COLUMN: Jose Who?

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by Brandon Pike

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I have to admit that I let loose a nostalgic moan when Jose Cruz Jr. left Rice for the glitz and fortune of Major League Baseball. I wondered how the Owls would look lacking his mighty swat and often-overlooked fielding instincts.

But I like what I see. I think that the Rice Owls will win the last-ever Southwest Conference championship. Simple as that.

Maybe it's too early to order your College World Series tickets and book a room in Omaha, Neb., but it wouldn't hurt to get out the map.

The 11th-ranked Owls opened conference play this past weekend at the First Pitch Tournament by going 2-2.

Despite being .500 in conference play, the Owls are 23-5 overall and have the Southwest Conference's farewell title in their sights.

I believe they are primed to bring it home.

The Owls' strength is offense. They can swing the stick.

Unless you've been in a coma or an academically-induced stupor for the past two weeks, you know that Lance Berkman homered nine times in one week. He is hitting just under .400 and has gone deep 12 times this season.

Freshman Bubba Crosby, who has assumed Cruz's position in center field, sports a team- best .400 average and went eight for 15 in the First Pitch Tournament.

SWC skippers will be foolish to order intentional walks for either of these bombers, though. Walking Crosby only brings up Berkman.

Walking Berkman is hardly an attractive option. Both the University of Houston and Texas Christian University tested that strategy in the First Pitch Tournament, and both watched Jacques Landry longballs scream to neighboring counties.

The fact is that all of the starting nine are hitting above .300. Forget the intentional walk. You just have to grit your teeth and pitch to them.

Herculean as the bats are, we all know that pitching wins championships.

The Owl rotation is as strong as any in the conference this year. Mark Taylor nearly tossed a no-hitter, Shawn Onley and Matt Anderson have turned in solid performances and Jeff Shaddix is fresh off a strong outing against Texas A&M University.

Further aiding the cause has been Paul Doyle, who has taken the mound for solid relief, and Allen Brown, who is perfect as a closer.

Experience might be the sole deficiency in the Owl rotation. Anderson has just been moved out of the bullpen, Stephen Bess is fresh out of high school and Onley is getting his first Division-I experience.

All are effective pitchers, but they will be tested in the post season.

Don't expect a collapse come tournament time, though. These fellas can sling the leather.

Defensively, the Owls are adequate. They committed some clumsy errors against the University of Massachusetts, but when you rack up close to 40 runs in a series, you can afford a mishandled ball now and then.

Barring catastrophe, there is no reason why the Owls can't pull this one off. University of Texas, a perennial SWC powerhouse, is having perhaps its worst season ever.

While other SWC squads show flickers of greatness, the prime competition for the crown is likely to come from Texas Tech University.

Rice dropped one to the Red Raiders in the First Pitch tourney, but Head Coach Wayne Graham promised they'll be ready for them next time.

Tech has strong bats and more experienced pitching, but the Owls have superior bats.

I honestly didn't expect Graham to hustle this caliber of team onto Cameron Field this year, but they're good. Perhaps even better than last year's team.

So fill the bleachers, kids. This is an exciting team to watch. I have a feeling this is going to be a good ride and longer than a Berkman round-tripper.

Who knows? Maybe I'll see y'all in Omaha.

This item appeared in the Sports section of the March 22, 1996 issue.

Copyright © 1996 The Rice Thresher. All Rights Reserved.
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