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waltgreenberg Offline
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Post: #1
Minute Maid Tournament Preview
Baseball American hardly mentioned the tournament in their weekend preview, but Perfect Game did a nice writeup...

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View...icle=12167

Quote:The second week of the college baseball season features three matchups between teams ranked in the Top 25 as listed and detailed below. It also will feature the biggest tournament on a year-to-year basis with the re-named Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic to be played at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Five of the six teams taking part in this tournament are currently ranked in the Top 25, and the other, Rice, opened the year ranked 27th. This event will present an excellent early-season test for all of the teams involved and will also answer a lot of questions pertaining to the long-term sustainability of each club.

Tournament Spotlight #1

Shriners Hospital for Children College Classic (Houston, Texas)

Teams:
No. 8 Louisiana, No. 14 Houston, No. 16 Texas Christian, No. 23 Texas Tech, No. 25 Arkansas, Rice

Prospect Watch (players ranked among PG’s top 100 juniors):
Zach Jackson, rhp, Arkansas (No. 19), Andrew Lantrip, rhp, Houston (33), Jon Duplantier, rhp, Rice (63)

A whopping five of the six participants in The Shriners Hospitals for Children Houston College Classic are represented in Perfect Game’s most recent iteration of the Top 25. No. 8 Louisiana and No. 14 Houston are two of the most feared mid-major teams in the country. No. 16 Texas Christian and in-state rival No. 23 Texas Tech are a pair of formidable Big 12 foes. No. 25 Arkansas figures to make noise both nationally and in the ever-competitive SEC, and the always dangerous Rice Owls have the talent to work their way into the Top 25.

Zach Jackson Walt Beazley - Arkansas Communications)
With three games per day there is bound to be plenty of quality action and intriguing matchups between this exciting group of talented teams.

Louisiana swept Sam Houston State last weekend, and the Ragin’ Cajuns have an exciting blend of proven veteran leadership and precocious young talent. Stefan Trosclair and Kyle Clement are two of the more productive and highly regarded position players in the entire country when it comes to seniors, and both should be quality additions to pro organizations this June. Clement has been on fire in the early going, as the center fielder picked up Sun Belt Player of the Week honors by going 8-for-13 last weekend. Freshman arms Hogan Harris and Nick Lee should be weapons for Tony Robichaux this year, and sophomore Friday starter Gunner Leger is a reliable strike-throwing machine and workhorse.

Speaking of starting pitchers that fill up the strike zone, Houston’s Andrew Lantrip is one of the more efficient pitchers in the country and he opened up his 2016 season with six shutout innings. The Cougars performed well in all facets opening weekend, sweeping Villanova in convincing fashion. Freshman Joe Davis and sophomores Clay Casey, Corey Julks and Connor Wong all have high-level hitting tools and spearhead a talented, young lineup.

Texas Christian was dealt an early blow when they learned just days before the season opener that Mitchell Traver was going to miss 4-6 weeks with a back injury. However, young pitchers stepped up for the Horned Frogs, and they were able to take their opening weekend series against Loyola Marymount. Freshman phenom Luken Baker particularly stood out on both sides of the ball, twirling six shutout innings while showcasing his typical low- to mid-90s heat and hitting a two-run home run.

Texas Tech is a more veteran-laden team and the Red Raiders lean on seniors Eric Gutierrez, Tyler Neslony, and Corey Raley to lead their offensive attack. Junior righty Ryan Moseley has good raw stuff and an intriguing frame and will be an interesting player to follow this spring, especially if he’s able to hone his command. Similarly, JUCO transfer Chandler Eden has big-time upside and his mid-90s fastball could be a big weapon out of the bullpen.

Arkansas swept a very good Central Michigan team over the weekend and the Razorbacks have the talent to play at a high level again this season, even with the loss of the uber-talented Andrew Benintendi. Arkansas should be solid at run prevention all season as junior Dominic Taccolini and sophomore Keaton McKinney are two formidable, physical righthanded starters that are aggressive in the strike zone, and All-American Zach Jackson may be the best closer in the country and will be an early-round draft pick in June.

