIU comes into the tournament with an overall 34 - 18 record (13-7 on the road, 16-14 in CUSA, 11-12 vs. Top 100), but their national rankings have suffered due to their very weak schedule-- #57 ISR, #71 RPI, #153 SoS (vs. rankings #19, #10 and #25, respectively, for Rice). They have posted a very impressive 18 - 4 record out-of-conference; however, the best team they have played OOC is #76 Rutgers. Here's their schedule and resullts through the regular season...

http://warrennolan.com/baseball/2014/schedule/FIU

FIU is NOT a good draw for us as it means we have to face one of the Top 3 starters in the conference...

Jr RHP Mike Franco: 14 starts, 9-3, 95.2 IP, 1.13 ERA, .188 BAA, 25 BBs, 108 Ks

Amongst starting pitchers, Franco leads CUSA in innings pitched (95.2), complete games (4), ERA (1.13) and strikeouts (107). He has a K:BB ratio better than 4.0, and has a WHIP of 0.93. In his game against us, he got a no-decision in the 13-inning loss, but pitched very, very well (or, alternatively, our offense could muster very, very little against him)...

7.1 IP, 3 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned, 3 BBs, 7 Ks

They also boast a very deep and quality bullpen, with 3 relievers having appeared in 15+ games-- all with ERAs below 2.05 and BAAs below .215; and that doesn't even include their closer. Overall, the pitching staff has posted elite across-the-board stats: 2.22 ERA, .233 BAA, 2.44 K:BB ratio and averaging 7.5 Ks per game.

Oh, and FIU's offense leads the conference in AVG, OBP, BBs (over 4/game) and runs scored, and are second in stolen bases. Granted, their stats are inflated due to their weak schedule, but still. I don't think we could have gotten a tougher draw. If our pitchers do not throw strikes, we're in for a walkathon. They are hitting .289/.372/.387 as a team, with 25 HRs, 84 doubles/triples, 53-67 in stolen bases (79% success rate) and averaging 5.5 runs per game. They are led by Aramis Garcia (.355/.435/.587, 7 HRs, 14 doubles/triples, 35 RBIs) and Josh Anderson (.310/383/.441, 5 HRs, 13 doubles, 43 RBIs), but they boast five other regulars hitting .290 or better. Here's the roster and individual/team stats for FIU...

http://www.fiusports.com/Sports/MensSpor...oster.aspx
http://www.fiusports.com/portals/1/conte...amcume.htm

The CUSA tournament is back to the double-elimination format after several years with the ridiculous pool format (with #4 ODU and #5 MTSU joining FIU in our half of the bracket). Winning that first game and staying in the winners bracket is all-important, especially given the lack of depth in our pitching staff (and still unsure exactly what Zech Lemond can give us). We may need our offense to break out and carry us. Let's keep the free passes and the gifted runs to a bare minimum. Let's play clean, good fundamenal baseball. Let's bring home another trophy and ensure that we're playing next weekend at Reckling Park. Go Owls!

Mike Franco is not starting against Rice on short rest. He is scheduled to start game 2. FIU will start freshman Chris Mourelle who was 9 - 2 with a 1.70 ERA in 14 appearances this season (11 of them starts). Rice saw Mourelle for only three innings in relief after starter Robby Kalaf took a shot off his right hand in the first inning of the third game of Rice's sweep earlier this year. Mourelle faced 16 batters, gave up five hits and only one run (it was earned). Good luck to you, but we need this if we are to advance to Regionals. Go F I U!

I don't understand the concept of fearing certain starting pitchers. You are going to face good pitching from here on out. Fear no one, respect all.

(05-20-2014 10:20 AM)13thOwl Wrote:  I don't understand the concept of fearing certain starting pitchers. You are going to face good pitching from here on out. Fear no one, respect all.

+1. If you're going to be the best, you have to beat the best. Did Rodon win game 1 at NC State?

