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The Rice Thresher
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by Jose Luis Cubria thresher editorial staff Are you sitting down? If not, you may want to grab a seat, because what you're about to read will likely come as quite a shock. Ready? For the first time all season, the baseball team is on a losing streak. And the horror doesn't end there. Not only have the top-ranked Owls lost two games in a row - Saturday's 4-3 nail-biter at the University of Hawaii and Tuesday's 7-4 setback at the University of Texas - but they managed just seven runs and 10 hits while committing four errors and walking 10 batters in the two defeats. And to top it all off, the Longhorns handed senior Kenny Baugh his first loss in 12 decisions. Sounds like it's time to hit the panic button, doesn't it? Not really. Granted, the Owls (18-5, 8-1 Western Athletic Conference) are disappointed by the two losses, but they're far from panicking. "It's certainly disappointing, but there's no team on our schedule that's an easy win," Baugh said. "I think we probably have one of the toughest schedules in the country. We know that with this schedule you're going to drop a few here and there." Added emphasis was placed on Tuesday's loss - if only by media and fans - for two reasons: the opponent, which has always been one of Rice's biggest rivals, and the fact that it was Rice's first game since reclaiming the top spot in the national rankings. The opponent was a big deal because the Longhorns, while unranked and hovering just over .500, have traditionally been the model college baseball program in the state. Rice had beaten UT earlier this season in a close 4-3 game at the Astros College Classic Feb. 2. The two teams meet again April 24 at Reckling Park, a game which the Owls are already looking forward to. "We don't like losing to them, but we don't like losing to anyone," head coach Wayne Graham said. "And it does set up a very nice rubber game." Then there are the polls. Thanks to an impressive 5-1 trip to the Hawaiian islands over Spring Break, the Owls moved to No. 1 in both the Collegiate Baseball and Baseball Weekly/ESPN coaches polls, while Baseball America ranked them No. 2. The loss continued a somewhat disturbing trend that has seen Rice struggle immediately after receiving a No. 1 ranking. When the Owls received the No. 1 ranking for the first time this season in mid-February, they struggled but eventually edged the University of Houston before losing to unranked Purdue University. But Rice doesn't believe there's a correlation between being ranked No. 1 and not playing well. "Any time you're ranked so high, guys will be gunning for you," Baugh said. "It seems like every time we've been ranked No. 1, we fall during the week. We've got a lot of stuff to work on, but there's something to be said about the fact that we are ranked No. 1 and we're not at the top of our game. "We're really not playing defense as well as we're capable of. We've shown that we can hit, but it hasn't been consistent. And we really have to fine-tune our pitching." Defense is likely Rice's biggest concern. The Owls are averaging nearly two errors per game, and their team fielding percentage of .957 - worst in the Western Athletic Conference - is far below expectations. "Defense is No. 1," junior third baseman Hunter Brown said. "On days when we don't hit the ball, defense and pitching are obviously key. And we're getting the pitching day in and day out, but we're not playing the defense." Rice hasn't quite gotten the pitching every day. Tuesday, the Owls gave up 15 hits, their second highest total of the year. The unfortunate victim was Baugh, who surrendered just one run and three hits in a short three-inning start. But that one run was enough to tag him with a loss, his first defeat since March 31 of last year. "It was disappointing, but you can't really worry about stuff like that," Baugh said. "I went out there and I thought I pitched well, so that's all I can do."
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