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Texas Longhorns outfielder Austin Todd announced on Thursday that he’ll come back for another season.
Said my story wasn’t done, what’s one more year? ♂️ #letsrunitback pic.twitter.com/I9ND6pmIp8
— Austin Todd (@AustinTodd44) July 22, 2021
The Round Rock product took advantage of the extra season afforded by the coronavirus pandemic to return for the 2021 season, but suffered a shoulder injury in March that required surgery and ended Todd’s fifth year on the Forty Acres.
A career .275 hitter at Texas, Todd earned a starting job as soon as he arrived in Austin in 2017, finishing third on the team with a .276 batting average. As a sophomore, he missed time due to injury and struggled at the plate, failing to bounce back until 2020, when he hit .375 in 17 games. In 2021, he was off to a strong start, hitting .292 over six games before suffering the shoulder injury in a game against Sam Houston State.
With the departure of starting center fielder Mike Antico to the Cardinals organization, Todd should once again compete for a starting job in the outfield if his shoulder is fully healthy. He’s spent most of his Texas career playing right field, but played one game in center field in 2020.