Four Longhorns earn Preseason All-Big 12 baseball honors
AUSTIN, Texas — Pitcher Ty Madden shared Preseason Big 12 Pitcher of the Year honors, transfer outfielder Mike Antico was named Preseason Newcomer of the Year and freshman pitcher/infielder Tanner Witt earned Preseason Freshman of the Year honors in Wednesday’s announcement by the Big 12.
Senior outfielder Austin Todd was the fourth Longhorn to be honored, earning a spot on the preseason all-conference team.
The honors were decided selected via a vote of Big 12 head coaches, who were not allowed to vote for players on their own teams.
Madden split Preseason Pitcher of the Year honors with Kansas State lefty Jordan Wicks. Madden won all three of his decisions during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, posting an earned run average of 1.80, striking out 26 and walking just four over 25 innings. Opponents hit just .196 against him during the abbreviated season.
Antico transferred to UT from St. John’s, where he was a career .332 hitter with 22 doubles, seven triples and 13 homers. He scored 108 runs, drove in 67 and stole 44 bases. A unanimous first-team All-Big East selection in 2019, Antico earned ABCA/Rawlings second-team All-Region honors.
Witt was a four-year starting right-handed pitcher and infielder at Houston’s Episcopal High School, where he was a two-time All-State player and 2019 VYPE Private School Player of the Year. He was ranked the No. 1 shortstop in Texas, No. 4 overall player in the state and No. 18 nationally by Prep Baseball Report. In 2019, he participated in the Under Armour All-American Game and was a member of the 2017 USA Baseball 15U National Team.
Todd hit a team-high .375 batting average in 2020 and scored 14 runs. He finished with four doubles, one triple and one home run, driving in 15 runs.
The Longhorns will open the season Feb. 19-21 against Mississippi State, Arkansas and Ole Miss, each of which is ranked among the nation’s top 10 teams, in the State Farm College Baseball Showdown at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