Jon Duplantier missed the 2015 season due to injury and his return to the rotation is huge for Rice. The athletic 6-foot-4 righty could end up being a premium draft prospect if he stays healthy and is able to pound the strike zone with his mid-90s fastball. Senior lefty Blake Fox took a rare loss last week, as he was an amazing 26-2 entering the season as he looks to rebound this weekend.
02-25-2016 05:25 PM
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Tiki Owl Offline
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Post: #2
RE: Minute Maid Tournament Preview
Be aware that MLB TV will have all of our games plus most of the others on their network this week. Definitely a nice change.
02-25-2016 05:39 PM
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cr11owl Offline
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Post: #3
RE: Minute Maid Tournament Preview
Have we ever been the lowest ranked team in this tournament? Pretty crazy to have 3 "mid major" programs in the tourney with us having the worst outlook for the season.
02-25-2016 06:41 PM
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waltgreenberg Offline
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Post: #4
RE: Minute Maid Tournament Preview
Nice preview by Kendall, who obviously has not heard about Gray's injury yet...

http://www.d1baseball.com/analysis/shrin...ic-primer/
02-25-2016 07:27 PM
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ExcitedOwl18 Offline
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Post: #5
RE: Minute Maid Tournament Preview
It's subscriber only FYI.
02-25-2016 07:30 PM
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13thOwl Offline
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Post: #6
RE: Minute Maid Tournament Preview
(02-25-2016 07:30 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  It's subscriber only FYI.

Root sports Houston is also showing all the games
02-25-2016 07:59 PM
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Frizzy Owl Offline
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Post: #7
RE: Minute Maid Tournament Preview
(02-25-2016 06:41 PM)cr11owl Wrote:  Have we ever been the lowest ranked team in this tournament? Pretty crazy to have 3 "mid major" programs in the tourney with us having the worst outlook for the season.

Just win, baybee.
02-25-2016 09:20 PM
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grol Offline
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RE: Minute Maid Tournament Preview
(02-25-2016 07:30 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  It's subscriber only FYI.

Here is the section about Rice:
Quote:2. Will Rice Look More Like The Rice Of Old?

Rice University Legendary head coach Wayne Graham will enter the weekend with rather curious eyes: He wants to see something significantly better out of his club. Though the Owls have played better the last three games against Arizona, Dallas Baptist and Texas State, there’s no doubt they are far from where they want to be, or at least where Graham expects them to be. The Owls scored seven runs and committed seven errors in three games and a home series loss to Arizona. If you remember, Rice struggled mightily in the field last season, and that must get better this spring for this team to take another step forward. I have full faith in the Owls’ pitching staff with Jon Duplantier, Blake Fox and Glenn Otto, among others, leading the charge, but as we said before the season, the offense and defense remains a glaring question mark. Remember the name Charlie Warren this weekend. Warren is off to an average start, but is an athletic player who can really make things go for the Owls.
(This post was last modified: 02-26-2016 12:11 AM by grol.)
02-26-2016 12:10 AM
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waltgreenberg Offline
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RE: Minute Maid Tournament Preview
(02-26-2016 12:10 AM)grol Wrote:  
(02-25-2016 07:30 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  It's subscriber only FYI.

Here is the section about Rice:
Quote:2. Will Rice Look More Like The Rice Of Old?

Rice University Legendary head coach Wayne Graham will enter the weekend with rather curious eyes: He wants to see something significantly better out of his club. Though the Owls have played better the last three games against Arizona, Dallas Baptist and Texas State, there’s no doubt they are far from where they want to be, or at least where Graham expects them to be. The Owls scored seven runs and committed seven errors in three games and a home series loss to Arizona. If you remember, Rice struggled mightily in the field last season, and that must get better this spring for this team to take another step forward. I have full faith in the Owls’ pitching staff with Jon Duplantier, Blake Fox and Glenn Otto, among others, leading the charge, but as we said before the season, the offense and defense remains a glaring question mark. Remember the name Charlie Warren this weekend. Warren is off to an average start, but is an athletic player who can really make things go for the Owls.

I think the offense will eventually be fine, even without Gray; it's the defense I'm worried about. Right now, I cringe every time a pitcher tosses to 1B to hold the runner on, or a ball is hit on the ground.

