Sara Beth Purdy

In a league full of high performing offenses – one that is known for its elite quarterback play, Ash is going to emerge this year as the top quarterback in the Big 12. 

If you find yourself looking for a place to catch your favorite team when they are away, try a few of these places within easy walking distance of campus.

The Longhorns plan to pick up right where they left off last December, after bringing home the program's second national title, and they are seeking back-to-back titles this season.

Texas head coach Mack Brown announced Thursday that the Longhorns would be holding three practices next week that would be open to the public.

Former Longhorn quarterback Connor Brewer announced via twitter Monday night that he had committed to the University of Arizona. Brewer elected to transfer from Texas  earlier this month. 

Head coach Mack Brown was enthusiastic about junior David Ash’s cemented role as the starting quarterback and the Longhorns’ new up-tempo offense.

At the beginning of the summer, freshman Brandon Stone announced his intention to forgo his three remaining years of eligibility for a professional golfing career. Stone is the second golfer in many years to leave Texas as an underclassman, following in the footsteps of former Longhorn Jordan Spieth who turned pro in 2012 after only one season. With Stone’s early departure from Texas, it is becoming clear that the typically one-and-done athletes aren’t exclusively basketball players anymore.

The Texas football program has had its fair share of transfers, but recently with increasing restrictions by high-profile universities across the country, the rules regarding transfers have been thrust into the spotlight.

Former Longhorn Jordan Spieth won a three person playoff to win the PGA Tour John Deere Classic Sunday evening. With the win, at 19-years old, Spieth is the youngest player in 80 years to win on the PGA Tour. 

Several current and former Longhorns have found success at the World University Games this week. 

Sophomore Longhorn point guard Myck Kabongo went undrafted in the 2013 NBA Draft Thursday night. Kabongo was passed over by 13 other point guards through 60 total picks in the two round draft. 

Jim Hudson, a former Longhorn quarterback and defensive back under former Texas head coach Darrell Royal, died of Traumatic Dementia Encephalophathy at the age of 70, a family friend told the Austin American-Statesman Tuesday night. 

Junior Nate Boyer was named a Big 12 Sportsperson of the Year for the 2012-2013 school year, the conference announced Monday. Boyer was named along with Kansas State's Whitney Pyle, a senior golfer. 

After a season full of disappointments, at least the Longhorns concluded their 2013 season on a positive note. The struggling Texas squad shut out Big 12 newcomer TCU 3-0 in Fort Worth in the Longhorns’ regular season finale. Despite picking up the win, the Longhorns (27-24, 7-16) dropped the series 2-1.

The No. 4 Longhorn's game versus No. 1 Oklahoma was postponed Friday ngiht due to the threat of severe weather. It has been resecheduled for Saturday, June 1 at 1:30 p.m. 

The Longhorns blanked Texas Sourthern in a doubleheader sweep Saturday. The Texas pitching staff combined for a no-hitter in a 4-0 Game 1 victory before the offense took over in a 12-0 Game 2 victory. 

Game breakdown of UT baseball vs. Prairie View A&M.

With desperation on their heels, the Longhorns will head to Waco this weekend to try to salvage a floundering season.

The Longhorns dropped the rubber match to West Virginia, 6-3, in 10 innings, dropping their eighth consecutive Big 12 series on Sunday afternoon.

Erich Weiss is just going to take it one at-bat at a time. 

Another Big 12 series slipped through the Longhorns’ fingers Sunday afternoon. Texas dropped the rubber match to Kansas, 4-3, on Sunday, dropping two of three games to the Jayhawks this past weekend. 

The Longhorns are currently entering the second half of their season without a conference series win and with only one series win on the road.

Dillon Peters takes a no-hitter into the eighth inning and Corey Knebel picks up his seventh save of the year as the Longhorns even the series at one game apiece.

The Longhorns begin a five-game home stretch this week as they take on Texas A&M Corpus Christi on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

The Longhorns have the chance to show a marked improvement both in road contests and in Big 12 Conference play.

The Longhorns forced a rubber match against Texas Tech with a 2-1 win over the Red Raiders in game two Saturday afternoon.

The Longhorns had a habit of squandering on-base situations over spring break, but despite this the Longhorns still had enough to finish the week 5-2.

The Longhorns were sent home Thursday evening after falling to Kansas State 66-49 in the quarterfinals round of the Big 12 Championship tournament.

