Notes From Omaha

By George W. Webb III

Even though Rice baseball did not win this year’s College World Series, the 2005–06 team had a great season overall. In their first year in Conference USA, the Owls won the conference championship. That’s Rice’s 11th consecutive conference title, spanning three conferences. The team’s final record of 57–13 is the third-highest win total and second-highest winning percentage in Rice history. The Owls were ranked No. 1 in the nation in at least one poll for 11 weeks (not consecutive) and were the consensus No. 1 in all four national polls for five straight weeks.

Rice entered the NCAA playoffs with the best record in the country (53–10) and seeded No. 2 in the 64-team field—an enviable position. But in the first game of the Houston Regional at Reckling Park, the Owls almost stumbled against Prairie View A&M, the best base-stealing team in the nation. After surviving that near-upset with a come-from-behind 6–5 victory, the Owls then had to defeat a tough and confident Baylor team two times. In the Super Regional, Rice needed all three games to win the best-of-three series against Oklahoma, the best fielding team in the nation.

After recording one of the best seasons in school history, the Owls suddenly went flat in Omaha, scoring just nine runs in four games. That was good enough to win the first two games: a 6–4 victory over Georgia and a 3–2 nail-biter over Miami, thanks to phenomenal pitching by sophomore Cole St. Clair and senior Bryce Cox. But then the season ended in stunning fashion with two consecutive shutout losses—5–0 and 2–0—to Oregon State. The Beavers’ pitching was simply masterful, and the Rice hitters couldn’t muster any kind of threat. And while the Rice pitching staff acquitted itself quite well, the Owls’ normally reliable infield made several costly errors. With its elimination, Rice finished the College World Series tied for third place with Cal State Fullerton.

One of the most interesting Rice players is senior pitcher Eddie Degerman, who transferred to Rice after his freshman year at the University of California at Irvine in order to get more playing time. Degerman has turned into a terrific pitcher: all-conference, all-America, Academic All-America, and outstanding player of the NCAA Regional at Reckling, where he recorded 14 strikeouts in a crucial win against Baylor. He also was a fourth-round pick in the major league draft by the St. Louis Cardinals.