Tag: longhorns baseball

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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Oklahoma tops No. 14 Texas 2-1 in series opener

Texas’ bats went silent against Oklahoma on Friday.

Oklahoma silenced No. 14 Texas’ offense on Friday night to take game one of the series with a 2-1 victory.

The Sooners took the lead on a two-out bases-loaded walk in the eighth inning. Oklahoma lefty Carter Campbell was excellent in relief, tossing three shutout innings to earn the win.

Texas’ bats squandered a few opportunities to break the game open early on. A bases-loaded strikeout and a double play ball ended Texas rallies. The Longhorns finished hitless with runners in scoring position on the night.

Despite the loss, Lucas Gordon delivered another fantastic Friday night start for the Longhorns. Gordon gave Texas seven innings of one-run ball with a season-high nine strikeouts.

Travis Stehle gets the ball for the Longhorns in game two of the series on Saturday. Texas looks to force a rubber match with a bounce-back performance.

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No. 14 Texas vs. Oklahoma preview and pitching matchups

Texas welcomes Oklahoma for a rivalry baseball series this weekend.

No. 14 Texas (27-12, 8-4) hosts Oklahoma (19-19, 4-8) this weekend for a Big 12 Conference rivalry series.

The Longhorns jumped up five spots in the polls this week after a road series victory over Baylor. It was not the prettiest display of baseball by Texas, but it was good enough to hold on to first place in the Big 12.

Oklahoma is in the middle of a sluggish season. Skip Johnson’s squad is looking to recreate the magic they had last season. The Sooners dropped a tight home series to Texas Tech last week to fall into the league cellar.

Despite being on opposite ends of the Big 12 standings, Texas and Oklahoma matchup up fairly even from an offensive standpoint. The difference is Texas’ pitching staff has an ERA of 3.68 compared to Oklahoma’s 5.95.

Texas can benefit from working the Oklahoma pitch counts, testing the depth of the Sooners’ bullpen.

Here is a look at the probable weekend starters for Texas and Oklahoma. Both teams are shaking up their regular rotation.

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No. 14 Texas vs. Oklahoma preview and pitching matchups

Texas welcomes Oklahoma for a rivalry baseball series this weekend.

No. 14 Texas (27-12, 8-4) hosts Oklahoma (19-19, 4-8) this weekend for a Big 12 Conference rivalry series.

The Longhorns jumped up five spots in the polls this week after a road series victory over Baylor. It was not the prettiest display of baseball by Texas, but it was good enough to hold on to first place in the Big 12.

Oklahoma is in the middle of a sluggish season. Skip Johnson’s squad is looking to recreate the magic they had last season. The Sooners dropped a tight home series to Texas Tech last week to fall into the league cellar.

Despite being on opposite ends of the Big 12 standings, Texas and Oklahoma matchup up fairly even from an offensive standpoint. The difference is Texas’ pitching staff has an ERA of 3.68 compared to Oklahoma’s 5.95.

Texas can benefit from working the Oklahoma pitch counts, testing the depth of the Sooners’ bullpen.

Here is a look at the probable weekend starters for Texas and Oklahoma. Both teams are shaking up their regular rotation.

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No. 21 Texas takes series over Kansas State with an 8-2 win

Texas sits in sole possession of first place in the Big 12.

Two-out hitting and a solid pitching performance helped No. 21 Texas take the series over Kansas State on Sunday. The 8-2 victory gives Texas sole possession of first place in the Big 12 Conference following the weekend’s slate.

Dylan Campbell and Porter Brown led the Longhorns’ offensive charge. Campbell went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs in a key moment in the ballgame. Brown continued his hot streak with a 2-for-4 day including a no-doubt home run.

Charlie Hurley set the tone on the mound tossing five innings of two-run baseball. He escaped a bases-loaded jam in the fifth frame to earn his third win of the season.

DJ Burke was brilliant in relief of Hurley. The Longhorn righty gave Texas 3.2 scoreless innings with four strikeouts.

Texas is back on the field on a quick turnaround as they travel down I-35 for a midweek matchup with Texas State on Monday night.

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Texas Baseball: RHP Tanner Witt ‘on schedule’ to return this season

Tanner Witt might be back on the mound soon.

Texas baseball could be getting a huge boost to its pitching staff in the near future.

David Pierce provided an update on the status of former freshman All-American Tanner Witt on Thursday morning. Pierce stated Witt remains on track with his recovery and could be ready to pitch by the end of April.

Texas lost Witt early on in the 2022 season. He went through Tommy John surgery to repair a torn UCL.

Witt is one of the premier arms in college baseball when healthy. The 6-foot-6 righty pairs a mid-to-upper 90s fastball with a wipeout breaking ball.

D1baseball lists Witt as the No. 13 college prospect eligible for the 2023 MLB Draft.

Getting Witt back in any capacity immediately raises the ceiling of this Texas squad. The Longhorns currently sit with a 21-9 record, ranked at No. 21 in the nation.

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