Draft Day 2!

Round 7:

210. Jordan Danks, OF, Texas - Chicago AL (Brother John is starting P for CWS)
217. Cole St. Clair, LHP, Rice - Los Angeles NL
221. Luis Flores, C, Oklahoma State - Chicago NL
222. Nate Ten Brink, 3B, Kansas State - Seattle
225. Adam Zornes, C, Rice - San Diego

Round 8:

251. James Leverton, LHP, Texas Tech - Chicago NL
255. Beemer Weems, SS, Baylor - San Diego

Round 9:

264. Matt Hague, 3B, Oklahoma State - Pittsburgh
268. Dan Jennings, LHP, Nebraska - Florida
275. Aaron Luna, OF, Rice - St. Louis
285. Kyle Thebeau, RHP, Texas A&M - San Diego

Round 10:

311. Alex Wilson, RHP, Texas A&M - Chicago NL
313. Robert Weinhardt, RHP, Oklahoma State - Detroit
321. Donnie Webb, OF, Oklahoma State - Cleveland

Round 11:

332. Jacob Priday, OF, Missouri - Houston
347. Kyle Walker, LHP, Texas - Colorado
351. Matt Langwell, RHP, Rice - Cleveland

Round 12:

371. Jake Opitz, 2B, Nebraska - Chicago NL
372. Kenn Kasparek, RHP, Texas - Seattle

Round 13:

391. Blake Stouffer, 2B, Texas A&M - Washington
403. Jared Gayhart, RHP, Rice - Detroit

Round 15:

446. Jason Gurka, LHP, Angelina JC - Baltimore (Texas Tech signee)
448. Johnny Dorn, RHP, Nebraska - Florida

Round 16:

493. Thad Weber, RHP, Nebraska - Detroit
500. Luke Anders, 1B, Texas A&M - New York AL

Round 18:

549. Bobby Bell, RHP, Rice - Toronto

Round 19:

569. Mace Thurman, LHP, Baylor - Cincinnati
590. Mitch Abeita, C, Nebraska - New York AL

Round 20:

613. Ryan Lollis, OF, Missouri - Detroit

Round 21:

638. Lucas Luetge, LHP, Rice - Milwaukee

Round 22:

659. Byron Wiley, OF, Kansas State - Cincinnati
663. Trevor Hurley, RHP, Kansas State - Texas
670. Dane Carter, 3B, Texas A&M - Atlanta

Round 23:

697. Brian Ruggiano, 2B, Texas A&M - Los Angeles NL
703. Michael Gosse, 2B, Oklahoma - Detroit
712. Seth Garrison, RHP, TCU - Boston

Round 24:

717. Wes Musick, LHP, Houston - San Francisco
721. Chris Kelley, RHP, Rice - Washington
739. Taylor Jungmann, RHP, Georgetown HS - Los Angeles AL (Texas signee)

Round 25:

761. Rebel Ridling, 1B, Oklahoma State - Chicago NL
766. Dan Edwards, RHP, Kansas State - Philadelphia

Round 26:

777. Ryan Lormand, 2B, Houston - San Francisco

Round 27:

805. Timothy Huber, LHP, Nebraska - Kansas City
810. Doug Thennis, 1B, Texas Tech - Chicago AL
819. Bryan Kervin, SS, TCU - Toronto
827. Tim Matthews, RHP, Baylor - Colorado
832. Hunter Cervenka, LHP, Sterling HS (Houston) - Boston (Texas signee)

Round 28:

858. Adam Smith, SS, Klein HS - Arizona (Texas A&M signee)

Round 29:

870. Randall Thorpe, OF, Heritage HS (Colleyville, TX) - Chicago AL (Texas A&M signee)
874. Justin Murray, RHP, Kansas State - Oakland
877. Jonathan Runnels, LHP, Rice - Los Angeles NL

Round 30:

901. Casey Whitmer, RHP, Texas - Washington
909. Cody Dunbar, RHP, TCU - Toronto

Round 32:

