BASEBALL: Owls split weekend

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by John Fredland

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The Owls certainly look as though they will be able to score runs -- their not-too-shabby 12- and 11-run performances against Houston last weekend seemed to represent only a portion of their offensive potential. Yet uncertain, however, is whether such gaudy output will be enough to win games -- the Owls struggled on the mound and could only manage a split of the home-and-home series.

Rice (4-2 on the season) did not stray far from that pattern when they split a doubleheader at Southwest Texas on Tuesday: After surviving a last-inning rally and holding on to a 10-9 triumph in the opener, the Owls dropped a 9-6 decision in the nightcap.

Through six games, the staff's aggregate earned-run average is 9.00 -- roughly twice as high as in recent years. Just about every pitcher has shown that he has the ability to retire college hitters; what they have not been able to do is expand those flashes of success into consistent mastery.

"It's been frustrating," Owl senior catcher Tim McLaughlin said. "We're trying to find a way to find consistency. Our pitchers will be cruising along, and then they lose their zone. Once that happens, they try to groove the ball, and the balls start ricocheting off the walls or going over the wall."

In Sunday's 11-8 victory over Houston, for example, freshman Mario Ramos succeeded in inducing quite a few Cougars to take off-balance swings at his off-speed pitches, but he also surrendered a three-run home run to Jason Schreiber.

After loading the bases, junior Matt Anderson stepped his game up and shut the door on a bases-loaded, no-outs situation in the bottom of the ninth.

The Owls are convinced that their pitching will get better as the season progresses.

"Our staff has great stuff, but has had bad pitch selection," Assistant Coach Jon Prather said. "We also haven't played great defense. We are confident that we can overcome these problems -- we have guys with talent and good pitches."

"I think we are at the point of making a big jump forward," said senior Adam Herndon, the losing pitcher in the second game of the Southwest Texas doubleheader. "It's just a couple of problems for each pitcher. Some have lacked conviction in their pitches. For others, the problem has been velocity and consistency."

Owl pitching prospects looked even more dire when sophomore Stephen Bess, their best starter, left Sunday's game after feeling a "pop" in his right elbow in the second inning. But Bess' injury, a pulled wrist flexor, is not as serious as originally feared; he should return in two to three weeks.

"I felt super early on, and then something happened," Bess said. "It was one of those freak things -- the cold weather might have had something to do with it. I'm shooting for the conference opener [Feb. 28], but I don't want to rush it. Coach Graham has been very understanding."

Meanwhile, the Rice offense has not been hitting on all cylinders -- the Owls left 15 men on base and hit into a triple play in Saturday's 16-12 loss -- but it still looks to be the envy of most of their competitors. Junior Lance Berkman already has five home runs, including two in the first game against Southwest Texas.

"Will Ford is going to hit, and so are some of the other kids," Prather said. "It's also important not to underestimate our opponents -- Houston has a better team than most people thought, and Southwest Texas is pretty good."

The Owls, who dropped to sixth in the nation in this week's Collegiate Baseball poll, return to Cameron Field to host the Holiday Inn Medical Center Tournament. They play McNeese State University this afternoon at 4:30 p.m., the University of Nevada tomorrow at 1 p.m., and Southwest Missouri State University on Sunday at 3:30 p.m.

"We have a good tournament field, with three NCAA regional teams," Prather said. "McNeese is always good, Southwest Missouri was third in the Central Regional last year, and Nevada swept Pepperdine [University]. We need to play good people early on, so that we can find out if we are making progress."

This item appeared in the Sports section of the February 14, 1997 issue.

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