30  Andrew Benak
	Class: Junior Hometown: Houston High School: Langham Creek H.S. Height / Weight: 6-5 / 225 Position: p Experience: 2L B/T: R/R

Wayne Graham said -- "Andrew is still working at his recovery from a redshirt season. He wants to contribute and will be given an opportunity to see if he can in the spring."

Rice -- 2011: Appeared in six games with one start... Worked a total of 11.0 innings, with at least 2.0 frames a total of four times... Pitched a sterling, season-long 3.0 innings on the road against No. 11 ranked Arizona, allowing just a run on one hit and a walk (but was tabbed with a loss in the outing)... Earned a win in relief against fellow Pac-10 power Southern California the week before as Rice rallied for a victory... Held USC to an earned run in 2.0 innings while striking out one... Fanned a season-high two against Lamar at home in first outing of the season... Maintained a 2.5-to-1 strikeouts-to-walks ratio... Made first start of the season against longtime rival Sam Houston State, with a 2.1 innings... Final appearance was 1.1 innings against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi... 2010: Called out of the bullpen to pitch in the first two games of the year at nationally-ranked Stanford... Faced a total of five hitters before being sidelined the rest of the season... 2009: Appeared in 15 games with three starts in first season at the Division I level... Starting pitcher in the opening home game of the season vs. Houston... Also started at Lamar and at home against Texas State (the Owls went on to win two of his three starts)... Came out of the bullpen to earn first career decision, a victory on the road at Dallas Baptist after firing 1.2 scoreless innings... Maintained a composite 3.94 ERA for 16.0 innings in 12 relief appearances... Struck out a career-high three in 3.1 innings at Lamar... Came back in his next outing and held heavy-hitting Marshall to just a run in three innings... Pitched well in the season-long best-of-five series against Houston... Worked a career-long 3.2 frames in the start against the crosstown rival Cougars, allowing just one earned run in a no-decision that Rice went on to win 9-2... Held Houston to a .235 opponents' average and posted a 1.69 ERA in 5.1 frames in the annual Silver Glove Series... Played summer ball in the New England Collegiate League, where he helped lead the Vermont Mountaineers to the championship series... Selected as the ninth-best individual prospect in the 12-team NECBL.

High School -- A 2008 graduate of Langham Creek High School in the northwest Houston area... Led the Lobos to a 22-6 record and a bi-district title as a senior... Earned honorable mention all-District 17-5A honors at first base... Served as team captain... Played in both the city and state versions of the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) all-star games as a junior in 2007... Helped the 2007 LCHS squad to a 17-1 record and Top 15 national ranking... Coached by Armando Sedeno.

Personal -- Full Name: Andrew Franklin Benak. Born Jan. 31, 1990 in Houston. Parents: Dan and Sandy Benak of Houston (one sister). Grandfather, Jerry Sims, was a three-year baseball letterman at Rice (1956-58) who helped lead his Owl team to the program's first winning record in more than 30 years. College: Lovett.

Lovett College