956. Brandon Loy, SS, Rowlett HS - Baltimore (Texas signee)
964. Ben Hornbeck, LHP, Kansas State - Oakland
965. Sam Freeman, LHP, Kansas - St. Louis
968. Colt Farrar, RHP, First Baptist Academy (Royse City, Tx) - Milwaukee (Texas Tech signee)
971. Kurt Calvert, OF, Missouri - Chicago NL

Round 33:

987. Ryne Price, OF, Kansas - San Francisco
1004. Neil Medchill, OF, Oklahoma State - New York NL

Round 34:

1033. Bryan Pounds, 3B, Houston - Detroit

Round 35:

1052. Nick Czyz, LHP, Kansas - Seattle

Round 37:

1109. Randall Linebaugh, RHP, Baylor - Cincinnati
1112. Kirkland Rivers, RHP, Texas A&M - Houston
1123. Nick Cassavechia, RHP, Baylor - Detroit

Round 38:

1152. Andres Esquibel, RHP, Kansas - Seattle
1155. Zach Herr, LHP, Nebraska - San Diego

ROUND 40:

1222. Sam Stafford, LHP, Collins HS (Klein, TX) - Boston (Texas signee)

Round 42:

1266. Riley Boening, LHP, Texas - Minnesota

Round 44:

1321. J.P. Padron, 1B, Rice - Washington

Round 46:

1377. Lee Fischer, SS, Missouri - Chicago AL
1380. Erik Morrison, SS, Kansas - Texas
1391. James Cesario, 2B, Houston - Colorado

Round 48:

1425. Owen Brolsma, RHP, Texas Tech - Pittsburgh

The Draft Looms

Today is draft day in the MLB. I will try to keep a semi-realtime update going on today, but can't promise anything. I'll focus most on Big 12 players.

For the Red Raider fans, expect to see Roger Kieschnick, Zach Stewart and James Leverton taken fairly early today.

Longhorn fans can expect to see Kyle Russell, Jordan Danks and Preston Clark on the board today.

The Aggies can expect Jose Duran, Blake Stouffer and Kyle Thebeau to be safe bet picks.


UPDATE

Round 1:

9. Aaron Crow, RHP, Missouri - Cincinnati
19. Andrew Cashner, RHP, TCU - Chicago NL
45. Bryan Price, RHP, Rice - Boston

Round 3:

79. Jordy Mercer, SS, Oklahoma State - Pittsburgh
82. Roger Kieschnick, OF, Texas Tech - San Francisco
84. Zach Stewart, RHP, Texas Tech - Cincinnati
93. Kyle Russell, OF, University of Texas - Los Angeles NL
98. Benjamin Pribanic, RHP, Nebraska - Seattle

Round 6:

174. Robert Grossman, CF, Cy-Fair HS (Houston) - Pittsburgh (Texas signee)
188. Jose Duran, SS, Texas A&M - Milwaukee


That's all for today, folks. I only had a list of signees for Texas, Texas Tech and Texas A&M, so I can't comment on any other Big 12 signees who were taken.


Also, I am not a fan of having this on ESPN. It has taken 3 hours to get through the first round. Baseball America did a much better job with much better analysis when they did their live stream.

Larry Hays steps down, Spencer head coach

On Monday, Larry Hays officially announced his retirement from Texas Tech University. Hays had served as the head coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders baseball team for the previous 22 years of his 38-year career in coaching.

Dan Spencer will take over as the head coach for the Raiders.

Texas Tech Official Release

Lasting Impression - Don Williams (LAJ)

Oh yeah...

Kenn Kasparek threw a no-hitter or something...

:)

What hasn't happened today?

So yesterday I saw that Tech has named Dan Spencer the Head Coach Designate for the baseball team. Whenever Larry Hays decides to hang 'em up, Spencer will be the man.

Texas Tech press release

The Dallas Mavericks fired head coach Avery Johnson after losing their 3rd straight playoff series.

CBS Sports

The Phoenix Suns shifted all the blame on Mike D'Antoni, sending him looking for a new job. If I remember correctly, it wasn't D'Antoni who makes the trades.

