April 24, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Brad Lincoln (32) pitches against the Colorado Rockies during the eighth inning of the second game of a doubleheader at PNC Park. The Pittsburgh Pirates won 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Two Former Houston Cougars Pitchers Named to All-Quarter Century Team

Originally posted on Houston Cougars on SI
By Jon Alfano | Last updated Sep 5, 2025 6:38 PM ET

The Houston Cougars baseball team may not get as much attention as the men's basketball or football teams, but make no mistake, it has a very long and proud history.

Sure, the Cougars haven't won a national title and have only been to the College World Series twice, but they're in the mix more often than not. Even when they're not, they can be a threat to upset some championship-contending teams.

Of course, none of that would be possible without some outstanding players over the years, and a new all-quarter century team is a testament to the greatness to wear the scarlet and white.

Houston Cougars Stars Make D1Baseball All-Quarter Century Team

Jeff Swinger via Imagn Content Services, LLC

D1Baseball recently unveiled its all-quarter century team, and two former Cougars turned MLB first-round picks made the cut in relief pitcher Ryan Wagner and two-way player Brad Lincoln.

Instead of just listing out the team like many others, four D1Baseball analysts instead chose players in a draft format. Joe Healy chose Wagner and recapped the closer's heroics during a great 2003 season in H-Town.

"For those saying, 'who?' let me read you off," Healy said. "First of all, a two-year guy, was a draft-eligible sophomore when there were fewer of those. His freshman year was, I was going to say fine, but it was great. But it's really his sophomore year that puts him over the top, where in 79 1/3 innings, he had 148 strikeouts, which comes out to a 16.79 strikeout per nine inning rate on a very good 2003 Houston Cougar team that got to a super regional against eventual-national champion Rice.

"That was the team that, in Houston, gets referred to as the Sullivan-Wagner team, because Brad Sullivan was the ace of the staff and Ryan Wagner was the closer. And got to the big leagues, Ryan Wagner did. Same year, again, at a time where that didn't happen really at all."

On the other hand, Mike Rooney chose Lincoln as his designated two-way player.

"He struck out 293 batters in his career, which is third-highest in the history of the school," Rooney said. "Also was a career hitter, .316 [batting average], 21 home runs."

Both Wagner and Lincoln earned first-team All-American honors, the former in 2003 and the latter in 2006. Lincoln was also a unanimous selection.

As mentioned, both players would also become MLB first-round picks, with Wagner going No. 14 to the Cincinnati Red in 2003 and Lincoln going No. 4 to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2006. They each played five seasons in the big leagues.

This article first appeared on Houston Cougars on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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