(06-30-2026 03:54 PM)SmurfGlazer Wrote:  

(06-30-2026 03:44 PM)OKSURE Wrote:  

(06-30-2026 03:33 PM)SmurfGlazer Wrote:  

(06-30-2026 03:12 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(06-30-2026 02:53 PM)ArmChairOwl Wrote:  Clay Van Hook has posted three different flying owl gifs since June 25th. One was June 25, another was 19 hours ago, and yet another was 41 minutes ago. This is as of 2:50pm today. Any idea of who we have signed?

Link: https://x.com/CoachVanHook

I know D1baseball has reported 3 incoming transfers over the past week-- all nobodies from what I could look up. They either didn't play last year or had awful stats with minimal game action. The best of the lot was a #510 ranked prospect in 20025. Not impressed. We need a right-handed hitting catcher as our #1 priority, but certainly could use additional pitching depth. Still no word on whether Eppley, Urbanzcyk and Fernandez have returning for a final season despite graduating.

Only one I see online right now is Zach Gingrich from Texas State. Pierce likely knows him from his stint there in the fall.

Limited numbers at Texas State this year, I’d bet there is a story there. Played and performed well as a Freshman to the tune of a .809 OPS. Was outstanding in the Northwoods that summer. Playing in the Northwoods again this summer and leading the league in 2Bs. Very unusual for bad hitters to have good summers, especially two in a row. Northwoods is a very tough league for hitters (as are most all summer leagues due to the wood bats).

I like the pick up. Looks like he takes his walks and collects lots of XBH, making him much more impactful than his average suggests. If he hits even .260 or .270, with his patience and power, could be a very valuable multi-year starter.

Not sure why you think we need a RHH Catcher. The two we have on the roster (West and the Freshman Minyard) are already RHH. I’d prefer a LHH and I anticipate that is what they will go after. The two C’s we lost (Rios and Anderson) were both LHH as well.

Rice needs Bats LH, RH,Switch, any kind of bat that can hit. A new Short stop that can hit, outfielders that can hit. I honestly feel last year was some luck with the at Bats, if rice does not add more power bats could be a long season. I believe the pitching will be fine. Eppley, Urbanzcyk are returning. The three starters will not be the same next year. We do not need to worry about pitching just get bats, unless the pitcher throws 100.

I agree. The pitching was ahead of the hitting last year, but the offensive numbers are a little misleading about the quality of the position players given how good the defense was. Part of the pitchers success was due to the combo of strike throwing and a great defense.

Bringing back Robson, Smith, and Davis is a good start. Add the freshmen (I’d bet 2 end up starting 40+ games), hope for some improvement from other returners (Kutter Gage-Webb and Masa Chilcutt are absolutely raking in summer ball, for example) and grab a couple impact transfers.

I think the offense will take a step forward. No one we lost was irreplaceably impactful at the plate. Replacing some of the at-bats at the bottom of the order with even average production could push the offense forward quite a bit.

We ALWAYS need more pitching. Even The OG acknowledged that you never have enough pitching. I hope you're right about Eppley and Urbanczyk returning. Eppley, Sharp and Thames would has the potential to be our best bullpen in years. I fully expect Wiggins and Sanders to be weekend starters next year. I've always considered Urbanczyk more of a mid-week guy since he rarely goes more than 5 innings. As for the offense, the loss of Green (assuming he does transfer) will certainly hurt as he and Davis were our only consistent right-handed bats. Boehm showed potential, but he needs to be more consistent and reduce the strikeout frequency. I did think he played a really solid defensive 1B for us. Daigre was a real energy lift the final months of the season, and I'm assuming he'll be our everyday leadoff hitter from the get-go next season. I still think we need a proven right-hand hitting catcher. Yes, West is returning, but it's clear that Pierce is not comfortable with him catching and didn't give him much opportunity at the plate either. Having said that a returning core of Daigre, Robson, Davis, Smith, Cage-Webb and Boehm is not a bad starting point. I can see Kutter moving back the 3B with Boca back at SS if he can hit the way he did the final several weeks of the season. He provides strong defense and speed, as well. We need another OFer and IMO Chilcott is NOT the answer. We need a power bat in RF. Davilla is an outstanding defensive OFer, but he needs to improve his offense if he's going to be an everyday starter. Having said that, I can see him platooning with a right-handed OFer.