SI

47/3 =15.7

A seven game losing streak for the Red Raiders quickly turned into a three game win streak. After celebrating a series win over then #2 Missouri, Texas Tech followed up by sweeping A&M-Corpus Christi to give Coach Larry Hays his 1,500th overall win. It took a span 13 games until they got to 1,502. Tech suffered weekend sweeps at Nebraska and Kansas, and a midweek sweep in Las Vegas against UNLV. Tech's only win during that span was a 10-0 gem against the New Mexico Lobos, who split their midweek series with a Wednesday victory. It took until game 3 against the Kansas State Wildcats for Tech to break out of the funk.

Since that 19-4 run-ruling by the Raiders, Tech has defeated New Mexico State twice, scoring 12 and 16 runs, respectively.

During their 1-12 stretch, Tech scored 51 runs, or 3.9 runs per game. Since that drought was snapped, Tech has plated 47 runs in 3 games, or 15.7 runs per game. Much of this is in large part due to the re-emergence of Texas Collegiate League Player of the Year Chris Richburg, who returned to the lineup after a 6 week absence. Richburg broke his left fibula while rounding second base against Central Arkansas.

In the 3 game streak, Richburg is 8 for 10 with 8 runs and 6 RBIs. He has collected 5 extra base hits, including becoming only the 5th player in Texas Tech history to hit for the cycle, a feat he accomplished in Tech's 16-10 victory over New Mexico State in Roswell. On the year, Richburg is hitting at .329, the second highest average among Tech starters.

The hitting is going great for the Raiders, but that doesn't mean anything if the pitching cannot keep up. With a season ERA sitting at an even 6.00, the pitching staff is forcing the bats to win games, which is causing the Red Raiders to lose games. The problem with the staff is not one single player or group of players, but rather one position: starting pitcher. In Tech's 46 games this season, the starting pitchers have amassed a group ERA of roughly 7.12, while the bullpen stays at approximately 4.46. Not good.

Couple those numbers with the recent loss of veteran AJ Ramos, and Tech could be in for a bad ending if the hitting fizzles out. It's all up to the bats to pull the rabbit out of the hat now.

AJ Ramos out for the year

Unfortunately, AJ Ramos is no longer in service for the remainder of the year. Ouch.

The official release says that it is the result of a torn UCL, suffered earlier in the season. This will leave Tech struggling to find another weekend starter, who won't struggle.

Official Release

PICTURES!

The first batch is from a home game against Central Arkansas, while the last 4 are from Coach Hays' 1500 career victory.

Tech falling faster than Britney Spears

6 conference games in a row, and 7 of the last 8. Texas Tech just isn't getting it done. I'm not sure if the team has quit on themselves, or if they are in a team-wide slump, but it hasn't been pretty at all lately. I'll let the box scores and 1 hitter speak for themselves, rather than writing a rant. It seems that Kansas has our number this year.

Kansas bats power Jayhawks past Tech, 9-5

Jayhawks crush Red Raiders, 9-1 (1 hit, but 7 walks, and only 1 run)

Kansas "complets" weekend sweep. (no typo on my part.)

Texas managed to steal a game from the Missouri Tigers today, and didn't give up double digit runs doing it! Of course, in the 3 game series, the Longhorns were outscored 46-23. On a positive note, Kyle Russell hit 2 more home runs, bringing his yearly total to 7, up from 2 weeks ago. his batting average has also jumped to around .250, its highest since week 2. One thing troubling me about the Longhorns is their ERA, which is above 5.00. I don't think Texas has had a staff ERA this high since around 2001. Very troubling, especially if they want to get past the Regionals for the first time since the 2005 Championship.

How to ruin an ERA, Longhorn style.

Aaron Crow gave up 9 runs in 5 innings, after going 42+ straight scoreless innings. He also picked up his 8th win.

Texas jumped out to an early 9-3 lead, before Missouri went on a 28-3 run to close out the game. Highlighting the offensive plague was Jacob Priday, who collected 4 home runs and 9 RBIs. Missouri hitters collected a total of 7 home runs off the Texas staff, trumping Kyle Russell's pair.

Let me be the first to say, "What the &*$&!" The 31 runs allowed in a single game is a new record for the Longhorns, breaking the previous high of 26 that Texas Tech collected in 1995.

