Let me just start by saying the Longhorns are stacked with great players, most of which are Freshman and Sophomores with a few Juniors mixed in. With that said, their talent is somewhat young and this would be a great year, if there is one, to get a win or two in Austin BUT it will still be very difficult. The Texas defense is kinda shaky, their offense is potent but very inconsistent and their pitching has a ton of
promise but is a work in progress.

I will start with Junior RFer Kyle Russell. Russell is a 1st team All-American and has the rare combination of size, speed and power. Russell led all of D-1 college baseball last year with 28HR (also a UT record). He was drafted in the 4th round by St. Louis but turned down some good money to come back. Some have criticized Russell for this and
deemed it a very risky move. Russell strikes out a lot and can somewhat be described as an all-or-nothing type hitter and the critics are right so far this year as Russell's power hasn't surfaced. He is batting .273 with 1HR, 7RBI and 14K's. He still has a lot of time to recover and I'd expect him to put up at least 20HR this year and be drafted in the top
4 rounds again. (Russell is the single most impressive college baseball player I have ever seen in person.  He hit two no-doubt homeruns last year in one game in Lawrence.  In my estimation, this guy is an amazing player. - JQ)

Their best all-around player may be Junior CFer Jordan Danks. Danks is a 2nd team All-American. Danks was possibly 1st round talent out of High School but chose to be a Longhorn for a few years instead. Danks is a big and fast on-base machine with 70 rated speed. He has been compared in build to Dale Murphy. Danks has excellent range and is a good threat to steal (20 for 20 in steals in 07). Danks also has an excellent eye at the plate and walks a lot to go along with his good bat. Last year he batted .332 with 38RBI and so far this year, he is on fire, batting .352 with 2HR, 10RBI, 6 doubles and 1 triple.  His brother is a fine pitching prospect for the Chicago White Sox (John Danks). KU
pitching will want to do their best to slow down this on-base nuisance.

The Longhorns also have what might be the best catcher in all of college baseball in Junior Preston Clark. Clark plays great defense behind the plate (6 errors in 63 games in 07) and he also has a nice bat. He batted .278 last year with 8HR and 46RBI. This year he has been a little banged up and is primarily DHing at this point but is still batting .278 with 1HR and 9RBI. I would expect Clark to go in the 1st or 2nd round of the MLB draft this summer if he decides not to stay for his senior year.

Another kid that is tearing it up this year is Sophomore 1B Brandon Belt. Belt stands 6'5" and is batting .431 with 1HR, 22RBI, 9 2B and 2 3B. I have to think that if he can continue showing numbers even close to these, that he will be a big-time prospect. Especially if some of those doubles can translate into HR's. I'd say Belt can be a top 5 round draft pick by the time he is drafted.

Another nice player would be 3B Travis Tucker who has a good arm and a great glove and a nice bat but no power. He only had 8 errors in 63 games last year and batted .307 with 21 stolen bases. This year he is already 10-11 in steals. The KU catchers will not have fun if Tucker is on base much this weekend. I would expect Tucker to be drafted but how high will depend on where on the field he will play. He doesn't have near enough power to play pro ball at the hot corner so maybe a move to 2b or the OF will be in his future.

A couple others that show professional promise thus far is 3B/OF Freshman Tant Shepherd. He was a big recruit and is already 6-12 with 5RBI in limited action. Sophomore LFer Russell Moldenhauer is another strong bat. He batted .278 with 6HR and 32RBI last year as a freshman and so far this year he is at .281 with 9RBI.

The pitching staff is also very young but looks to be filling out quite nicely with their young starters and a deep bullpen.  Junior Austin Wood is the ace of the staff this year and will face KU on Friday night. He is a very consistent pitcher that went 8-1 last
year with a 3.15 ERA. This year he is 2-1 with a 2.75 ERA and has 15 K's in 19.2 innings. He will be a tough pitcher to beat and I would expect him to be drafted in the top 5 rounds when he makes himself eligible.

Junior Kenn Kasparek will be the Saturday pitcher against KU. Kasparek is 6'11" and throws a 94mph fastball. He is coming off of an injury last year but was a monster back in 05. He has had wild success when healthy but is struggling thus far on the young season. Kasparek has a 5.11 ERA having pitched 12.1 innings but with 16 K's. He is a strikeout pitcher and throws some gas so along with that comes control issues and giving up the HR ball. So if he can do some damage control, he will be extremely tough to win against. I would expect Kasparek to be a top 5 round draftee.

Freshman Cole Green will more than likely pitch against KU on Sunday. Green was the #1 HS prospect and he has great stuff. He has a lot of movement on his pitches and he isn't afraid to really go after hitters. Having said that, he is still very young and prone to mistakes. He has a 7.11 ERA so far this year working in 12.2 innings and striking out
11. He will be a tough one to predict because, as with most freshmen, you aren't sure which guy is going to show up. Will it be the #1 prospect with tons of movement on his pitches or will it be a kid that doesn't take charge on the mound and shows little confidence and consistency? I hope for the Jayhawks, they can get to him before he
gets things figured out. Green more than likely will end up a 1st or 2nd round pick by the time he is done at Texas.

Freshman Brandon Workman is another big recruit. He stands 6'5" tall and weighs 220lbs. He was drafted last year in the 3rd round by Philadelphia. He has a great fastball coming in at 95mph and the scary thing is that this kid still has a lot of growth and improvement left to do. He has a 2.63 ERA this year in 13.2 IP and has 16 K's. He could
prove to be one of their best pitchers by mid-season if not before and I would expect him to be an early pick in the 1st round when all is said and done.

In the bullpen, the talent continues Freshman Chance Ruffin is currently logging a few save situations and proves to be very very good. He has a very high leg kick and almost
hits himself in the chin. Thus far he has a 1.64 ERA in 11 IP with 11 K's and 2 saves. His father is the great Phillie closer, Bruce Ruffin. I would expect this kid to eventually be a 1st round pick.

Another Freshman, Stayton Thomas may also be used in several save situations. He has been compared in some ways to Huston Street who now closes for Oakland. Thomas has only pitched 8.1 innings and has 6 K's and a 0.00 ERA. He will be an top 10 round pick eventually.

Sophomore Casey Whitmer is another great young bullpen arm. He is sporting a 1.80 ERA with 10 innings pitched and 12 K's.

So Texas has reloaded and will continue to do this from year to year. IF there is a year to have a chance to win in Austin, I would say it is this year. My predictions are:
Friday night: Marciel vs Wood - 5-3 Texas
Saturday: Czyz vs Kasparek - 6-4 Kansas
Sunday: Freeman vs Green - 9-7 Texas

I have KU hanging strong in all 3 games and I could see KU winning 2 of these but my gut tells me to be happy just to get 1.  

(FUN FACT: Casey Larsen has 3 at bats against Texas and 2 of them are Home Runs)
Beak Em' Hawks!