We'll be previewing Texas baseball in three parts. The first part was a chat with Baseball America, the second is a preview of Texas baseball's position players and the third will take a look at the pitchers.

When it comes time to write next year's Texas baseball preview, here's what we're going to write: Augie Garrido will field a ballclub with both elite pitching and very good defense, but the fate of the Horns this year will be decided by their ability to establish just a mediocre offense. We know this because this has been the story of Texas baseball since the Horns won a title in 2002 behind freshman closer Huston Street's arm and Omar Quintanilla's glove.

With the exception of 2006-2008 (when Texas had the benefit of Kyle Russell breaking the Texas HR record and piss-poor pitching on the mound) Texas baseball's offense has revolved around the concept of Augieball: the principle that Texas will win games in the cavernous Disch-Falk Field by being very strong on the mound and in the field while using smallball to put immense pressure on less talented defensive squads. If Texas can manufacture a few runs a game, the strategy goes, then Texas will win a whole lot of games on the strength of just its arms and gloves. Augieball draws is detractors from lots of critics who have read how the concept of Moneyball fits in the Major League game, but no criticism ever fully accounts for Garrido's six CWS appearances and two national titles at Texas.

Texas will need Augieball to be at its best this year much like every year of the past decade only moreso. The Horns won six games in the 2011 postseason and scored five, four, nine, five, five and four runs in those wins. As a matter of fact, Texas would've lost just 10 games last season if they had scored five runs each game. And considering how good the Texas pitchers are expected to be again in 2012, getting to five runs a contest is a worthy goal that will produce a whole lot of wins if achieved.

Before looking at the specifics of the Texas roster for 2012, it's worth noting that Texas failed to score and recorded just four hits in January 28th's Alumni Game. The pessimist just reads that box score while the optimist points out that the Horns faced Roger Clemens, Huston Street, James Russell and Chance Ruffin, all of whom have pitched in the Majors. But hey, at least Texas's defense didn't have any errors. Things are looking up!

After the jump a look at the guys who will be looking to spark the scoreboard.

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The last few years we have kicked off our Texas baseball coverage with a multi-part preview featuring looks at the offense, defense and big picture items facing the Longhorns in the year to come. A more detailed breakdown of the Horns will be forthcoming before the first pitch against Duke. But as we gear up our countdown to the start of the 2012 college baseball season, we thought it'd be fun to chat Texas and the Big 12 with one of the finest collegiate baseball writers around, Baseball America's Aaron Fitt.

Many thanks to Aaron. Be sure to check out his weekly Monday chats and much more at Baseball America once the season gets going.

40AS: What are your general thoughts on Texas in 2012? Will they be improved offensively? Can they overcome the loss of (2011 ace) Taylor Jungmann?

Aaron Fitt: I think they can overcome the loss of Jungmann, to answer your last question first. If you talk to the coaching staff, I think they believe this pitching staff has a chance to be as good as or better than the staff that they’ve had over the last three years, and that’s saying something given the talent that’s passed through. They’re going to miss Jungmann for sure, he’s a world class ace, and there’s some question of whether Stafford can play at that level. Stafford is a very talented player and he’s a senior so he’s experienced. He's a left hander, has good stuff and certainly gives them a chance to have a quality ace at the top of the rotation.

Then you’ve got Hoby Milner, another left handed guy who can really pitch. Milner has an advanced feel for pitching. Mixes three pitches well. He's a really nice guy to have. Austin Dicharry could be a Sunday guy. You can remember how good he was his freshman year, and he seems to have put himself together this summer. (40AS note: Dicharry was 2-0 over the summer with a 2.38 ERA in 4 starts for the Santa Barbara Foresters)

Texas has brought together an incredible group of freshman pitchers and amazingly they may not need any of them to start in the weekend rotation right away because they’re really deep. The pitching staff is the strength, it's going to carry them.