Corey Knebel gives up a two-run triple in the eighth inning, but the Longhorns get three straight two-out hits in the bottom of the eighth to win their fifth straight game heading into their conference opener against Texas Tech on Friday.

Dillon Peters gives up only two runs on two hits over 5.2 innings while Ty Marlow tosses 3.1 shutout innings out of the bullpen to earn his first win of the year after C.J. Hinojosa's double allows Erich Weiss to score the game-winning run.

Sophomore Parker French is expected to take the mound on Friday night for the first game of a three-game series as the Longhorns host the University of California at Santa Barbara to open up spring break competition this weekend.

Already having dropped the first two games of the season, the Longhorns tried to finish the series with a win in order to avoid the sweep. However, the Longhorns dropped game three 2-1 to finish the series 0-3 on the road against Stanford (0-2, 2-7, 1-2).

Longhorns welcome former Big 12 rival Nebraska back to Austin with series sweep.

Head coach Augie Garrido will be looking for his 700th career win in 17 years at Texas as the Longhorns get ready to host former Big 12 rival Nebraska this weekend.

Payton solid at the plate as Texas takes 2-1 series win.

This Friday, the Longhorns will finally get their first glimpse of freshman C.J. Hinojosa, the No. 3 shortstop recruit in the nation, according to Perfect Game.

To say that 2012 was a disappointment would be an understatement.

With the departure of Cokie Reed and Chelsea Bass from the roster because of health concerns, head coach Karen Aston will have some pretty big shoes to fill through her recruiting efforts.

The Longhorns earned a spot in Saturday evening’s National Championship match by defeating Michigan 3-2 Thursday night at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

This Friday, the No. 3 Longhorns will get to face yet another familiar opponent.

Texas had a very efficient offense throughout the match against Texas A&M.

Bill Snyder has been a thorn in the side of the Longhorns during his career as head coach at Kansas State.

Last year, the Longhorns were stunned.

When TCU quarterback Casey Pachall was suspended indefinitely for a DWI arrest, redshirt freshman Trevone Boykin.

With only two games left in the regular season, the recently crowned Big 12 champions are close to going 16-0 in conference play for the first time in Big 12 history.

The game meant more than a “W” in the results column.

With the conclusion of October, the Longhorns are more than halfway through their season and have exhibited more balance and consistency than was seen in August.

Against Baylor, Texas was able to rely on an underperforming Baylor defense that was ranked dead-last in the FBS in total defense.

On Halloween night, the No. 7 Longhorns will travel to Fort Worth to take on the TCU Horned Frogs.

This weekend the Longhorns embark on one of their toughest stretches so far this season.

Former Texas guard Slater Martin died Thursday at the age of 86 in Houston.

Texas won because ...

For the second year in a row, Texas head coach Jerritt Elliott has coached the Big 12 preseason Freshman of the Year.

The victory against Kansas State was the Longhorn volleyball's seventh straight sweep, bringing their record to 13-3.

Fresh off another Big 12 match sweep, the No. 9 Longhorns head to Manhattan, Kansas to face No. 14 Kansas State on Saturday night at 7 p.m. Last weekend the Longhorns swept TCU at home to bring their Big 12 conference record to 5-0 and season record to 12-3.

The Longhorns are starting their volleyball conference season off just like they started the regular season — basically perfect.

Sophomore All-American outside hitter Haley Eckerman was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week

At the beginning of the season, the No. 9 Longhorns were picked to finish, once again, at the top of the Big 12 conference.

Texas has been utilizing a large freshman class this year in order to overcome the loss of four high-performing seniors at the conclusion of the 2011 season.

After only three months of club volleyball, freshman Sara Hattis walked onto the 40 Acres as Prep Volleyball’s No. 9 recruit in the nation in 2012.

Haley Eckerman had a season-high 19 kills against Minnesota Friday night.

The Longhorn Network, previously only carried by Verizon FiOs and Grande Communications, by those who have AT&T U-Verse. Texas' first two football games against Wyoming and New Mexico will be televised on the LHN.

Wyoming comes to Austin hoping to recapture the momentum gained last season.

Longhorn led team through more than one victory.

Junior Anthony Fera will have two years of remaining eligibility as a Longhorn

While expected to lead a high-powered defense this season, players banned from media events due to offseason arrests.