(06-30-2026 04:17 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(06-30-2026 03:54 PM)SmurfGlazer Wrote:  

(06-30-2026 03:44 PM)OKSURE Wrote:  

(06-30-2026 03:33 PM)SmurfGlazer Wrote:  

(06-30-2026 03:12 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  I know D1baseball has reported 3 incoming transfers over the past week-- all nobodies from what I could look up. They either didn't play last year or had awful stats with minimal game action. The best of the lot was a #510 ranked prospect in 20025. Not impressed. We need a right-handed hitting catcher as our #1 priority, but certainly could use additional pitching depth. Still no word on whether Eppley, Urbanzcyk and Fernandez have returning for a final season despite graduating.

Only one I see online right now is Zach Gingrich from Texas State. Pierce likely knows him from his stint there in the fall.

Limited numbers at Texas State this year, I’d bet there is a story there. Played and performed well as a Freshman to the tune of a .809 OPS. Was outstanding in the Northwoods that summer. Playing in the Northwoods again this summer and leading the league in 2Bs. Very unusual for bad hitters to have good summers, especially two in a row. Northwoods is a very tough league for hitters (as are most all summer leagues due to the wood bats).

I like the pick up. Looks like he takes his walks and collects lots of XBH, making him much more impactful than his average suggests. If he hits even .260 or .270, with his patience and power, could be a very valuable multi-year starter.

Not sure why you think we need a RHH Catcher. The two we have on the roster (West and the Freshman Minyard) are already RHH. I’d prefer a LHH and I anticipate that is what they will go after. The two C’s we lost (Rios and Anderson) were both LHH as well.

Rice needs Bats LH, RH,Switch, any kind of bat that can hit. A new Short stop that can hit, outfielders that can hit. I honestly feel last year was some luck with the at Bats, if rice does not add more power bats could be a long season. I believe the pitching will be fine. Eppley, Urbanzcyk are returning. The three starters will not be the same next year. We do not need to worry about pitching just get bats, unless the pitcher throws 100.

I agree. The pitching was ahead of the hitting last year, but the offensive numbers are a little misleading about the quality of the position players given how good the defense was. Part of the pitchers success was due to the combo of strike throwing and a great defense.

Bringing back Robson, Smith, and Davis is a good start. Add the freshmen (I’d bet 2 end up starting 40+ games), hope for some improvement from other returners (Kutter Gage-Webb and Masa Chilcutt are absolutely raking in summer ball, for example) and grab a couple impact transfers.

I think the offense will take a step forward. No one we lost was irreplaceably impactful at the plate. Replacing some of the at-bats at the bottom of the order with even average production could push the offense forward quite a bit.

We ALWAYS need more pitching. Even The OG acknowledged that you never have enough pitching. I hope you're right about Eppley and Urbanczyk returning. Eppley, Small and Thames would has the potential to be our best bullpen in years. I fully expect Wiggins and Sanders to be weekend starters next year. I've always considered Urbanczyk more of a mid-week guy since he rarely goes more than 5 innings. As for the offense, the loss of Green (assuming he does transfer) will certainly hurt as he and Davis were our only consistent right-handed bats. Boehm showed potential, but he needs to be more consistent and reduce the strikeout frequency. I did think he played a really solid defensive 1B for us. Daigre was a real energy lift the final months of the season, and I'm assuming he'll be our everyday leadoff hitter from the get-go next season. I still think we need a proven right-hand hitting catcher. Yes, West is returning, but it's clear that Pierce is not comfortable with him catching and didn't give him much opportunity at the plate either. Having said that a returning core of Daigre, Robson, Davis, Smith, Cage-Webb and Boehm is not a bad starting point. I can see Kutter moving back the 3B with Boca back at SS if he can hit the way he did the final several weeks of the season. He provides strong defense and speed, as well. We need another OFer and IMO Chilcott is NOT the answer. We need a power bat in RF. Davilla is an outstanding defensive OFer, but he needs to improve his offense if he's going to be an everyday starter. Having said that, I can see him platooning with a right-handed OFer.

