PING!: Had UT fared better in the postseason in ‘07 and made a run to Omaha, would there have been a better chance you would have traded your burnt orange jersey for a cardinal one?

RUSSELL: I don’t really think there would have been a better chance. It would have depended on how I did if we had that chance to go to Omaha. I really thought there was more I could do to help the team at the end of the season and I look forward to taking that opportunity again this year.

PING!: When the next amateur draft comes along is there any team you hope more than others will be calling your name?

RUSSELL: Not really. The draft is so unpredictable that there really is no telling what team will draft you. And when you do get draft, percentages usually dictate that you’ll eventually end up in another organization if and when you make it to the Major Leagues.

PING!: How did you spend your off-season? Baseballwise, was there any particular aspect of your game that you concentrated on improving?

RUSSELL: I spent my summer in Santa Barbara playing for the Foresters. During my time there, I really just focused on having fun with my teammates on the field. It was a more relaxed environment to play on and this gave me time to just get away for a while and get ready for another year of school.

PING!: As a tall, thin and strong left-handed outfielder, you’ve grown comparisons to Shawn Green. Additionally your game has been compared to Adam Dunn with better defense. Do you feel those comparisons are accurate or would you say a different resemblance is more fitting?

RUSSELL: Those comparisons are flattering to hear considering both those players have been very successful at the major league level. I feel though that I am just trying to be like Kyle Russell. I have had many players that I have looked up to my whole life, but I can’t say I am totally identical like Shawn Green or Adam Dun. Every individual has their own ‘style’.

PING!: Minor League Baseball’s 2007 Draft Report lists your running speed and base running ability to be "slightly below average". A puzzling analysis considering you stole ten bases and legged out eleven doubles and five triples last year – numbers that would have been even greater if you hadn’t been launching so many pitches over the wall. How do you rate your game on the base paths?

RUSSELL: Well, everything that is reported isn’t going to be positive. If they think that, than I take it as an opportunity rather than an insult. I have an opportunity to get better at my speed and steal more bases. Nobody is perfect, but we work to get better every day.

PING!: You led the nation with 28 home runs last season that obliterated the Texas record by eight. What was your favorite long ball of the year?

RUSSELL: My favorite one I hit would have to be #21, which broke the school record. It was against our rival Rice in Houston. I am from Houston so it was special to have my friends and family there to see it.

PING!: The home diamond of the Longhorns, UFCU Disch-Falk Field, has undergone an $18 million renovation to be completed for the start of the next season. Are there any aspects of the project that you are particularly excited about?

RUSSELL: There is so much that has changed since my freshman year, so there isn’t just one thing that I can pick out. I’m just excited to be the first team to play on the newly renovated Disch-Falk Field.

PING!: Baseball players are notorious for having superstitions. Are there any rituals or habits that accompany you to the diamond? If so, where is its origin?

RUSSELL: The only real superstition I stick to every game is to eat two Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. It started my sophomore year when we were about to play Stanford and I didn’t eat before the game. The only thing I had in my locker was two Reese’s cups, so I ate it. I hit two home runs that game, so I decided that was my good luck charm. I now eat two Reese’s cups before every game.