After sitting out all of last season with arm troubles, Tacker has a sparkling 2.28 earned run average in 16 appearances (mostly as a closer or extended-closer) so far this season. But, he has been stretched out on occasion, and he started quite a few mid-week games for the Owls in 2005.

If you ask me, Tacker should have been moved into the Saturday starter spot as soon as Chris Kelley started struggling a few weeks ago. In my opinion, a great bullpen is a luxury, while capable starting pitching is a necessity. Just look at what the Atlanta Braves did with John Smoltz--when they had a surplus of starting pitching, he closed, but when the rotation thinned out, he went back to being a starter. I felt the same way about Cole St.Clair last year (that he should have been a starter from April onward), though, so clearly Wayne Graham has different priorities than I would.

But given Graham's reticence to move Tacker into the rotation thus far, I have to think that today's decision (and I'm pretty sure it was decided today as the Rice starter was still TBA when I left last night) shows how much this series means to Graham.

For April in Houston, it's downright frigid, as the gametime temperature is just 56 degrees. The wind is blowing, too, which hardly ever happens here on the Gulf Coast (save when a hurricane is imminent).

I have to think that a series win for Houston would give the Cougars a lot of confidence heading into the second half of Conference USA play. And Rice can't afford too many more losses to teams outside the RPI top 50 (although the Cougs may well end up inside) if the Owls are going to get a top-eight seed in this year's NCAA tournament.

John Touchton (6.18 ERA) will start for Houston, but don't be fooled by his statistics--anybody who wears Nolan Ryan's No. 34 in this state probably has pretty good stuff.

Rice again is in gray tops and pants, and for the second straight day, the Cougars are wearing navy jerseys, white pants, with navy socks fully exposed.

Yesterday's announced attendance was somewhere north of 1,500, easily three times the actual attendance. Today's game is better attended--probably 700 or 800 folks here today. I'll keep you posted on today's announced/actual attendance multiple.