Texas Baseball goes 0-2 at the Big 12 Tournament

Texas is going home from the Big 12 Tournament early.

Fresh off their best weekend of baseball on the season, Texas entered the Big 12 Tournament as the No. 1 seed playing for a chance to host a regional in the NCAA Tournament.

The Longhorns are going home early from the Big 12 tourney after going 0-2 with losses to Kansas and Kansas State. Texas looked lifeless at times in both games, giving flashbacks to the horrendous season opener in Arlington.

A seventh-inning grand slam doomed Texas in game one against Kansas. The Longhorns fell 6-3 despite a two-homer day from Jack O’Dowd.

In game two Texas’ bats were sliced all game by Kansas State pitching. Lebarron Johnson delivered a solid start to keep Texas in the game before the bullpen gave up a 5 spot in the seventh.

Texas now awaits their fate for the NCAA Tournament. Expect the Longhorns to be traveling to a regional as a No. 2 seed when the bracket is announced on Monday.

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Utilizing the transfer portal helped Texas Baseball continue success in 2023

Porter Brown and Garret Guillemette were home run additions for Texas baseball.

Texas baseball faced a bit of a rebuild after sending eight players to the MLB Draft in 2022. As a result, David Pierce was forced to revamp his roster entering the new season.

The heavy roster turnover lowered national expectations for the Longhorns. Texas began the year unranked in most major polls with a roster full of unproven names.

Fast forward to May, Texas claimed a share of the Big 12 regular season title and is right in the mix to host a third straight regional.

A major reason Texas was able to stay competitive despite some labeling it a “rebuild year” is the contributions from transfers Porter Brown and Garret Guillemette.

Brown traveled a few hours down I-35 following a four-year career at TCU. He settled right into the Longhorns lineup in left field, adding a strong bat in the middle of the Texas order. Brown hit .337 with 12 home runs and 54 RBI.

Guillemette has been rock solid behind the plate for the Longhorns. The USC transfer hit .317 with 11 home runs and a team-best 58 RBI. Along with his strong offensive numbers, Guillemette has done a remarkable job working with a developing pitching staff.

Both Brown and Guillemette earned first-team All-Big 12 honors following the regular season. They now look to help Texas reach the College World Series for the third straight year.

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Texas enters D1Baseball top 25 after weekend sweep of West Virginia

Texas baseball is back in the top 25 rankings.

Texas baseball (38-18, 15-9) is back in the top 25 rankings after closing out the regular season with a sweep of previously No. 6 West Virginia. David Pierce’s squad claimed a share of the Big 12 regular season title and the top seed in the conference tournament.

The Longhorns check in at No. 20 in the updated rankings. Texas joins No. 18 Oklahoma State and No. 21 West Virginia as Big 12 programs in the top 25.

Texas opens up the Big 12 Tournament with Kansas on Wednesday. They share the same side of the bracket as TCU and Kansas State.

This resurging Texas team has re-entered the mix to host a regional in the NCAA Tournament. The offense is starting to catch fire and the pitching staff is being anchored down by Lucas Gordon and Lebarron Johnson.

A strong showing in Arlington this week could mean postseason baseball at Disch-Falk Field.

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WATCH: Texas RHP Tanner Witt speaks on his journey back to the mound

Tanner Witt’s incredible perseverance helped Texas win the Big 12 crown.

Texas baseball clinched its share of the Big 12 regular season title after completing an emphatic sweep over No. 6 West Virginia on Saturday.

Just a month ago, Texas was all but dead in the water following what David Pierce called an “embarrassing sweep” from Oklahoma. The Longhorns dropped from the rankings, Big 12 standings and hosting contention.

The next week former freshman All-American and top MLB Draft prospect Tanner Witt made his long-awaited debut this season. Texas would finish the year on an 11-3 run with Witt back in the fold.

Witt’s return was the shot in the arm this Texas team needed. He could have decided to take more time during his recovery process to protect his pro future, but the Texas righty believed his story was not finished.

Witt started Texas’ final game of the regular season and picked up the win in the Big 12 clinching victory.

An emotional Longhorns team hoisted the trophy in front of a packed Disch-Falk Field. Witt caught up with the media to discuss how much this title meant to him and his teammates.

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Texas baseball sweeps No. 6 West Virginia, wins share of Big 12 title

Texas wins the Big 12!

Texas completed the sweep of No. 6 West Virginia on Saturday to clinch a share of the Big 12 regular season title with a 7-3 victory.

Tanner Witt set the tone for the Horns on the mound in his best outing since returning from injury. Witt threw three scoreless frames, striking out three hitters with his vintage breaking ball.

The Longhorns’ offense came out firing yet again. Texas chased WVU ace Ben Hampton from the game in the first inning with a four-spot.

Dylan Campbell and Jalin Flores delivered big hits to put Texas on top early. Garrett Guillmette added a late insurance run to give the Horns some separation in the eighth inning.

