Graham sees cause for Rice to be on alertHouston, TX - When the regional pairings were announced for the NCAA baseball tournament, the Rice Owls already had a head-start on scouting reports. "They're not going to surprise us, that's for sure," Rice coach Wayne Graham said of No. 2 seed Baylor and No. 3 seed California being placed in the Houston Regional. "They've already beaten us."
Familiarity and a touch of don't-remind-us history will offer plenty of incentives why the top-seeded Owls can't overlook or underestimate the field in the four-team, double-elimination regional that begins Friday at Reckling Park.
The Owls, the No. 8 national seed, open the regional against fourth-seeded Alcorn State. The appearance of the Southwestern Athletic Conference champion offers another reminder of how quickly things can go awry in the postseason. In 2004, the Owls were the defending national champions and No. 6 national seed heading into the regional opener against Texas Southern.
HOUSTON REGIONAL
Reckling Park, Houston (Host: Rice)
No. 1 Rice (41-19, 16-8 in C-USA)
17th appearance (17 straight), automatic, Conference USA regular-season co-champion and tournament champion, No. 8 national seed
No. 2 Baylor (29-26, 13-14 in Big 12)
17th appearance (third straight), at-large, sixth place in Big 12 Conference
No. 3 California (31-20, 13-13 in Pac-10)
12th appearance (second straight), at-large, sixth place in Pacific-10 Conference
No. 4 Alcorn State (27-28, 19-4 in SWAC)
First appearance, automatic, Southwestern Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament champion
Rice's young pitching staff was thrown into the fire immediately during the Owls' challenging nonconference schedule, as ballyhooed freshmen righthanders Austin Kubitza (6-4, 2.33) and John Simms (3-2, 3.32) each took turns in the weekend rotation when the Owls opened against Stanford. Those young power arms matured in conference play, helping lead the Owls to a share of their fifth CUSA title in the six seasons since they joined the league, as well as their fourth CUSA tournament title.
READ MORE, CLICK EACH TITLE.
Reckling Park, Houston (Host: Rice)
No. 1 Rice (41-19, 16-8 in C-USA)
17th appearance (17 straight), automatic, Conference USA regular-season co-champion and tournament champion, No. 8 national seed
No. 2 Baylor (29-26, 13-14 in Big 12)
17th appearance (third straight), at-large, sixth place in Big 12 Conference
No. 3 California (31-20, 13-13 in Pac-10)
12th appearance (second straight), at-large, sixth place in Pacific-10 Conference
No. 4 Alcorn State (27-28, 19-4 in SWAC)
First appearance, automatic, Southwestern Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament champion
Rice's young pitching staff was thrown into the fire immediately during the Owls' challenging nonconference schedule, as ballyhooed freshmen righthanders Austin Kubitza (6-4, 2.33) and John Simms (3-2, 3.32) each took turns in the weekend rotation when the Owls opened against Stanford. Those young power arms matured in conference play, helping lead the Owls to a share of their fifth CUSA title in the six seasons since they joined the league, as well as their fourth CUSA tournament title.
READ MORE, CLICK EACH TITLE.
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