(05-20-2014 10:16 AM)FIU Panther Fan Wrote:  Mike Franco is not starting against Rice on short rest. He is scheduled to start game 2. FIU will start freshman Chris Mourelle who was 9 - 2 with a 1.70 ERA in 14 appearances this season (11 of them starts). Rice saw Mourelle for only three innings in relief after starter Robby Kalaf took a shot off his right hand in the first inning of the third game of Rice's sweep earlier this year. Mourelle faced 16 batters, gave up five hits and only one run (it was earned). Good luck to you, but we need this if we are to advance to Regionals. Go F I U!

Thanks for the info.

I see it on FIU's site now: http://fiusports.typepad.com/the-prowl/2...-rice.html

That's an interesting decision on FIU's part considering their position right now.

(05-20-2014 10:47 AM)d1owls4life Wrote:  

(05-20-2014 10:16 AM)FIU Panther Fan Wrote:  Mike Franco is not starting against Rice on short rest. He is scheduled to start game 2. FIU will start freshman Chris Mourelle who was 9 - 2 with a 1.70 ERA in 14 appearances this season (11 of them starts). Rice saw Mourelle for only three innings in relief after starter Robby Kalaf took a shot off his right hand in the first inning of the third game of Rice's sweep earlier this year. Mourelle faced 16 batters, gave up five hits and only one run (it was earned). Good luck to you, but we need this if we are to advance to Regionals. Go F I U!

Thanks for the info.

I see it on FIU's site now: http://fiusports.typepad.com/the-prowl/2...-rice.html

That's an interesting decision on FIU's part considering their position right now.

Mourelle got the win in his last start, May 11 against Middle Tennessee. In that game, the right-handed freshman pitched 7 2/3 innings, gave up five hits, one run (it was earned), struck out three and walked two.

Mourelle was our #2 starter by year end and did not pitch at all against Tulane so that he could be ready for game 1 of the tournament. Who is going to start for Rice?

(05-20-2014 11:04 AM)Almadenmike Wrote:  

(05-20-2014 10:47 AM)d1owls4life Wrote:  

(05-20-2014 10:16 AM)FIU Panther Fan Wrote:  Mike Franco is not starting against Rice on short rest. He is scheduled to start game 2. FIU will start freshman Chris Mourelle who was 9 - 2 with a 1.70 ERA in 14 appearances this season (11 of them starts). Rice saw Mourelle for only three innings in relief after starter Robby Kalaf took a shot off his right hand in the first inning of the third game of Rice's sweep earlier this year. Mourelle faced 16 batters, gave up five hits and only one run (it was earned). Good luck to you, but we need this if we are to advance to Regionals. Go F I U!

Thanks for the info.

I see it on FIU's site now: http://fiusports.typepad.com/the-prowl/2...-rice.html

That's an interesting decision on FIU's part considering their position right now.

Mourelle got the win in his last start, May 11 against Middle Tennessee. In that game, the right-handed freshman pitched 7 2/3 innings, gave up five hits, one run (it was earned), struck out three and walked two.

Yup, he's pitched pretty damn well. More hittable than Franco, but still looks like will be a tough challenge for us.

(05-20-2014 11:20 AM)FIU Panther Fan Wrote:  Mourelle was our #2 starter by year end and did not pitch at all against Tulane so that he could be ready for game 1 of the tournament. Who is going to start for Rice?

The assumption here is Kevin McCanna, but that hasn't been announced as of yet.

(05-20-2014 11:24 AM)d1owls4life Wrote:  

(05-20-2014 11:20 AM)FIU Panther Fan Wrote:  Mourelle was our #2 starter by year end and did not pitch at all against Tulane so that he could be ready for game 1 of the tournament. Who is going to start for Rice?

The assumption here is Kevin McCanna, but that hasn't been announced as of yet.

The plot thickens. Who will pitch the second game against Rice from Middle Tennessee or Old Dominion. Whoa. Getting ahead of myself.

