Tag: College World Series

Notre Dame Athletic Almanac for June 10

It may seem like a fairly dead time on the college sports calendar but there are a few Notre Dame anniversaries worth acknowledging today.

Today is a good day to open up the Notre Dame athletics almanac.  Why you ask?  Because a pair of big events happened on this June 10 date in the history of Notre Dame sports that are worth remembering.

On this day in 1971 the Pittsburgh Penguins selected Ian Williams 74th overall in the NHL Entry Draft, making him the first Notre Dame hockey player to get drafted in the NHL.  Williams wound up staying at Notre Dame where he’d score 101 goals in four seasons.

Also happening on this day was the Notre Dame baseball team qualifying for their second College World Series appearance in program history.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6eulGTLLCo&w=560&h=315]

Led by freshman Chris Niesel who allowed just one run in eight innings against No. 1 Florida State, the Irish beat the Seminoles 3-1, earning a trip to Omaha.

Also a birthday shout-out to former Notre Dame linebacker Te’Von Coney who turns 23. Coney recorded 313 tackles, 23 for loss and seven sacks in his four years at Notre Dame.  Coney spent the last two years as a member of the Raiders practice squad but is currently an NFL free agent.

Two Longhorns Named To Preseason All Big 12 Team

Texas Longhorns baseball team has two players represented on the preseason All-Big 12 team with Bryce Elder and Eric Kennedy.

Two weeks until the Longhorns start their baseball conference championship defense against the Rice Owls on February 15th. The Big 12 announced their preseason All-Big 12 team. Two Longhorns represented on the team with pitcher Bryce Elder and outfielder Eric Kennedy.

Elder is heading into his junior season for the Longhorns. Last year with Texas, Elder was named to the All-Big 12 second team. He posted a 2.93 ERA in 13 starts where he pitched 83 innings. He led the team with 86 strikeouts and was named Big 12 pitcher of the week on multiple occasions. Elder looks to lead the staff back to the College World Series in Omaha for the second-consecutive season for the first time since 2002-2005 when Texas participated in the championship tournament for four consecutive years.

Kennedy will return to Austin for his sophomore season. The former high school All-American was named to the All-Big 12 honorable mention team as a freshman. He led all Longhorns with a .310 batting average and hit safely in 13 of 14 of the final games of the season. He scored 41 runs with eight doubles, three triples and two home runs in 2019.

Brandon Belt Looks For Bounce Back Year In 2020

Former Texas Longhorn Brandon Belt is looking for a bounce back season in 2020 for the San Francisco Giants.

Former Longhorn and current Giants’ first baseman Brandon Belt is preparing to head into his 10th season in the majors, all of which have been with the Giants. Belt received his call to the big leagues in 2011, appearing in 63 games while batting .225 with nine home runs and 18 runs batted in at the age of 23. Outside of an injury-riddled season in 2014, that would be the fewest games that Belt would play in.

In 2019, the former Longhorn and Nacogdoches native appeared in a career-high 156 games that he also matched in the 2016 season. Belt batted just .234 with 127 strikeouts to only 83 walks. He added 17 HRs and 57 RBIs. Looking for a bounce back season, Belt will report to spring training for the Giants in Scottsdale, Arizona on February 16th.

The Giants will be looking to overtake the two teams that finished above them in 2019, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks. The Giants finished with a combined record of 16-22 against those two clubs. For Belt, he is trying to bring the Giants back to contention. The team hasn’t had a playoff berth since 2016 and haven’t won the pennant since 2014 when they won the World Series.

Belt spent 2008-2009 with the Texas Longhorns. He decided to go to school over starting his baseball career when he was selected in the 11th round by the Boston Red Sox straight out of Lufkin High School. Belt spent 2007 with San Jacinto college where again he was drafted in the 11th round by the Atlanta Braves. He transferred to Texas where he would spend the next two seasons.

As a member of the Longhorns team in 2008, the team finished with a 39-22 record and was eliminated in the NCAA Regionals after falling to Rice 7-4. The following year Belt transitioned to first base and gave up pitching due to his shoulder. The Longhorns finished as runner-up in the 2009 College World Series. He was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the fifth round of the 2009 MLB Draft.

Brandon Belt’s MLB Accolades

  • National League All-Star (2016)
  • Two-time Wold Series Champion (2012, 2014)
  • Career Batting Average .261
  • Career Home Runs: 129
  • Career Runs Batted In: 472
  • Career On Base Percentage: .354

Two Longhorns Assistants Look To Bring Texas To The Top

Troy Tulowitzki and former Longhorn great Huston Street look to bring the Texas baseball team back to the top of the baseball world.

The Texas Longhorns baseball team is looking for a return to prominence. The Longhorns haven’t had a championship season since 2005 although they came close in 2009 as a runner up to champion Louisiana State Tigers. After a four-year absence from the championship tournament the boys in Austin returned to the tourney in 2019 but were quickly eliminated after two games.

For this season, Texas looks to regain their magic and become one of the top teams not only in the Big 12 but in all of the NCAA. This season they will have a couple new voices in the room to help them along the way. Huston Street has joined the staff as a student assistant. Many fans will remember Street who helped lead the Longhorns to the title in 2002 and the semifinals in 2004. The Longhorns pitching staff will be able to lean on his experience as both a champion in the CWS and in Major League Baseball.

Another big name on this staff that will be key is Troy Tulowitzki who joined the staff after ending his 14-year career in the majors. Tulo much like Street has a plethora of knowledge and experience that he can share with the team that can only help them as they try to bring Texas back to the top of the college baseball world. It all starts February 1st with the Alumni game.

In 2020 the Longhorns will likely need to be better than they were a year ago with a 7-16 conference record. However, given how they performed in the postseason, don’t count out another magical run by the Longhorns.