4 of the 7 pitchers in orange each gave up 6 runs in a combined 5.2 innings pitched. The "good pitchers" only allowed 8 runs in their 2.1 innings.

I don't have much more to say, I'm in that much shock.

Tech lost too, but the only surrendered 9 runs.

Tech swept by Nebraska, Texas beats OU twice

This is gonna be quick. I was unable to follow or see any games this weekend due to a funeral, but here is a quick rundown.

Nebraska swept Texas Tech in 3 games to stay atop the Bog 12 leaderboards. The Huskers beat Tech by scores of 6-2, 5-2 and 5-3. While the sweep is nothing to enjoy, the fact that the Raiders did not get blown out, or give up tons of runs are both positives to take away from the weekend. Nebraska's pitching staff was dominant, or Tech's bats became anemic and strikeout riddled during the road series. I'm not sure which choice fits the hole better, but that was the best synopsis from my quick boxscore review.

Texas managed to win their series against the Sooners, taking the Friday and Sunday games, while surrendering the Saturday contest. Kyle Russell may have jumped out of his slump, hitting 2 home runs over the weekend, including a grandslam. For the Longhorns' sake, lets hope this is his way of informing his fans that his .209 average and 1 home run are a thing of the past.

Tech plays a series this week againts New Mexico, battling tonight and Wednesday night, while the Longhorns face off against their I-35 rivals from San Marcos. UT vs. Texas State is scheduled for a 6:00 first pitch.

I have some pictures from Coach Hays' 1500 win that I will upload as soon as I remember to get my camera. I was awarded as the fan of the game, recieving Rudy's BBQ "Sause" and a $10 gift card. That makes 2 prize winnings for me, and 1 that was actually worth something.

Doug Thennis named Big 12 POW

5-10 with 7 RBIs, including the game winning grand slam on Sunday and the game tying RBI single on Saturday was enough to get Doug the Player of the Week award for the 2nd time in his career. Congrats.

Texas Tech release

A-mazing

So I'm here to gladly eat my crow. Texas Tech, in dramatic fashion, beat the Missouri Tigers in two of the three games this weekend. Both wins for the Raiders came in the bottom of the 9th inning, a 3-2 win Saturday and a 15-11 win on Sunday.

Friday's game was a heartbreaker. Missouri's Aaron Crow did what Aaron Crow do. He shut out the Raiders for 8 innings, helping Missouri to a 1-0 win. Tech's starting pitcher, Nathan Karns, had his best outing of the season, giving up one run in the 1st inning and walking only a single batter, well below his season average.

Saturday's game would start off the same. Missouri scored one in the 1st, but was answered by the Raiders with a single score of their own. The game continued at 1-1, seeing great pitching from Tech's AJ Ramos and Missouri's Ian Berger, until a bases loaded, full count walk gave Missouri a 2-1 lead. It was a strike, by the way. Tech seemed destined to lose another 1 run game, until the 9th inning decided to be all drama-like. Monk Kreder's 1-out walk, followed by consecutive singles from Jason Seefeld and Doug Thennis tied the game at 2. With runners on 1st and 2nd, Tech LF Taylor Ashby ripped a single up the middle, making way for Jason Seefeld to score the winning run, albeit on a horrible slide that sidelined him for Sunday's game.

Sunday would be a goose of a different feather. Missouri's 4 run 1st inning paved the way for a 7-4 lead heading into the bottom of the 7th. Tech pieced together a 3-run rally to knot the game at 7. Missouri, being the #2 team in the nation, picked the 8th inning to score another 4 runs in an attempt to spit in the face of their hosting opponent. The Red Raiders would have none of their tomfoolery. A 2-run 8th inning kept Tech within reach of making my sunburn worthwhile. Tech reliever Zach Stewart held the Tigers in check in the 9th, bringing up the meat of Tech's lineup for the final at bat. A walk, single and a sacrifice bunt gave Tech runners on 2nd and 3rd with only 1 out. 2B Willie Rueda ripped a triple into left center to tie the game at 11. With the winning run on 3rd, and only 1 out, Missouri opted to load the bases, hoping for a double play to end the threat. Instead, Doug Thennis lifted a would be game-winning sacrifice fly into the gusting wind and over the left field wall for a walk-off grand slam. It was very dramatic. Tech won 15-11.

