Friday, May 5, 2006
Drew Stubbs was a wanted man coming out of high school. Any major university would have made room on its roster for Stubbs, and the Houston Astros drafted him in the third round of the 2003 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
Stubbs found himself face-to-face with a decision most baseball players only dream of having to make.
“I wanted to go to school the whole time and the only thing that was going to keep me out of it was a large amount of money,” Stubbs said.
Stubbs said the Astros didn’t offer him the money he wanted, so the Atlanta, Texas, native instead chose to don the burnt orange of the Texas Longhorns. Now a junior, Stubbs roams center field for Texas, robbing opposing batters of hits, and carrying the Longhorn offense, wreaking havoc on opposing pitchers.
Stubbs has started all of Texas’ 48 games this season and leads the team in six offensive categories including home runs and stolen bases, but his most cherished accomplishment in his baseball career came last season when he and the Longhorns won the College World Series.
As a result, Texas has come into every game this season with a bulls-eye on its chest, something Stubbs said initially caught the team by surprise.
Not only has Texas been a target for each of its opponents, but it also lost seven players – who were either eligible to return this season or were incoming recruits – to the draft. The team suffered early.
By March 4, the Longhorns were 9-8. Texas didn’t have eight losses in 2005 until April 27.
As might be expected from a perennial power, Texas has turned things around, going 24-7 since. Texas coach Augie Garrido said the turnaround has been a team effort, but Stubbs, along with the other upperclassmen, has led the team by example.
“No one person can get it done, but he’s played his part by his performances and the way he’s battled and the ways he’s accepted overcoming his adversities during a game and during the season and the way he’s conducted himself on and off the field,” Garrido said.
This weekend, Kansas will travel to Austin to face No. 7 Texas. The Jayhawks’ main objective will be to win at least one game in the series to solidify their postseason chances.
Kansas split four games with Texas last season, but Stubbs dominated Kansas pitching. He went 7-for-15 with four runs, three RBI and a stolen base. Kansas coach Ritch Price knows his team will have to do a better job of containing Stubbs to have similar success against the Longhorns in Austin.
“He’s as physically talented as anybody I’ve ever coached against,” Price said. “Obviously we’re going to try to be careful with him and try to get in position where hopefully he won’t hurt us.”
When this weekend’s series is completed, it will be four weeks until Texas begins its championship defense.
Stubbs may already have one championship ring and this Texas team may not be as dominant as last season’s, but that hasn’t lowered Stubbs’ expectations.
“I’ve kind of been spoiled. I’ve been to Omaha both years that I’ve been here, so I’m looking for nothing less than going back and hopefully winning the championship again,” Stubbs said. “Anything less than that would be a disappointment for me.”
If Stubbs and Texas are still in the hunt for another championship during the NCAA Super Regionals, Stubbs may find out that he is, again, a wanted man in the professional ranks.
Sandwiched in the middle of the NCAA tournament schedule is the 2006 MLB First-Year Player Draft. With the numbers Stubbs has put up in college, there’s no reason to think he won’t be drafted higher this year than he was coming out of high school. Stubbs is candid in his plans for next season if he is a high draft pick.
“At this point in my career, I’m looking to sign a contract and begin my pro career after this year,” Stubbs said. “It’s not a 100-percent certainty, but it’s something that I’d like to do and I think everybody around here understands that.”
—Edited by Timon Veach
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