OMAHA, Neb. -- The late Augie Garrido was a fixture at the College World Series throughout his career. This week, the Texas Longhorns will continue to honor his spirit while they pursue a championship.
Texas coach David Pierce will wear Garrido's No. 16 (he normally wears No. 22) for the duration of the tournament, the team announced on Sunday before Texas faced Arkansas. Pierce, who succeeded Garrido as Texas' coach in June 2016, and Longhorns players have consistently spoken about how much the legendary coach meant to them in the aftermath of his death. He died in March at 79 years old after a stroke.
No. 16 just belongs in Omaha.
— Texas Baseball (@TexasBaseball) June 17, 2018
Head coach @DP5hookem will wear the late Augie Garrido's number throughout the @NCAACWS. #HookEm pic.twitter.com/4rulW4RjaL
Garrido's jersey has hung in the Texas dugout for each game since his death, and that was the case again on Sunday. After Texas' win over Tennessee Tech in the Austin Super Regional, which clinched the Longhorns' 36th College World Series berth, Pierce said he had "no doubt" Garrido's spirit was with the team during its postseason run.
"No doubt [he was with us today]," Pierce said after Monday's win. "I was rubbing his jersey in the seventh inning, and that's no doubt, either."
Garrido coached Texas from 1997 to 2016 and won two College World Series championships with the Longhorns. He had 1,975 victories, 15 College World Series trips and five national titles in a storied career that spanned five decades.