For the fifth time in the past decade, the Rice Owls baseball team will play in the College World Series in Omaha, which begins this weekend. The Owls qualified for this year’s CWS with a heart-thumping 9-5 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in the rubber game of their three-game Super Regional series on Monday afternoon at Rice’s Reckling Park. The Owls return to the CWS tournament in Omaha for the first time since 2003, when Rice won the tournament and was crowned national champion. The Owls first game in the CWS tournament this year is against Georgia on Saturday.
This year’s trip to the CWS for the Owls is of particular interest to me because, several years ago while coaching youth baseball here in The Woodlands, I had the privilege of coaching Owls OF Jordan Dodson and Owls catcher Danny Lehmann, both of whom went on to become star players in the excellent high school baseball program at The Woodlands High School before enrolling at Rice. Somehow, these two fine young men were able to overcome my coaching to develop into excellent ballplayers. I’m thrilled for them and the entire Rice squad. Go Owls!