On the positive side, I've been very impressed with our pitching; our young pitching in particular. Esquivel, Kravetz, Jefferies and Parthasarathy all impressed, Nick Orewiler turned in a very solid outing, and I really liked Willy Amador's stuff (rising fastball and hammer curve/slider). Big Jon, Salinas, Otto and Myers all have looked good...and even Solecitto was solid in his two appearances. If Blake can come around, and find his command, I think the pitching will be both strong and deep.

BTW, here's our game notes for the weekend tournament...

http://www.riceowls.com/sports/m-basebl/...16aaa.html
02-26-2016 12:37 AM
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WRCisforgotten79 Offline
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Post: #10
RE: Minute Maid Tournament Preview
(02-26-2016 12:10 AM)grol Wrote:  Here is the section about Rice:
Quote:2. Will Rice Look More Like The Rice Of Old?

Yes! Will Rice is always great!
02-26-2016 01:33 AM
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grol Offline
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RE: Minute Maid Tournament Preview
From the Chronicle:

Quote:"Probably every team in it should be ranked, whether they are or not, with the exception of the War Owls," Graham said with a laugh.
02-26-2016 08:34 AM
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grol Offline
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Post: #12
RE: Minute Maid Tournament Preview
Also from the Chronicle:

Minute Maid Tournament Format changes in 2017

Quote:Houston and Rice will not be a part of the six-team field in 2017 as the Classic shifts to a new format.

The Cougars have been a participant all 16 years, and the Owls have made 15 appearances, missing last year because of a scheduling conflict.

Details are still being finalized for future tournaments, but next year's field will be Big 12 (TCU, Texas Tech and Baylor) versus the Southeastern Conference (Texas A&M, LSU and Mississippi).
(This post was last modified: 02-26-2016 08:37 AM by grol.)
02-26-2016 08:36 AM
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Owl 69/70/75 Offline
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RE: Minute Maid Tournament Preview
See the "Arms Race Clarity" thread.
02-26-2016 08:42 AM
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Tiki Owl Offline
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Post: #14
RE: Minute Maid Tournament Preview
When did baseball split into P5 and G5? I wonder if our performance the last few years at Minute Maid cost us or this is just what they think will be a dollar grab with B12 and SEC.
02-26-2016 09:30 AM
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waltgreenberg Offline
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RE: Minute Maid Tournament Preview
Here's Kendall's preview writeup of Arkansas...

Quote:4. How Much Calling Will The Hogs Do?

As with most teams around the country, the Razorbacks entered the season with some legitimate question marks. For instance, how would they fare on the mound with no true, dominant arm in the weekend rotation, and secondly, how would they replace stud outfielder Andrew Benintendi? The answer to the latter is that you don’t replace Benintendi, but you can do some serious patch work and be in more than good shape. For instance, the infusion of freshman outfielder Eric Cole has changed the game through the first five games with Cole, a noted big bat out of high school, hitting .517 with a .647 on-base percentage, while Luke Bonfield, a sophomore we expected to surge as a freshman last season, finally appears to be making a smooth transition to major college baseball with a .385 average, two homers and 10 RBIs. While the offense, I believe, will be stable this season, the pitching staff is worth watching this weekend. Every radar gun in the building will be waiting on righthander Zach Jackson, while it’s up to Dominic Taccolini and Keaton McKinney to ultimately set the tone for the weekend.

The Razorbacks come into tonight's game 5 - 0 on the season, outscoring their weak competition (Central Michigan, Mississippi Valley State) by a combined 60 - 8 tally. They're hitting a robust .377/.463/.605 as a team, with 7 HRs, 12 doubles/triples, 31 BBs (vs. .235/.329/.342, 3 HRs, 5 doubles/triples, 19 BBs for Rice)...they've thrown out 3 of 5 attempted basestealers (vs. 2 of 13 for the Owls)...and have committed just 3 errors (vs. 15 for Rice). Arkansas' Friday starter last week was Jr RHP Dominic Taccolini, who threw 7 shutout innings, giving up just one hit, 1 BB, while striking out 3.

Here's the individual and team stats for the Razerbacks...
http://www.arkansasrazorbacks.com/stats/...amcume.htm

Needless to say, we're going to need to step up our game...and Blake Fox MUST throw strikes. Go Owls!
(This post was last modified: 02-26-2016 09:33 AM by waltgreenberg.)
02-26-2016 09:33 AM
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loki_the_bubba Offline
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Post: #16
RE: Minute Maid Tournament Preview
(02-26-2016 09:30 AM)Tiki Owl Wrote:  When did baseball split into P5 and G5? I wonder if our performance the last few years at Minute Maid cost us or this is just what they think will be a dollar grab with B12 and SEC.

