Rice completed a three-game sweep of FIU with an 8-1 win on Sunday
Wayne Graham said --"Shane's a returning starter who has improved a great deal. He's a plus-player at third base and a good hitter."
2011: Conference USA All-Freshman team; Houston College Classic All-Tournament Team; All-Silver Glove Series team for the season-long best-of-five games vs. crosstown rival Houston; Started 58 of the team's 63 games, the fifth-highest total on the team... Made 53 starts playing a new position for him in the field (third base), and did so while replacing 2010 national player of the year Anthony Rendon - all in his debut season at the Division I level... Also started once at shortstop, once at second base and three times as the designated hitter... Most starts were batting sixth in the lineup (24 times), but also hit as high as third in the lineup twice... Shared the lead in Conference USA with eight sacrifice flies, the highest single-season total by an Owl in five years (Josh Rodriguez had eight SF in 2006)... Tied for eighth in the conference, and was second on the team, in getting hit by a pitch (nine times)... Second on the team with 37 RBI (tied with Rendon)... Finished third on the team in home runs (3), doubles (13) and slugging percentage (.386)... Batted a steady .281 for the full season and .278 in C-USA league games... Went 4-for-11 (.364) in the NCAA Tournament with a double, two RBI, two walks and a sacrifice bunt, and was also error-free in the field in nine total chances... Hit .320 with the bases empty and reached base 19-of-50 times (.380) when leading off an inning... Was at his best in the high-profile contests, batting .353 (12-of-34) in nine games where the attendance was 4,000 or more fans... Maintained a .467 average (7-of-15) with a .600 slugging percentage and .565 on-base average in the year-long Houston series... Enjoyed a .292 average at home at Reckling Park and was a night Owl who hit .316 in evening games... Went 3-for-6 with four walks as the designated hitter... Helped carry the team offensively when the Owls were beset by injuries the first six weeks of the season by batting .320 to rank second on the squad... Registered seven official at bats in the extra-inning game against eventual College World Series participant California, tied for most on the team by an Owl all year... Collected two or more hits in a game 16 different times, including a career-high three hits four times... Longest hitting streak of the season was nine games, and he hit safely in 19-of-21 games during one stretch... Drove-in two or more runs in a game eight times, the second-highest multi-RBI games on the team (behind Ratterree)... Tallied a career-best three RBI in C-USA victories over Marshall and Memphis... Improved defensively over the course of the year at the hot corner... Played each of the last 341.0 innings of the season at third base (38 games) and maintained a .962 fielding percentage in 105 total chances... Posted a career-high five assists five different times, all of which were in games in the second half of the season... Was error-free over the last 14 games of the year, a total of 41 chances without a miscue... Involved in eight double-plays while at third base, and started one DP from second base in a home win over Southern Cal... Played locally for the Northwest Wildcats of the American Amateur Baseball Congress (AABC) over the summer and helped the squad reach the finals of Stan Musial World Series.
High School -- A 2010 graduate of Belton High School in Belton, Tex... First team 5A all-state shortstop by both the Texas HS Coaches Association and Texas Sports Writers... Shared the MVP honors for District 12-5A and the all-area team... Member of the THSCA North All-Star team... Batted .411 with 14 home runs, 56 RBI, 52 runs scored and 16 doubles in 42 games as a senior... Paced the 2010 Tigers to a 34-8 record, the district championship and the Region II semifinals... Four-year varsity starter for head coach Eddie Cornblum... Maintained a .396 career average... Graduated in the Top 7 percent of his class.
Personal -- Full name: Shane Adam Hoelscher. Born: September 21, 1991 in Temple, Tex. Parents: Lenny and Dana Hoelscher of Belton, Tex. (one brother, one sister). College: Sid Richardson.