Tag: longhorns baseball

Ty Madden Shuts Down Rice, Texas Wins Series Against Owls

The Texas Longhorns picked up where they left off on Friday. Ty Madden pitched six scoreless innings and Texas win 4-0.

Texas took the field once again playing in Houston as they faced the Rice Owls for the second game of a three-game series. Ty Madden took the mound looking to keep Rice at bay and did so through six strong innings for the Longhorns. Madden surrendered just four hits in his first outing of the season. He struck out seven.

Pete Hansen made his Longhorns debut pitching two shutout innings, striking out two and gave up one hit. Another freshman pitcher finished out the game with a scoreless ninth inning. Andre Duplantier II struck out one and retired the side with two more flyouts. The Longhorns trio completed a shutout and gave up a total of five hits. The Rice Owls left four on base, the fifth was thrown out trying to steal second.

The Longhorns were able to put four runs across the plate throughout the game. Douglass Hodo III and Brendon Dixon both went yard in this one in the 2nd and 9th innings. Four different Texas players drove in a run with Eric Kennedy’s RBI single in the first and Trey Feltine drove Kennedy home with an RBI single. Texas now 2-0 on the young season. They will go for the series sweep on Sunday afternoon.

 

Zubia, Elder lead the way for Texas’ first win of the season

The Texas Longhorns traveled to Houston to take on the Rice Owls. Zach Zubia and Bryce Elder led the way to beat Rice 7-4.

The Texas Longhorns traveled to Houston to take on the Rice Owls in the first of a three game set. The Longhorns started off the year with Zach Zubia getting them on the board first with a sacrifice fly in the top of the first. After falling behind in the second inning. After Austin Todd drove in Murphy Stehly, Zubia came back to the plate with a runner on.

Overall, Zubia drove in four runs on the evening. Newcomer Stehley flirted with hitting for the cycle in his first game after transferring from Orange Coast College.

On the mound Bryce Elder set the tone for the team with six strong innings. He gave up two earned runs on four hits. Elder also struck out six. Cole Quintanilla and Tristan Stevens combined to pitch two innings. Quintanilla gave up one earned run. Donny Diaz came in to close the door in the ninth inning. He finished a perfect 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts to give Texas their first win of the year.

Texas Baseball Returns To The Mound

The Texas Longhorns baseball team returns to the mound for the first time in 2020 as they take on the Rice Owls in Houston, Texas.

Baseball is finally back.

The Texas Longhorns baseball team will take the mound against the Rice Owls starting on Friday evening. This marks the third time over the last six seasons that the Texas Longhorns and Rice Owls will meet on opening weekend of the NCAA Baseball season. Texas has owned the series going 6-4 over those three seasons.

Last season the Longhorns finished 7-16 conference record and 27-27 overall. Texas is looking for a stronger showing in their fourth season under David Pierce. Pierce was an assistant coach for Rice from 2003-2011. He helped lead Texas to a Big 12 Championship in his second-year but fell to the bottom in 2019. His overall record at Texas is 108-74 and an even 35-35 in conference play.

TV: Conference USA TV

Radio: 104.9 The Horn/1260 AM

Probable Starters:

  • Friday at 7 p.m.- Junior RHP Bryce Elder (2-4, 2.93 ERA)
  • Saturday at 5 p.m.- Sophomore RHP Ty Madden (4-1, 3.40 ERA)
  • Sunday at 1 p.m.- Sophomore RHP Coy Cobb (1-3, 3.45 ER)

Texas leads the all-time series versus Rice 229-58-2

Former Longhorns’ pitcher Taylor Jungmann Invited To Minor League Camp

The Texas Rangers have added former Longhorns pitcher Taylor Jungmann to their minor league roster ahead of Spring Training.

The Texas Rangers have added former Longhorns hurler Taylor Jungmann on a minor league contract and will report to minor league camp according to Dallas Morning News writer Evan Grant. Jungmann last pitched for the Longhorns in 2011 when he was selected 12th overall by the Milwaukee Brewers.

Jungmann reached the Major Leagues by 2015. During his rookie year, he became the first Brewers’ pitcher to throw a complete game at Dodgers Stadium in their history. That year Jungman posted a 3.77 ERA in 21 starts. He struck out 107 batters in 119.1 innings for the brew crew. Over the next two seasons he would pitch in only nine games and would eventually head to Japan to continue his professional career.