I started a thread last year worrying precisely about this split coming to baseball also. The SEC with 10k attendance and spending millions upon millions in baseball, putting all the games they can on tv via the G5 conference networks. A split in perception is the next step to marginalizing outsiders in yet another sport.
02-26-2016 09:41 AM
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owl at the moon Offline
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Minute Maid Tournament Preview
(02-26-2016 08:36 AM)grol Wrote:  Also from the Chronicle:

Minute Maid Tournament Format changes in 2017

Quote:Houston and Rice will not be a part of the six-team field in 2017 as the Classic shifts to a new format.

The Cougars have been a participant all 16 years, and the Owls have made 15 appearances, missing last year because of a scheduling conflict.

Details are still being finalized for future tournaments, but next year's field will be Big 12 (TCU, Texas Tech and Baylor) versus the Southeastern Conference (Texas A&M, LSU and Mississippi).

Sounds like a good weekend to hold the Silver Glove series.
At NRG!!!

Seriously that's not a bad format for MM. Just hope it's a one-year thing. Did not realize UH had been in all 16.
02-26-2016 09:57 AM
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waltgreenberg Offline
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RE: Minute Maid Tournament Preview
(02-26-2016 09:57 AM)owl at the moon Wrote:  
(02-26-2016 08:36 AM)grol Wrote:  Also from the Chronicle:

Minute Maid Tournament Format changes in 2017

Quote:Houston and Rice will not be a part of the six-team field in 2017 as the Classic shifts to a new format.

The Cougars have been a participant all 16 years, and the Owls have made 15 appearances, missing last year because of a scheduling conflict.

Details are still being finalized for future tournaments, but next year's field will be Big 12 (TCU, Texas Tech and Baylor) versus the Southeastern Conference (Texas A&M, LSU and Mississippi).

Sounds like a good weekend to hold the Silver Glove series.
At NRG!!!

Seriously that's not a bad format for MM. Just hope it's a one-year thing. Did not realize UH had been in all 16.

Don't we have road trips to Stanford and Austin on our OOC baseball schedule next year? BTW, Stanford is one of the early surprises in college baseball this year. Very young team, but their pitching has been nothing short of spectacular in beating a ranked Cal St.-Fullerton team over the weekend, and taking the first game against UT last night (1-0 in 12 innings).
(This post was last modified: 02-26-2016 10:08 AM by waltgreenberg.)
02-26-2016 10:07 AM
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ExcitedOwl18 Offline
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Post: #19
RE: Minute Maid Tournament Preview
(02-26-2016 10:07 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  
(02-26-2016 09:57 AM)owl at the moon Wrote:  
(02-26-2016 08:36 AM)grol Wrote:  Also from the Chronicle:

Minute Maid Tournament Format changes in 2017

Quote:Houston and Rice will not be a part of the six-team field in 2017 as the Classic shifts to a new format.

The Cougars have been a participant all 16 years, and the Owls have made 15 appearances, missing last year because of a scheduling conflict.

Details are still being finalized for future tournaments, but next year's field will be Big 12 (TCU, Texas Tech and Baylor) versus the Southeastern Conference (Texas A&M, LSU and Mississippi).

Sounds like a good weekend to hold the Silver Glove series.
At NRG!!!

Seriously that's not a bad format for MM. Just hope it's a one-year thing. Did not realize UH had been in all 16.

Don't we have road trips to Stanford and Austin on our OOC baseball schedule next year? BTW, Stanford is one of the early surprises in college baseball this year. Very young team, but their pitching has been nothing short of spectacular in beating a ranked Cal St.-Fullerton team over the weekend, and taking the first game against UT last night (1-0 in 12 innings).

We definitely play a four game set in Austin next year. I have not heard anything about the Stanford series and whether that is continuing. I'm going to assume that we have to play @UCF and @ECU at some point as well... Likely in 2018?
02-26-2016 10:12 AM
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RE: Minute Maid Tournament Preview
02-26-2016 12:21 PM
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