Quite the first 3 weeks of the season (as we already knew) with 4-game series vs. UT and Stanford at home, sandwiched around a weekend series in Tucson vs. Arizona-- likely Top 15 teams all heading into the season. Fortunately, we have what would appear to be easy mid-week games those two weeks with Houston Baptist an Stephen F. Austin-- both at home. Also of note: 3/3 at TCU, 4/7 at TAMU and UH x 3 (home-home + neutral site)-- all likely Top 20 teams...

http://www.riceowls.com/sports/m-basebl/...sched.html

Longest road trip is only 4 games, though we have two of those. Also on the negative side, we travel for a weekend series at Western Kentucky pre-Dead Week (always a difficult time to be on the road).

No MMP?

How many times has Rice not played in that tourney? IMHO, Rice and UH ought to be fixtures.

(10-16-2014 01:27 PM)I45owl Wrote:  No MMP?

How many times has Rice not played in that tourney? IMHO, Rice and UH ought to be fixtures.

Yes, but unfortunately the tourney was moved back to the 4th weekend of the season...and with the new, expanded CUSA, we have but three open OOC weekends to start the season.

As much as I'd love to continue to play at Minute Maid, if we can continue to schedule 3 opening OOC series against top 25 programs, I'll take that tradeoff any day. Of course, next year is going to be rough with opening road series at UT and Stanford.

Just for fun, NCAA's final RPI.

3. Texas (4x)
5. Houston (3x)
7. TCU
14. Rice
27. Stanford (4x)
31. Texas A&M
34. Sam Houston (2x)
43. Old Dominion (3x)
64. Southern Miss (3x)
78. UAB (3x)
88. Florida International (3x)
90. Middle Tennessee (3x)
93. Texas State
99. Florida Atlantic (3x)
102. UTSA (3x)
114. A&M-Corpus Christi
125. Western Kentucky (3x)
160. Lamar (2x)
166. Stephen F. Austin
168. Charlotte (3x)
198. Arizona (3x)
201. Houston Baptist
242. Louisiana Tech (3x)

probably be another down year since Tech will have a first year HC, Greg Goff.

After 9 innings, Lamar leads Rice 8-6. Five more innings.

Beat Lamar 12-10.

So is Arizona going to be top 15 or outside the top 200 this year?

(10-18-2014 08:00 PM)owl at the moon Wrote:  Beat Lamar 12-10.

So is Arizona going to be top 15 or outside the top 200 this year?

Last year was an anamoly for the WildCats. I fully expect them to be back in the top 50 in 2015.

As for the Lamar exhibition, great to see the Byrdman hitting in the clutch and with pop. We really need both Leon and Connor Teykl to have breakout seasons offensively (just as Ewing had last year). It's time for them to hit to their potential. As for the pitching, Salinas appears to be living up to his high school hype with another strong outing. Unlikely he'll break the logjam as starter as a Freshman (with Fox, McCanna, Duplantier, Stephens) ahead of him, but he could become our #1 long/middle reliever (ahead of Orewiler, who impressed yesterday after getting hit hard by Tulane, and McCarthy).

The two double headers (Texas and Stanford) are interesting. I don't recall any scheduled double years for the last several years. Last year, there was talk that five games in seven days was just too much. This year we have a stretch of six games in seven days from Feb 25 to Mar 3.

(10-19-2014 09:28 AM)temchugh Wrote:  The two double headers (Texas and Stanford) are interesting. I don't recall any scheduled double years for the last several years. Last year, there was talk that five games in seven days was just too much. This year we have a stretch of six games in seven days from Feb 25 to Mar 3.

Yes, the burden of two midweek games (with classes and all), especially when at least one of the games was on the road, took it's toll on last year's team....compounded by our injury woes. However, it's not the number of games played, but rather the number of days in the week with games scheduled. You'll notice that those two weeks when we play the 4-game weekend series, we play just one midweek game...at home at Reckling. In 2015, there are only two weeks all season when we are scheduled to play two mid-week games (vs. 4 such weeks last year). Also keep in mind that during the first 3 weeks of the season (as opposed to later in the season), the players are not only fresh and energized (as opposed to tired and playing hurt), but this is when Coach Graham has historically liked to give as many players as possible the opportunity to earn a spot in the mix...and doubleheaders offers the opportunity to both go deep into the pitching staff, as well as play bench/utility players in that second game.

Tucson will be perfect late-February. Come on out!

How big a block of tickets will Rice have for sale for road games?

I'm in NC now and the series with UNC-Charlotte is the start of my spring break. So stoked that I'll get to watch a Rice baseball game this season.

(10-21-2014 11:23 AM)earldrake Wrote:  Tucson will be perfect late-February. Come on out!

How big a block of tickets will Rice have for sale for road games?

In recent years, tickets for the Rice's West Coast games (@Stanford, @AT&T Park, @Long Beach, @Cal Poly) have been available from the host school. Just ask for seats in the sections behind/near the visiting dugout. The home teams love that Rice fans are enthusiastic about attending, and ticket availability has never been an issue.

Even more of a factor this year is that Arizona's stadium has a capacity of 9,500 (!!), so I think good tickets will not be scarce this Spring, either.

Arizona Athletics Website Wrote:Beginning in 2012, Hi Corbett Field became the new home of Arizona baseball. Located approximately two miles southeast of the University of Arizona campus, Hi Corbett Field is the former Spring Training home of the Colorado Rockies and offers Major League-caliber amenities to the UA baseball program.

The historic ballpark has a capacity of 9,500 and includes spacious concourses, hundreds of box seats, and large grandstands behind home plate and down each base line complete with chair-back seating to create one of the best gameday environments for fans in the nation. Down each foul line are additional oversized grandstands with bleacher seats, and down the right field foul line is a large grass lawn with shade trees.

The stadium has an abundance of amenities for visitors, including large concessions stands and restrooms. The venue is handicapped accessible and includes nearly 1,000 parking spaces in the surrounding areas.

Last year, the Wildcats' opening home series against Kent State drew 3,613/3,442/2,853 on Friday/Saturday/Sunday. Subsequent series vs. Alcorn State & Seton Hall and single "Hi Corbett Classic" games vs Mississippi State & UC-Santa Barbara drew about 1,000 less. (Tops was the Friday Seton Hall game: 3,017.)

Our series @Arizona will be Feb. 20-22, which should be about a week before the Cactus League/MLB Spring Training games begin in the Phoenix & Tucson areas. But we'll clearly be the Wildcats' early-season marquee opponents. Their other home contests are against Eastern Michigan (Feb 13-15), North Dakota State (Feb 17-18), Oakland U. (Feb 24-25), New Mexico State (March 3-4) and Portland (March 6-8).

Bottom line: Good tickets should be available in the Rice-fan sections. :-)

(10-21-2014 11:23 AM)earldrake Wrote:  Tucson will be perfect late-February. Come on out!

Yes, it looks like it's time for me to visit the Tucson area, just like I did for the games in 2011. Thank goodness the Gem & Mineral Show ends the week before so motel prices aren't sky-high.