Quarterback David Ash's career at Texas might be over when it comes to playing football, but he might find himself back out on a field in Austin in burnt orange sooner than expected.
A school spokesman confirmed to the Austin American-Statesman on Tuesday that Ash would be pursuing an opportunity to join the baseball program.
Ash threw several bullpen sessions with the Texas baseball team, but according to the report, he was not planning to join the Longhorns on the diamond this fall.
Ash, who opened the 2014 season as the starting quarterback for head coach Charlie Strong and company, was forced to retire from football last month after suffering a number of concussions. He played in 29 games for Texas, throwing for 4,728 yards and 31 touchdowns.
What's interesting about Ash going out for the baseball team is that he didn't play the sport in high school, according to reports. The move from the gridiron to the diamond or vice-versa isn't uncommon (Seahawks star Russell Wilson is just one recent example), but typically those who do it have a fair amount of experience in both sports from their high school days.
Ash did have a fairly strong arm while throwing passes for the Longhorns, so it will be interesting to track his progress if he ends up seriously pursuing baseball at the collegiate level with his remaining eligibility.
The Texas baseball team is annually among the best in the country each season and considered a threat to make it to Omaha and the College World Series next spring. The squad must be trimmed by at least seven players, according to the Statesman, in order to get down to the NCAA maximum of 35 on the squad. That would seem to indicate Ash faces an uphill battle to make the team, but it's still a feel-good story that he's even going to try out for another sport, given how his career ended on the football field.
Ash is still being kept on scholarship by the school until he graduates but might yet have another sport to focus on with his football career over.
You can follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.
