March 31, 2007

Kendall Rogers
Rivals.com College Baseball Editor

AUSTIN, Texas ? When Texas captured its sixth national title in 2005, right-hander Adrian Alaniz was a key component to its pitching staff.

In 2006, the Longhorns failed to reach the College World Series and Alaniz finished the year with a 4.18 ERA in 97 innings of work.

Call it a coincidence, but the veteran Alaniz might just be the difference between the Longhorns tasting defeat or earning a trip to Omaha at the end of the year.

Alaniz continued his impressive streak Saturday afternoon, as the Longhorns got past rival Oklahoma 3-1 to clinch a series victory.

"Adrian's (Alaniz) effort out there today is exactly how you want pitchers to perform," Texas coach Augie Garrido told Rivals.com. "He was very good with his execution and was very impressive."

Since his first start of the season, Alaniz (8-1) has thrown seven innings or more and allowed four hits or less in all but one start.

Highly impressed, Oklahoma coach Sunny Golloway wished Alaniz was in Norman Saturday afternoon - not in front of 5,228 fans donning the burnt-orange.

"I would've much rather faced him in Norman today," Golloway said with a smile. "He's been very good this year. Today, he had great control and did a tremendous job of hitting his spots and covering first base."

Last year in Norman, Alaniz allowed nine runs in just 3 2/3 innings of work. It was a different story Saturday afternoon at Disch-Falk Field.

The junior right-hander allowed just one run on three hits in a complete game performance. He also struck out five and didn't allow a walk.

As the Saturday starter, Alaniz enjoys his role as the guy the Longhorns count on to earn a series-clinching victory.

"Even with the complete game, I didn't feel fatigued out there," Alaniz explained. "I enjoy my role as the Saturday starter and it's great to come out here and be strong. I also have to give credit to James Russell (Friday starter) for setting the tone."

While Alaniz' success this season should come as no surprise, the consistency shown typifies his character as a pitcher.

At this point last year, Alaniz was struggling. However, the veteran learned from those experiences and has excelled in what could be his final season in Austin.

"Lots of bad things happened last season and I just looked at it as a learning experience," Alaniz said. "It helped me grow as a pitcher and a person. It also allowed me to handle adversity in better fashion."

Garrido echoed his sentiments.

"When things go south and you face adversity, you find out what someone is made of the next season," he said. "Like most of last year's pitching staff, Adrian realized that he and the staff had more potential than what they showed. He entered this season with another chance to redeem himself and he has excelled because of that."

Though the season is still young, history shows that when Alaniz performs at a high level, so do the Longhorns.

Texas just hopes the trend continues.