As expected, we lost Chance Ruffin and Brandon Workman , but the return of Cole Green and Tant Shepherd is salve on the departure wounds.
Shepherd hit .337 last year to lead the team in batting average and he'll be a strong stabilizing force for next year's young offense.
Cole Green, the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year, was 11-1 with a 2.74 ERA and should team with Taylor Jungmann to provide a strong nucleus for the Longhorn pitching staff.
Throw in Brandon Loy at SS, and the Longhorns should once again thrive on pitching and defense.
The 2011 season beta probably rests on the hitting of Shepherd, Walla, and Walsh, one or two newcomers breaking out, shoring up some pitching depth, and the improvement of Jordan Etier and the Lusson brothers (actually, just Kevin Lusson). I'd expect the offense to start the year moribund and improve over the course of the year.