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

Former Longhorn Ron Gardenhire Hopes To Turn Tigers Around

Former Longhorn and current Detroit Tigers skipper is hoping to turn around a team that posted their second-worst record in team history.

The Texas Longhorns are preparing for the Alumni game coming up on February 1st. However, there are a handful of former Longhorns preparing for Spring Training and the 2020 Major League Baseball season. One such former Longhorn is long-time skipper Ron Gardenhire.

Gardenhire is preparing for his third year as the Detroit Tigers skipper after an 13-year run in Minnesota with the Twins. After a 6-21 postseason record, Gardenhire was fired and quickly swept up by the Tigers to be their new skipper. He is in the final year of three-year contract with Detroit.

The Detroit Tigers were coming off one of their 10 worst seasons in their history. The organization dates all the way back to 1894. The team went 68-94 in 2017 before relieving Brad Ausmus in favor of Gardenhire. In their first season under the new manager, the Tigers posted an identical 68-94 season.

In the second year under Gardenhire, the Tigers were even worse. Last season the team finished 47-114 and posted the most home losses (59) in the modern era. For Gardenhire, he will need a season where the team shows some signs of life if he wants to continue his career in Detroit.

Ron Gardenhire’s Career Accolades

  • Career Record 1,179-1,251 (.485 winning percentage)
  • Minnesota Record 1,068-1,039 (.507 winning percentage)
  • Minnesota Playoffs 6-21 (.222 winning percentage)
  • Detroit Record 111-212 (.344 winning percentage)
  • AL Manager of the Year (2010)

Pitcher Andre Deplantier II Wearing Cast On Non-Throwing Hand

Texas freshman pitcher and infielder Andre Deplantier II was seen with a soft cast on his non-throwing hand.

The Texas Longhorns baseball team is only a matter of weeks away from their season opening series against Rice. Freshman Andre Deplantier II was seen with a soft cast on his non-throwing hand according to Dustin McComas of Orange Bloods.

The fractured hamate bone injury might push Deplantier to focus on just pitching for the immediate future. According to his Texas bio, Deplantier was a force on the mound and in the infield.

Lettered in every season at Summer Creek High School under head coach D.J. Wilson…named the 2019 Summer Creek baseball team MVP and Pitcher of the Year…unanimous first team All-District pitcher and second team third baseman…helped lead the team to the most wins in school history and the first playoff series win…recorded a 9-0 record in 10 starts with 90 strikeouts and batted .304 with 33 RBI as a senior…played third, shortstop, and pitched…named first team All-District pitcher as a junior and senior and second team All-District at third base in both of those seasons…named to the Perfect Game World Wood Bat Championship All-Tournament team as both a hitter and pitcher on three occasions (2016, 2017, 2018)…member of the National Honor Society.

With the injury to Deplantier, recovery will be key to get him back on the diamond and help bring Texas back to the top of the college baseball world in the Big 12.

Texas Longhorns Miss Out On Baseball America’s Top 25

Baseball America has released their preseason top 25, with three Big 12 teams in the polls the Texas Longhorns miss making the cut.

Baseball season is almost upon us and the Texas Longhorns are looking to return to Omaha in 2020 for the College World Series. The Longhorns didn’t have the best regular season a year ago but they were able to finish with the best conference record. It marked the first time since 2015 that Texas would get to Omaha.

With the success of last season, the Longhorns are looking to repeat as conference champions. They finished the regular season without being ranked in the top 25. Baseball America has come out with their preseason top 25 rankings and the Longhorns didn’t make the cut.

There are three teams from the Big 12 ranked in the preseason rankings with Texas Tech (6), Oklahoma State (16) and Oklahoma (19). The Longhorns will need another 2018 like season to take down three of the best teams in the country to build upon last year’s success.

Texas Baseball Team To Retire The Number of Longhorns Legend

The Texas Longhorns will be retiring the number 25. That number was worn by Austin native and Longhorns legend Huston Street.

The Texas Longhorns are looking to return to the College World Series in hopes of capturing the elusive World Championship that has evaded their grasp since 2002. To do so, the Longhorns brought back the man that helped lead them to Omaha during that season, former Major League Baseball pitch Huston Street. He was the MVP of that championship run.

Huston Street’s number 25 jersey will be retired. A huge honor bestowed upon a legend in the streets of Austin. During his time with the Longhorns, Street finished with 41 career saves. He is regarded as one of the best college closers of all time. In 2010, Street was named to the NCAA College World Series Legends Team.

Street finished his professional career with 324 saves that spanned 13 seasons. His career record finish 42-34 with 665 strikeouts. Street joined the staff this past offseason. He was also named AL Rookie of The Year in 2005 while a member of the Oakland A’s. The two-time All-Star finished with a 2.95 earned run average (ERA).

What a way to welcome back Streeter.

Four Longhorns named to Big 12’s All-Decade baseball team

Kody Clemens, Mark Payton, Taylor Jungmann, and Corey Knebel are named to D1 Baseball’s Big 12 All-Decade team.

It was a successful decade for Texas baseball, consistently winning throughout all ten years. Winning the Big 12 regular season three different times in 2010, 2011, and 2018. The only other program to come close to the Longhorns was Texas Tech, also winning three.

Texas also added a Big 12 tournament win in 2015, sending them straight to the NCAA tournament. Making it to the tournament in 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2018, the Longhorns got to the College World Series in three of those years.

All of this success was due to a few players who made it into the D1baseball.com Big 12 All-Decade Team. Kody Clemens, Mark Payton, Taylor Jungmann, and Corey Knebel all made it in for the Longhorns. You can check out the full team here:

Here are the four players that made it into the Big 12 All-Decade team:

LOOK: Texas Baseball unveils state-of-the-art player development center

The Texas Longhorns baseball team just unveiled its new player development center, called the J. Dan Brown Family Player Development Center

The Texas Longhorns baseball team just unveiled its brand new, state-of-the-art player development center, called the J. Dan Brown Family Player Development Center. This facility is packed to the gills with amenities aimed to help players improve and for Texas to field the best group of players it possibly can on any given day. Check out this video giving a brief tour through the facilities:

This center makes its’ mark as the first fully donor-funded athletics facility on the Forty Acres. It includes a sports performance center for weight training, a nutrition center, a multi-use turf room outfit with multiple batting cages, the new Roger Clemens pitching lab, and an alumni locker room for former Longhorns who have since gone pro to work out in the off-season.

This facility is truly remarkable, and is another way that Texas sets itself apart from the competition. The Longhorns baseball team will utilize the facility in hopes of making a run at the College World Series this season.