Rice Players Drafted, On Their Way to Omaha

Rice swept Texas A&M in two games over the weekend to win themselves a trip to Omaha's College World Series: their sixth trip in history and fourth in the last six years. (Last year, the Owls were eliminated at the very end by Oregon State). In the first game of the Super-Regional, a sellout crowd watched freshman All-American Ryan Berry pitch into the eight inning, striking out ten, and went home happy as the Owls finally tied that game at one run apiece in the 9th, then won it on two hits (including a bunt single with two outs by catcher Danny Lehmann), in the 10th inning.

The second game was less dramatic, with Rice leading all the way behind the offensive assault of star Joe Savery, who had 3 hits and 3 RBI, including a homer (his fifth of the year) in the game. The Owls will face Louisville in a 1 pm on Friday in Omaha, broadcast on ESPN2.

Meanwhile, though, the Rice squad has the future on it's mind, as a record thirteen players were selected in last week's MLB draft. Savery was an unsurprising first-round draft pick, and excited to be drafted by the Phillies, a National League team where his Conference-leading bat won't go to waste in favor of his pitching arm. Shortstop Brian Friday was also selected early, going in the third round to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Closer Cole St. Clair was drafter in the 8th round by the Cleveland Indians (who took shortstop star Josh Rodriguez last year), but is only a junior and coming off an injury year, meaning he might still return to play at Rice for his senior season. Rice had three catchers (starter Lehmann plus Adam Zornes and Travis Reagan) all drafted, but expect to see Zornes, a red-shirt sophomore with several years of elligibillity left, on the team next year. Seven other players, mostly pitchers, were also drafted.