Not sure who Small is. But, you of course can always add pitching and improve. I just think the current team is already quite good on the mound based on what we already anticipate having in 2027. You failed to mention Brackin returning, who was slated to be our best pen arm in 2026 before getting injured. He closed out the ULL scrimmage and was up to 98.

We are returning all of the guys who threw major innings last season on a solid staff, adding Brackin/Eppley/Fernandez from injury, and a group of freshmen. Any portal adds are a luxury, but I won’t turn them down.

More LHP’s would be excellent. I think most of our issues the last few seasons against LHP at the plate have been the product of never seeing it in the fall. Just seeing more LHP should help to alleviate some of the long running issues against them. We’ve consistently had LHH heavy lineups and RHP heavy staffs.

Don’t see why we’d write off Chilcutt. If he proves he can hit, would be excellent to have a versatile RHH with multiple years of eligibility. He looked fine in limited appearances in 2026 and if his summer stint is any indication, may have taken a step forward.

(06-30-2026 11:03 PM)SmurfGlazer Wrote:  

(06-30-2026 04:17 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(06-30-2026 03:54 PM)SmurfGlazer Wrote:  

(06-30-2026 03:44 PM)OKSURE Wrote:  

(06-30-2026 03:33 PM)SmurfGlazer Wrote:  Only one I see online right now is Zach Gingrich from Texas State. Pierce likely knows him from his stint there in the fall.

Limited numbers at Texas State this year, I’d bet there is a story there. Played and performed well as a Freshman to the tune of a .809 OPS. Was outstanding in the Northwoods that summer. Playing in the Northwoods again this summer and leading the league in 2Bs. Very unusual for bad hitters to have good summers, especially two in a row. Northwoods is a very tough league for hitters (as are most all summer leagues due to the wood bats).

I like the pick up. Looks like he takes his walks and collects lots of XBH, making him much more impactful than his average suggests. If he hits even .260 or .270, with his patience and power, could be a very valuable multi-year starter.

Not sure why you think we need a RHH Catcher. The two we have on the roster (West and the Freshman Minyard) are already RHH. I’d prefer a LHH and I anticipate that is what they will go after. The two C’s we lost (Rios and Anderson) were both LHH as well.

Rice needs Bats LH, RH,Switch, any kind of bat that can hit. A new Short stop that can hit, outfielders that can hit. I honestly feel last year was some luck with the at Bats, if rice does not add more power bats could be a long season. I believe the pitching will be fine. Eppley, Urbanzcyk are returning. The three starters will not be the same next year. We do not need to worry about pitching just get bats, unless the pitcher throws 100.

I agree. The pitching was ahead of the hitting last year, but the offensive numbers are a little misleading about the quality of the position players given how good the defense was. Part of the pitchers success was due to the combo of strike throwing and a great defense.

Bringing back Robson, Smith, and Davis is a good start. Add the freshmen (I’d bet 2 end up starting 40+ games), hope for some improvement from other returners (Kutter Gage-Webb and Masa Chilcutt are absolutely raking in summer ball, for example) and grab a couple impact transfers.

I think the offense will take a step forward. No one we lost was irreplaceably impactful at the plate. Replacing some of the at-bats at the bottom of the order with even average production could push the offense forward quite a bit.

