Team doctors have decided that red shirt-freshman linebacker Derrick Stephens can no longer play because of multiple concussions. Stephens was a 4-star recruit from Cypress Falls High School where he was first-team Class 5A all-state honors. Stephens said that, "It hurt my heart. That was my passion right there. To have somebody tell me that I can't play anymore -- shoot me dead."

Softball is in the World Series and baseball is hosting a regional. Looking good.

Both Megan Gibson and Stanford's Missy Penna threw no-hitters in their previous starts, so this Super Regional was supposed to be a pitcher's duel. However, that headline was out the window in the first inning when Rhiannon Kliesing hit a lead-off homer, and four batters later Holly Ridley hit a three run shot. Unlike Penna (5 earned runs, 3 Ks), Gibson continued her post-season brilliance, allowing only one run and striking out 10. The 6-1 W puts us up 1-0 in the best of 3 series.

The bleeding has stopped. We pulled out of the tail spin at nearly the last possible second with a 6-2 W over Missouri. Coach Childress told the guys that "we just needed to pitch and play good defense and the rest will take care of itself." Done and done; Barret Loux pitched 6 1/3 innings of shutout baseball and we had zero errors (we averaged 2.12 errors per game in the last eight games/losses). Jose Duran helped out the defense with a 3-run homer.

If Childress can turn this thing around and get us to Omaha he will have eared his Big 12 coached of the year award, and, in my opinion, be a favorite for coach of the year.

We lost our 8th straight to Texas last night, 15-9. This team is sunk. We will be lucky to host a regional next week. I NEW I jinxed it when I made travel plans to Omaha. This is pretty much all my fault, sorry.

A&M says "my b" to "handful" swimmers whose Olympic dreams may have been crushed when their times at the the Texas Senior Circuit meet held at the REC Natatorium where called into to questions. Apparently "the course was three centimeters too short – measuring 49.97 meters instead of 50" (something about tightening ropes, shifting lanes, bla bla). Course lengths are "confirmed before major meets", but "it's not always standard to measure first". How do you "confirm before" with out "measuring first"?

Some of our own were among the "handful" getting the shaft...

Aggies swimmer Christine Marshall swam an Olympic Trials cut in the 400-meter freestyle. At least she might have recourse.

Alia Akinson, an A&M swimmer and Jamaica native, would have qualified for her country's Olympics team in the 100-meter breaststroke. Alejandro Jacobo, a male A&M swimmer, swam a time in the 200-meter breaststroke that would have given him a good chance to qualify for the Mexican team.

The international swimmers may have no recourse through FINA, the sport's governing body.

The downward spiral on the diamond continues. No. 8 seed Oklahoma upset No. 1 Texas A&M 4-1 in a Big 12 tournament baseball.

We got a bunch of awards recently:

$Bill graciously received our first ever State Farm Lone Star Showdown trophy, saying "There is no doubt our rivalry with Texas has pushed us to get better. They've had success for quite some time and we've had to elevate our program in order to compete." Ignoring what happened in baseball recently, who is keeping up with who now?

Childress was named Big 12 coach of the year, and Jose Duran was named both the Big 12 Player of the Year and the conference’s Newcomer of the Year. Duran spent two years playing JUCO ball at North Central Texas College before we picked him up. I am not familiar with baseball recruiting norms, but it seems in a sport where so many guys go pro out of high school, or after two years, it would be unusual to have a guy coming out of JUCO to have such a big impact. Other conference awards went to:

All-Big 12 First Team: Jose Duran, Dane Carter, Luke Anders, Kyle Colligan, and Travis Starling
All-Big 12 Second Team: Darby Brown and Brian Ruggiano
All-Big 12 honorable mention: Clayton Ehlert, Barret Loux, Brooks Raley, Blake Stouffer, Kyle Thebeau

Josh Carter pulled out of the NBA draft, saying he is "not worried about the NBA right now." After meeting with, and working out for, teams he knows he has "a lot to improve on and will have another shot at the draft next year."

What have you done for me lately?


The "body of work" may include a Big 12 regular season title, and a couple conference player of the year nods, but who cares if you just lost 6 straight? Besides, that was the regular season; we want Omaha. We want to be peaking this time of the year, not losing to 8-16 to the 6th best team in Southland Conference. Are we better off now with that trophy in a glass case than we were last year?

Turns out yes.

We finished last year about the same: 2-4 in our last 6, including 3 Ls to the boys in Austin.

The big difference is that last year we beat the cupcake (McNeese State). So when choosing to end the season slumping with or without the regular season title and a number one seed, I would choose with.


Thanks to Wildmen03 for the pictures.