Offensively, losing Bell was a tough loss and so was (losing) CJ Hinojosa. The key for Texas is how Christian Summers does at shortstop. It's the most important position in the diamond, other than maybe catch, and Texas had a guy in Brandon Loy that they never had to worry about. Loy meant a lot from a leadership perspective, from a table-setting perspective and from a defensive perspective. Summers has a lot of defensive ability but needs to prove he can consistently do the job. (40AS note: Hinojosa, a high school senior had planned to enroll at Texas this spring and could have been a starting infielder from day one. He will now finish high school and could be a very high draft pick in 2012, potentially permanently derailing his time in burnt orange)

I think this can be a competent offensive team. I don’t expect that they’ll be explosive but this program is never constructed that way, they always win with pitching and defense.

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Our previous editions of the Big 12 Hoops Report have focused on this year's contenders--Baylor, Kansas, and Mizzou to be specific. Each of these teams has had some major storylines since the last time we wrote one of these, but today's focus will be on a little schadenfreude: the Aggies' final season in the Big 12 and what an epic fail it has been so far. The good news for A&M, of course, is that next year it will take a pretty serious step down in competition. All the talk about the school's move to the SEC has been about the supposedly tougher football schedule, but lost in the mix has been the fact that the Ags are going from one of basketball's premier conferences to a very top-heavy league without much beneath the surface. Just like football, these things run in cycles--but for the current incarnation of the maroon-and-white disasters, they can't get away from the Big 12's up-and-comers and established powers fast enough.

Losers of six of their last eight, the Ags' season is essentially off the rails. One of their two recent wins was in the Big 12 Battle for the Basement, in which they defeated Texas Tech to earn their position at ninth place in the conference, sending the Raiders into last place by themselves. The other win? An 18-point W against a school called "ATU," which is so obscure that ESPN doesn't even have a logo on file for them. (A bit more research revealed that the school in question is Arkansas Tech. ATU is a Division II school located in Russellville, AR. Like your high school, they generally play basketball games in the form of Women's/Men's doubleheaders. Aside from the Aggies, some of their fiercer opponents this season include Southeast Oklahoma, a tough road game at Henderson State in Arkadelphia (which is like Philadelphia, but different), and the ever excellent Ouachita Baptist).

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It's LSU-Alabama Part II, winner take all.

Unless it's not.

Maybe they'll play again next week to decide a true champion. Discuss it here.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

Pretty much describes Texas athletics in 2011, other than the whole "best of times" part. With the exception of one Justin Tucker boot it was a pretty miserable year to be a Texas athletics fan, at least by the extraordinarily lofty standards set by Mack Brown, Rick Barnes, Augie Garrido and the rest of the Texas coaches. Let's review:

• Texas football went 8-5, which actually left fans feeling optimistic about the direction of Mack's program. At least we haven't hired Rich Rodriguez yet. And if Texas had gotten the 21 points of offense in every game that it got against Cal it would've been a 10-win team. 1998-2009 seems like a looooooong time ago.
  
• Texas basketball got a crappy seed then managed to find an NCAA official who was unable to count to five. Then the Horns had three players taken in the first round because nobody else wanted to go into the crappy draft.
  
• Texas baseball had a great regular season and a nice postseason before being bounced in two uninspiring games in Omaha. Then the Pirates paid $6.5 million to a second round pick that was going to be our offensive savior.
  
• Texas volleyball got the overall #1 seed before falling in four games to eventual national champion UCLA.
  

And so on.

But cheer up, Horn fans. Things are looking up. Last year's predictions may not have been perfect, but I correctly called TCU over Wisconsin, baseball going to Omaha, a freshman WR having nearly as many TD passes as our starting QB (well, maybe not this one), and the Horns beating the Aggroids.

On to 2012 after the jump.