So, this weekend was huge. Not only does Tech finally put it together, but they avoid losing their 3rd straight conference series to open the year. Winning 2 of 3 against the best pitching staff in the nation also helps. The confidence from both the wins could be what the Raiders needed to turn their hard luck around into soft luck, assuming soft luck is the good kind that wins games.

Video of Thennis Grand Slam

On another note, Texas won their game against Nebraska, salvaging a win to put them at 5-4 in conference play. Their basketball team decided not to win, losing to Memphis by more than I care to write down. Stupid Memphis, with their free throws and make-out parties.

On a sad note, the starting QB for the Hub City Bulls, a semi-pro team that plays in Lubbock, suffered a broken neck on the first play from scrimmage in Saturday's game against the opponent (I honestly never knew who they were playing). I haven't heard any updates on his condition, but it did not look good at all. Prayers are with him and his family. The Bulls won 21-16 to go to 2-0.

Tech sets up for battle with #2 Missouri

Tomorrow marks the first game of the 3 game series between Texas Tech and #2 Missouri at Dan Law Field in Lubbock. The only positives I see right now is that Tech is getting their harder series done with first. Already gone is Texas A&M and Texas, so that leaves the easier part of the conference schedule after this weekend. Unfortunately, Missouri is coming off a weekend that saw them allow only 2 runs on 8 hits against 14th ranked Baylor, shuting out the Bears twice.

Missouri is stacked on the mound. SP Aaron Crow is possibly the best pitcher in the Big 12, and combines with SPs Kyle Gibson and Ian Berger to give Missouri one of the top rotations in the nation. In 5 starts, Crow is 5-0 with a 1.03 ERA and 2 complete game shutouts. In his 35 innings, he has struck out 51 batters and walked only 7. Crow will face off against troubled Tech pitcher Nate Karns on Friday. AJ Ramos and Ian Berger will pitch Saturday's contest, while Sunday belongs to Chad Bettis and Kyle Gibson.

Offensively, Missouri is led by Jacob Priday and Aaron Senne. Senne is tied for 2nd in the Big 12 in home runs with 6, and trails only Roger Kieschnick (TTU) and Brandon Belt (UT) in RBIs, with 32. Priday leads the Tigers with a .387 average and 7 doubles.

The only true weakness in Missouri's armor seems to be their baserunning, being thrown out 10 times in 27 stolen base attempts. This probably won't become a factor in the series, due to their superb ability to do everything else.

I don't see this being a good weekend for the Red Raiders. Crow average 13 Ks per game, while Tech seems to like striking out with runners in scoring position. I predict a sweep for the Tigers.

My worlds collide today

So today kicks off the annual baseball series between Texas Tech and the University of Texas. I am always at a loss whenever this day arrives. I'm a student of one school, and a lifelong fan of the other. Either way, I win, but I also lose. Usually though, I'm obliged to root for the Red Raiders, since I'm paying them.

So here we go. #13 in the Nation vs. #7 in the Big 12. I wonder how this will turn out. From an unbiased standpoint, I will have to say that the Longhorns will take 2 of the 3 games. The inconsistent pitching that has been plaguing the Tech starters will haunt them against the able-hitting Longhorns.

Tech's best hope is a to play mistake-free baseball. This means no base running blunders, no errors and no free passes. If all of those fall into place, Tech can easily overcome the Longhorns and win the series. The best chance for Tech is Saturday, when Chad Bettis takes the mound. Bettis is a perfect 3-0 in 4 starts with a 3.25 ERA. He stiffled the Aggie offense on Sunday to help avoid a sweep in College Station, and could easily do the same in Lubbock.

For the Longhorns to win, they will have to play their brand of baseball. Dan Law Field is perfectly designed for Augieball. A decent bunt on astroturf is an amazing bunt on fieldturf. Jordan Danks, Travis Tucker and Michael Torres could be the three best weapons for Texas this week. A leadoff single can easily turn into a runner on 2nd with 1 out, a scenario that has always been positive for the 5-time National Champs.

