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The Rice Thresher
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by JOSE LUIS CUBRIA THRESHER EDITORIAL STAFF A month and a half is a long time in college baseball. A lot can happen in a short span of six or seven weeks, but you can be sure the Owls' memory goes that far back. A month and a half ago, the Owls were coming off a three-game Western Athletic Conference series at the University of Hawaii. They had entered the series expecting to right the ship after drifting terribly off course during the first third of the season. Instead, they lost two out of three to the Rainbows to drop to 8-12 on the year. The most painful part was that they actually held leads in both losses before letting the games slip away in the later innings. But that was a long time ago. And when Hawaii comes to Reckling Park for the rematch beginning tomorrow, the Owls hope to prove to the Rainbows that they are now a completely different team. "If you remember that series, everybody talked about our bullpen and how bad it was," junior left fielder/reliever Jesse Roman said. "Everybody basically gave up on our bullpen and said we had none. "But the proof is on the field. Lately our bullpen has been doing really well. And we never have to worry about our starting pitching. So if we stay hot the way we've been, we expect to defend our place and take all three." Rice has indeed been playing much better since that March 4-6 series. Since then, they have gone 17-7 to improve to 25-19 overall. More impressively, they've won 11 of their last 14 - including non-conference wins over Texas A&M University and Southwest Texas State University this week. As a result, they enter this weekend's series with both confidence and a realization of what's at stake. "We're playing a lot better ball, so we're coming in with a lot of confidence," senior center fielder Jason Gray said. "We know we can beat them. With our pitching staff and with the relief shored up, there's no reason why we shouldn't think that we can sweep the series. "But it's going to have to be a dogfight. We've got to battle every time. This is for the season, so we can't afford to let up at all." Hawaii (22-22, 9-9 WAC) is certainly a solid team, but the Rainbows are mired in one of their worst slumps of the season, having lost six of their last seven games. Additionally, Hawaii has played just seven games outside the comforts of its home ballpark, meaning the Rainbows could have a tough time adjusting to life on the road. "I think we're looking really good going in," junior pitcher Kenny Baugh said. "We were in position to win those two games. So now we've got them at home, off their Astroturf, and if we get a good crowd, I think it'll be more of an advantage for us. I think we'll be in good position to win." The Owls must win if they hope to remain in the running for the WAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Entering conference play this weekend, they find themselves 10-10 in the league, three games behind San Jose State University and Fresno State University (both 12-6). Hawaii is tied for third with Rice at 9-9. The Owls still have three games remaining against the Spartans, from whom they took two of three last weekend. But they have no games left against the Bulldogs, meaning they must hope to get help from other WAC teams to knock Fresno State off its perch. Even without holding their destiny in their own hands, the Owls are confident they're still in the running for their fifth straight conference title. "It's still up in the air," sophomore shortstop Eric Arnold said. "San Jose was leading the WAC and we thought we played much better than they did. We still think we're going to win it. ... I think it'll be interesting between us, Fresno and San Jose. But we feel pretty good about our chances." Rice's recent strong play has resulted in the team being more relaxed and confident than it has been all year. The Owls say it's no coincidence that the attitude has led to improved play. "I think early in the year there were huge expectations, and when we started off slowly we were really disappointed in ourselves," Arnold said. "So we went out and tried too hard and pressed too much. And when you press, things only get worse. "But lately we've put together a few wins, and as much as we know we have to win, we're just trying to relax and have fun. I think that's the most important thing for us." - back - |
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