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April 20, 2007 > Sports > Baseball upsets No. 5 Texas

Baseball upsets No. 5 Texas

Owls beat Longhorns for first time since 2003 season

By Ben Jedlovec | Thresher staff

On a gloomy Tuesday evening in Houston, the memories of 2003 were subtle but undeniable. From Vincent Sinisi’s rendition of the national anthem to the dominant pitching, from the combined offensive effort to the electricity among Reckling Park’s sellout crowd of 5,003, the Rice faithful stuck through the rain to see the seventh-ranked Owls (30-11, 10-2 C-USA) knock off fifth-ranked University of Texas (31-11) for the first time since the College World Series four seasons ago.

Head coach Wayne Graham, himself a UT alum, had lost ten straight contests to the Longhorns before his team brought the streak to a thundering end.

“I thought it might have to end at Omaha,” Graham said. “But I’m happy it ended here.”

The 7-4 victory capped a big week for the Owls, who reclaimed the Silver Glove trophy last weekend by taking two of three games from Conference USA rival University of Houston (19-17, 6-3). Second baseman Jess Buenger hit .500 over the past five games to lead the resurgent offense, earning C-USA Hitter of the Week honors for his efforts. Senior Ryne Tacker stood out for his contributions on the mound, shutting down the Cougars Saturday and giving the Owls the second game of the annual rivalry series.

Not only did the weekend series victory allowed Rice to maintain its ranking in Monday’s Baseball America poll, but with the win Tuesday the Owls moved back to third in Boyd Nation’s Psuedo-RPI report, which is a more reliable predictor of NCAA tournament seeding. The Owls also moved to 10-2 in C-USA, building a two-game lead over Memphis and Tulane for the top seed in the conference tournament May 23-27. The tournament was recently moved from New Orleans to Greenville, NC., because the post-Katrina repairs to Tulane University’s Turchin Stadium will not be completed in time.

The Owls host conference foe University of Central Florida this weekend and Sam Houston State University Tuesday before making the trip to the University of Alabama-Birmingham next weekend. The Golden Knights (18-20, 1-8) are coming off a series upset of the University of Florida and a loss to the University of Southern Florida. Rice swept the three-game series against UCF last April.

The victory over the Longhorns took a true team effort at the plate and on the mound. Junior transfer Chris Kelley did his part to keep the powerful Longhorn offense off-balance with a deceptive changeup and impeccable command, allowing only two runs in six innings and picking up his second victory. Kelley, who took the loss against Texas March 27, rebounded with a season-high seven strikeouts while allowing only four hits to end the losing streak against the Longhorns.

“It was awesome,” Kelley said. “I think everyone wants to get that monkey off our back, and I’m glad I was part of it.”

Another key to the victory was junior Cole St.Clair, who entered the game in relief of junior Scott Lonergan in the seventh with no outs, a runner on third, and the lead down to two. Facing the top of the order, the left-hander effectively dealt with the threat, escaping the inning without allowing another run to cross the plate.

After St.Clair’s dramatic entrance, the Longhorns stood no chance. Last season’s All-American closer appeared to return to his dominant 2006 form, tossing perfect eighth and ninth innings for his first save of the season.

Longhorn right fielder Kyle Russell, who blasted a pinch-hit, walk-off home run against the Owls in last year’s Minute Maid College Classic, hit his Longhorn single-season-record 21st home run off Kelley in the sixth. By comparison, his record 21 home runs is only six fewer than the number boasted by Rice’s entire starting lineup Tuesday. The solo shot to left cut the Owls’ lead to 4-2, but the Rice offense made sure that Texas would not have a chance to take the lead.

The Owls got on the board early, with center fielder Tyler Henley’s triple to lead off the first and right fielder Chad Lembeck’s subsequent sacrifice fly. Second baseman Jess Buenger’s single in the fourth drove in first baseman Joe Savery for the Owls second run. Designated hitter Aaron Luna made sure the Longhorns regretted the decision to intentionally walk Savery with two outs in the fifth, slamming a two-run double down the left field line and pushing the lead to 4-1.

Junior transfer J.P. Padron made the most of his opportunity to start at third base, driving a two-out double to right-center in the sixth off of Longhorn side-arming pitcher Keith Shinaberry. After a walk to Henley, Lembeck lined a double down the left field line, scoring both runners and putting the Owls up 6-2. Savery capped the scoring with a blast to left to lead off the seventh, his third homer of the season and second of the week.