Wide receiver Marquise Goodwin first college athlete since 1960 to finish first at NCAA Championships and Olympic trials.

Many Longhorns have qualified to make the trip to London in three different sports.

UT student one of fastest freestyle sprinters in the world; 2012 NCAA champion is considered a favorite in Olympic Trials.

Diving trials started Sunday for membership on the U.S. Olympic team that will travel to the 2012 Olympic Games.

This year’s R.I.S.E. slogan arose from the belief that eight wins, while better than five, are not enough for the Longhorns.

Sooners struggle to win, but Crimson Tide finishes the game well, securing their first National Title.

Longhorns miss chance to attend College World Series for first time in six seasons; exiting seniors satisfied.

The Longhorns won the series with the Aggies on Sunday.

Two former Longhorn baseball players, Brooks Kieschnick and Curtis Thigpen, battled it out at the Dell Diamond Sunday afternoon in Reckless Kelly's 4th Annual Celebrity Softball Jam. 

Despite a few hiccups during the past two weeks that have handed the Longhorns twice as many losses as they had amassed all season, Texas still sits as one of the top college programs in the country.

Texas Tech only needed one swing of the bat to extend Texas’s losing streak to three games.

The Texas offense was limited in action in its first set of conference losses all season.

The No. 3 Longhorns have proved that they are a talented ball club.

Taylor is only the second player in Longhorn history to record three doubles in a single game.

After several weeks of playing on the road, the No. 6 Longhorns will finally be able to enjoy a home field advantage.

Texas held their own in the circle this weekend. 

The No. 6 Longhorns shut out Texas Tech with a final score of 8-0 in their Big 12 conference season opener on Tuesday night.

She can turn a single into a triple and can easily beat the throw to first.

Sophomore right-hander Rachel Fox is glad to be back in Texas and is ready for more softball.

It has been two weeks since their season started, and already the Longhorns are playing like it is May.

Officials at the Time Warner Cable Texas Invitational have cancelled or postponed the first two days of play.

After last weekend's 60-0 win, you wouldn’t expect No. 13 Longhorns to have to rally from behind to secure a win.

The Longhorns are rewriting the Texas record books with a 23-0 win against the California State Fullerton Titans.

The University of Texas has been both praised and criticized for its multimillion dollar decision.

The underappreciated walk-ons who sit on the sidelines go through the same pain as the rest of the team.

The Longhorns were unable to get ahead in the first round against South Carolina.

 A late shot from the Cowgirls prevented the Longhorns from advancing to the final round.

 The seven-game series provided both epic entertainment and frustrating despair for Rangers fans everywhere.

This will be the final time the Longhorns can prove they are in the same league competitively with the Aggies.

The Longhorns mentally prepare to begin a winning streak as they face the ranked Cowgirls from Oklahoma State and Tech's Red Raiders.

Two olympic gold medalists

Texas came out strong with an easy 15-1 win over St. Mary’s on Friday night.

All four Texas hurlers saw action against the Leopards and combined for a seven-inning no-hitter.

In just two years, junior goalkeeper Alexa Gaul has made a world of difference.

Mack Brown: "He’s scrimmaged. He’s tackled. He’s been hit. He’s blocked. And I really think he’s well and very excited about next week."

Despite the record heat, Texas continued its offensive attack on Cal State Northridge to win with a score of 5-1.

For their first ever matchup against Texas, the Georgia athletic department is anticipating a sold-out crowd that totals between 2,000 and 3,000 fans.

With a full count and a teammate on third, she connected on a pitch for a home run, her first of the World Cup.

During her first month on the roster, Longhorn junior Taylor Hoagland has already started to contribute to the success of the USA National Women’s softball team.

Come July, Colorado and Nebraska will no longer be part of the Big 12 Conference. Colorado is heading to the new Pac-12, while Nebraska is going to the Big Ten.

Tristan Thompson was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers as the fourth overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. This selection makes Thompson the third highest selection to come from Texas behind LaMarcus Aldridge in 2006 and Kevin Durant in 2007, who were both chosen second overall.

Tonight, Longhorns Tristan Thompson, Cory Joseph and Jordan Hamilton will be watching for their name in the 2011 NBA Draft.

Local contenders will enter the ring Friday night and will face off with competitors on national television.

