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do something about that?’ I took care of my arm in the fall, and I only made five errors this season. I wanted to show up my critics.” Working hard to improve himself has been a way of life for Rendon ever since he was 3. That’s when he started playing baseball. His father, Rene Rendon, remembers the first day his son showed an interest in the game. “We used to watch baseball games together, and then one day he grabbed a stick and started hitting some rocks,” the elder Rendon said. “The next day I bought him a bat, a ball and a glove.” By the time Rendon started playing organized baseball at five, his father had been training him for almost two years. His father continued working with him for years, teaching him how to play every position and using a chalkboard to go over game situations. Rene Rendon says that his son was afraid of catching short hops, so he hit him ground ball after ground ball until Rendon was no longer afraid of fielding them. “We practiced for hours and hours and he never complained because he loved the game,” says Rene. Rendon was so good that he always played “up,” or in an age group that was a year or two older than he was. Because he was the youngest on the team, Rendon was also usually the smallest one — about a foot shorter than his teammates. It wasn’t until he was 11 that the diminutive Rendon surpassed 5 feet. Right around that time, he met the coach who would mold him into a future star. After Little League, Rendon went to play for the Texas Thunder, a 12-year-old select baseball team coached by Willie Ansley, who had been the Houston Astros’ number one draft choice in 1988. “Coach Willie taught me everything,” said Rendon. One of the main things Ansley taught Rendon was to improve his attitude. “When I was younger, I would always get real mad if I struck out, and I would throw the helmet and cry,” Rendon admitted. “Coach Willie explained to me that you are not supposed to show your emotions too much on the field.” In hitting, Ansley advised Rendon to stay inside the ball and not to pull it. “He told me to throw my hands first and put the barrel of the bat to the ball, and good things will happen,” Rendon said. As for defense, Ansley instructed Rendon to put his glove down to the ground early when a ball was approaching. “I used to be a flipper,” Rendon said. “I would put my glove down right before the ball came.” Ansley remembers Rendon as “a little guy with really quick hands and strong wrists.” He was impressed with Rendon because the young player would always hit a fastball. “He had good pop for his size,” Ansley recalled. In the summer of his sophomore year in high school, Rendon grew 5 inches to stand 5 feet 10 inches and weigh 165 pounds. He was already showing signs of being a great
“He brings a joy to the game that I hope translates into pro ball. I have every reason to believe that he will be good for the great institution of baseball.” — Wayne Graham
Sports
player when he hit four home runs at Houston’s George Bush High School. In his junior year, he transferred to Lamar High School, where he finished his senior year with eight homers and a batting average of .516. The Atlanta Braves drafted Rendon in the 27th round, but Rendon decided to attend Rice. “I knew that Coach Graham was here and that he had a good track record,” Rendon said. “And Rice offered an excellent education.” He also wanted to be close to home so that his parents, Rene and Bridget, could watch him play. At Rice, Rendon, who is majoring in sports management and is a member of a Bible study group that includes Lance Berkman, has flourished. He grew to 6 feet, increased his weight to 190 pounds and became an even better hitter. In high school, he said, “Pitchers are so erratic that it’s more difficult to hit the ball. One pitch might be coming at your head and the next one is nibbling the outside corner. In Division I baseball, I knew strikes were coming and I was going to hit them.” So what’s left for a player who has won the highest honor in college baseball? “Omaha. I want to play in the College World Series,” Rendon said. “Rice made it to Omaha the four years before I got here, and we have failed to make it the past two years. I’m upset. I’ve heard that Omaha is such a great place.” Whether Rendon gets to Omaha will depend on many factors, but one thing is for sure: Rendon will go very high in next year’s baseball draft, maybe as high as No. 1. “He brings a joy to the game that I hope translates into pro ball,” said Graham. “I have every reason to believe that he will be good for the great institution of baseball.”
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Rice Magazine
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No. 7
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2010
47