We ALWAYS need more pitching. Even The OG acknowledged that you never have enough pitching. I hope you're right about Eppley and Urbanczyk returning. Eppley, Small and Thames would has the potential to be our best bullpen in years. I fully expect Wiggins and Sanders to be weekend starters next year. I've always considered Urbanczyk more of a mid-week guy since he rarely goes more than 5 innings. As for the offense, the loss of Green (assuming he does transfer) will certainly hurt as he and Davis were our only consistent right-handed bats. Boehm showed potential, but he needs to be more consistent and reduce the strikeout frequency. I did think he played a really solid defensive 1B for us. Daigre was a real energy lift the final months of the season, and I'm assuming he'll be our everyday leadoff hitter from the get-go next season. I still think we need a proven right-hand hitting catcher. Yes, West is returning, but it's clear that Pierce is not comfortable with him catching and didn't give him much opportunity at the plate either. Having said that a returning core of Daigre, Robson, Davis, Smith, Cage-Webb and Boehm is not a bad starting point. I can see Kutter moving back the 3B with Boca back at SS if he can hit the way he did the final several weeks of the season. He provides strong defense and speed, as well. We need another OFer and IMO Chilcott is NOT the answer. We need a power bat in RF. Davilla is an outstanding defensive OFer, but he needs to improve his offense if he's going to be an everyday starter. Having said that, I can see him platooning with a right-handed OFer.

Not sure who Small is. But, you of course can always add pitching and improve. I just think the current team is already quite good on the mound based on what we already anticipate having in 2027. You failed to mention Brackin returning, who was slated to be our best pen arm in 2026 before getting injured. He closed out the ULL scrimmage and was up to 98.

We are returning all of the guys who threw major innings last season on a solid staff, adding Brackin/Eppley/Fernandez from injury, and a group of freshmen. Any portal adds are a luxury, but I won’t turn them down.

More LHP’s would be excellent. I think most of our issues the last few seasons against LHP at the plate have been the product of never seeing it in the fall. Just seeing more LHP should help to alleviate some of the long running issues against them. We’ve consistently had LHH heavy lineups and RHP heavy staffs.

Don’t see why we’d write off Chilcutt. If he proves he can hit, would be excellent to have a versatile RHH with multiple years of eligibility. He looked fine in limited appearances in 2026 and if his summer stint is any indication, may have taken a step forward.

Meant Sharp; not Small.

It appears we picked up Brady Ladusau from ACU. Freshman RHH OF.

Batted .292 with a .402 OBP and a .433 SLG. Hit 5 homers and was their everyday OF. Nice pickup.

(07-02-2026 03:04 PM)SmurfGlazer Wrote:  It appears we picked up Brady Ladusau from ACU. Freshman RHH OF.

Batted .292 with a .402 OBP and a .433 SLG. Hit 5 homers and was their everyday OF. Nice pickup.

Solid pickup and a right-handed batter. I think we just found our platoon with Davilla.

2027 Roster was posted. Appears Urbanczyk, Fernandez, and Eppley are officially back.

(07-02-2026 07:24 PM)SmurfGlazer Wrote:  2027 Roster was posted. Appears Urbanczyk, Fernandez, and Eppley are officially back.

Great news, but where's Davis? He never entered the portal and he's got at least one more year of eligibility. He'd be a HUGE loss if he's not returning. Green and Davis not only anchored our infield defense, but were our two best right-handed hitters.

(07-02-2026 08:28 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(07-02-2026 07:24 PM)SmurfGlazer Wrote:  2027 Roster was posted. Appears Urbanczyk, Fernandez, and Eppley are officially back.

Great news, but where's Davis? He never entered the portal and he's got at least one more year of eligibility. He'd be a HUGE loss if he's not returning. Green and Davis not only anchored our infield defense, but were our two best right-handed hitters.

I was wondering the same. My supposition is it is just a clerical error given he is not listed in the D1Baseball.com portal listing and that was updated yesterday (7/1). The final day to enter was 6/30. Would be a huge loss but I am not overly concerned.

(07-02-2026 08:59 PM)SmurfGlazer Wrote:  

(07-02-2026 08:28 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(07-02-2026 07:24 PM)SmurfGlazer Wrote:  2027 Roster was posted. Appears Urbanczyk, Fernandez, and Eppley are officially back.

