A challenging slate of 54 regular season games, including 30 at Reckling Park and another two in the greater Houston area, highlight the 2015 Rice baseball schedule announced on Thursday (Oct. 17).
Rice starts the 2015 regular season at home on Feb. 13 against longtime rival Texas. The season-opening showdown with the Longhorns is the first of two sensational four-game series at Reckling Park where a Saturday double-header is scheduled between single games on Friday and Sunday. The Owls also host national power Stanford for four games Feb. 27-March 1 (following the same 1-2-1 weekend format).
The talented lineup of teams also visiting Reckling Park are Houston, Houston Baptist, Florida International, Lamar, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, Sam Houston State, Southern Miss, Stephen F. Austin, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Texas State and UTSA.
The Owls have scheduled a total of 18 games against seven teams that played in NCAA Regionals last season. Rice road games are at Arizona, Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, Lamar, Old Dominion, Sam Houston State, TCU, Texas A&M, UAB, Western Kentucky and Houston.
The Blue & Gray play a total of three games against crosstown rival Houston where the annual Silver Glove Trophy will be on the line. The first is at U.H. on March 17 with a second at Reckling Park on April 14. The series finale is set for May 12 at Constellation Field, the minor league home of the Sugar Land Skeeters.
Under the direction of head coach Wayne Graham, Rice baseball has won or shared a conference regular season or tournament title in each of the last 19-straight years. The Owls return 17 lettermen from last year’s 42-20 squad that earned a 20th-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament, including five offensive starters in the batting order and eight veteran pitchers.
