Rice may lead the Silver Glove Series 103-78, but since 2014, the Cougars have taken home the win each year. | Kennia Martinez/The Cougar
The biggest rivalry in Bayou City is back as the Houston Cougars and the Rice Owls are set to meet on the baseball diamond for the Silver Glove Series.
The Cougars will play host to the Owls next Tuesday at Schroeder Park at 6:30 p.m. The game features a Cougar team that has surged in the last ten games and a Rice team that has had its fair share of problems this season.
This Silver Glove Series has been a part of Houston culture since 1948 and has seen these two programs match up 181 times. The Owls lead the all-time series 103-78 while most recently winning the series every year from 2001-2013.
In 2014, however, this decade-long dynasty came to an end, and the Cougars have won the series ever since.
The Cougars have the possibility of going into this rivalry game on a 14-game win streak, raising the stakes even more. However, Houston travels to UCF this weekend for the start of conference play, and the Black Knights’ 19-6 overall record shows their competitiveness. The Cougars swept No. 27 UC Irvine this past weekend, so they are definitely capable of continuing the streak.
Rice, on the other hand, is having one of their worst seasons ever. They went from a 38-24 overall record last season to a 7-19 record so far this season. They rank at No. 142 in batting average (.267) and No. 182 in ERA (5.10).
Comparatively, the Cougars have the fourth best ERA in the country (2.16) and sit at No. 42 in batting average (.302). They boast an 18-5 overall record and have lost at home only twice so far.
Junior left-handed pitcher Seth Romero and junior shortstop Jake Scheiner have spearheaded the Cougars so far. Romero, who will pitch Friday, is second in the nation in strikeouts per nine innings (14.95) and Scheiner is ninth in batting average (.438).
Overall, Houston is the better team, and while Rice has historically had a strong competitive baseball team, the Cougars should easily beat the Owls.
It may be a long road, but with their recent dominance, the Cougars may finally take the lead in the series.
BEAT RICE!!!!