(05-20-2014 11:44 AM)elf owl Wrote:  

(05-20-2014 11:24 AM)d1owls4life Wrote:  

(05-20-2014 11:20 AM)FIU Panther Fan Wrote:  Mourelle was our #2 starter by year end and did not pitch at all against Tulane so that he could be ready for game 1 of the tournament. Who is going to start for Rice?

The assumption here is Kevin McCanna, but that hasn't been announced as of yet.

The plot thickens. Who will pitch the second game against Rice from Middle Tennessee or Old Dominion. Whoa. Getting ahead of myself.

Frankly I am comfortable with whichever Owl Graham runs out to the mound. My guess is McDowell. McDowell previously pitched four innings in relief of McCaana and picked up the win against FIU. McCanna would only be pitching on one day less than his normal weekly start. So, I can see why McCanna would be the assumed started.

(05-20-2014 10:47 AM)d1owls4life Wrote:  

(05-20-2014 10:16 AM)FIU Panther Fan Wrote:  Mike Franco is not starting against Rice on short rest. He is scheduled to start game 2. FIU will start freshman Chris Mourelle who was 9 - 2 with a 1.70 ERA in 14 appearances this season (11 of them starts). Rice saw Mourelle for only three innings in relief after starter Robby Kalaf took a shot off his right hand in the first inning of the third game of Rice's sweep earlier this year. Mourelle faced 16 batters, gave up five hits and only one run (it was earned). Good luck to you, but we need this if we are to advance to Regionals. Go F I U!

Thanks for the info.

I see it on FIU's site now: http://fiusports.typepad.com/the-prowl/2...-rice.html

That's an interesting decision on FIU's part considering their position right now.

Franco may have gotten hurt in last Thursday's loss to Tulane, as he only worked 2.2 innings. Mourelle has been their regular Sunday starter since the third week in March.

(05-20-2014 03:58 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(05-20-2014 10:47 AM)d1owls4life Wrote:  

(05-20-2014 10:16 AM)FIU Panther Fan Wrote:  Mike Franco is not starting against Rice on short rest. He is scheduled to start game 2. FIU will start freshman Chris Mourelle who was 9 - 2 with a 1.70 ERA in 14 appearances this season (11 of them starts). Rice saw Mourelle for only three innings in relief after starter Robby Kalaf took a shot off his right hand in the first inning of the third game of Rice's sweep earlier this year. Mourelle faced 16 batters, gave up five hits and only one run (it was earned). Good luck to you, but we need this if we are to advance to Regionals. Go F I U!

Thanks for the info.

I see it on FIU's site now: http://fiusports.typepad.com/the-prowl/2...-rice.html

That's an interesting decision on FIU's part considering their position right now.

Franco may have gotten hurt in last Thursday's loss to Tulane, as he only worked 2.2 innings. Mourelle has been their regular Sunday starter since the third week in March.

He threw 7 innings against Tulane.

http://www.fiusports.com/portals/1/conte.../fiu52.htm

I have yet to see anything official from the FIU website regarding starting pitcher for tomorrow's game. It would certainly be odd if Franco was held back for Game 2 because of "short rest" when he pitched last Thursday in the opener against Tulane on the exact same amount of rest (with Franco the winner in a 9-1 decision). [BTW, MTSU will be throwing their ace, Curtis, tomorrow against ODU.]

However, if it is Fr RHP Chris Mourelle, who has been their Sunday starter since late March and who was just named CUSA Freshman of the Year, we'll still have a tough task at hand...

http://www.fiusports.com/Sports/MensSpor...onors.aspx

Quote:Mourelle leads all Conference USA freshmen and is tied for third among all pitchers in victories with nine, posting a 9-2 record with a 1.70 ERA (sixth-best in C-USA). He has tossed a pair of complete-game shutouts and was the starter in a third blanking of an opponent. Mourelle has allowed just 10 walks in 74.1 innings pitched, while striking out 35 batters. Opponents are batting just .238 against the right-hander. His 1.21 walks per nine innings average ranks 24th in the nation, while his 1.70 ERA ranks 37th nationally. In fact, Mourelle’s ERA is third lowest amongst all freshmen pitchers in the country. He joins Franco as one of 47 pitchers in the country on the Rawlings National Pitcher of the Year Watch List.

