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The Rice Thresher
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by JOSE LUIS CUBRIA THRESHER EDITORIAL STAFF
But starting tomorrow, the Owls begin a stretch that could make or break their season. Rice plays eight games in the next nine days and a total of 10 in the next 12. Six of those games are Western Athletic Conference contests, including this weekend's three against the University of Hawaii at Hilo. Two more are against Baylor University and Texas A&M University. In other words, the next two weeks will likely be the team's toughest stretch of the season. It will also be its most important, and the Owls (18-17, 6-8 WAC) say they're ready for the challenge. "I think it's going to be fun," senior center fielder Jason Gray said. "Our backs are against the wall, and I'm looking forward to it. No doubt it's going to be tough, but we'll see how good our survival instincts are." A strong run through its remaining 25 games would give the team at least a slim chance of earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. But the Owls would much rather keep their postseason hopes in their own hands by winning the WAC regular season crown and securing the league's automatic bid. To do so, they will have to catch Fresno State University, the University of Hawaii and San Jose State University, which are currently in a three-way tie for first place. They each have an 8-4 league mark, three games better than Rice's 6-8 record. With 16 conference games left - including six against the Spartans and three against the Rainbows - the Owls know there is still time to make up the deficit. But they also know time is running out. "It's doable," Gray said. "Hopefully somebody will knock off Fresno. We've got to beat Hawaii-Hilo, and if we do well against San Jose, we've got a chance. And then if we sweep Hawaii here, we're even with them. "So if we take care of business, we have a good shot at it. But there's no margin for error anymore. We can't throw away any more games. It's do or die right now, and that's all there is to it." While they'd like to say they're not looking ahead, the Owls admit they're at the point where they have no other choice. "Now, more than ever, we have to take it one game at a time, like the old cliché," senior catcher John Lukin said. "But at the same time, we almost have to look into the future and think about how many games we need to win the WAC or get an at-large bid. "You have to take care of your business every day. But we'd all be lying if we said we weren't looking to see how many games we need to win to make it somewhere." Rice begins its quest to climb out of fourth place with a three-game series against last-place Hawaii-Hilo tomorrow through Monday at Reckling Park. The Owls and Vulcans faced off on the islands earlier this year, with Rice taking two of three games March 9-11. Hawaii-Hilo, an associate member of the WAC in baseball only, comes into the weekend at 13-21 overall and 4-11 in the conference. The Vulcans are widely regarded as the weakest team in the conference, but the Owls know they can't take anyone lightly. "There's no way we can undercut anybody with the way our season's gone," sophomore shortstop Eric Arnold said. "We have to play our best knowing anything can happen." Still, Rice won't be happy with anything less than a sweep. "You can't say you absolutely have to sweep, but it's sure something we pretty much need to do," head coach Wayne Graham said. "You figure we need to win a minimum of 13 of our last 16 WAC games, and probably 14. If we win 14, we're probably going to be right in the hunt." - back - |
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