The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Baseball announces dates for jersey number retirement ceremonies
03.25.2009 | Baseball
March 25, 2009
AUSTIN, Texas -- The Texas Longhorns announced the dates for the jersey number retirement ceremonies for Scott Bryant (25), Burt Hooton (20), Brooks Kieschnick (23) and Greg Swindell (21) on Wednesday.
Kieschnick will be the first to be honored on Saturday, March 28 during Texas' game against Texas Tech. Swindell will have his jersey number retired on Friday, April 17 during the Longhorns' game against Oklahoma. Hooton will be recognized on Saturday, April 25 as part of Texas' game against Kansas State. Bryant rounds out the ceremonies on Saturday, May 9 as part of the Horns battle against Texas A&M.
The number "21" will receive dual recognition, since it was also the number worn by Roger Clemens and hasn't been issued since it was retired in the 1993. Baseball's seven-time Cy Young award winner Clemens -- had been the only player to be honored with the retirement of their jersey number.
Hooton was recognized as the greatest college pitcher of the era spanning the late 1960s and early 1970s, earning unanimous All-America honors during his time at Texas. Swindell, a left-handed pitcher, was named Collegiate Baseball's National Player of the Year in 1986, while Bryant received several player of the year awards as an outfielder in 1989. Kieschnick won player of the year awards in both 1992 and 1993 as a pitcher and outfielder.
HONOREES AT A GLANCE
SCOTT BRYANT
#25
Baseball (1987-89)
Scott Bryant enjoyed an outstanding playing career at Texas, including being named the nation's top collegiate baseball player in 1989. Bryant earned the Dick Howser Trophy as the nation's top collegiate baseball player during a season in which he hit .386 with 32 doubles, 18 home runs and 112 RBI. His doubles and RBI marks in 1989 still stand as school single-season records. In addition to winning the Dick Howser Trophy, he was also a Golden Spikes Award finalist and earned All-America accolades in 1989. A two-time All-Southwest Conference selection, he ended his three-year career with a .353 batting average, 10th on UT's all-time list. He also ranks in the top 10 all-time in doubles (55/6th), home runs (33/4th), extra-base hits (93/5th) and RBI (181/9th). Bryant was selected in the first round of the 1989 MLB amateur entry draft by the Cincinnati Reds with the 20th overall pick. He played eight years of professional baseball, including five at the Triple-A level.
BURT HOOTON
#20
Baseball (1969-71)
Burt Hooton is regarded by many as the best college pitcher of his era and possibly ever. He logged a 35-3 mark for Texas from 1969-71. He still owns UT's career records for ERA (1.14), opponent batting average (.158) and strikeouts per nine innings (11.94). Hooton earned first-team All-Southwest Conference and All-America honors all three years in Austin. He made two College World Series appearances with a fourth-place result in 1969 and a third-place finish in 1970. His four career wins at the CWS are tied for the tournament record. Hooton is responsible for two of Texas' most memorable pitching performances, crafting a seven-inning no-hitter in an 8-0 win over Sam Houston State on February 26, 1971, and a 13-inning, one hitter in a 1-0 win over Texas Tech on March 19, 1971. In the shutout over the Red Raiders, he fanned 19 batters. Known for his knuckle-curve, Hooton enjoyed a 15-year major league career, playing for three teams, including the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers. He is one of just 20 players to go straight to the major leagues without playing in the minors since MLB started its draft in 1965. He logged a 151-136 career major league record with 1,491 strikeouts and a 3.65 ERA. Among his career major league highlights were pitching a no-hitter for the Chicago Cubs against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 16, 1972, and earning National League Championship Series Most Valuable Player honors in 1981 en route to helping the Los Angeles Dodgers win the World Series.
BROOKS KIESCHNICK
#23
Baseball (1991-93)
The only two-time winner of the Dick Howser Trophy, issued to the best player in collegiate baseball, Brooks Kieschnick is regarded as one of the best two-way college players ever and is already a member of the three-year old College Baseball Hall of Fame. A three-time All-American, he still ranks in the Top 10 in 11 different hitting and pitching categories for the Longhorns. The three-time Southwest Conference Player of the Year as a pitcher and designated hitter ranks second on UT's career slugging percentage chart (.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 helped the Longhorns to back-to-back College World Series appearances in 1992 and 1993 and 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.
GREG SWINDELL
#21
Baseball (1984-86)
Greg Swindell fashioned a career that could stake claim to the best ever for a collegiate pitcher. During his tenure on the Forty Acres, Swindell boasted a 43-8 record and a 1.92 ERA in 77 games. He made 50 starts for the Longhorns, pitching 32 complete games and notching school career records for shutouts (14) and strikeouts (501). He still owns the NCAA Division I record for career shutouts and is one of only seven Division I pitchers to log over 500 career strikeouts. Swindell put together his best season in 1985, when he posted a 19-2 record and 1.67 ERA to go along with 15 complete games, six shutouts and 204 strikeouts over 172 innings. He was chosen as the Baseball America National Player of the Year that season as he set UT single-season records for wins, innings, strikeouts, complete games and shutouts. The left-hander was selected as a first-team All-American and All-Southwest Conference performer all three seasons and received Freshman All-America honors, as well as Baseball America's Freshman of the Year Award in 1984. He was also tabbed a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award three times. Swindell was selected second overall in the 1986 MLB First-Year Player Draft by the Cleveland Indians and embarked on a 17-year Major League career that included stints with Cleveland (1986-91 & 96), the Cincinnati Reds (1992), the Houston Astros (1993-96), the Minnesota Twins (1997-98), the Boston Red Sox (1998) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (1999-2002). He earned a spot on the American League All-Star team in 1989 and made four appearances in post-season play. He helped the Diamondbacks win the 2001 World Series by making seven post-season relief appearances. He ended his career with 123 wins, 1,542 strikeouts and a 3.86 ERA over 2,233 innings.
To purchase tickets to any upcoming UT Baseball home game, please contact the UT Athletics ticket office at 512-471-3333 or log on to TexasBoxOffice.com (more ticket information can be found here). Ticket can also be purchase at UFCU Disch-Falk Field starting 90 minutes prior to each game. Groups of 10 or more can receive discounted tickets to most games when ordering in advance by calling 512-232-3865. Visit Bevo's Bargains for a list of other ticket discounts and game day promotions. All tickets are based on availability.