14 app, 11 starts, 9-2, 74.1 IP, 1.70 ERA, .238 BAA, 10 BBs, 1 HBP, 35 Ks

He obviously has exceptional control, but does not strike out many batters. Sounds like a soft-tossing right-hander, who features a changeup to keep batters off-balance. As noted in a previous post, he has not pitched since a week ago Sunday, but here are his last 4 outings...

5/11 vs. #85 MTSU W, 7.2 IP, 5 hits, 1 run, 2 BBs, 3 Ks
5/4 vs. #65 ECU W, 7.1 IP, 6 hits, 1 run, 1 BB, 3 Ks
4/27 vs. #287 St.Peters W, 5.0 IP, 3 hits, 0 runs, 0 BBs, 3 Ks
4/20 vs.#87 FAU L, 2.2 IP, 10 hits, 6 runs, 0 BBs, 2 Ks

^ Haha! Joke's on him cuz we don't try to take walks! Sucka!! He may think 1.21 walks per nine innings is impressive, but we only take 1.20 walks per nine innings. Suck it, Mourelle! This is our tournament!! You're only living in it!! SNAP!!

(05-20-2014 03:03 PM)13thOwl Wrote:  

(05-20-2014 11:44 AM)elf owl Wrote:  

(05-20-2014 11:24 AM)d1owls4life Wrote:  

(05-20-2014 11:20 AM)FIU Panther Fan Wrote:  Mourelle was our #2 starter by year end and did not pitch at all against Tulane so that he could be ready for game 1 of the tournament. Who is going to start for Rice?

The assumption here is Kevin McCanna, but that hasn't been announced as of yet.

The plot thickens. Who will pitch the second game against Rice from Middle Tennessee or Old Dominion. Whoa. Getting ahead of myself.

Frankly I am comfortable with whichever Owl Graham runs out to the mound. My guess is McDowell. McDowell previously pitched four innings in relief of McCaana and picked up the win against FIU. McCanna would only be pitching on one day less than his normal weekly start. So, I can see why McCanna would be the assumed started.

I'd be shocked if it's McDowell, as Chase has had only on solid outing in his last four starts, and even when he's on, he's hittable. FIU is going to be the best offensive team we face this week.

(05-20-2014 05:30 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(05-20-2014 03:03 PM)13thOwl Wrote:  

(05-20-2014 11:44 AM)elf owl Wrote:  

(05-20-2014 11:24 AM)d1owls4life Wrote:  

(05-20-2014 11:20 AM)FIU Panther Fan Wrote:  Mourelle was our #2 starter by year end and did not pitch at all against Tulane so that he could be ready for game 1 of the tournament. Who is going to start for Rice?

The assumption here is Kevin McCanna, but that hasn't been announced as of yet.

The plot thickens. Who will pitch the second game against Rice from Middle Tennessee or Old Dominion. Whoa. Getting ahead of myself.

Frankly I am comfortable with whichever Owl Graham runs out to the mound. My guess is McDowell. McDowell previously pitched four innings in relief of McCaana and picked up the win against FIU. McCanna would only be pitching on one day less than his normal weekly start. So, I can see why McCanna would be the assumed started.

I'd be shocked if it's McDowell, as Chase has had only on solid outing in his last four starts, and even when he's on, he's hittable. FIU is going to be the best offensive team we face this week.

3.86 ERA with a 2/1 k/bb ratio isn't "hittable". I have confidence that he would give good effort and a quality start. This will be a long week. Everyone will pitch as long as Rice keeps playing.

I don't know what the value is for an extra day of rest for McCanna.

I guess I am just repeating that I am good with who Graham runs out there tomorrow. I would not be "shocked" if it is McDowell as it is a logical alternative to McCanna.

