Former Texas Tech baseball player Mark Austry collapsed and died Sunday morning after finishing the Rock ’n Roll Half Marathon in Dallas.
According to the Dallas Morning News, Austry, 33, had just crossed the finish line of the 13.1-mile run at Dallas Fair Park when he collapsed shortly after 10 a.m. Emergency crews at the scene performed CPR on Austry before rushing him to Baylor University Medical Center where he was pronounced dead around noon.
“Mark was always fun to be around,” said former teammate and current Frenship baseball coach Chad Reynolds. “He was always joking around and just a great person to be around. He was a team player. It’s such a tragic deal.”
Austry was recently in Lubbock and participated in the Texas Tech alumni baseball game on Feb. 12. The Rock ’n Roll Half Marathon helps benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
“When he came back for the alumni game I commented to him I thought he was in the best shape of everybody there,” former Tech head coach Larry Hays said. “He looked like the picture of health. But like most things in life you can’t count on anything. (His death) was sure a surprise, he sure looked healthy.”
Austry, a native of Fort Worth, played for the Red Raiders from 1998 to 2000 after playing one season at Coastal Carolina. He played mostly first base, starting 39 games his senior season and hitting .238 with four home runs, 19 RBIs. He finished his three-year Tech career with a .283 batting average, playing in 172 games with 96 runs scored, 144 hits, 24 doubles, four triples, 15 home runs and 82 RBIs.
“He could really play defense at first base,” Hays said. “He wasn’t what you want when you look for a power guy at first, but when you put it all together he sure was a plus because he played such great defense. And his power numbers always ended up being better than I thought they would. He had the ability to score people from first and hit the alleys, and he usually hit a home run when you needed it. He was just a good, sound player and pitchers really liked him because he defended his position so well.”
Austry is survived by his wife, Mariana Alvarez Austry, and daughters Isabella and Anna.
“On behalf of Texas Tech University and all of Red Raider nation, we extend our deepest sympathies to the Austry family,” athletic director Gerald Myers said. “Mark was a great person and will be sorely missed.”
Funeral arrangements are pending.

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