Texas’ bullpen pieced together six innings of work in relief of Witt. Zane Morehouse and Charlie Hurley picked up some critical outs in the game’s final innings.

After seemingly being out of the NCAA hosting picture a month ago, Texas is right back in the mix for a top-16 seed.

The Longhorns will be the No. 1 seed in the Big 12 Conference Tournament this week at Globe Life field. Texas takes on Kansas on Wednesday afternoon.

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Texas welcomes No. 6 West Virginia with the Big 12 title on the line

The Longhorns and Mountaineers both have a chance at the Big 12 regular season title. 

Texas baseball hosts No. 6 West Virginia this weekend for the final series of the regular season. The Longhorns and Mountaineers both have a chance at the Big 12 regular season title.

West Virginia’s magic number to earn the conference championship sits at one game as they travel to Austin. Just a single win over Texas would have them as the top seed in the Big 12 tournament and a likely regional host.

Texas has a bit more work in front of them for the Big 12 crown. The Longhorns complete a sweep on the No. 6 team in the nation and have Oklahoma take at least one game from Oklahoma State. Just a series win would be a massive boost to Texas’ NCAA tournament resume.

Starting pitching is going to be the key for Texas this weekend.

The Longhorns have settled into its rotation of Lucas Gordon, Lebarron Johnson and Tanner Witt. Getting good outings on the mound against a potent WVU offense would set the tone for Texas.

Texas pitching must keep West Virginia second baseman JJ Weatherholt in check. The Golden Spikes Award contender is a game-changer in the Mountaineers lineup.

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Texas Baseball: Lebarron Johnson Jr. earns Big 12 Pitcher of the Week

LBJ earns Big 12 honors after his 12 strikeout performance.

Lebarron Johnson Jr. took home Big 12 Pitcher of the Week following his stellar performance against Kansas on Saturday. Johnson joins Lucas Gordon as Longhorns to earn the award this season.

After dropping game one on Friday, Johnson set Texas up to bounce back and eventually win the crucial road series.

Johnson struck out a career-high 12 Jayhawks across seven innings of one-run baseball. He lowered his ERA to 2.53 and picked up his fifth victory of the season.

The flame-throwing righty is putting it together down the stretch of the season. Johnson has thrown 18-plus innings, striking out 24 batters and allowing just one run in his last three outings.

The recent emergence of Johnson is a big development for Texas baseball. The one-two punch of ace Lucas Gordon and Johnson makes Texas a dangerous team in a postseason format.

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Texas baseball needs a postseason mindset for the rest of the year

Texas baseball needs to kick into second gear.

Texas baseball needs to kick into second gear for the remaining regular season games. The Longhorns sit with a 30-16 overall record and 10-8 Big 12 mark at this point of the year.

Just a couple of weeks ago Texas was on top of the Big 12 standings and a projected regional host by experts all over the country. That was before the Oklahoma Sooners came to Austin and swept the Horns in embarrassing fashion.

Texas bounced back with a road series win over TCU but still has some work to do to get back into Big 12 and hosting contention.

Head coach David Pierce described the final stretch of the season as “playoff baseball” for the Longhorns.

Texas’ remaining schedule includes a road series at Kansas and two home series against San Jose and Big 12 leader West Virginia.

A 7-3 or better record the rest of the way would have Texas firmly in the NCAA tournament field. If the Longhorns get hot and run the table with a 9-1 or 10-0 record, they are right back into the mix to be a top-16 seed.

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Texas Baseball: Lucas Gordon earns Big 12 Co-Pitcher of Week honors

Lucas Gordon continues his excellent 2023 season on the mound.

The Big 12 Conference named Lucas Gordon as the league’s Co-Pitcher of the Week following his standout performance against TCU. Continue reading “Texas Baseball: Lucas Gordon earns Big 12 Co-Pitcher of Week honors”

WATCH: Texas baseball RHP Tanner Witt returns from Tommy John surgery

Tanner Witt is back on the mound for Texas baseball.

Texas baseball’s Tanner Witt is making his long-awaited return to the mound on Monday in Fort Worth against TCU.

Following a freshman All-American campaign in 2021, Witt picked up right where he left off with an excellent start to 2022. The Texas righty was 2-0 with a 1.64 ERA in two starts to the season.

D1baseball ranks Witt as a primer talent in college baseball. He is listed as the No. 14 collegiate prospect in the 2023 MLB Draft class.

Unfortunately for Witt, his sophomore campaign would be cut short after a UCL tear forced him to undergo Tommy John surgery.

Tommy John surgery requires a long and grueling recovery process. Most pitchers need about 12-14 months to return to game action.

David Pierce plans to be precautious in easing Witt back into things. Witt is getting the ball to start Monday’s game with a strict 20-25 pitch count. After that, Texas will increase his pitch count gradually with each start he makes.

Witt’s return comes at a great time for the Longhorns. Texas is fighting to get back into Big 12 title contention and set itself up nicely for the postseason.

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