Not a preview, just a conversation starter and a snip from D1 baseball regarding the Owls:

“Houston, We Have a Problem”

Two Houston connections. Two traditionally strong programs. Both with aspirations of being able to compete for a conference title despite coaching staffs not having been in place a long time. Both off to terrible starts.

That would be 0-7 Rice under second-year head coach Matt Bragga and Nebraska opening the Will Bolt Era with a 1-5 record. But the primary area of concern has stemmed from two opposite ends. Rice needs its offensive weapons to start being dudes while Nebraska is actively searching for anyone other than Kyle Perry that can get outs coming out of the bullpen.

Bragga’s offense is hitting a woeful .192 while Bolt’s pitching staff has a 6.31 ERA.

Rice is ranked No. 251 or worse in the nation in average, on-base percentage and slugging, Only 14 teams in the country are scoring fewer than the Owls’ 2.3 runs per game and four of the primary contributing culprits were expected to be middle-of-the-lineup bats. Instead, the combination of Trei Cruz, Justin Collins, Bradley Gneiting and Brayden Combs is 9 for 82 (.109) with one whole RBI.

“We need our guys to be our guys. Those types of guys we need to just do what they’re capable of and if they do that we’ll be fine but right now they’re not and so we’re hurting because of it a little bit,” Bragga said. “You’ve got to be a little bit patient as a coach because I know we’re better than what we’re doing right now. But at the same point in time, there’s like, ‘Oh, man, like we got to get moving. Like it’s time to play better baseball.’ “

Bragga said how and how often to address an ongoing issue such as Rice’s early offensive woes can be a difficult line to toe.

“You don’t want to talk about it too much because the more you talk about it, the monkey gets bigger and bigger. The elephant in the room gets bigger and bigger. You don’t want them to think you’re panicking,” Bragga said, noting multiple times that the Owls are much better than their sub-.100 average with runners in scoring position. “But at the same point in time, as a coach, it’s frustrating because you know what guys are capable of. You know they’re better than what they’re performing.

“It’s my job and our coaching staff’s job to make sure that we maximize what we have. And right now, we’re not doing that. We have to do a better job as a coaching staff to try to make sure these guys are being able to come through in clutch situations…or any situation to be honest.”

(02-28-2020 02:19 PM)RiceOwl Wrote:  Bragga’s offense is hitting a woeful .192 while Bolt’s pitching staff has a 6.31 ERA.

Rice is ranked No. 251 or worse in the nation in average, on-base percentage and slugging, Only 14 teams in the country are scoring fewer than the Owls’ 2.3 runs per game and four of the primary contributing culprits were expected to be middle-of-the-lineup bats. Instead, the combination of Trei Cruz, Justin Collins, Bradley Gneiting and Brayden Combs is 9 for 82 (.109) with one whole RBI.

Sometimes I think the first team to reinvent gorilla ball will win the CWS.

2.3 runs per game lands a team in the bottom 10% - that's how much the game has changed. It's all about power hitting now - we gotta get some.

both walks on 4 pitches

Triple clears the bases. 3-0 and still no outs. He tripled on an 0-2 count.

Groundout scores another , followed by two flyouts. 4-0 heading into bottom of 1st.

400 ft 2-run shot from Cruz!

Missouri St starting pitcher is getting shelled. 3 runs, 6 hits, no outs, bases loaded.

3 runs and 6 hits is more runs and hits than we've had in 4 of our 7 games thus far. Need to keep going though - we're still down 4-3 at this point. And DeLeon hasn't been very good yet this season on the mound which is disappointing. I thought he was going to be decent. Hopefully he'll turn it around.

Two based-loaded triples in the 1st inning (1 by each team). That's something you don't see very often in baseball. 6-4 Rice now after a Duluc triple. That's already a season high in runs, and there is just 1 out in the 1st.

Cade adds an RBI with his second hit of the inning. 7-4.

A 1-out Gneiting triple after Collins gets beaned makes it 8-4. Pitching change.

No one would confuse either pitching staff with the ones that faced each other in Omaha in 2003.

Gneiting’s got the old stuff tonight. 2 RBI double, then Combs doubles him in. 11-4.

Well I guess the goal tonight is to double our season run total entering the game (16 runs in 7 games),.

(02-28-2020 08:54 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  Well I guess the goal tonight is to double our season run total entering the game (16 runs in 7 games),.

I just hope we have enough pitching to hang onto the lead.

DeLeon has settled down since his rough start. He's only allowed 2 singles in 4 innings since the 1st inning triple.

11-4 Rice, bottom of the 4th.

Cruz collects another RBI with a bases-loaded walk in B8.

After 8th
4-5-0
12-16-0

12-4 final. First win of the season. Congrats. Hopefully it's a start and not an aberration.

Rice take the first win of the season
12-4

I suppose the gorilla ball is just the natural result of that monkey on the back getting bigger