There is no question that everyone who follows the Texas Baseball team knows Randy Boone, a senior right-hander from Yoakum High School who last season was unbeaten in Big 12 Conference play (3-0) and allowed no runs and only one hit in the Big 12 postseason tournament.

Impressive enough on its face, but particularly noteworthy considering Boone was out with an injury to his right elbow through the entire month of March a year ago.

What you may not know unless you are following "Covering the Bases with Boone," the journal he is penning for TexasSports.com, is that his biggest challenge outside of the classroom and off the field is the piano.

"We have been adding more chords and songs to our play list," Boone wrote in the online journal. "It is a little more difficult now, but it also is more fun"

That statement embodies why Randy Boone has been a success at Texas and why he is the Male Student-Athlete of the Month.

Boone, as he has done in his baseball career going back to Yoakum, has warmed to the challenge, embracing it as fun.

Dr. Randa Ryan, senior associate athletics director for student services, says of the young man whose place on the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll began in the fall of 2003, "Randy Boone is a first-class example of the character and commitment that people envision when they think of a great student, great athlete and a great person.

"It has been a reward for my staff and me personally to work with Randy these past two years and watch him grow into a strong, proud Longhorns leader. His maturity, sense of self and the overall secure approach he has created regarding his responsibilities in school and on the field help make him the most well-rounded of people."

Boone admitted when he got the word about being the Male Student-Athlete of the Month he was touched.

"It is a great honor when you consider how many great student-athletes there are at Texas," he said. "And, it always is great to be recognized for what you do off the field. You can't play baseball forever, so it is definitely important to me to have my college degree and receiving an honor like this means a lot."

Boone, who could have gone into professional baseball out of high school, considered such and discussed it with his family. It was agreed going to Texas was the right decision.

"It goes back to what I just said," continued the corporate communications major. "You can't play baseball all of your life, so you have to have something to fall back on. That's what is so important about having a degree."

Boone knows he carries a responsibility as a student-athlete at UT. He knows that often eyes are on him and his fellow student-athletes.

"Our fellow students know who we are, so you have to be aware of that when you are walking around campus and in class," he said.

Such a comment by Boone comes as no surprise to Ryan.

"When Randy stops by the office to check in, it is always such fun for me and all of us," she said. "Each time I have a moment with him, I get to explore another important part of his growth and development as a person who is going to do great things in the years to come."

Likewise, Boone can't say enough about Ryan and her staff.

"With all of the time baseball takes, time management is a skill you need to learn quickly and need to learn well," he began. "That is one of the things that helped me when she (Ryan) began working with us. Without good time management, we (UT student-athletes) would all be in trouble.

"I can't say enough about the academic support staff. They keep you motivated. They do a great job."