Jungmann played the last two seasons for the Yomiuri Giants in Japan where he posted a 4.86 ERA with 53 strikeouts. His record through the 2019 season ended at 6-5. He will be looking to revive his Major League Baseball career with the Texas Rangers and regain that rookie season magic. He will have to work his way back up through their farm system.

At Texas, Jungmann was quite the pitcher for the Longhorns. He posted a 32-9 win-loss record, 1.85 ERA with 356 strikeouts. In his final year in Austin, Jungmann won the Dick Howser Trophy which is awarded to the nation’s top collegiate baseball player. He was part of the 2009 College World Series runner-up team and part of the 2011 team that qualified for the CWS.

Texas Ranked Fifth in Big 12 Coaches Poll

The Texas Longhorns baseball team is coming into the season as the fifth ranked team in the Big 12 preseason coaches poll.

The Texas Longhorns baseball team will begin their quest for the conference title on February 14th in hopes of starting off on the right foot in their pursuit of another trip to Omaha. The Big 12 coaches released their rankings for the conference on Thursday.

It comes as little to no surprise that the Texas Tech Red Raiders finished a top the preseason poll rankings for the third-consecutive year. They received six first place votes and Texas comes in at fifth had one first place vote. The single vote did not come from David Pierce as coaches aren’t allowed to vote on their own team.

The Longhorns, Texas Tech and the TCU Horned Frogs are the only teams to ever be voted number one in three or more consecutive seasons as the top baseball team in the conference since 1999.

The Longhorns finished 2019 with a record of 27-27 overall and 8-16 in the conference. Texas needs a big year to reclaim the baseball throne in the state of Texas.

Tres Barrera Hopes of Earning Big League Opportunity

Former Longhorns catcher Tres Barrera is hoping to get his Major League Baseball opportunity with the Nationals in 2020.

Tres Barrera’s major league career has been a short one so far. After being drafted in the sixth round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Washington Nationals. The former Longhorns catcher was invited to the Nats’ major league camp in 2019 before being assigned to Double A Harrisburg Senators.

In the minors during the 2019 season, Barrera batted .249 with eight HRs and 46 RBIs. He was called up to the big leagues on September 8th. He went hitless in two at bats while appearing in two games. He was not a part of the postseason roster as the Nationals defeated the Houston Astros to win the World Series.

In 2020, Barrera will be looking to have more of a role with the Nationals. Following the World Series victory for Washington they declined the second-year option of catch Yan Gomes who was behind the plate for the final four games of the fall classic. That might have opened the door for Barrera, however Gomes was brought back on a new two-year deal.

The other catcher on the roster Kurt Suzuki will be in the final year of his contract. Suzuki will be 36 this season which marks his 14th in the league. Given that Gomes and Suzuki are in place for the Nat’s title defense run, it might be another year that Barrera will have to plug away in the minors in hopes of earning his shot in 2021.

 

Corey Knebel Eyeing Mid April Return To The Mound?

Former Texas Longhorns closer and current Milwaukee Brewer Corey Knebel is eyeing a mid April return to the mound.

It wasn’t quite the 2019 season that former Texas Longhorns pitcher Corey Knebel had hoped for. After a career year in 2017 for the Milwaukee Brewers, the numbers weren’t quite up to snuff in 2018. For Knebel, he was an All-Star for the Brewers in 2017.

That year he led the Majors in appearances with 76, while getting the save in 39 games. He would finished the season with a 1.78 (ERA) earned run average. His 2018 season wouldn’t be near as kind as Knebel posted a 3.58 ERA with a 4-3 record in 57 appearances while earning 16 saves. The 2019 season was hoping to see him return to his All-Star form for the Brewers.

In March of 2019 it was reported that Knebel would miss the season due to an injured elbow that would require Tommy John surgery to repair a tear of the ulnar collateral ligament. The typical recovery and best case scenario is a 13-month recovery time to begin playing baseball again.

According to CBS Sports, Knebel is eyeing a mid-April return to the mound. Barring any setbacks which the report states that there were none, fits right in with the 13-month recovery period. The former Longhorn will likely come in as a middle reliever and eventually getting an opportunity to earn his spot as the Brewers’ closer once again.

Knebel came to Texas in 2011 where he became the closer. That year he recorded 19 saves earning him First Team All-American honors and tying a school record. He played until 2013 where he was drafted by the Detroit Tigers with the 39th overall pick.

