Previously, he wrote about the Houston Astros from 1998-2002, Houston Texans from 2002-05 and the Texas Longhorns from 2005-09. Professional Baseball News. The Owls could have sought out an established assistant and were linked to some noteworthy candidates in recent weeks. The 2018 season was the Owls' 19th at the stadium. Arendas, Rick In his first two seasons, he produced three draft picks in the first five rounds of the major league draft: Matt Canterino (Twins, 2nd round) and Evan Kravetz (Reds, 5th round) were selected in 2019 and Trei Cruz (Tigers, 3rd round) was drafted after the shortened 2020 season. on June 1, 2021. He is the first former Rice baseball player to be named the Owls' head coach since Harold Stockbridge, who lettered from 1946-48, guided the program from 1949-52. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. Rice will have a familiar face and an even more familiar name as it next baseball coach. Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt and long-time head coach Tim Tadlock[], FILED UNDER Rice, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Utah, This category can only be viewed by members. "Matt Bragga is a dedicated coach who brought a track record of success with . Full Bio. This is a carousel. In addition to the hiring of Parker Bangs, a new pitching coach, this offseason, the Owls will also turnover a sizable . Hannigan, Jacob During his time in College Station he led the Aggies to six conference titles and two College World Series appearances. That followed three straight seasons of wins in the 30s, totals the school wasn't used to. One thing to keep an eye on: longtime TCU coach Jim Schlossnagle is a candidate for the job at Mississippi State. He came to the Houston Chronicle as part of an internship through the Sports Journalism Institute in 1995. Theres never a dull moment on the college baseball coaching carousel. Matt Bragga is a dedicated coach who brought a track record of success with him to Rice, Karlgaard said. Professional Baseball News. Search. Unfortunately, we havent seen enough improvement in our program for us to move forward together. Arguably the best player in Rice history, Berkman has expressed interest in the job. Head coach Jose Cruz Jr. singled out Ryland Urbanczyk and Garrett Stratton as early standouts at the onset of preseason practices, which would likely make the front runners in that regard. For what its worth, he follows The Roost on Twitter shortly after the news of Braggas dismissal was released. Rob Hardy. He is the third former Rice student athlete on the current staff of Owl head coaches, joining Jon Warren (men's track) and Efe Ustundag (men's tennis). Other Sports News. Cruz Jr., the son . Eddie Dyer was the first former Owls player to make it to the Major League level. Rice University players who attended other colleges: Jim Asbell . Rice Baseball has parted ways with Head Coach Matt Bragga after three seasons. This is a carousel. Are insane ticket costs pricing Astros fans out of Opening Day? The Horned Frogs pitching staff has annually been among the nations best, finishing No. END OF AN ERA:The Wayne Graham era at Rice draws to a close. Copyright 2021 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved. sign up for the Launch Pad newsletter here. Baseball From purely an innings-pitched perspective, Rice will have to replace its top five arms from last years team. Bragga compiled a 51-76-1 record in three seasons with the Owls and has a career mark of 497-468-3. Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic. Duffield, Ben Owls AD Joe Karlgaard will begin nationwide search. In a conference call with reporters after . Itll be interesting to watch how his role plays out as well as a guy like Micah Davis that flashed his talents last year but lacked consistent command. The Panthers will look to keep the momentum rolling under first-year coach Mike MacIntyre this week as they host a Louisiana Tech team coming off a heartbreaking 42-41 overtime loss to Rice. Are insane ticket costs pricing Astros fans out of Opening Day? Durke, Blake "Wayne Graham did a great job and built a great program. Rice Trivia. Rice has won an eye-opening 77 percent of its more than 600 games at Reckling Park since opening for the 2000 season. Texas A &M's Rob Childress was also relieved of his duties following 16 years with that baseball program. Devenny, Ryland But Rice suffered its first losing season at 23-28 in Graham's 27 years in 2018. Rice baseball will look to significantly retool its pitching staff this season. Or maybe Lance Berkman? In a story that was first reported by D1Baseball. A Texas City native, Deggs served as an assistant at Arkansas, Texas A&M and Louisiana-Lafayette before being hired by Sam Houston State in 2015. Sam Houston went 39-20 and won the Southland Conferences regular season title this year but was not selected to the NCAA tournament. Rice cast a wide net in the search for its new coach a job that had not been open since Graham took over after the 1991 season and interviewed former players Lance Berkman, Jose Cruz Jr., Paul Janish and Norm Charlton, along with TCU pitching coach Kirk Saarloos, Southeastern Louisiana coach