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UH C-USA Men's Notebook

UH spoils opening, but future is bright

By Josh Gajewski
Daily Cougar Staff

At 2:21 on a gorgeous Tuesday afternoon made for baseball, Rice pitcher Jeff Nichols delivered the first-ever pitch at Reckling Park, the Owl's fancy new dig. 

Rice's first run came at 3:45 p.m. Their first win in the new ballpark? Well, that'll have to wait just a little bit longer.

UH's 6-2 win at Rice was sweet for the Cougars, who have yet to hold the Silver Glove trophy since the series began two years ago. 

Despite the loss, however, the Owls had much to celebrate on Tuesday, as did any college baseball fan in or around the Bayou City. 

Reckling Park is absolutely gorgeous -- from the red brick architecture that surrounds the playing surface to the beautiful view that accompanies the skyline beyond the outfield walls.

"It's extremely nice," UH head coach Rayner Noble said. "It's very fan-friendly, just a great place to watch a baseball game."

But the beauty of the new park, along with UH's own magnificent Cougar Field, is that wins, money and better ballclubs should follow closely behind. 

"What this does is move college baseball into that spectrum where it's a revenue-producing sport," Noble said. "With each stadium, you have the means to draw crowds and it also makes for a more attractive setting for television and radio to start broadcast these events.

"I think what you're going to start to see is more of college baseball in the local media, which is great for both of these programs."

"With (Rice and UH) now at the point where we're consistently in the Top 25, I think the big-time ballplayers, the first and second round picks, start coming to these two schools," UH's Nick Torina said.

Of course, not every aspect of Rice's new home proved perfect. The playing surface itself was a little rough around the edges, and that's putting it in the nicest words possible.

"The park was nice but the field was a little ragged," UH pitcher/DH Shane Nance said. "Of course, we have (famed groundskeeper) Rodney (Griffin) on our side, so we're used to a better surface. They don't have a Rodney."

But nevertheless, the grass will grow greener in time at Reckling, and the future for Houston baseball looks incredibly rich. 

"If you're a local high school player," Noble added, "I don't know how you could leave the area with these two programs going where they are."