By Micheal Compton, The Daily News
The baseball journey is in full swing for former Western Kentucky catcher Matt Rice.
Drafted in June by the Tampa Bay Rays, WKU's all-time leader in hits and RBIs has hit the ground running for the Hudson Valley Renegades in the short season Class A New York/Penn League.
"I'm just trying to learn as much as possible from the coaches here and the guys that have been here," said Rice, six weeks into his professional career. "It's a completely different system and there are a lot of little aspects you need to learn. I've been trying to soak up as much as possible from the other guys and learn as much as I can."
In 30 games, Rice is second on the team with a .309 batting average, has scored 18 runs, is 5-for-5 in stolen bases and has three homers and 17 RBIs.
The numbers suggest Rice has picked up right where he left off from his college days, but he admits there have been a lot of adjustments. One of the biggest? Being at the park daily.
"In college ball you usually play four games a week, maybe five," Rice said. "Here, you play every single day. We usually have one off day a month. It's an adjustment - something that mentally and physically you have to get used to."
The daily grind is made a little easier by a routine Hudson Valley manager Jared Sandberg designed for Rice early in the season. Rice is playing three out of every four days, two days behind the plate and the other game as designated hitter.
"I think it really helps that he let me know and I'm mentally prepared for what I'm doing on that day," Rice said. "On a given week, I'm still catching four days a week and hitting six out of seven, so there is still a lot of baseball. I'm not used to not playing, but every once in a while - especially when you are playing every day - you need a day to recover. It's been an adjustment, but something that has been good for me so far."
The presence of a familiar face in former WKU outfielder Kes Carter has also helped Rice's adjustment. The duo haven't had a chance to play much on the field, with Carter sidelined with a leg injury after playing three games, but Rice said he's still been a big help with the transition from college to the pros.
"It's great to have a familiar face up here," Rice said. "It's a guy I played with for three years and I'm really close to. It's great having him up here because you have at least a little bit of home up here with you. I know he's extremely frustrated with the injury, but he's working hard every day to try to get healthy and get back out there on the field where he wants to be."
As the season winds down, Rice has no benchmarks or individual goals, he said. He just wants to play hard every day.
"It's a grind, and hitting-wise you are facing a lot of good pitchers up here," Rice said. "I'm just trying to come out every day and have quality at-bats, play defense to the best of my ability, and try to do everything I can to help my team win. That's the focus for the last month and hopefully the results will take care of itself."
And while Rice is focused on finishing strong in Hudson Valley, he admits he's thought about a potential return to Bowling Green as a member of the Bowling Green Hot Rods.
The Rays' Class A affiliate could be the next stop in his professional career.
"I had an unbelievable four years in Bowling Green that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world," Rice said. "To have another opportunity to possibly come back there and continue playing at the professional level is really a dream come true. I've had some great memories, especially in the Hot Rods' stadium. We've had some big games and some big victories there for WKU."
