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The Rice Thresher
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Old Southwest Conference rivals highlight opening tourney by Jose Luis Cubria thresher editorial staff As far as rankings are concerned, this weekend's Astros College Classic is actually inferior to next weekend's Crowne Plaza/Rice Invitational. But with the state's best college baseball teams in town, Rice can't think of a better way to kick off the 2001 season. The Owls, ranked as high as No. 7 in preseason polls, opened their season yesterday against 16th-ranked Baylor University. They take on 20th-ranked University of Texas tonight and face Texas Tech University tomorrow. The games are part of the Astros College Classic at Enron Field. The tournament features six former Southwest Conference rivals, with three schools currently in the Big 12 Conference - Baylor, Texas and Texas Tech - playing against Rice, Texas Christian University and the University of Houston. With three teams ranked in the top 20, the tournament should be one of the toughest in the nation. It's not quite as glamorous as next weekend's field, when top-ranked Georgia Tech University and fourth-ranked University of Nebraska will visit Reckling Park for the Crowne Plaza/Rice Invitational. But that won't take any of the luster off this weekend. In addition to renewing old rivalries, the Astros College Classic will showcase the best of the best in Texas college baseball. "We're pretty excited," junior shortstop Eric Arnold said. "We have a chance to play some really good Texas teams, so we're excited about that. It'll be a little Southwest Conference reunion, and I think that has some people excited. We're looking forward to it." Making the weekend even more exciting is the fact that the tournament is being held at Enron Field, the year-old home of Major League Baseball's Houston Astros. Enron is widely regarded as one of the finest baseball facilities in the country, and the Owls can't wait to try it out - and take aim at the short left field porch, which stands a measly 315 feet away from home plate. "That's going to be awesome," Arnold said. "That place is beautiful. And the short little porch in left is every hitter's dream. We're definitely excited about that, and we'll take advantage of the aluminum bats if we can." All three opponents should test the Owls. Baylor, coming off a solid 2000 season that included the Big 12 regular season title and a No. 1 regional seed, is led by closer Zane Carlson and catcher Kelly Shoppach, both preseason all-Americans. Rice faced Baylor once last year, with the Bears taking a 5-2 win at Reckling Park. Texas had the best season of any school in the state last year, advancing to the College World Series for the first time since 1993. The Longhorns should again be solid, but the loss of all-Americans Charlie Thames and Beau Hale makes a return to Omaha unlikely. Tonight's game marks the first time since 1998 that the Owls and Longhorns will face each other on the diamond. Texas Tech is likely the weakest of Rice's three opponents, but there's a bit of a recent rivalry between the schools. The two teams have played each other four times the last two years, with Rice winning all four games and twice ending the Red Raiders' season. Playing their former conference foes has the Owls excited. "The competition is great," head coach Wayne Graham said. "They're people that will make us better, and they're people we enjoy playing. And they're all top 50 teams, which as an aside helps your RPI. Especially if you win." This weekend is also the first chance for Rice to test its much-heralded weekend pitching rotation. Senior Kenny Baugh got the start against the Bears last night, and senior Jon Skaggs will face the Longhorns tonight. Tomorrow's starter is yet to be determined. With senior Jeff Nichols still rehabilitating his surgically repaired shoulder. Graham said he'll start either sophomore lefty Jonathan Gonzalez or junior righty Phillip Tribe. Graham said he'll make the decision based on which player he wants to use in relief in the tournament's first two games. Either way, the Rice bullpen should be in good shape, especially with senior Philip Barzilla set to shut the door. "Early, you never know what's going to happen, but I feel comfortable going in," Graham said. "Barzilla is established, Tribe can do it and Gonzalez had a great [summer] in relief. And there's others. I feel like we can win the close games." Besides Nichols, Rice has no other major injury concerns. Junior center fielder A.J. Porfirio hurt his shoulder in practice last weekend, but further tests revealed no damage. Junior third baseman Hunter Brown has been nursing a mild groin pull, but Rice expects him to be ready as well. With no apparent weak spots, the Owls can't wait to get the ball rolling. "As of now, this looks like the best Rice team I've been a part of," Arnold said. "We're going to have solid pitching, a really awesome lineup and good defense. I think we've got as good a chance as anyone in the country to win the championship. "We're very ready. I'm tired of practicing. I'm ready to start playing."
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