Tag: longhorns baseball

College Baseball: Late game heroics push Texas over Indiana 4-2

Porter Brown’s big night helps Texas take game one over Indiana.

Texas took game one of a three-game set against Indiana on a brisk Friday night at Disch-Falk Field. The Longhorns used solid pitching and a late rally to come out with the 4-2 victory.

Texas’ offense came alive down 2-1 in the bottom half of the eighth inning. Eric Kenney led the frame with a double, followed by a Dylan Campbell walk, setting the stage for TCU transfer Porter Brown.

David Pierce decided to let his left fielder swing away with Indiana expecting a bunt and the move paid off. Brown played the hero role for the Longhorns, launching a three-run home run to give Texas a 4-2 lead.

Lucas Gordon provided another excellent start on the mound as the Texas ace tossed 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball. Fellow lefty Chris Stuart picked up the victory on the night after recording the last seven outs of the game.

RHP Zane Morehouse gets the ball for Texas in game two as the Horns look to clinch the series on Saturday.

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Defensive struggles haunt Texas in 12-2 loss to Vanderbilt

It was a weekend to forget in Arlington for Texas baseball.

It was a weekend to forget in Arlington for Texas after falling in all three games to SEC competition. The Longhorns had more errors than hits in Sunday’s 12-2 loss to Vanderbilt.

Vanderbilt jumped out to 8-0 lead in the second inning after four errors by the Texas middle infield. The Doors capitalized on the extra outs by launching a grand slam into the right-field seats.

Strikeouts continue to kill the Texas offense as the Longhorns look a step behind the fastball in the batters’ box. Eric Kennedy would hit a home run late but the game was already well out of hand.

Texas started the 2021 season with similar struggles at Globe Life Field before having an excellent season. The Longhorns hope to see improvement in a hurry in all aspects of the game.

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Texas Baseball: Predicting the 2023 opening day lineup

Dylan Campbell and Eric Kennedy lead the 2023 Longhorns.

Texas begins the 2023 season at Globe Life Field in Arlington this weekend at the College Baseball Showdown. The Longhorns face a bit of a reset year after losing significant production to the MLB draft and two assistant coaches.

While replacing everything Texas lost after last year is a difficult task, the Horns have some exciting players primed for impact seasons.

Outfielder Dylan Campbell broke out down the stretch last season. He worked his way into the starting lineup by hitting .320 in Big 12 play and finished with 10 home runs. Campbell’s postseason heroics helped lead Texas to another College World Series trip.

Eric Kennedy is back for his senior season to pair with Campbell in the outfield. Kennedy has been a mainstay in Texas’ lineup the past three seasons. The speedster looks to go out with a bang in his final season as a Longhorn.

The infield consists of returners Mitchell Daly and Jack O’Dowd up the middle and the freshman duo of Jalin Flores and Jared Thomas at the corners. USC transfer Garret Guillemette is likely to start behind the plate.

Here is a prediction of what Texas’ lineup is going to look like as it takes the field against Arkansas on Friday night.

Texas Baseball: David Pierce announces weekend pitching rotation

Lucas Gordon gets the ball on Friday night.

Texas opens the 2023 college baseball season this weekend with a trip to Arlington for the College Baseball Showdown.

The Longhorns take on future SEC foes Arkansas, Missouri and Vanderbilt to start the new year.

Texas is going to be a new-look squad after sending eight players to the 2022 MLB Draft. David Pierce announced the expected pitching rotation we will see on opening weekend.

  • Friday: LHP Lucas Gordon
  • Saturday: RHP Zane Morehouse
  • Sunday: RHP Travis Sthele 

Lucas Gordon gets the ball on Friday night after a breakout campaign in 2022. Gordon provided much-needed stability in the rotation last season after the injury to Tanner Witt in March. He held a 7-2 record and a team-best 3.16 ERA.