He made his Major League Debut against the Texas Rangers in 2014 before being traded from Detroit to Texas. That year Knebel sprained that same UCL before being shut down. In the offseason, Knebel was part of a package that sent him to Milwaukee. In 2017 he was named National League All-Star.

Brandon Belt Looks For Bounce Back Year In 2020

Former Texas Longhorn Brandon Belt is looking for a bounce back season in 2020 for the San Francisco Giants.

Former Longhorn and current Giants’ first baseman Brandon Belt is preparing to head into his 10th season in the majors, all of which have been with the Giants. Belt received his call to the big leagues in 2011, appearing in 63 games while batting .225 with nine home runs and 18 runs batted in at the age of 23. Outside of an injury-riddled season in 2014, that would be the fewest games that Belt would play in.

In 2019, the former Longhorn and Nacogdoches native appeared in a career-high 156 games that he also matched in the 2016 season. Belt batted just .234 with 127 strikeouts to only 83 walks. He added 17 HRs and 57 RBIs. Looking for a bounce back season, Belt will report to spring training for the Giants in Scottsdale, Arizona on February 16th.

The Giants will be looking to overtake the two teams that finished above them in 2019, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks. The Giants finished with a combined record of 16-22 against those two clubs. For Belt, he is trying to bring the Giants back to contention. The team hasn’t had a playoff berth since 2016 and haven’t won the pennant since 2014 when they won the World Series.

Belt spent 2008-2009 with the Texas Longhorns. He decided to go to school over starting his baseball career when he was selected in the 11th round by the Boston Red Sox straight out of Lufkin High School. Belt spent 2007 with San Jacinto college where again he was drafted in the 11th round by the Atlanta Braves. He transferred to Texas where he would spend the next two seasons.

As a member of the Longhorns team in 2008, the team finished with a 39-22 record and was eliminated in the NCAA Regionals after falling to Rice 7-4. The following year Belt transitioned to first base and gave up pitching due to his shoulder. The Longhorns finished as runner-up in the 2009 College World Series. He was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the fifth round of the 2009 MLB Draft.

Brandon Belt’s MLB Accolades

  • National League All-Star (2016)
  • Two-time Wold Series Champion (2012, 2014)
  • Career Batting Average .261
  • Career Home Runs: 129
  • Career Runs Batted In: 472
  • Career On Base Percentage: .354

Pitcher Andre Deplantier II Wearing Cast On Non-Throwing Hand

Texas freshman pitcher and infielder Andre Deplantier II was seen with a soft cast on his non-throwing hand.

The Texas Longhorns baseball team is only a matter of weeks away from their season opening series against Rice. Freshman Andre Deplantier II was seen with a soft cast on his non-throwing hand according to Dustin McComas of Orange Bloods.

The fractured hamate bone injury might push Deplantier to focus on just pitching for the immediate future. According to his Texas bio, Deplantier was a force on the mound and in the infield.

Lettered in every season at Summer Creek High School under head coach D.J. Wilson…named the 2019 Summer Creek baseball team MVP and Pitcher of the Year…unanimous first team All-District pitcher and second team third baseman…helped lead the team to the most wins in school history and the first playoff series win…recorded a 9-0 record in 10 starts with 90 strikeouts and batted .304 with 33 RBI as a senior…played third, shortstop, and pitched…named first team All-District pitcher as a junior and senior and second team All-District at third base in both of those seasons…named to the Perfect Game World Wood Bat Championship All-Tournament team as both a hitter and pitcher on three occasions (2016, 2017, 2018)…member of the National Honor Society.

With the injury to Deplantier, recovery will be key to get him back on the diamond and help bring Texas back to the top of the college baseball world in the Big 12.

Texas Longhorns Miss Out On Baseball America’s Top 25

Baseball America has released their preseason top 25, with three Big 12 teams in the polls the Texas Longhorns miss making the cut.

Baseball season is almost upon us and the Texas Longhorns are looking to return to Omaha in 2020 for the College World Series. The Longhorns didn’t have the best regular season a year ago but they were able to finish with the best conference record. It marked the first time since 2015 that Texas would get to Omaha.

With the success of last season, the Longhorns are looking to repeat as conference champions. They finished the regular season without being ranked in the top 25. Baseball America has come out with their preseason top 25 rankings and the Longhorns didn’t make the cut.

There are three teams from the Big 12 ranked in the preseason rankings with Texas Tech (6), Oklahoma State (16) and Oklahoma (19). The Longhorns will need another 2018 like season to take down three of the best teams in the country to build upon last year’s success.