"Edinson Volquez is living up to his mentor's challenge and loving every millisecond of it.

When Volquez walked into his first Cincinnati Reds spring training camp before the 2008 season, they handed him uniform No. 36, the same number worn by Mario Soto, one of Cincinnati's all-time great pitchers and now the team's roving minor-league pitching instructor.

"When Soto saw that, he told me, 'You better be good. You better be great. Great pitchers wear that number."

Said Volquez, "I was going to change it, change to '45,' but when Soto said that I decided to keep it."

And he is living up to Soto's challenge. On Tuesday morning, Reds manager Dusty Baker announced that Volquez will be the team's Opening Day starter March 31 against the Milwaukee Brewers in Great American Ball Park.

Aaron Harang, no longer with the Reds, started the previous five Opening Day games, matching the club record held by…Mario Soto.

"I was surprised," said Volquez, who didn't start a game last season until Aug. 17 after recovering from Tommy John surgery. For the remainder of the year he was 4-3 with a 4.31 ERA in 12 starts.

Many believed the Opening Day starter would be Bronson Arroyo, who was 17-10 with a 3.88 ERA last season. Arroyo, though, prefers to avoid the Pomp & Circumstance that is Opening Day in Cincinnati."