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The last time we posted a Big 12 Report, we told you about Kansas' issues with NCAA eligibility and how that might affect the Jayhawks this season. We also noted that, while Kansas looks to be less formidable than in most years, they should still probably be considered the favorites to win their 55th (!) conference championship because the conference itself looked vulnerable. This week's Report is essentially a pure mea culpa: this is one heck of a basketball conference, and if KU wins it that will mean Bill Self's group has significantly improved between now and March. That's certainly still possible, but you can't call Kansas the favorite right now. And, in an indignity the Jayhawk faithful are simply not used to, one of the two teams they look to be chasing is the hated Missouri Tigers in their last Big 12 season.

The other squad that clearly has to be considered ahead of KU going into the conference slate is Baylor. The Bears have generally looked really, really good and have won even when they haven't looked so good. They stand at 10-0 and ranked 7th with a tough test against St Mary's coming up this week, and it's become clear that the road to the conference title will run through Waco. It's no secret that Baylor head coach Scott Drew is not held in particularly high esteem around these parts--and really around the conference--which makes the team's rise to prominence that much more difficult to stomach. Still, there's no denying the talent Drew is putting on the floor. Neither Baylor nor MIzzou is used to being a Big 12 favorite, so we'll focus on these upstarts this week.

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Classic post from Hornfans (the link):

The Pac 10 commish, the Cal coach, and many others are harping on some of the voting patterns that may have tainted the BCS. Let's talk about it. Let me take item by item some of the problems that have been discussed (and I will make adjustments accordingly).

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The hoops season is well underway around the conference, and for many schools it wasn't a moment too soon. Texas is certainly no exception: while the young football team has improved dramatically over last year's no-fight incarnation, the nature of the basketball season allows for more excitement that a team can improve enough to make noise late within a single season. Mack Brown and his boys have given us plenty to be excited about in 2012 and beyond, but the beauty of roundball is that Rick Barnes can potentially bring a team from "too young" in November to "don't want to play them" in March.

But no school in the conference anticipates basketball season more than Kansas on a yearly basis, and the football team's abysmal performance can only have enhanced KU's status as a basketball school. And, as usual, the Jayhawk have to be considered the favorite to win the conference this season. But there's a catch: we've grown accustomed to Kansas being a top-5 team and having another couple of Big 12 squads nipping at their heels to win one of the best hoops conferences in the country. Others will certainly be nipping at Kansas's heels once again, but sadly it appears neither the Jayhawks nor the conference as a whole can be considered elite at this point.

One of the features that has made KU such a force during Bill Self's tenure has been the team's depth. Big 12 fans are used to seeing Kansas replace blue chip starters with blue chip reserves without missing a beat; their second and third stringers are normally dominant ballplayers. Not so this year. But why? Self's recruiting machine was just as active and successful this past offseason as it usually is. Kansas fans blame the NCAA and Big 12.

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Lost somewhat among the NBA's ugly ongoing lockout and the NFL's lockout causing heartburn last summer, Major League Baseball on Tuesday agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement ensuring at least two full decades of labor peace. Most notably, the new CBA makes major changes to how amateur players become professionals mainly by strictly controlling how much money a team can offer its draft picks. A good description of exactly how the draft will be effected is available here, but sufficient to say that fairly prohibitive penalties have been established to prevent teams from spending above what the MLB's slot suggestions. The days of Stephen Strasburg drawing a $15 million signing bonus out of college are gone.

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Iowa State's thrilling 37-31 overtime victory over Oklahoma State all but eliminates the Cowboys from the national title hunt and opens the door just a tad for Oklahoma to play in New Orleans. Okie State's loss got us thinking: coming against an Iowa State team struggling for bowl eligibility, an ISU team that put up just 13 points last week against Kansas and whose only previous conference wins came against Big 12 doormats KU and Texas Tech, is this the worst loss in conference history? The only other loss that comes close that we can think of is Oklahoma's loss earlier this season at home to a dreadful Texas Tech team. Considering the stakes and opposition last night, what say you?

