Baseball Preview: Tulane at Rice

HOUSTON (Interstat) — The Rice Owls host the Tulane Green Wave on Saturday afternoon at M.O. Campbell Center in a key American Athletic Conference matchup. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. under cloudy skies with a temperature of 85 degrees.

Rice (32-22 overall) enters with momentum after a dominant 12-0 shutout of Tulane on Thursday. The Owls have won four of their last five games, including a series win at East Carolina last weekend. Tulane (25-29) has dropped seven of its last eight, including three consecutive losses by shutout (two to Rice and one to Louisiana State).

Pitchers to watch

Rice right-hander Tanner Wiggins has been outstanding this season. In his last start Thursday against Tulane, he threw seven innings, allowing three hits and no earned runs with one strikeout. Over his previous three starts, Wiggins tallied 20⅔ innings with a 4.35 ERA and 12 strikeouts. He has been a workhorse for the Owls, averaging more than six innings per start.

Tulane pitcher Jude Abbadessa has struggled recently. In his last three appearances, he allowed five earned runs in 2⅔ innings. However, he tossed a scoreless inning against Rice on Thursday and had a pair of scoreless outings earlier in April against Southern Mississippi and South Florida. The Green Wave will need Abbadessa to find consistency to slow down a Rice offense that scored 12 runs in the teams’ most recent meeting.

Recent history

Rice has dominated the series this season, winning Thursday 12-0. The teams also played Friday, though no score was reported. Rice’s offense was led Thursday by designated hitter Paul Smith, who went 4-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs, and first baseman Garet Boehm, who drove in two runs. Tulane’s brightest spot Thursday was second baseman Nate Johnson, who went 2-for-3.

Projections

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-4 victory for Rice, while the ELO system gives Tulane a 54.9% probability to win.

The Owls will look to build on their strong finish to the regular season, while Tulane aims to salvage a series win and build confidence heading into postseason play.