By: Joey Mullins
 
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Today, we continue our S-Club Profile series, focusing on former Samford student-athletes and giving updates on what they have been up to since finishing their Samford playing careers. In this edition, we highlight former baseball standout Garrett Rice.
 
Rice was a member of the Samford baseball team from 2004 to 2007. Rice was an outstanding first baseman throughout his time at Samford and he still ranks in the top 10 in program history in career games played (T-4^th, 226), at-bats (3^rd, 836) and doubles (T-9^th, 42).
 
Rice came to Samford in the fall of 2003 from St. Paul's Episcopal School in Mobile where he starred on both the baseball and football squads. When Rice was looking at where to continue his athletic and academic careers, he had some very specific things he was looking for.
 
"What attracted me to Samford in general was, it was a smaller school and I loved playing baseball, so I wanted to continue playing," Rice said. "It was an opportunity to keep playing at a smaller school, to stay in the state of Alabama and be closer to home. It was just a good fit."
 
Rice stepped in right away as a freshman, playing in 54 games for the Bulldogs. He batted .304 with 11 doubles, two home runs and 25 RBI. He talked about the transition from high school baseball to the college game.
 
"Looking back, it was a different game, going from high school to college," Rice said. "It was a big step, but I was able to make it happen."
 
Rice's first season at Samford was also the school's first as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference. After starting conference play 0-11, the Bulldogs won 15 of their last 16 OVC games to finish 15-12 in league play. The team ended the season on a high note, but not long after the season ended, head coach Tim Parenton resigned to take a job at the University of Florida.
 
Casey Dunn was then hired as the program's new head coach, and on his staff was current head coach Tony David, two men who have had a major impact on Rice's life. Rice said he could tell things were going to be different under Dunn.
 
"Casey had high expectations of what we could be and what we should be," Rice said. "That transition that fall, I remember thinking that things were changing. His approach to the game and his approach of where Samford could go to was much different, and at the end of the day, I think that is what it takes to grow a program."
 
The first year under Dunn the Bulldogs struggled, posting a record of 20-35 overall and 13-14 in OVC play, failing to qualify for the six-team OVC Tournament. That season, Rice batted .277 with 11 doubles, seven home runs and 42 RBI.
 
The following year, Samford saw a major turnaround. In 2006, the Bulldogs won the regular-season OVC championship with a record of 21-6 in league games, earning the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament just a year after not qualifying for the tournament. The team's final overall record was 34-25. Rice talked about the dramatic turnaround. 
 
"Tony and Casey did a phenomenal job of recruiting that first year bringing in guys like Josh Ehmke, Luke Peavy, Lou Rojas and Mikey Marseco," Rice said. "That was really their first recruiting class, and they went far and wide recruiting folks, going to Miami for Lou and Mikey, they brought some transfers in from South Alabama and really all over, and brought some maturity to the team that year. While it was fun that first year, that's when it got really fun. Being a part of a championship team, not everybody gets to experience that, so that was a real treat."
 
As a senior in 2007, Rice had career highs in doubles with 13 and home runs with 12. He batted .253 that season and drove in 43 runs as the Bulldogs posted a second straight season of over 30 wins, finishing with a mark of 32-28 overall and 14-13 in the OVC.
 
After Rice graduated from Samford, he worked for a company in Trussville, Ala., selling valves and doing valve automation. At that company, he was working for Scott Long, the brother of Larry Long, who was running Samford's development efforts at the time. After one year working in Trussville, Rice returned to Samford to work for Samford's Bulldog Club and S-Club, reporting to Larry Long. Rice talked about coming back to Samford as an employee of the Athletics Department.
 
"It was fun for me because I cared about the university," Rice said. "Working with the S-Club and the Bulldog Club, I did a lot of things that we hadn't done before. I worked with the admissions office, doing travel with admissions. Trying to help build the brand from outside of just athletics was a lot of fun. Working with Jason Black and Phil Kimrey in admissions, trying to be that conduit, it was a lot of fun. And then working for Larry was great, he was one of the best at what he did."
 
In addition to working with the Bulldog Club and S-Club, Rice served as a color analyst on select radio broadcasts of Samford baseball games. He cited calling those games as some of his best memories of his time at Samford.
 
After spending almost three years working at Samford, Rice moved back to his hometown to work in his family's business, Master Boat Builders, working for his father, Michael.
 
Master Boat Builders was opened in 1979 by Garrett's father, Michael and grandfather, James. After a seafood shop the pair owned was destroyed by a hurricane, they started Master Boat Builders with a vision to build quality boats for quality-minded customers. They specialize in work boats, including offshore supply vessels, fishing vessels and dive support vessels. They also have tugboats, including the first battery-powered tugboat in the country.
 
Rice started in project management and accounting with the company in 2011. Over the next several years he worked and gained experience in every aspect of the company. Late in 2019 his father retired, and Rice took over the day-to-day operations as president of the company in 2020, the position he still holds today.
 
The company has seen major growth over the years, with over 340 employees now working there. Rice said they have made changes in recent years in how the company is run, going from a small company to more of a corporate atmosphere. Rice credited his father with making the growth the company has experienced in the last couple of years possible.
 
"We've taken a lot of steps in the last couple of years to put our name out there," Rice said. "My dad did an incredible job of setting the foundation for where we are today. It has been a fun journey over the last 12 years here."
 
Rice said the work he did at Samford with the Bulldog Club has helped tremendously in the position he now holds.
 
"That experience of working with the Bulldog Club and meeting people at 23 years old and rubbing elbows with and really having to work day-to-day with the big donors and people in Birmingham has helped me a lot," Rice said. "Having to go ask people for a lot of money with Larry and then doing it on my own and understanding what that world is and how to be professional and how to be hospitable, it taught me a lot about where I am today. The years I was at Samford working with the Bulldog Club has had a big impact on what is going on with me now."
 
Rice and his wife, Holley, who is also a Samford graduate, have two children, Emily (9) and William (7).  Holley works as a pharmacist in town while also taking care of their kids. Rice coaches his sons' baseball team, and he said that has been a tremendous experience.
 
"I've spent the majority of my life on a baseball field," Rice said. "Not many of the experiences I have had on a baseball field can compare to what I've experienced coaching my kids. It's been as much fun as anything I've experienced on the field. I've been able to take the things I've learned from Tony and Casey over the years and teach them to these kids. Tony is a very detailed teacher when it comes to fundamentals. I learned everything I know from him and Casey, not just from when I was playing, but from when I was working in the Athletic Department and being around the team and being able to hang out with them. They are both still good friends of mine."
 
Rice said he still follows the Samford baseball program and was excited to see the success the team has experienced this season. The success he has had, both professionally and personally, is something for everyone at Samford to be proud of as he continues to use the things, he learned at Samford to benefit those around him.
 
 
For more information on the S-Club and for giving opportunities, please contact E.J. Brophy at wbrophy@samford.edu.