For your Friday night entertainment, a quick comparison of what the Big 12 is losing with Texas A&M and Missouri football departing and what the conference gains by adding West Virginia and TCU. We've gone back and compared the gain/loss solely by record since 2002 (the last year Rivals would give records to enable lazy easy stat gathering).  The results, presented without further commentary:

Texas baseball is a man down today, as Augie Garrido dismissed Jordan Etier from the ballclub after his arrest on dual charges: marijuana possession and evading arrest, according to the Statesman. While Etier was never much of a hitter, he was so good defensively on the infield that it was always difficult for Augie to keep him out of the lineup.

We're certainly not the types to sit in judgment of a kid who has made a mistake. You do have to wonder whether the pot charge would have been enough to get him dismissed rather than a simple suspension, but once you add that evading arrest charge we imagine Augie felt he had no choice. Once again, the old adage about cover-ups being worse than the underlying crimes may have held true here. That is, of course, pure speculation. But, unlike certain media members, at least we're happy to acknowledge it when we engage in such factless rumor mongering. (Just saying)

In any event, the timing of this could hardly have been worse for Etier and the team. His arrest came on the eve of Texas' fall practice game schedule beginning, and a distraction like this can't be good for preseason development. Hopefully Garrido and the coaches can keep the team focused on the important ABs and innings as they prepare to make yet another run at Omaha. Sadly, it looks like that run will have to be without their teammate Etier.

Augie Garrido's bunch begin the first of four Fall baseball games today at 1 PM against Houston, available on the Longhorn Network (!). Last season ended with Texas pitching falling apart in Omaha without any support from a despondent offense. The Horns have lost starting pitchers Taylor Jungmann and Cole Green for this year but return starters Sam Stafford and Hoby Milner as well as phenom closer Corey Knebel. A year ago the Texas bats fell silent in Fall Ball, foreshadowing an ongoing storyline that would never leave. The Horns should be better offensively in 2012, but just how much better and whether the offensive improvement can be matched by a continued elite level of pitching (as the Horns had in 2011) will be the year's big question.

If you like an offensively challenged but solid defensive squad filled with youngsters looking to improve then Texas baseball in 2012 may just be the team for you. Far more of a preview in the months ahead but some names to look for and an open thread for anyone preferring college baseball over the NFL after the jump.

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The Longhorns just gave up a few too many big plays and couldn't make enough of their own, falling 38-26 to Oklahoma State. Add the fact that even when they got a break, it wasn't a break--i.e., the safety that could instead have been a pick six--and it just wasn't meant to be today.

Regardless, though, the team showed resiliency both in coming out inspired after last week's debacle and in responding to several big moments for the Cowboys within the game. It didn't feel like watching last year's losses; this team looks like it's making progress and it seems the losses are actually worth something in 2011, whereas the 2010 team was just a depressing mess. So hang in there, Longhorn fans--there are glimmers of light at the end of the tunnel.

The most significant injury this week is to the average Texas fan's ego after last Saturday's 55-17 thrashing. Of course the extent of the injured pride likely depends on the number of 66-3 and 65-13s you've had to endure. Beyond that, perhaps the best news is that Texas football remains relatively healthy entering this week's likely bloodbath  upset. Somehow in the middle of the season the injury report has become BON's most optimistic post. Go figure.

• Christian Scott played against Oklahoma and managed six tackles. He appears to have made a relatively full recovery from the wrist injury he suffered against Iowa State adding much needed depth to the safety position.
• John Harris remains the only injury casualty that we know of and he is listed as doubtful with an injured foot. 
• Linebackers Chet Moss and Demarco Cobbs did not play against Oklahoma but are not listed on any injury reports and could see action should the coaches dictate.

Here we are, folks. Less than 24 hours until the RRR kicks off in the Cotton Bowl, and Texas is extremely healthy heading into this showdown with the Longhorns' biggest (only?) rival. First, the best and biggest news: after several days of assumptions that Christian Scott's wrist injury would keep him out "indefinitely," he has been upgraded and may very well get some time in Dallas. That would be huge.

Also in very good news, sophomore linebacker Demarco Cobbs, who impressed coaches in the preseason before breaking his arm, is now listed as "probable" for this weekend. Don't look for him to get a heck of a lot of snaps, but he may well be available to spell Jordan Hicks and keep the linebacking corps as fresh as possible as they try to disrupt Oklahoma's efficient offense.

