BB: Get Your Tickets For Astros Foundation College Classic
Tickets for the Astros Foundation College Classic, which will be held at Minute Maid Park from March 1-3, 2024, are now available for purchase at Astros.com/CollegeClassic. The 24th annual three-day, six-team, nine-game tournament will feature the 2023 College World Series Champions, the LSU Tigers, who'll play Texas, Louisiana and Texas State over the weekend. Those four teams will be joined at Minute Maid Park by the University of Houston and national powerhouse Vanderbilt.
LSU is coming off their seventh College World Series Championship in their program's history. This marks the third time for the Astros Foundation College Classic to host the defending National Champion. This also occurred in 2006 with Texas and in 2004 with Rice.
LSU's appearance next year will be their fifth appearance in tournament history (2015, 2017, 2020, 2022, 2024). Their 2024 appearance will be their second at the College Classic with Head Coach Jay Johnson, who is the reigning National Coach of the Year. LSU went 54-17 in 2023 en route to their National Championship.
The University of Texas will be returning to the College Classic for the 11th time in their program history. The Longhorns will return under Head Coach David Pierce, who has coached at the College Classic in 12 different seasons while at stops at Texas (2020, 2022), Sam Houston State (2014) and Rice (2003-11). Texas finished their 2023 season ranking 12th in the country after advancing to the Super Regionals.
The University of Louisiana returns to Houston after a six-year hiatus. Their appearance in the 2024 tournament will be their fifth in their history (2002-03, 2016, 2018, 2024) and their first since the 2018 season. Louisiana also played in postseason baseball in 2023, losing in the Coral Gables Regional, which was won by Texas.
Texas State will be returning to Minute Maid Park for just the third time in tournament history (2019, 2021, 2024). The Bobcats are led by Head Coach Steven Trout, who guided Texas State to a Sun Belt Conference regular season championship in 2022 and a 36-23 record last season.
Tournament stalwart and local entry, the University of Houston, will be playing in their 19th College Classic, which will become the most in tournament history. Their appearance in 2024 will be their first since the 2019 season and their first as a member of the Big 12 Conference.
Vanderbilt returns to the College Classic for the third time in tournament history (2007, 2018, 2024) and for the first time since the 2018 season. The Commodores, which are led by head coach Tim Corbin, have advanced to postseason baseball in 17 consecutive seasons, which is the longest streak in the Southeastern Conference. Vanderbilt is coming off a 42-20 season and an appearance in the Regionals.
Overall, the Astros Foundation College Classic has hosted 35 programs in its 23-year history and has seen a multitude of future Major Leaguers participate, including All-Stars Alex Bregman (LSU in 2015), Max Muncy (Baylor in 2011), Gerrit Cole (UCLA in 2009), David Price (Vanderbilt in 2007), Matt Carpenter (TCU in 2006) and Anthony Rendon (Rice from 2009-11). The tournament typically attracts close to 100 professional scouts from all 30 Major League teams.
Broadcast plans for the 2024 tournament will be announced at a later date.
Louisiana will open its 2024 season on Feb. 16 when it plays host to Wright State in a three-game series at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field at Russo Park.
Quote
Re: BB: Get Your Tickets For Astros Foundation College Classic
