No. 1 Rice Still Has Much To Prove

By John Manuel
January 22, 2004

Rice coach Wayne Graham threw down the gauntlet soon after his Owls won the 2003 College World Series by beating Stanford.

"We had a lot to prove, and we still have a lot to prove," he said on the field at Rosenblatt Stadium. "We want to do it again."

Graham called the Owls' championship a vindication for pitching and defense. The Owls were second in the nation with a .980 fielding average and second with a 2.74 ERA.

If the Owls are going to become the first team to repeat as CWS champs since Louisiana State in 1996-97, pitching and defense once again will carry the team. With junior righthanders Josh Baker, Philip Humber, Jeff Niemann and Wade Townsend, Rice may have the best college pitching staff ever returning to the mound (see Page 28), but it lost seven of the 10 position players who got 100 or more at-bats for last year's 58-12 team.

The biggest losses are in the infield and behind the plate. Gone are first baseman Vincent Sinisi (.338-10-59), a second-round pick of the Rangers who hit third the last two seasons; second baseman and leading hitter Enrique Cruz (.352-10-57), whose 26 homers over the last two seasons led the club; and third baseman Craig Stansberry (.309-6-56), an above-average defender.

The Owls also lost catchers Justin Ruchti (.274-2-19), a defensive standout and particularly so in Omaha, and Jeff Blackinton (.280-2-11). Behind the plate, Grayson (Texas) Community College transfer Adam Rodgers steps in after hitting .264-3-11 in 91 at-bats with Wareham in the Cape Cod League last summer. Ruchti and Blackinton, however, called the pitches last year, and Rodgers will have to work on his game-calling.

"We have a guy who can do it; Rodgers has enough talent," Graham said. "He's got to focus, though; he'd better with our pitchers. He caught Wade (Townsend) in the Cape, so he's somewhat familiar.

"He's going to be catching some veterans, so their stuff might be difficult to handle, but they have control--their stuff is pure. He can receive well, and these guys will almost call their own games, because they know as pitchers what they want to do and how to set hitters up."

Rodgers' junior college and summer league teammate, Andy LaRoche, would have played a major role in the lineup and in the infield, but his impressive play in the Cape prompted the Dodgers to give him a $1 million signing bonus as their 39th-round draft pick just before he was to enroll at Rice. Instead, junior shortstop Paul Janish (.294-4-44), one of the nation's top defenders, will stabilize the infield with three new starters. He'll also assume a larger role in the offense, which should be led by senior outfielders Austin Davis (.344-6-63) and Chris Kolkhorst (.351-3-47).

"Austin and I are definitely going to be key players in our offensive scheme," Kolkhorst said. "Being the lone seniors on the team, we understand that we will be looked up to and expected to carry more weight, not only offensively but in all facets of the game."

Davis is a career .348 hitter with more walks (101) than strikeouts (90) and led the team in RBIs last season. Usually a right fielder, he moved to center when Jeff Jorgensen was unable to play in Omaha due to a broken foot. He's arguably one of the best players in the country that nobody talks about.

Kolkhorst, meanwhile, gets people talking. The self-anointed "Grit Man" set the table for the Owls last year with a .478 on-base percentage. Kolkhorst made the CWS highlight reel with several circus catches, including one of a drive by Stanford's Danny Putnam that may have been the defensive play of the series. He had two offseason surgeries, one to repair a torn ligament in his left knee and another to repair a dislocated shoulder. He played through both injuries while reaching base five times in the title clincher, a 14-2 drubbing of Stanford.

"What he's got is a need for competition," Graham said. "He was coming off knee surgery but still started to play center field in the fall, learning the routes. I wish I could bottle what he has."

Most opponents say the same thing about Graham. His Owls have holes to fill. They also have the luxury of a pitching staff that won't require a ton of run support. As long as the pitchers stay healthy and the defense responds, Rice will have a chance to prove all that Graham could ask for.