Great news, but where's Davis? He never entered the portal and he's got at least one more year of eligibility. He'd be a HUGE loss if he's not returning. Green and Davis not only anchored our infield defense, but were our two best right-handed hitters.

I was wondering the same. My supposition is it is just a clerical error given he is not listed in the D1Baseball.com portal listing and that was updated yesterday (7/1). The final day to enter was 6/30. Would be a huge loss but I am not overly concerned.

I just looked and JC Davis is back on the roster.

We landed LHP Rivers Kurland from the University of Florida. Didn’t appear in a game. His brother Cade was a multi-year starter at 2B and just transferred to LSU.

We also landed Caden Mitchell, LHH C from Weatherford College as well. Same JUCO as JC Davis and Mason Ashlock.

(07-08-2026 09:35 AM)SmurfGlazer Wrote:  We landed LHP Rivers Kurland from the University of Florida. Didn’t appear in a game. His brother Cade was a multi-year starter at 2B and just transferred to LSU.

We also landed Caden Mitchell, LHH C from Weatherford College as well. Same JUCO as JC Davis and Mason Ashlock.

Was injured, per his UF bio.

https://floridagators.com/sports/basebal...land/18099

Hopefully, Coach Horner can do for Mr. Mitchell what he did for Lorenzo. We will need someone to step up at the Catcher position to have another magical season.

(07-08-2026 11:18 AM)Ozzie Rios Sr Wrote:  Hopefully, Coach Horner can do for Mr. Mitchell what he did for Lorenzo. We will need someone to step up at the Catcher position to have another magical season.

I don't think we're done at catcher given that Pierce is obviously not comfortable using West there. Mitchell is solid (good plate discipline), but not great. Our only other viable catcher on the roster is a true Freshman; totally unknown commodity. And while some on this board don't appear to be concerned about this, we are way, way too left-handed laden in our current lineup, especially now with Green in the portal.

(07-08-2026 11:18 AM)Ozzie Rios Sr Wrote:  Hopefully, Coach Horner can do for Mr. Mitchell what he did for Lorenzo. We will need someone to step up at the Catcher position to have another magical season.

Wish we could find a Rice alum judge to give Lorenzo one more year! Loved watching him play this year

(06-05-2026 02:39 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(06-05-2026 12:19 PM)SmurfGlazer Wrote:  Cole Green in the portal. Sorry, Walt. I know he was one of your favorites.

Damn. That would be a major loss.

Looks like Cole Green went home (more or less)--Wake Forest (which is less than 100 miles from his hometown in NC)

(08-02-2026 11:17 PM)Swede Owl Wrote:  

(06-05-2026 02:39 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(06-05-2026 12:19 PM)SmurfGlazer Wrote:  Cole Green in the portal. Sorry, Walt. I know he was one of your favorites.

Damn. That would be a major loss.

Looks like Cole Green went home (more or less)--Wake Forest (which is less than 100 miles from his hometown in NC)

Tough loss, but Zito is having an excellent summer and appears to finally be fully healthy. I can see him replacing Green at 3B.

Clay Van Hook posted an owl gif yesterday. Any ideas?

https://x.com/jacksnakenberg/status/2084...36741?s=46 2027 LHP from Argyle,TX.

Welcome to South Main, RHP Grant Nicholson!

Transfer from Wake Forest. 6’5 build, 92-94 with a sweeper. Dominating the PGCBL this summer.

(08-06-2026 05:53 AM)austinbirds Wrote:  Welcome to South Main, RHP Grant Nicholson!

Transfer from Wake Forest. 6’5 build, 92-94 with a sweeper. Dominating the PGCBL this summer.

Tall, skinny kid from Charlotte (6'5", 175 lbs). RHP. Was ranked 14th best prospect (5th best pitcher) out of North Carolina in 2025. As a Freshman last yar, he only made 5 appearances for 1.2 IP, 10.12 ERA, 2 hits, 2 runs, 3 BBs, 3 Ks.