WATCH: Ivan Melendez sets Texas record for home runs during Big 12 Championship Game
Texas fans didn’t have to wait long for Ivan Melendez to hit a home run against Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game. With a solo home run with two outs in the first inning, Melendez crushed a fastball over the fence for his 29th home run of the season — setting a new Texas Longhorns school record.
Ivan Melendez becomes new home run record holder at Texas
In just one inning during the Big 12 Championship Game, Melendez — nicknamed The Hispanic Titanic — was crowned new home run king of the Longhorns. With 29 home runs on the season he is now the single-season record holder, breaking the previous record of 28 set by Kyle Russell in 2007. Russell remains the career leader in school history with 57 total home runs over his three-year career — although Melendez now sits at 42 in just two seasons.