Rice University will host the Memphis Tigers for a three-game baseball series at Reckling Park starting Friday, Apr. 17. The games are scheduled to begin at 6:35 p.m. on Friday, 2:05 p.m. on Saturday, and 1:05 p.m. on Sunday as the teams reach the midpoint of their American Conference season.
The series marks an important stretch for Rice as they look to build on their current winning streak and improve their position in conference standings. The Owls have won five consecutive games since back-to-back shutout losses to UTSA, during which they have hit .330 as a team while posting a pitching staff ERA of 2.40 and a WHIP of 1.09.
Friday’s game will be broadcast by Jason Metko on RiceOwls.com and the Varsity Network app, with J.P. Heath taking over commentary duties for the rest of the weekend. Fans can also watch Friday’s action on ESPN+ where Heath will join Enrique Cruz and Alexis Pedraza; Saturday’s broadcast features Metko, Kyle Rogers, and Pedraza; Sunday’s finale will be called by Sam Kaman, Austin Davis, and Pedraza.
Promotions are planned throughout the weekend: Friday is Wine Night with $5 wine available at all concession stands and souvenir trading cards given to early attendees; Saturday is Beach Day featuring giveaways such as beach towels and balls plus a postgame showing of “Madagascar” on the video board.
Pitching matchups include Tanner Wiggins facing Will Howell on Friday, Ethan Sanders versus David Case on Saturday, while Ryland Urbanczyk is set to start Sunday against an undecided Memphis pitcher.
Rice has improved its home record this season to 13-6 after several challenging years at Reckling Park under previous coaches. Under current head coach David Pierce—who earned his milestone 500th career win against Memphis last year—the Owls have posted a .600 home winning percentage (21-14). Pierce holds an overall record of 8-4 against Memphis head coach Matt Riser across multiple programs.
