Rice Baseball Ready For The Next Round

Houston's own Rice Owls will host one of four NCAA super-regionals this weekend. The best-of-three series will write the winner's ticket to the College World Series in Omaha, which begins June 16th. Rice (boasting a 53-10 record) will play Oklahoma (44-20) at 6:05 pm on Saturday, with a second game on Sunday at noon. A third game, if needed, will follow on Monday, also at noon. Tickets are fifteen dollars and avaliable here.

While you're watching the game, keep an eye out for Rice's stars, particularly up-and-coming young prospect (and Lamar High School grad) Joe Savery. Named National Freshman of the Year in 2005 by Baseball America, Savery is considered one of the best players at the college level who both pitches and plays the field. In 2005, he boasted 8 wins as a pitcher with a 2.43 ERA, and heated up the plate with a .382 average.

Also worth a look are the five Owls selected in the 2006 MLB amateur draft, which took place June 6-7. Taken in the second round was infielder/designated hitter Josh Rodriguez, who hit well all season despite battling elbow problems. He was the first infielder selected this year by the Cleveland Indians and, while he currently plays shortstop, projects to be a solid second on the professional level, according to MLB scouting reports.