Big 12 Standings (3/10)

BIG 12 STANDINGS (3/10)

TEAM	W	L	WIN %	STREAK	LAST 10
#12 Baylor	10	1	0.909	W3	9-1
Oklahoma	12	2	0.857	W9	9-1
#14 Missouri	9	2	0.818	W4	8-2
Nebraska	9	2	0.818	W8	9-1
#23 Texas A&M	11	3	0.786	W2	9-1
#25 Oklahoma State	9	3	0.750	L1	7-3
#10 Texas	9	4	0.692	L2	6-4
Kansas	8	5	0.615	W6	7-3
Texas Tech	7	6	0.538	W1	6-4
Kansas State	6	6	0.500	W3	6-4

Texas Tech and Texas both had their games today rained out. No make-up dates have been announced for the Texas game, while the Texas Tech game has been canceled.

Kieschnick named Big 12 Player of the Week (March 10th)

Phillips 66 and the Big 12 announced that Roger Kieschnick has been named their Player of the Week for March 10th. Kieschnick had 4 home runs and 11 RBIs in 5 games, while batting .524.

Kieschnick is currently hitting .429 (T5th in Big 12) with 7 home runs (1st), 24 RBIs (1st) and a 1.000 SLG percentage (1st). His 16 extra base hits are also #1 in the Big 12.

Big 12 release

Texas Tech wins 2 out of 3 in San Marcos, final game rained out

Well, today's game against Texas State has been rained out. Nothing bad since it gives the guys a day off before playing in Albuquerque tomorrow.

Tech managed to take both game against Northern Illinois this weekend, but lost their contest against the Texas State Bobcats. Saturday's game against the Huskies was a good showing for the Red Raiders. AJ Ramos finally pitched a game where the run support was more than one run, and picked up his first win on the year. Tech's bats were alive, and accounted for 11 total hits in the 11-5 victory. The one bad note is the pitchers' control issues. 2 Tech pitchers combined for 5 HBPs and a wild pitch with 4 walks to boot. Of those 9 free passes, it allowed NIU to add 3 of their runs. The wild pitch also allowed a Huskie run to score. Let's hope Dan Spencer gets those control problems worked out.

The game against the Bobcats was the worst one for Tech this year. A 14-3 loss that saw 6 Tech starters go hitless, including Roger Kieshcnick and Taylor Ashby (11 game hitting streak ended). Unable to answer with big hits, all of Tech's run were scored via the sacrifice fly.

Game 3 on Sunday proved to be much better than game 2 was. Chad Bettis provided a strong starting effort for the Raiders, picking up his 2nd win of the year. He was backed by great hitting from Roger Kieschnick and Tanner Rindels, who both collected 3 hits. Kieschnick collected his 7th home run of the season on Sunday which is tops in the Big 12.

Catching up with 2006-2007 Texas recruits

After coming off their 6th National Championship in school history, Texas signed arguably one of their best classes ever, inking 16 players. Baseball America ranked the class as the 3rd best in the nation. Everything looked golden for the 2006 Longhorns, until the draft.

Of the 16 players, only 9 made it onto campus. Of those original 9, only 4 remain Longhorns in 2008. One member of the 2006 class, Brandon Belt, is now a Longhorn after spending his freshman season at San Jacinto College in Houston.

Here's the class breakdown, with an update for each player that I could track down:

