Texas-Sized Dream
Cy Ranch pitcher Ty Madden's Longhorn dream a reality
Thomas Bingham
Apr 26, 2018, 9:56 pm
Madden always wanted to play for Texas, so he jumped at the opportunity when coach David Pierce called him last summer.
“Texas was a dream school of mine whenever I was little,” Cypress Ranch senior ace Ty Madden said. “It was surreal that this was an actual possibility.”
The opportunity came at the perfect time because he had reopened his recruiting after a few coaching changes at Rice.
“Coach Pierce is a great guy, and I loved all the coaches up there [in Austin],” Madden said. “They made me feel really welcomed, and it’s one of the most winning programs in college baseball, so I didn’t think there was a better place for me to go.”
Madden’s spent most of his life playing the sport, and there’s nothing else he’d rather be doing.
“Baseball is what I love,” he said. “It’s always been my favorite thing to do.”
As comfortable as the 6-foot-4, 210-pound flamethrower looks on the mound, he wasn’t always a pitcher. Madden was a catcher until his sophomore year, when he got hit in the shoulder by a foul ball. The change of position was also caused by growth spurts, whether it was the eight inches between his freshman and sophomore seasons or the 40 pounds between his junior and senior year.
The move sold college programs on his abilities and kept the winning tradition alive at Cy Ranch. In helping preserve that winning tradition, Madden has produced memorable performances like his no-hitter against rival Cy Woods in his varsity district debut.
As great as his career has been, he wants to have an even better finish. He’s one of the double-digit, college-bound seniors on his team’s roster, so he sees an opening for the Mustangs’ third state title since 2012.
“If I play my game, focus on myself, and take care of my job, then I have enough faith in my teammates,” Madden said. “We have some hot bats in the lineup, and we have so many pitchers in our rotation that this could all come together.”
In seven appearances and six starts in 2018, the senior is 5-1 with a 0.64 ERA. Madden has given up three earned runs on 11 hits in 32 2/3 innings. He has struck out 41 and walked just 18. Entering the month of April, opponents are batting .100 against Madden, and he has thrown two shutouts.
_This article appears in the April Issue of VYPE Magazine. Pick up your copy at any one of our _locations_ today!_
The Houston Texans have a big challenge in store as they look to start the season with a win against the Colts this Sunday. When these two teams met in Week 2 last year, the Colts dominated the Texans, despite losing their QB Anthony Richardson to a concussion after the first quarter.
Keeping Richardson contained on Sunday will go a long way in increasing the Texans' chances of coming home with a win. The Texans defense will have their hands full containing the Colts backs and tight ends in the passing game.
Scoring touchdowns with their wide receivers could prove difficult, as the Texans allowed the second-fewest TDs (10) to the receiver position in 2023.
Limiting running back Jonathan Taylor will also be a top priority. While the Texans had an elite defense against the run last season, they struggled with Taylor in Week 18 as he almost rushed for 200 yards.
Houston's D allowed only four carries to running backs in 2023 that went for 20 or more yards. Two of which were to Taylor in the final game of the regular season.
Finally, DeMeco Ryans and company have to find a way to get pressure on the QB. They only had one QB hit and zero sacks on Richardson and Garner Minshew the first time they faced off last year.
On offense, the Texans have two big x-factors to watch for on Sunday. The offensive line that suited up to play the Colts in Week 2 last season is completely different from this year.
The o-line was ravaged with injuries to start the 2023 campaign, so we expect a big jump in productivity in the trenches this year.
Another big addition in 2024 is the presence of running back Joe Mixon. The running game only produced 2 yards per rush in Week 2 against Indy last year, so there's clearly room for improvement.
Be sure to watch the video above for our in-depth preview of Texans-Colts!
And catch Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) live on our SportsMapTexans YouTube channel following every game this season!