In other linebacker news, true freshman Chet Moss--who had worked his way up to second on the depth chart in Week Two--is listed as questionable for OU. He has not yet recorded a tackle, and the Cotton Bowl in October is not exactly the easiest place for a true frosh to get his first significant looks, so either way he seems unlikely to see the field barring injuries to others.

Other than that, the only new information is that reserve WR John Harris is doubtful for the game with a foot injury, and of course Nolan Brewster has sadly had to give up football due to repeated head injuries.

It's 12:31 PM Eastern, the Longhorns are healthy, and OU still sucks.

Mizzou is likely as good as gone from the Big 12, with chancellor Brady Deaton stepping down as chairman of the Big 12 and the Board of Curators (read: regents) authorizing him to explore the university's options. Today's announcement is kind of like a coach who says "I'm not going to comment on that" or "I'm happy where I am" but doesn't say "I am not a candidate for that position." Gone. But we could be wrong. (We doubt it.) Look for this to quickly turn to Mizzou accepting an invitation as the SEC's 14th team and joining the Aggies in perpetual football mediocrity.

Make that, continuing to join the Aggies in perpetual football mediocrity. We obviously don't get it--why go to a new conference just when this one is giving you what you want in terms of equal revenue sharing, you've built some success in this conference, and you will likely be overwhelmed on the field in the other conference? A&M has been a middling Big 12 team for most of its time in the league and will continue to be a middling SEC team. It's hard for us to imagine that in Missouri's case this won't push them further out to the margins than they already are in football, and in basketball it will lower their profile--not raise it.

Regardless, much like A&M the decision has probably been made, whether it's actually in the best interests of the institution or not. They'll miss their rivalry with Kansas, but forget not that it was Mizzou that largely started all this mess last summer by making eyes at the Big Ten and then getting embarrassingly rejected. So, off they go. We wish them luck.

What will this mean for the Big 12 when it inevitably happens? Well, it actually in all likelihood sounds the death knell for the Big East. This will take the SEC off the table for West Virginia, which makes it more likely the 'Neers will express interest in joining a revamped Big 12 with a more socialist television rights deal. The Big 12 still needs to decide whether it wants 10 or 12 teams, but assuming it ends up wanting 12 then Louisville and West Virginia both look likely to receive offers. All this is speculation, of course; but that would be exceedingly problematic for the Big East as a football conference, especially if TCU came to the Big 12 as well.

Also: OU sucks. It' still Hate Week, and the 2011 football season is still way more interesting than speculation about future conference affiliation. As such, we recommend you just remember OU sucks and don't worry about all this foolishness anymore.

The injury list for Texas football remains relatively light as the Horns travel to Ames to look to avenge the longest losing streak to Iowa State in Texas football history. The injuries this week:

• The big news over the past two weeks was Garrett Gilbert's shoulder surgery which will put him out for the rest of the year and could pave the way for a medical redshirt and transfer. Worry not, Horn fans, because you can get a #7 jersey at the Co-op for half off!
  
• Freshman WR John Harris, the first Longhorn to throw a TD pass this season, has a hurt foot and is out indefinitely. Losing Harris isn't a huge deal for the WR rotation, especially with the return of Marquise Goodwin. Harris was, however, a QB in high school and many figured he would be the emergency quarterback should something happen to David Ash or Case McCoy.
  
• Finally, Texas lost a safety this week as Nolan Brewster departed the program due to concussion concerns. The Horns get one back, however, as Senior Christian Scott returns after a three game suspension following a misdemeanor assault incident over the summer. Scott started ten games a year ago but there is no telling how much he'll play in his first week back.
  