Brandon Belt - University of Texas (San Jacinto College)
Belt opted to spend his freshman season at San Jacinto College after being drafted in the 11th round by the Boston Red Sox. Belt went 7-2 with a 2.82 ERA on the mound, and hit .421 with 57 RBIs and a team leading 9 home runs. Belt is now the starting 1B for Texas, after transferring between the 2007 and 2008 seasons.
Michael Demperio - University of Georgia (University of Texas)
Demperio was one of the 9 Longhorns who made it to campus. After recovering from the removal of a brain tumor prior to the 2007 season, Demperio appeared in 33 games for the Longhorns, starting 11 in the infield. He hit .156 with 4 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. After the season, Demperio elected to return back to his home state and play for the Georgia Bulldogs. He is currently their starting 2B, hitting .182 with 2 stolen bases.
Carmine Giardina - University of Central Florida
Giardina was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 28th round of the MLB draft. Instead of signing with the Red Sox or attending Texas, he opted to stay closer to home and enroll at University of Central Florida. Giardina made 8 appearances for the Knights in 2007, starting 4 contests. He accrued a record of 1-2 with a 4.97 ERA. He struck out 28 batters in his 25.1 innings. 2008 has not started well for Carmine. In his only appearance to date, he managed only 1/3 of an inning, giving up 2 runs for a 54.00 ERA.
Taylor Hammack - University of Houston (San Jacinto College)
Hammack's name was on the long list of pitchers who spurned Texas after pitching coach Tom Holiday left for the head gig at North Carolina State. After being drafted in the 46th round by the Houston Astros, Hammack enrolled at San Jacinto College. As a pitcher, Hammack pitched 16 innings, striking out 13 batters, with a 6.19 ERA. He had more success at the plate, hitting .301 with 4 home runs and 41 RBIs. After his freshman year, Hammack signed with the University of Houston, and now enjoys a starting role for the Cougars. Hammack has made 1 start this season, giving up only 1 run in 4 innings, striking out 6 batters. Hammack is scheduled to start against the Longhorns on Sunday in the Minute Maid Classic.
Nathan Karns - Texas Tech University (NC State)
Karns followed his recruiter, Tom Holiday, to North Carolina State, after being a 10th round pick of the Houston Astros. With the Wolfpack, Karns was 3-2 with a .267 ERA. He started 8 of the 9 games in which he pitched. Karns decided to transfer to Texas Tech University in the fall, with the arrival of former Oregon State pitching coach Dan Spencer in Lubbock. Karns has started one game for the Red Raiders, striking out 7 batters. In 4 innings, he has given up 3 runs, giving him a 6.75 ERA. Karns is slated to start on Saturday against Tennessee in the Minute Maid Classic.
Marcus Lemon - Texas Rangers
Lemon, son of former Detroit Tiger Chet Lemon, was scheduled to take over in the infield for the Longhorns. Unfortunately, the Texas Rangers had the same idea when they drafted him in the 4th round. Lemon chose to sign with the Rangers, and spent 2006 season with the Rangers' rookie league team in Arizona. Lemon hit .310 in 28 games. In 2007, Marcus was moved up to Single A with the Clinton Lumberjacks. he finished the season hitting .261 in 128 games. Lemon scored 62 runs with the Lumberjacks.
Kyle Lusson - University of Texas
Lusson spent his freshman year as a backup outfielder for the Longhorns, playing 15 games with 4 starts. Lusson completed the season with a .240 batting average. So far in 2008, Lusson has made 1 start for the #3 Longhorns. Kyle has a .500 average in 2 at bats.
Pat McCrory - University of Texas (Navarro College)
McCrory wasn't supposed to come in until 2008, but decided to leave Navarro a year early and join the Longhorns. He began 2007 as the starting SS for the Longhorns, but was eventually moved to the bullpen in favor of Josh Prince. As a batter, he hit .067 in 12 games. On the mound, he collected 1 win in 19 appearances with a 3.65 ERA. So far in 2008, he has hit 1 double in 2 at bats, but hasn't seen action as a pitcher.
Russell Moldenhauer - University of Texas
Moldenhauer came to Texas after getting drafted in the 3rd round by the Angels of Anaheim. In his first season, he saw extensive playing time as the Longhorns' DH. He hit .278 with 6 home runs and 32 RBIs on the year. In 2008, Moldenhauer has seen the field as a DH and in LF. He is currently batting .235 with 5 RBIs and a triple.
