 A member of the 2005 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship team, he won varsity letters in each of his three seasons, and was voted Teammate of the Year by his fellow players for both the 2004 and 2005 campaigns.Between 2003 and 2005, he trained with future Major League Baseball players Huston Street, JP Howell, Drew Stubbs, Omar Quintanilla, Brad Halsey, Curtis Thigpen, Michael Hollimon, Matt Holliday, Alex Hinshaw, Chris Davis, Taylor Teagarden and Sam LeCure at the University of Texas.After injuring his lower back running marathons, he tore two discs in his spine over the course of the 2005 season.