Round Rock has long taken on the mantra of “The Sports Capital of Texas”.
However, that’s a hard thing to boast when Dallas has seven pro sports teams, not including the new XFL team, and Houston has five, not including their new XFL team either. Austin is getting an MLS team 2021, and has the Texas Longhorns as well. In fact, Waco, Fort Worth, and College Station all boast major NCAA teams. However, as each year goes by, Round Rock just adds to the major sporting events that come to the area. The Round Rock Express are here all summer and will host the 2021 Triple-A All-Star game, along with the UIL Baseball Championships every June. Old Settlers Park annually hosts the UIL State Cross Country championships, and college meets, such as the Big 12 Championships. We’re even hosting the Collegiate Table Tennis Championships in April at the Round Rock Sports Center! And yes, this past weekend, the city added one more major sports event, set to be held annually in February, the Round Rock Classic.
The four team, three day, round-robin college baseball classic was a big hit over this past weekend as over 15,000 fans descended upon Dell Diamond for six exciting games that provided for a regional tournament like atmosphere. Using the hashtag #BestOutsideofOmaha, it truly captured the excitement of college baseball early on in the season, as No. 5 Texas Tech, No. 24 Tennessee, Stanford and Houston battled it out on the diamond.
Tennessee proved that even a 1,020 mile bus trip couldn’t slow them down after a 4-0 start as were the best, at least on this weekend, and kept their undefeated season alive. The Vols outscored their three opponents 21-8. That included an upset of then-No. 1 Tech on Friday night, 6-2. Led by outfielder Zach Daniels, who made history by hitting the first inside the park homer in Tennessee baseball history since 2016, and highly rated shortstop Alerick Soularie, Tennessee played at a level that would warrant a trip to the College World Series come June. It’s also important to note that they had quite a large group of supporters at the Dell Diamond, especially considering Knoxville is pretty far from Round Rock. That fan base provided for a home-field-like feel, which definitely helped the Vols get going.
If Tennessee’s dominance was one of the main takeaways of the classic, Stanford’s struggles also came as a surprise. The Cardinal, who were ranked No. 25 coming to Round Rock, did not even manage to win a game here in the Lone Star State, dropping three straight. All-Pac 12 shortstop Tim Tawa, the projected 127th pick in this June’s MLB Draft, had three hits, including a solo homer, and two runs, but couldn’t provide enough offense to make up for the rest of his team, who totaled just 20 hits over the three games. As much as offense played into the three losses, pitching was Stanford’s downfall, as they allowed Tennessee to go on a three-run rally in the seventh inning in their final game of the classic, and more importantly, posted an ERA of 8.33 over the weekend. Currently, their record sits at a dismal 1-7.
Texas Tech bounced back from that early loss to Tennessee by winning their next two games, taking down the Cardinal and then battling their lone star state rival Houston, winning 3-2 in walkoff fashion in the 10th inning. Ace Bryce Bonnin was terrific in the 7-2 win over Stanford, picking up his second win of the season. The projected 160th pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, Bonnin struck out nine in five innings of work, while only allowing five Stanford batters to reach base. The entire Red Raider pitching staff was stellar on the mound throughout the weekend, striking out a total of 41 batters. On average, that’s 13.6 K’s per game!
Houston had a bit of hometown talent as Round Rock’s very own Luke Almendarez and Dax Dathe got to see the college level in the same stadium they grew up going to for years as kids. Almendarez, who is the son of the Express’ president Chris Almendarez, got into Friday’s game as a designated hitter, and although he didn’t get a hit over the weekend, stepped up to the plate for the first time in a Houston uniform right in his hometown. Houston went 1-2 in the classic, picking up their sole win over Stanford on Friday thanks to a seven-run fourth.
On Saturday, Peak Events announced the field for next year’s Round Rock Classic, which, once again, features four major programs from all over the country. Coming from the east coast, and currently ranked No. 13 will be NC State. Heading south from the midwest is the Big 10’s Purdue. Journeying from Alabama and representing the SEC will be Auburn. Finally, from right here in central Texas is the Baylor Bears, who will represent the Big 12. Held from February 26- 28, it should provide once again for a weekend of high-level college baseball, and continue to add to Round Rock’s claim as “The Sports Capital of Texas”.
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