Top-ranked Owls set high expectations for 2007
· he baseball team is poised to make a return appearance at the College World Series this season, one off-season after exiting the tournament with a 22-inning scoreless streak and two disappointing losses to the eventual national champion Oregon State University.
Rotation possibilities endless heading into '07
· The baseball team advanced to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. last year, thanks in large part to a starting rotation led by Eddie Degerman's 13-2 record and 172 strikeouts. Degerman is now gone, a fourth-round draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals, but with at least seven quality starters available on this year's roster, head coach Wayne Graham should have no trouble putting together a solid rotation.
Deep bullpen features strong veteran presence
· Over the past 20 years or so, the ninth inning has become more the premium inning for relief pitchers. Fewer starters reach the final inning, and more relievers are becoming exclusive ninth inning pitchers -- closers. This year, Rice returns junior Cole St.Clair to the top of the bullpen order, and his dominant numbers last year solidly identify him as one of the premier closers in the nation.
Baseball team prides itself on moral integrity, athletic success
· When looking at this year's baseball team, I cannot help but think of how it could rank in the annals of Rice sports history. This team has everything in place to make a national championship run: a strong bullpen, a healthy starting lineup and plenty of arms to contend for weekend rotation spots. As loaded as this team is with future first-rounders like Joe Savery and Cole St.Clair, it finds its legitimacy in pride and work ethic -- the same virtues that proved valuable to the Owls in 2003.
Owls travel the West Coast in 2007
· There are not many teams near Houston that match up well with the baseball team. The University of Texas does -- the Longhorns have taken nine straight games from the Owls dating back to Rice's 2003 College World Series championship season.