Kieschnick, Garrido named to Omaha College Baseball Hall of Fame
Picture via
Austin -- Former UT All-American Brooks Kieschnick and Texas Baseball Head Coach Augie Garrido were inducted into the inaugural class of the Omaha College Baseball Hall of Fame on Wednesday night at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb.
Prior to the TD Ameritrade College Home Run Derby, Kieschnick, Garrido, Rod Dedeaux, Bob Horner, Robin Ventura and Dave Winfield were officially inducted into the Class of 2013. The group, which was recognized on the field in front of more than 20,000 people at the College Home Run Derby, will be featured in the ESPN broadcast of the event today at 7 p.m. CT.
The only two-time winner of the Dick Howser Trophy, issued to the best player in collegiate baseball, Kieschnick is regarded as one of the best two-way college players ever and is already a member of the College Baseball Hall of Fame. He helped lead Texas to back-to-back College World Series appearances in 1992 and 1993. Kieschnick earned a spot on the 1992 College World Series All-Tournament Team as a designated hitter and in 1993, and he threw 172 pitches in a 6-5 victory against Oklahoma State, placing him third in the College World Series record book. As part of the commemoration of the final CWS in Omaha’s JohnnyRosenblatt Stadium, Kieschnick earned a spot on the College World Series Legends Team in 2010.
A three-time All-American, Kieschnickstill ranks in the Top 10 in several hitting and pitching categories for the Longhorns. The three-time Southwest Conference Player of the Year as a pitcher and designated hitter ranks second in UT history career slugging percentage(.676), doubles (67) and extra-base hits (116), as well as third in home runs (43) and RBI (215).
In 1991, Kieschnick was named Baseball America's Freshman of the Year, hitting .358 with 20 doubles, 14 home runs and 66 RBI while posting a 7-1 record with a 2.58 ERA, 61 strikeouts and one save in 80.1 innings. As a sophomore, he hit .345 with 20 doubles, 10 home runs and 68 RBI and went 11-3 with a 3.13 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 115 innings to earn the Dick Howser Trophy, as well as being named a Golden Spikes Award finalist. As a junior, Kieschnick closed out his UT career hitting .374 with 27 doubles, 19 home runs and 81 RBI and posting a 16-4 record with three saves, 126 strikeouts and a 3.25 ERA in 149.2 innings to earn his second Dick Howser Trophy as well as being named the Baseball America National Player of the Year. He went on to a professional career that included six years in the Major Leagues. The 10th pick of the 1993 MLB draft by the Chicago Cubs, he spent time with Chicago, the Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies and Milwaukee Brewers.
The all-time winningest coach in NCAADivision I baseball history, Garrido is the first coach to lead teams from two different schools to National Championships (Cal State Fullerton & Texas) and guide squads to titles in four different decades. He is one of only three coaches in history to win five or more NCAA titles (1979, 1984, 1995, 2002,2005). Additionally, Garrido has earned 14 trips to the College World Series and 31 NCAA Regional Championship appearances, including 13 at Texas, whilegarnering National Coach of the Year honors six times (1975, 1979, 1984, 1995, 2002, 2005) and conference coach of the year distinctions eight times afterleading his clubs to 25 league crowns.
After he brought Texas back to the CWS for the first time since 1993 during the 2000 campaign, he returned the Horns to the pinnacle of collegiate baseball in 2002 by leading UT to a 57-15 record that produced the school's first-ever Big 12 regular-season and tournament championships as well as its first national title since 1983. He duplicated the feat in 2005, guiding the Longhorns to their sixth National Championship – the second-most for one school in NCAA history. In 17 seasons with the Longhorns he has also produced second-place finishes in 2004 and 2009, seven Big 12 Conference Championships (2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011) and four league tournament crowns (2002, 2003, 2008, 2009). In CWS history, he ranksfourth and sixth, respectively, in victories (38) and winning percentage (.655; 38-20), as well as fifth in both series games (58) and appearances (14) among coaches.
Garrido is the first coach in Division I baseball history to tally 1,700 or more career victories. He is one of only two Division I coaches to ever win 500 or more games at two different schools and the only coach to ever win 600 or more games at two different schools. His overall record after 45 years of college coaching, including a 723-347-2 (.675) mark with UT, currently stands at 1,874-871-9 (.682), which translates into an average of over 41 victories per season.
The Omaha College Baseball Hall of Fame has been established to celebrate college baseball’s rich history by recognizing legends who have made their mark in Omaha. Inductees into the Omaha College Baseball Hall of Fame were selected because of their outstanding contributions to college baseball, specifically through extraordinary performances on the game’s biggest stage: in Omaha. Finalists and winners were selected by a committee comprised of college baseball experts.
