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The Rice Thresher
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by Jose Luis Cubria thresher editorial staff The official start of classes Monday and Tuesday confirmed the rumor that Rice baseball fans had been hoping was true all summer long: They're baaack. Senior right-handers Kenny Baugh and Jon Skaggs, both high draft picks in this summer's amateur draft, spurned the pros to return to Rice for their fourth and final year as Owls. And right-hander Jeff Nichols, whose senior season was essentially erased last spring by a shoulder injury, received a medical redshirt and will be back for the 2001 season as a fifth-year senior. In other words, three hurlers who many thought were moving on with their careers will all be back to lead Rice into its second season in Reckling Park. That should be a scary thought for the rest of the nation. "It's very exciting," Nichols said. "Obviously I wouldn't want to end my career on a note like last year, so this redshirt gives me the chance of coming back. And Kenny and Jon would be aces on any other team in the nation. With them coming back, we've got a great chance to make it to [the College World Series], if not winning it." Skaggs and Baugh, who finished last season a combined 24-4 with a 2.60 earned run average, had similar summers. They were drafted in back-to-back rounds, with Skaggs going to the Baltimore Orioles in the fourth round and Baugh to the Oakland Athletics in the fifth. They went through the negotiations process until late July and early August, and when it came down to it, both decided there were simply too many reasons to come back to Rice. "It was kind of a combination of everything," Skaggs said. "I was in a win-win situation. I had pro ball in one hand and school in the other hand, and school just outweighed the other one. "A Rice degree is very important for me. ... And I'm coming back to Rice for my senior year when we're going to be really good." Baugh cited many of the same reasons for returning for his senior year, especially progress towards graduation and the chance to play on a potentially great team. And it didn't hurt that he and Skaggs were in touch over the summer, too. "We were up here lifting weights together, but we never really discussed much about what was going on with money or anything like that," Baugh said. "It was basically just, 'How are you doing with yours? Are you guys reaching a decision yet?' "I really had to think of it as an individual. I'm going to be in pro ball by myself, so you can't really let anything outside that influence your decision. But it is a good thing that we're both coming back." The wild card is Nichols, Rice's all-time wins leader with 38 career victories. He entered last season in much the same position as Baugh and Skaggs are this year, turning down a chance at pro ball to return for his senior year. He was supposed to be Rice's staff ace, and with 37 wins was just 14 shy of the NCAA record of 51. But the season didn't last long for Nichols. He got off to a rocky start and struggled with both his control and his velocity. It was a few weeks, however, before he and the coaching staff realized his troubles were injury-related. He ended up making just three starts and four relief appearances, compiling a 1-4 record and a 6.97 ERA before heading to the sidelines with a shoulder injury. It was initially believed that Nichols would be back in time to help the Owls' down the stretch. But when the shoulder didn't get any better, he and the coaching staff decided to apply for a medical redshirt. The appeal was rejected. But they tried again, and by the end of the season, Nichols was granted a fifth year of eligibility. He had surgery May 3 to repair a tendon in his throwing shoulder that he said looked "like crab meat." The rehabilitation process is a long one, but Nichols said he should be back at full strength by the start of practice in early January. It's quite a turnaround for a player who five months ago thought his career had ended. "I thought my career was over and that there was no chance at pro ball," Nichols said. "It was disheartening and I struggled with it for a bit. But then this redshirt came along. "You realize any game could be your last game. So right now I'm not thinking about pro ball. That's going to be a bonus. I'm just going to wait until the end and see what happens. As of right now, I'm just trying to get myself ready to give it one last go."
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