The victory over Texas and the series win over Houston illustrated the significant improvements the Owls have made since opening day. While the offense struggled out of the gate this season, at this point any number of players can be counted on for offensive production on any given night. For example, in Sunday’s 11-6 victory, every Owl starter had at least one hit and either scored or drove in a run. Graham said he has been impressed with several Owls’ individual batting improvements.

“Since he’s been back after the games that he was injured at East Carolina, [junior shortstop Brian] Friday’s been outstanding,” Graham said. “I think Henley’s coming around. Savery is … Savery.”

Kelley has rebounded from a few rough starts to emerge as a reliable mid-week starter, and with St.Clair returning and Tacker joining the rotation, the already strong pitching staff gets a tremendous boost. Several other players, including infielder Jimmy Comerota and Jared Gayhart, have played well; unfortunately, the team is performing so well right now that Graham has trouble rewarding all the players with appropriate playing time.

“We addressed the issues we thought were hindering us,” Savery said. “We decided that we’re striking out too much, we’re swinging at balls. We’re not being a good situational team. We spent some extra time hitting balls off tees, doing some drills, and it’s really starting to pay off for us.”

The comparisons to the national championship team are striking. While no college pitching staff may ever approach the dominance of the Owls in 2003, the weekend trio of Berry, Tacker and Savery has the potential to shut down opponents at Omaha much like the Philip Humber, Jeff Niemann and Wade Townsend combination. Townsend had to work his way into the starting rotation in 2003, and his trademark spike curveball fooled enough hitters to lead the team in strikeouts. Tacker’s own repertoire was on display in his first start of the season on Saturday, as he struck out a season-high nine Houston hitters in six innings of three-hit brilliance.

“They were lucky to do what they did, and even that was nothing,” Graham said. “That’s how good he was.”

Every indication from the team implies that St.Clair’s arm is fine, and no one who witnessed Tuesday’s three-inning appearance could say he will not continue to be every bit as unhittable as ‘03 closer and current Chicago White Sox reliever David Aardsma. The junior struck out two in his fifth and longest appearance since returning from an offseason weight training arm injury. While his velocity may not have matched last year’s, he expects continued improvement with every outing.

“My arm feels fine,” St.Clair said. “It loosens up every time I go out there.”

The similarities to the national champions are not limited to the pitching staff. Neither offense stands out for their power hitters but for their collective ability to work opposing pitchers and get on base. In 2003, the team’s on-base percentage was an impressive .394; this season, the Owls currently maintain an OBP of exactly .394. The current team’s .447 slugging average actually bests their predecessors’ season mark of .440.

Outfielder and leadoff hitter Chris Kolkhorst posted a .483 OBP in 2003, including a Rice single-season record 25 hit-by-pitches. Henley, the current team’s leadoff and top-OBP hitter, broke Kolkhorst’s career HBP record earlier this season and has been hit by 19 pitches in only 40 games.

Vinny Sinisi, whose father still frequently performs the national anthem at Owls home games, hit third and played first base for the College World Series champions. Similarly, Savery serves as a high-average bat in the middle of a well-rounded lineup and solid defender at first base.

Both teams get much of their power from an unlikely position: second base. Enrique Cruz’s 10 home runs tied Sinisi for the team lead in 2003, but his contributions are matched by the 2B/DH combination of Luna and Buenger. The two have combined for 11 home runs through 41 games, and their respective .525 and .518 slugging averages are team highs, as was Cruz’s .563 mark.

While Luna has been a staple in the lineup since opening day of 2006, Buenger emerged as an important option at second base and designated hitter as this season progressed.

“If he continues to hit, it changes a lot of things for us,” Graham said. “He’s been awesome lately.”

Buenger recorded three hits each last Tuesday and Friday and four hits Sunday. The transfer from Texas A&M has five homers on the season despite starting only 28 of the team’s 41 games.

Following the series with UCF and UAB, the team gets a week off for final exams before finishing off the last two weeks of the regular season at home. The schedule resumes May 9 with a midweek game against Texas State University and a three-game series against 23rd-ranked Tulane. A midweek game against Baylor University and a three-game set with Memphis wrap up the regular season for the Owls.

So far, Rice has continued last year’s late season success. In 2006, the Owls lost only one game each in April and May and the momentum carried the team deep into the postseason. With only one ranked opponent left on the regular season schedule, the Owls will have the opportunity to fix any remaining minor issues and cruise into the C-USA tournament. Their ability to maintain their intensity and build on last season’s experience in Omaha will determine how long the Owls play into June.

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