2017 Rice Baseball Fact Book Owls In Cuba Rice Draft Dodgers 49 Photos from 2016 Tour 2-5 Head Coach Wayne Graham 62 Coaches & Support Staff 76-81 MEDIA INFORMATION Quick Facts 6-7 2016 IN REVIEW Roster 8 2016 Results 82 Roster Breakdowns 9 2016 Statistics 83-84 2016 Schedule 10 C-USA Season In Review 85-86 Covering The Owls 11 Reckling Park 12-13, 25 & 53 RICE BASEBALL HISTORY Year-By-Year With Rice Baseball 87 2017 OPPONENTS’ INFO. Rice Team Records 94 Opponents 14-15 Rice Individual Records 102 C-USA Championship 16 All-Time Lettermen 110 C-USA Composite Schedule 16-19 Honors and Awards 117 The 2003 National Championship 123 MEET THE OWLS Pipeline To The Pros 126 Scholar-Athlete Profiles 20 Rice University is committed to affirmative action and equal C-USA Coaches Preseason Poll 33 opportunity in education and employment. Rice does not 20-Straight Titles List 34 discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, age, disability Rice Baseball Since 1999 40 In November of 2016 the Rice baseball program made a historic educational and cultural trip to Cuba. or veteran status. What’s Your College? 43 Rice Baseball l 1 Cuba tour photos by by photos tour Cuba David Ruth and John Sullivan . Capital Idea! Classic Cars Thanksgiving Day, 2016 In August, 2016, the Rice baseball program formally announced it would be It’s true. The streets in Havana are filled with classic American cars from the The Owls had a memorable first full day on the tour, which also hap- making a historic educational and cultural trip to Cuba in November - which 1950s, and many cars that are even older than that. All of the vintage cars pened to be Thanksgiving Day back home. Rice baseball was given would also include exhibition games against Cuban professional teams. The seem to run just fine, and are so abundant that you don’t even notice the the rare honor of being allowed to train at the gem of Cuban baseball, central government building in Havana (above) resembles the U.S. Capitol in oddity of ‘stepping back in time’ after a couple of days. Estadio Latinoamericano in Havana. The 50,000-seat stadium serves Washington D.C. It was being restored when the Owls were there. as the home for the Cuban national team. 2 l Rice Baseball 2016 Cuba Tour . John Sullivan and David Ruth Cuba tour photos by by photos tour Cuba International Baseball Summit Talks Game Day! Victoria para los Búhos The director of the Cuban Baseball Federation, Jesus Barosa, personally Rice played its first (and as it turned out, only) game of the tour in the city On Nov. 25 Rice was sensational in claiming a 4-0 shutout victory at Cuban addressed the team. With translation provided by Rice’s own Dr. Luis Duno- of Artemisa, some 50 miles southwest of Havana. The young fan on the left League foe Artemisa. The home team simply had no answer for the Owls’ Gottberg, Señor Barosa provided a fascinating insight to the role baseball (with his stars-and-stripes hat) was anxious to see the visiting American (or “los Buhos”) pitching tandem of Dane Myers and Addison Moss. The plays for the entire nation. team. No matter where you go in Cuba, portraits of the country’s ‘No. 1 Cazadores had a high level of professional sportsmanship, and learned to baseball fan’ were everywhere. make the Rice wings after the game. Rice Baseball 2016 Cuba Tour l 3 Cuba tour photos by by photos tour Cuba David Ruth and John Sullivan . Boom! Fungo in Ernest Hemmingway’s Front Yard Shep Vs. Shark Rice’s remaining exhibition games on the tour were cancelled after the death American author Ernest Hemmingway is required reading in a lot of U.S. While the team was touring Havana, assistant coach Scott Shepperd of longtime leader Fidel Castro. The Owls’ cultural and educational part of classrooms, but the Owls got to hang out at his house! On a trip to the trekked south and went fishing in the Bay of Pigs. The Texas native’s goal was the trip, however, was strong as ever. The team made its scheduled visits to Hemmingway Museum just outside of Havana, the players learned there is to land a bonefish. He not only did that, but he also caught a lemon shark sights and landmarks, such as the National Museum of the Revolution. a homemade baseball diamond right on the lawn. A number of the Owls (negaprion brevirostris). Hemmingway would have been proud. joined an improvised fungo game with the museum’s groundskeepers. 