HOUSTON–The last time I came to the Houston College Classic in 2007, it was frigid for three straight days. Minute Maid Park had the dome closed, and that did nothing to lift the chill.

But that was before the uniform start date was instituted, so it was three weekends earlier on the calendar. Today, the weather is just about perfect: 79 degrees and sunny, with some puffy white clouds visible beyond the open roof. We’re about 10 minutes away from first pitch between No. 5 UC Irvine and No. 1 Texas A&M.

I just chatted with Baylor assistant coach Mitch Thompson here in the press box, and he revealed that, contrary to what I reported in Weekend Preview, the Bears will start sophomore righty Shawn Tolleson today against Houston and use junior ace righty Kendal Volz tomorrow against UCLA (in a showdown against Gerrit Cole). The reason is that Bears coach Steve Smith believes the Saturday game is the most important game of the weekend. If a team loses Friday, it becomes crucial to win the Saturday game to shift the momentum and have a chance to win the series. If a team wins Friday, it can close out the series with a win Saturday. Expect Volz to remain in the Saturday spot going forward.