Josh Prince - Tulane University (University of Texas)
Prince came to Texas as Dooley Prince's younger brother. It didn't take long for him to be known as simply Josh Prince. Josh took over the SS job midway through the season, and went on to hit .371 for the Longhorns. After the season, he decided to take his game closer to his Louisiana home, and transferred to Tulane University. Prince is the Green Wave's starting SS this year, and is currently batting at a .133 clip with 1 RBI.
James Russell - Chicago Cubs (University of Texas)
James Russell came to Texas from Navarro College with pitching coach Skip Johnson. In 2007, he claimed a role as the #2 starter behind Adrian Alaniz. Russell's 8 wins were good for third on the Longhorns' staff. He maintained a 3.86 ERA with 91 strikeouts in 109.2 innings. Russell was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 14th round of the June draft. He signed with the Cubs 2 months later. Russell pitched 3 games in the Cubs' system in 2007, giving up no runs and 3 hits in 9 innings.
Clint Stubbs - Louisiana Tech (University of Texas)
Clint Stubbs came in as another Longhorn sibling legacy. His older brother, Drew Stubbs, needs no writeup. Clint was expected to see time as a speedy outfielder, but couldn't manage to get any starts behind Jordan Danks. Stubbs played in 12 games collecting 2 hits in 8 at bats. After the season, he opted to transfer to Louisiana Tech, where he is currently batting .400 in 6 games, 2 starts, with the Bulldogs.
Jess Todd - St. Louis Cardinals (University of Arkansas)
Todd was supposed to be another Navarro pitcher in burnt orange, but ended up in Razorback cardinal. With Arkansas, Todd finished the year 2nd in wins and 1st in strikeouts. His 9-3 record in 93.1 innings with 128 strikeouts combined with his 2.89 ERA to earn him the honor of being the 82nd player taken in the MLB draft (2nd round). With the Cardinals Organization, Todd pitched in 16 games, 7 starts, collecting a 4-1 record for the Batavia Muckdogs. He struck out 69 batters in 58.1 innings for the Muckdogs.
Travis Tucker - University of Texas (McLennan Community College)
Travis Tucker started all 63 games for Texas in 2007, hitting .307 with 34 RBIs. In 2008, Tucker has moved to 3rd base, and continued his strong play. As the Longhorns' lead off hitter, Tucker is hitting .222 with 6 runs scored.
Jordan Walden - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (Grayson Community College)
Walden was supposed to be the gem of the 2006 class. As a senior who hit 99 mph on the radar, his draft stock flew up the charts. Many organizations figured that Walden may follow the lead of Jordan Danks and stick with his commitment, they were half right. Walden was taken in the 12th round by the Angels, but found his way to Grayson Community College to play for Viking head coach Dusty Hart. Walden was 9-2 for the Vikings in 11 starts, with a 1.85 ERA, earning NJCAA All-American honors. After the season, Walden took advantage of the MLB's draft and follow rule, signing with the Angels. Walden started 15 games for the Orem Owlz, going 1-1 with a 3.08 ERA.
Blake Williams - ?? (University of Texas)
Blake Williams made it to Texas as a freshman in 2007. He was redshirted by the staff, and never saw the mound. He isn't on the 2008 roster, and I cannot find anything about him transferring or quitting.

Former players update

Longhorns
Michael Demperio hit a double in the first inning off Atlanta Braves' starter Charlie Morton in an exhibition with the MLB team on Wednesday. Demperio finished the day 1-3 with a double and strikeout. On the season for Georgia, Demperio is batting .182 through 3 games against highly ranked Arizona. He has started all 3 games at 2B, stolen 2 bases and been perfect in the field on 9 chances.

Josh Prince is batting .133 in 5 games for the Tulane Green Wave. Prince has been perfect at SS, not commiting and error in his 17 attempts.

Clint Stubbs has started 2 games and appeared in all 6 for the Bulldogs of Louisiana Tech. He is batting .400 in 10 at bats with 3 runs, 2 RBIs and a double.

Red Raiders
Geoff Byrns has started 3 of 4 games for the St. Mary's Gaels. He has a .400 average with 2 doubles, a triple and a home run. The Gael's are 3-1 since Geoff joined the squad.

Collin Auten has yet to appear in any of the 4 games TCU has played. Auten registered 5 saves in 21 appearances for the Red Raiders in 2007.