For the first time since 2005 - yes, we went two whole years without doing it - the Longhorn baseball team opened the year by sweeping their opponent. This year's victim was Virginia Commonwealth.
Last year the Rams made the NCAA tournament but lost both games they played in the Coastal Carolina regional. They made 8 errors in the three games this weekend so it's nearly impossible to get a read on the 'Horns based on the sweep.
But it was definitely promising to see Austin Wood get out to such a good start and even more promising to see Kenn Kasparek's return go so smoothly. Overall the staff showed good control for the first series of the season with 29 strikeouts and 7 walks in the 27 innings.
What won't please Augie are the 4 errors over the weekend. Anyone that was there to see the games, please report on the happenings. Apparently there were some extremely disappointing misplays in the field, but the good news is that they came at the beginning of the year in a series we swept. Now they're nothing but learning opportunities.
All I can go off are the box scores, unfortunately, but one thing I've learned about baseball in my life is that early results can be accurately extrapolated to predict season performance. After all, who can forget that amazing 1994 season when Tuffy Rhodes had 339 home runs before the strike canceled the rest of the year? With that in mind, here are some highlights from how the 2008 season will end up:
Texas will go 65-0 and win the National Championship. Kyle Russell will lead the team with 22 home runs. Kevin Keyes will hit .714 this year with 108 hits and 43 stolen bases in 43 attempts. Michael Torres will drive in 130 runs.
And, most importantly, Austin High alumnus Keith Shinaberry will tie for the team lead with 22 wins. With a 16.20 ERA.