Hey all,

My dad and I are lifelong Saints fans and we decided to take a road trip every year to see our Who Dats. This year we went to Lambeau and I just wanted to say what an incredible experience it was. Being at Lambeau is obviously being at a cathedral of the game, and the atmosphere could not have been better ($10 to park half a mile away and $5.50 beer outside the stadium? Absurdly awesome). Numerous people stopped us to ask if we were having a good time, and not a single mean word was spoken. New Orleanians think of ourselves as hospitable but I can't imagine an opposing fan coming to New Orleans and being treated quite so well. With the exception of the obnoxiously drunk lady next to me who keep hitting me in the head with her towel, I cannot think of a single negative interaction with a Packers fan. We had a great time with the group around us (minus one drunkard), and I can honestly say that I'll be cheering on the Pack as a second favorite team from here on out. The only surprise was that not a single Packers fan apologized for beating us, so much for true hospitality.

As I told numerous fans on our exit, hopefully we can meet again in January (this time we'll host). So thanks to all of you Pack fans that were at the game, it was truly an amazing experience.

Who Dat!

[Update]: The team released the news on Friday afternoon that freshman linebacker Chet Moss, who recently moved back to linebacker after working for part of fall practice at fullback, will miss the game with a back injury. --GoBR--

The Longhorns will be very near full strength against BYU tomorrow, and possibly even better than full strength at wideout. As TXStampede noted earlier this week on BON, Marquise Goodwin has changed his mind and returned to the football team after initially planning to take the season off as a redshirt in order to focus entirely on running track. That means he comes back to pigskin in top physical condition despite missing fall camp. However, it goes without saying that he's unlikely to pick up the Harsin/Applewhite offense in just one week of practice. Goodwin is unlikely to be a significant factor on offense this week, but he's available and that's better than last week. Plus, he can step right in on special teams and add a ton of speed if the coaches so choose.

The only other change from last Friday to this one is that second string DT Ashton Dorsey was suspended for the Rice game and it's unclear whether he's available for the BYU matchup or not. He is still listed as second on the depth chart, so he may have been reinstated; no direct announcement (that we could find, anyway) seems to have been made. Mack Brown referred to Dorsey as having been "suspended for the game" in reference to Rice, so all signs point to the DT being back in the rotation tomorrow.

No new injuries this week in practice or against Rice, so the Longhorns are healthy for Bronco's boys. Hook 'em!

Some good and some bad in the first half as the Horns hold a 13-6 lead. Texas will get the ball back and hopefully will build on what they did in the previous 30 minutes. This'll be your open thread.

We'll be doing our best to provide an injuries briefing each Friday during the season, and we're hoping (for obvious reasons) that they're all as short as this one. As The Stampede reported here the other day, Demarco Cobbs broke his arm in practice this week and will be out indefinitely. It's a real shame, as the sophomore Sam linebacker loked poised to have a big year backing up--and perhaps even challenging--Jordan Hicks. Freshman Tevin Jackson of Garland has taken Cobbs' place as the number two man on the depth chart.

Big Roy noted in the comments section of Stampede's post that, if Cobbs' recovery takes 10 weeks as some are estimating, he may redshirt this season and retain three years of eligibility going forward. The future remains bright for this young man, but it's a real hurt to the Texas D that he won't be available to help out in this transitional year to the Diaz Era.  Here's hoping Jackson has been paying attention in practice.

The good news is that Cobbs' injury is really all we have to report going into the season opener vs the Owls. Aside from Connor Wood's transfer to CU, no one else who was expected to be in orange this weekend will be out. Here is a quick refresher on those who have been known for some time to be out:

• Christian Scott (strong safety)--suspended
• Marquise Goodwin (wide receiver)--redshirting junior year to focus on track
• Malcolm Williams (wide receiver)--personal reasons

Other than that, the Longhorns will be at full strength to start the year. We would also be remiss if we did not include a mention of Blaine Irby here, as the starting H-back has battled back from an extreme injury (severe is too weak a word) to be ready for opening day. The fact that he is not listed here is worth noting in and of itself, as the question at first was not whether he'd play against Rice but whether he'd be walking on his own by today.. Hook 'em!