Across the conference
As long as the Owls have been members of Conference USA - since 2006, to be exact - the baseball title has belonged to Rice. Conference domination is nothing new to the baseball team, as the Owls won the title of whichever conference to which they have belonged since 1996. In 2010, eight teams aim to change that. Two other C-USA teams earned a top-25 ranking from Baseball America: No. 18 East Carolina University and No. 21 University of Southern Mississippi. Those two squads are the most likely to give Rice trouble in '10.
Here's how the Pirates, Golden Eagles and the rest of C-USA shake down.
UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON
2009 record: (27-13, 13-11 C-USA) '09 postseason: N/A
The Cougars hope to get off to a faster start than they did in 2009 - Houston lost 14 of its first 17 games last season - and will need their young pitching staff to grow up in a hurry in order to accomplish that. The lineup remains consistent from last year, featuring hitters like Blake Keslo (.335) and Caleb Ramsey (.332), but will need to improve its power, with only 23 home runs produced last year.
UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS
2009 record: (21-32, 7-16 C-USA) '09 postseason: N/A
The Tigers will bring their five top hitters from last year over to their new digs at FedEx Park, but will also tow along their 6.30 team ERA. The returning lineup will need to produce as well, as it struggled mightily in 2009 with a paltry .272 team batting average and only 34 total home runs.
MARSHALL UNIVERSITY
2009 record: (22-32, 9-15 C-USA) '09 postseason: N/A
The glove-work must improve for the Thundering Herd, as their .943 fielding percentage left them dead last in C-USA last season. Infielder/catcher Victor Gomez leads the Marshall offense with his .332 batting average and 18 home runs from a year ago, but he will need his teammates to step up and replace the production of Adam Yeager (.313) and Nate Lape (.284, 11 HRs).
EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY
2009 record: (46-20, 17-7 C-USA) '09 postseason: Lost in Chapel Hill Super Regional
The Pirates return the bulk of an offense that terrorized C-USA last year, highlighted by senior designated hitter/first baseman Kyle Roller (.336, 16 HRs) and five other .300-plus hitters. However, ECU will need to shore up its pitching depth, returning just three starters and a closer with meaningful experience.
TULANE UNIVERSITY
2009 record: (34-25, 13-11 C-USA) '09 postseason: N/A
Youth is the flavor of the year for the Green Wave, as Tulane will trot out 15 hitters in their first year on the team. Catcher Jeremy Schaffer (.311, 14 HRs) will be the top offensive producer remaining from last season. The pitching rotation will look to its strength in the weekend rotation for stability, with Conrad Flynn (8-3, 3.93 ERA) and Matt Petition (5-3, 5.13 ERA) providing strong experience.
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI
2009 record: (40-26, 12-12 C-USA) '09 postseason: CWS - lost bothgames played,T-7
Along with weekday starter Jeff Stanley and closer Collin Cargill, ace Todd McInnis (3.73 ERA) returns to the Golden Eagles pitching staff that guided the team on its Cinderella run to Omaha last season. Still, Southern Miss will need to rely on senior leadership to produce runs for an offense that lost four of its five top hitters.
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA-BIRMINGHAM
2009 record: (31-26, 11-12 C-USA) '09 postseason: N/A
After achieving great success relative to previous seasons, UAB will boast plenty of power and speed in its offense, with 58 combined home runs from players like Cody McMurry and Digger Towe and a combined 40 stolen bases from Jonathan Merritt and Jamal Austin. Weekend starters Shay Crawford and Beau Pender hope to improve on their 5.00-plus ERAs.
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA
2009 record: (22-35, 9-15 C-USA) '09 postseason: N/A
The Knights' pitching staff must improve on its 7.47 team ERA in order to keep itself in games against the potent offenses in C-USA. UCF will have some pop in its lineup, returning D.J. Hicks (.301, 8 HRs) and Shane Brown (.341, 44 RBIs), but the Knights appear to be an extreme long shot for an NCAA Tournament berth.
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