4 l Rice Baseball 2016 Cuba Tour . John Sullivan and David Ruth Cuba tour photos by by photos tour Cuba A Class In Contemporary Dance All Good Things To be honest the Owls had some reservations when they learned they would (Above) As the tour headed south to the city of Cienfuegos, almost the entire be attending a performance of, and then participating in, a contemporary Owl travel party turned into ‘cell phone paparazzi’ to highlight this bride’s dance class. By the end of the session with Compañia Rosarío Cárdenas, big day - and provide a unique wedding day story she’ll tell for a long time. however, the players were all-in! A spirited competition between different (Right) The Owls closed out the tour at the Paradisus Varadero resort, but Owl groups was one of the most enjoyable parts of the entire tour. also made time to finish up their semester-long Cuba Class assignments. Rice Baseball 2016 Cuba Tour l 5 GENERAL INFORMATION BASEBALL PERSONNEL RICE ATHLETIC NEWS BUREAU Name: Rice University Head Coach: Wayne Graham Assistant AD/Media Relations: Chuck Pool Location: Houston, Texas Alma Mater: Texas, 1970 Asst. SID/Baseball Contact: John Sullivan Enrollment: 6,628 Record at Rice: 1,114-466, .705 (25 seasons) Sullivan’s office phone: 713-348-5636 Founded: 1891 (first classes in 1912) Collegiate Record: 1,689-579, .745 (36 seasons) cell phone: 832-250-9000 President: David W. Leebron Asst. Coach: Clay Van Hook (Texas, 2008; 6th year) e-mail: [email protected] Faculty Representative: Dr. Rob Griffin Office Phone: 713-348-8859 Assistant SID: Tim Andrzejewski Affiliation: NCAA Division I Asst. Coach: John Pope (Rice, 1990; 1st year) Assistant SID: Kenny Bybee Nickname: Owls Office Phone: 713-348-8859 SID Fax: 713-348-6019 Mascot: Sammy the Owl Volunteer Coach: Scott Shepperd (Concordia, 2007; 5th year) Colors: Blue and Gray Office Phone: 713-348-8863 SOCIAL MEDIA Conference: Conference USA Director of Baseball Operations: Daniel Watson Athletics Web site: www.RiceOwls.com Office Phone: 713-348-8864 Baseball Facebook: Facebook.com/RiceUniversityBaseball ATHLETICS ADMINISTRATION E-mail: [email protected] Baseball Twitter: @RiceOwlsBaseball Athletics Director: Joe Karlgaard Athletic Trainer: Adrian Ramon, MS, ATC, LAT Athletics Facebook: Facebook.com/RiceAthletics Deputy Athletics Director: Rick Mello Student Managers: Michael Kidd, Ryan Carlson Athletics Twitter: @RiceAthletics Senior Staff: Bryan Blair (Sport Admin. & Compliance) University Facebook: Facebook.com/RiceUniversity Simon Dover (Chief Financial Officer) HOME BASEBALL VENUE University Twitter: @RiceUniversity Tanner Gardner (Chief Revenue Officer) Stadium (year opened): Reckling Park (2000) Stacy Mosely (Senior Woman Admin.) Capacity: 6,193 Josh Thiel (Development) Dimensions: 330, 375, 400, 375, 330 Tina Villard (Recereation) Pressbox Phone: 713-348-4931 6 l Rice Baseball l 2017 TEAM INFORMATION POSTSEASON INFORMATION OVERNIGHT SHIPPING ADDRESS Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 23 / 6 College World Series Appearances: 7 Rice University Athletics 2016 Starting Position Players Returning/Lost: 7 / 3 1997: 0-2 6100 Main St., MS 548 Total Pitchers Returning/Lost: 12 / 3 1999: 1-2 Houston, TX 77005 Newcomers: 12 2002: 0-2 2003: 5-1 (National Champions) ATHLETICS MAILING ADDRESS 2016 RECAP 2006: 2-2 Rice University Athletics Overall Record: 38-24 2007: 2-2 PO Box 1892, MS 548 Home Record: 21-9 2008: 0-2 Houston, TX 77251-1892 Road Record: 12-10 CWS Record: 10-13 Neutral Record: 5-5 NCAA Regional Appearances: 22 C-USA Regular Season (place): 19-10 (fourth) (1995, 96, 97, 98, 99, 00, 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, C-USA Championship: 3-2 (2nd) 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16) NCAA Postseason: Baton Rouge Regional (3-2, 2nd) Super Regional Appearances: 10 Final Official NCAA RPI: 24th (1999, 01, 02, 03, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 13) Final Rankings: 20th (D1Baseball) Conference Championships: 20 26th (NCBWA) C-USA: 2006, 07, 08, 09 (tourn.), 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 30th (Collegiate Baseball) WAC: 1997, 98, 99, 2000, 01, 02, 03, 04, 05 RV (USA Today/ESPN) SWC: 1996 (tourn.) N.R. (Baseball America) for a closer look at Rice’s championships, please see page 30 N.R. (PerfectGame.org) Rice Baseball l 7 2017 Rice Baseball Numerical Roster No. Name, position B/T Ht Wt Cl-Exp Hometown/Previous School No. Name, position B/T Ht Wt Cl-Exp Hometown/Previous School 1 Cody Staab, of L-L 5-10 170 So./1L College Station (College Station H.S.) 26 Garrett Gayle, p R-R 6-1 180 Fr./HS Cypress (Cy Woods H.S.) 2 Tristan Gray, if L-R 6-3 185 Jr./2L Houston (Elkins H.S.) 27 Andrew Dunlap, dh R-R 5-11 215 Jr./1L Houston (Westbury Christian H.S.) 3 Chace Sarchet, of L/R 6-3 210 Jr./Tr. Lubbock (Weatherford/Frenship H.S.) 28 Kendal Jefferies, if/p R-R 5-11 180 So./1L Spring (Klein H.S.) 4 Robbie Lammons, c R-R 5-7 165 So./Tr.