As the softball season closes, two Longhorns continue on with olympic aspirations.

The Texas offense jumped to a great start Wednesday night against the Texas A&M Aggies by earning one run in the top of the first, but was unable to put anything else together in a 5-1 loss in College Station.

Sophomore all-American pitcher Blaire Luna tied for the lead in the NCAA for complete game shutouts. Luna fired her 14th shutout of the season and 25th of her career in the Longhorns’ 3-0 victory against the 17th-ranked Baylor Bears.

Exactly 24 hours after cruising to an 8-0 shutout victory against UT Arlington in a shortened five-inning game, Texas took seven innings to beat Texas Woman’s University 3-0.

Last season, junior outfielder Courtney Craig set the Texas single-season home run record with 13.

The Longhorns rewrote several pieces of the school record book in their two-game sweep of Iowa State during the weekend.

What worked in the past could not lift the Longhorns past Stephen F. Austin, who gave the Horns their first home loss of the season 0-1.

The Longhorns trailed Texas A&M 3-2 in the seventh inning Wednesday but rallied and came up with a 4-3 win, as Mandy Ogle crossed the plate on a wild pitch to end the game.

The general feeling in the Texas dugout these days is the opponent does not matter. Tonight will be a case study of that mentality as the Longhorns face Texas State in San Marcos.

Seven of the nine Big 12 opponents that Texas will face this season are ranked in the top 25 of the USA Today national softball ranking. Texas is currently ranked second in the Big 12 behind Texas Tech, which only has one loss in the season. Though they were ranked behind Tech in the pre-conference season rankings, the Longhorns are now ranked the highest in the Big 12 in several of the national polls. 

During spring break, sophomore all-American hurler Blaire Luna was invited to the tryouts for 2011 USA Softball National Team. Luna is one of 12 players who has already accepted the invitation to the tryout camp in June, where about 17 individuals will ultimately be chosen to represent USA softball this season. This past weekend, she proved her worth as the Longhorns traveled to California to face six teams, including fourth-ranked Washington.

Taylor Hoagland, a sophomore right fielder from Flower Mound, Texas, rewrote the Big 12 record books last weekend. During the Cathedral City Classic in Southern California, she broke the record for longest hitting streak previously held by Nebraska’s Anne Steffan at 25 games. Hoagland’s single against the Long Island Blackbirds brought her hitting streak to 25 games and another single versus the Loyola Marymount Lions that same day set the new bar at 26.

The Longhorns will face upward of 35 opponents, each with their own style this season. Oftentimes, they have less than a week to prepare for a game, which can be tricky, especially if they don’t play the opposing team regularly. Texas has developed an effective method for preparing for a game that has already proven effective for the undefeated Longhorns.

Texas began the season No. 15 in both of the national softball polls despite the early exit in last season’s NCAA tournament.

Fans came early, despite the cold, out to Red and Charline McCombs Field to watch the Longhorns take on the Louisville Cardinals in the 2011 softball season opener Thursday night. 

The sixth-ranked Texas women are rolling. It didn’t take long for the Longhorns to jump out to an early lead against No. 22 SMU on Saturday. 

Texas welcomes another top recruiting class this fall, full of players from the Austin, Dallas and Houston areas. The two major metropolitan areas, plus the state capital, send recruits to the University year in and year out and are usually well represented on the Longhorns’ roster. This year, however, another large city will be well represented in the recruiting class — San Antonio.

After a disappointing yet hard-fought loss to No. 2 ranked Georgia two weeks ago, the No. 6 ranked Longhorns hope that their home field advantage will end their two-meet losing streak.

Sophomore Laura Sogar once again dominated the pool by setting several school records, most notably in the 200 breaststroke which marked the third time this season that she has lowered her time.

Laura Sogar is a nationally known swimmer and one of the Longhorns’ best. However, the decision to begin swimming was not one that she made for herself.

It’s called the “Cullinan.” It’s a difficult feat involving a half twist/turn move on the uneven bars, and only a handful of gymnasts can do it. One such person is Shelby Cullinan, a redshirt sophomore diver who the move is named after.

Despite inconsistencies connected with the renovations at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center that forced the closure of the pool throughout their summer practice schedule, the Longhorns are poised for an exciting season. Texas travels this weekend to compete against the University of California in their first true contest of the season.