Sunday, May 22, 2011

Texas Longhorns Prepare For Another Run to Omaha

Texas Longhorns Baseball
By Keith Antigiovanni

The Texas Longhorns accomplished three of their annual goals this weekend (May19-22) when they took two of three games from the arch-rival Texas A&M Aggies.

UT managed to clinch a tie for the regular season Big-12 Championship and won the number-one seed in the Big-12 Tournament by virtue of a 2-1 tie-breaker over the co-conference champion Aggies. Both teams finished with identical 19-8 conference records. They also won the annual Lone Star Showdown with Texas A&M.

Texas will now prepare for the Big-12 Tournament which starts this Wednesday (May 25) and goes thru next Sunday (May 29). The Horns regular season co-championship is the 7th time they have finished first in the 15-year history of the Big-12. UT had previous won in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010 while A&M's shared title was its' fourth (1998, 1999, 2008).

Both schools have had their share of success in the conference tournament over the years with the Horns winning it four times (2002, 2004, 2008, 2009) and the Aggies winning it twice (2007, 2010).

However both teams finish in the conference tournament they are most likely "shoe-ins" for the NCAA Tournament which will culminate in Omaha at the 65th annual College World Series and first at the new TD Ameritrade Park.

Texas' Head Coach Augie Garrido by now is used to getting his teams ready for Omaha and will most likely use the conference tournament as a dress rehearsal for the Nationals while at the same time keeping his team focused on Omaha. Garrido is the all-time leader in wins for NCAA Division 1 baseball coaches. He has led UT to the CWS six times (2000,2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2009), finished as runner-up twice (2004, 2009) and won twice (2005, 2009). Garrido won the CWS three previous times (1979, 1984, 1991) with the Cal-State Fullerton Titans.

Garrido's Aggie counterpart Rob Childress does not boast as impressive of a resume but has done an solid job in College Station since he arrived six years ago. Childress has led the Aggies to two regular season conference titles (2008, 2011) and two conference tournament wins (2007, 2010). He has also led A&M to the NCAA Regionals the past four years and twice to the Super Regionals (2007, 2008). Childress has also had success with another program (Nebraska) during his eight year tenure (1998-2005) in Lincoln. He led the Cornhuskers to four conference tournament wins, four NCAA Regionals, four Super Regionals and three College World Series appearances. The Aggies are trying to return to Omaha for the first time since 1999.

3 comments:

  1. Fullerton won the College World Series in 1979, 1984 and 1995 under Garrido. He also led them to 8 College World Series appearances between 1975 and 1996.

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  2. The 2012 Big-12 Tournament starts today

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  3. Garrido's predecessor in Austin and his contemporary, Cliff Gustafson also had an incredible run at Texas.

    Gustafson led the Horns to the College World Series 17 times in a 25-year period (1968-1993. He also brought his team to the final game 5 times (1975, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1989) and won the CWS twice (1975, 1983).

    Garrido has a chance to win a 3rd CWS at UT but has a ways to go match Gustafson's consistency. Overall two of the greatest coaches in the history of college baseball.

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