It took a while to get started, but it's finally here.
After waiting an additional three weeks to get going this year, Texas' baseball team opens its season at UFCU Disch-Falk Field today.
The Longhorns have a new-look team and a renovated stadium, but the expectations are the same as they've always been - a trip to Omaha, Neb. Texas' absence from the College World Series the previous two seasons is at the forefront of the Longhorns' minds.
"All we did was win the conference championship the last two years," coach Augie Garrido said sarcastically. "But we didn't do the right things at the right time to get to Omaha, so, in this environment, that gets forgotten pretty quickly because of where the watermark is."
That high mark is added pressure, no doubt. But Texas players are used to it.
"Our big deal is, we know we're going to Omaha," junior catcher Preston Clark said. "We don't make our plans to go to the playoffs. We know we're going to make it there, so our goal is to be in Omaha and win in Omaha."
Texas' road to the Cornhusker State begins this afternoon in their newly dressed-up ballpark. Disch-Falk Field will be re-dedicated during ceremonies before the game, which include the Longhorn band and Smokey the cannon.
Today's game is the first contest in a three-game series with Virginia Commonwealth. The defending champions of the Colonial Athletic Association come to Austin with a 1-5 all-time record against Texas.
The Longhorns list junior Austin Wood as the probable starter for game one today. Bringing back an 8-1 record and a 3.15 ERA from last season, the lefty is expected to be the pitching staff's linchpin in 2008.
Righthanders Cole Green and Kenn Kasparek are scheduled to start Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Green, a freshman, is one of Texas' 22 new players the Longhorns will lean on this year.
As the only member on the team with College World Series experience, Kasparek returns to the rotation after missing all of last season with an elbow injury. The junior joins Woods to lead Texas' young stable of hurlers that will be pushed to the limit by the NCAA's new schedule.
The Longhorns' condensed season is now rolling, and it's not going to slow down for a while. The spring is packed with five-game weeks, and Texas plays 18 contests in the next 24 days.
Be the first to comment on this article!