(05-20-2014 06:51 PM)13thOwl Wrote:  

(05-20-2014 05:30 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(05-20-2014 03:03 PM)13thOwl Wrote:  

(05-20-2014 11:44 AM)elf owl Wrote:  

(05-20-2014 11:24 AM)d1owls4life Wrote:  The assumption here is Kevin McCanna, but that hasn't been announced as of yet.

The plot thickens. Who will pitch the second game against Rice from Middle Tennessee or Old Dominion. Whoa. Getting ahead of myself.

Frankly I am comfortable with whichever Owl Graham runs out to the mound. My guess is McDowell. McDowell previously pitched four innings in relief of McCaana and picked up the win against FIU. McCanna would only be pitching on one day less than his normal weekly start. So, I can see why McCanna would be the assumed started.

I'd be shocked if it's McDowell, as Chase has had only on solid outing in his last four starts, and even when he's on, he's hittable. FIU is going to be the best offensive team we face this week.

3.86 ERA with a 2/1 k/bb ratio isn't "hittable". I have confidence that he would give good effort and a quality start. This will be a long week. Everyone will pitch as long as Rice keeps playing.

I don't know what the value is for an extra day of rest for McCanna.

I guess I am just repeating that I am good with who Graham runs out there tomorrow. I would not be "shocked" if it is McDowell as it is a logical alternative to McCanna.

.285 BAA (the worst on our entire Rice staff) is definitely hittable. And, as I said in my previous posts, his performance has declined considerably the past month.

In recent years, it has been pretty typical for the last regular season series to be Thu, Fri, Sat and for the conference tournament to start on Wednesday. As a result, if you keep your normal rotation, then the weekend starter goes every sixth day for two weeks in a row. (This seems fine to me since the standard in the majors is a five day rotation.)

Last year, Austin Kubitza was our Friday starter and pitched the first game of the conference tournament.
In 2012, Matt Reckling was our Friday starter but his last regular game was played on Friday (instead of Thu) due to weather. Andrew Benak started the first conference tournament game.
In 2011, Austin K. was our Friday starter and pitched the first game of the conference tournament.

If the past in any guide to the future, this strongly suggests that Austin will start tomorrow. Of course, I'll be satisfied with whomever the coaches decide should pitch.

(05-20-2014 07:12 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(05-20-2014 06:51 PM)13thOwl Wrote:  

(05-20-2014 05:30 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(05-20-2014 03:03 PM)13thOwl Wrote:  

(05-20-2014 11:44 AM)elf owl Wrote:  The plot thickens. Who will pitch the second game against Rice from Middle Tennessee or Old Dominion. Whoa. Getting ahead of myself.

Frankly I am comfortable with whichever Owl Graham runs out to the mound. My guess is McDowell. McDowell previously pitched four innings in relief of McCaana and picked up the win against FIU. McCanna would only be pitching on one day less than his normal weekly start. So, I can see why McCanna would be the assumed started.

I'd be shocked if it's McDowell, as Chase has had only on solid outing in his last four starts, and even when he's on, he's hittable. FIU is going to be the best offensive team we face this week.

3.86 ERA with a 2/1 k/bb ratio isn't "hittable". I have confidence that he would give good effort and a quality start. This will be a long week. Everyone will pitch as long as Rice keeps playing.

I don't know what the value is for an extra day of rest for McCanna.

I guess I am just repeating that I am good with who Graham runs out there tomorrow. I would not be "shocked" if it is McDowell as it is a logical alternative to McCanna.

.285 BAA (the worst on our entire Rice staff) is definitely hittable. And, as I said in my previous posts, his performance has declined considerably the past month.

Less than two weeks ago he went 6.1 and gave up one earned run versus HBU. Pretty solid.

I think one of the biggest differences that we have is that you see the average i.e. You are what your record says you are. I think that there are both good and bad that create the average. I prefer to think McDowell will have a HBU type outing and in doing so, his season averages will improve, thus becoming a better pitcher in your estimation. If Chase was on any other CUSA team, he would pitch on weekends and would give you cause for warning in your pregame write-up (in my opinion).