Matt Riser, TCU associate head coach Bill Mosiello, Texas assistant Sean Allen and former Astros manager Bo Porter. Rice Football: Solomon: Jon Kay exits North Shore a high school coaching legend (Chronicle) Skip to main content Menu. Rice Village Pop Up Stores at 5510 Morningside Ave, Rice Campus Store Click Here for Operation Hours. "Those are two things that are of the upmost importance in terms of getting rolling," he said. A three-time All-American with the Owls, Cruz Jr. went on to be selected as the No. If there is a knock on Berkman its the absence of any college coaching experience. Additionally, they converted Justin Long from catcher to hurler, and word of his development has been very positive throughout the offseason. "It's got to be something that's just totally eye-popping, and Rice is absolutely that.". Astros | Altuve vs. time: Star looks to continue Hall of Fame pathRockets | Jalen Green and team 'lock in' after embarrassmentTexans | Houston listed as best fit for 3 top-50 free agentsCollege | Houston favored by wide margin to win NCAA tournament. Prior to his arrival in Fort Worth in 2004, TCU had never been to the CWS. (); : Hinch as the Detroit Tigers' assistant hitting coach. Posted 5:45:40 PM. ); : Rice is looking for a new coach after firing Matt Bragga last month. That quintet accounted for 251 of 485.2 innings pitched, representing more than 50 percent of the innings worked by the entire 2022 staff. Veteran J.P. Heath is now in his 15th season as the voice of the Owls. Past that, theres a strong compliment of freshman arms that will get looks. Bragga, 45, takes over for Wayne Graham, whose contract was not renewed at the end of the season after a Hall of Fame career that produced a national title in 2003 and 23 straight NCAA Tournament appearances. 1963 Press Photo Football Coach Wayne Hardin congratulates Roger Staubach . He spent his first 11 seasons in Houston and is one of the most popular players in Astros history. The Owls will tab Jose Cruz Jr. to run their program. His first team finished with a 26-33 record, including wins over TCU & Baylor, winning the Silver Glove Series with Houston and posting a 2-2 record at the C-USA tournament. Roger Clemens makes surprise appearance at Astros' Spring Training, Hiker captures 'once-in-a-lifetime' photo of wildlife at Brazos Bend State Park, Why Johnson City in Texas Hill Country is the new, cooler Fredericksburg. ANOTHER RICE STAR: Former Astros star Lance Berkman takes over HBU baseball program, Jose Cruz Jr., understands as well as anyone the trajectory of Rice baseball over the last three decades, Rice athletic director Joe Karlgaard said in a statement from the university. Entering Year 2 under head coach Jose Cruz Jr the Rice baseball roster is starting to take shape. Coach Jose Cruz Jr., of the Detroit Tigers in the dugout before the game against the Oakland Athletics at RingCentral Coliseum on April 16, 2021 in Oakland, California. Smith, Jack Joseph Duarte has been a sports reporter for the Houston Chronicle since August 1996. $16.99 + $4.99 shipping. Icon Sportswire/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images, Rice coach Wayne Graham smiles as he talks about his career after his last home game at Reckling Park Sunday, May 13, 2018, in Houston. There is no additional information to display: Jerry Rice Madden RatingsAfter the 2000 season, Bills President Tom Donahoe and head coach Gregg Williams decided to keep Johnson as the starter and cut Flutie. ***** OTHER EXPERIENCESee this and similar jobs on LinkedIn. The list of newcomers who will be in the mix is long. When Rice baseball named Jose Cruz Jr. as their new head coach in June of 2021 on the heels of the program's first four consecutive losing seasons since the 1980s the decision was lauded as a step in the right direction. 3 overall pick in the 1995 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners. Bragga said his first steps will be to get to know the Owls' roster "one by one" and put together a coaching staff. Vincent, Garret This is still, in my opinion, one of the elite programs in the country.". He and the next name on this list were both tabbed as candidates to watch by D1 Baseballs Kendall Rogers. Karlgaard said Bragga became the choice because of success "building the program from the ground up with limited resources" in 15 seasons at Tennessee Tech. Are insane ticket costs pricing Astros fans out of Opening Day? Gurin, Ben Rice was the fourth Rutgers coach to have off-the-court issues affect, or ultimately end, his tenure. Here are five potential names the Owls might consider. "That speaks volumes of the type of man he is.". Regional before falling to Texas in a best-of-three super regional. Get tickets to Rice Owls athletic events including Basketball, Football, and Baseball. Baseball Support Staff. He wouldnt have to travel far were he to relocate to Houston, which he reportedly would have interest in doing. Pitching Matchups Friday: RHP Parker Smith (2-3, 4.19) vs. RHP Jake Hammond (3-1, 3.77) Considered an up-and-coming coach, Saarloos is an attractive candidate because of his experience at a private school as assistant at TCU since 2012. Ben-Shoshan, Reed