Morehouse is a high-upside arm who took big strides in the offseason. He started six games holding a 6.00 ERA last year. Morehouse brings in a mid-90s fastball with a wipeout slider to the mound. Control and consistency are two keys for the righty this spring.

Sthele is a player who gained some experience in big moments for the Longhorns down the stretch last season. He made starts in the Big 12 Tournament championship and Austin Regional final.

Here is a look at the schedule for the College Baseball Showdown:

  • Feb. 17: Arkansas, 8 p.m. ET
  • Feb. 18: Missouri, 4 p.m. ET 
  • Feb. 19: Vanderbilt, 11:30 a.m. ET

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Texas baseball releases full 2023 schedule

Texas baseball put together an exciting schedule for the 2023 campaign.

Texas baseball has released its full 2023 schedule with many intriguing matchups on the horizon.

The Longhorns open their season with a few SEC battles in Arlington. Texas plays Arkansas, Vanderbilt and Missouri at Globe Life Field on Feb. 17-19.

Texas makes the trip out west for a three-game series vs. Cal State Fullerton in March. The two blue blood programs are getting together for the first time since 2020.

The rest of the nonconference slate is highlighted by midweek games against the likes of LSU and Texas A&M.

The Big 12’s round-robin schedule features every team facing each other in the regular season. Texas host Texas Tech, Kansas State, Oklahoma and West Virginia. The Horns travel to Big 12 foes Baylor, TCU, Kansas and Oklahoma State.

Here is a complete look at Texas’ 2023 schedule as the new look Horns hope to make it to the College World Series for the third straight season.

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Texas outfielder Eric Kennedy to return for the 2023 season

Huge news for Texas baseball!

Big news for Texas baseball as outfielder Eric Kennedy is set to return for the 2023 season.

The senior was not selected in the 2022 MLB Draft but turned down free agency opportunities to return to the Longhorns for another year.

The return of Kennedy serves as a massive boost for the Texas program who lost eight players to the MLB Draft and saw multiple seniors move on.

Kennedy has played a key role in helping Texas reach the College World Series in back-to-back seasons. He is a rock solid defender in the outfield and constant threat on the base paths. Kennedy is a career .285 hitter with 14 home runs and 45 stolen bases.

David Pierce’s 2023 roster is starting to take shape. Kennedy, Dylan Campbell and Mitchell Daly bring back tons of experience in the lineup along with a solid group of incoming transfers joining the program.

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Where each Longhorn landed in the 2022 MLB Draft

Texas baseball has had at least one player selected in every single MLB Draft.

The 2022 Major League Baseball Draft came to a conclusion on Tuesday afternoon.

Texas baseball was well represented through the 20 rounds on the draft. Eight Longhorns were selected this year, Gold Spikes Award Winner Ivan Melendez was the first off the board in the second round.

Four members of the Texas 2022 signing class heard their named called over the past three days. Cutter Coffey, Henry Bolte, Brenner Cox and Wyatt Cheney will likely turn pro over suiting up in the Burnt Orange.

Texas’ eight draft picks ranked fourth among college programs behind a few Big 12 and SEC schools.

David Pierce’s roster is going to have a much different look next season. Pitcher Lucas Gordon and outfielder Dylan Campbell return as key contributors from the 2022 team. Texas has already landed a few transfers to replace the slew of players headed out the door.

Here is where all eight Longhorns landed in the 2022 MLB Draft.

Report: Troy Tulowitzki will not return to Texas next season

Texas baseball is going to look drastically different in 2023. 

Texas baseball is going to look drastically different in 2023.

The Longhorns will likely be forced to replace double-digit key contributors from this season’s squad including All-Americans Ivan Melendez and Murphy Stehly.

The coaching staff is also going through a major shake-up. David Pierce decided to let go of pitching coach Sean Allen at the end of the season after the Texas pitching staff struggled with consistency most of the year.

Volunteer assistant coach Troy Tulowitzki is also heading out the door.

Tulowitzki did fantastic in his role helping take Texas’ offense to new heights over the past couple of seasons. The Longhorns broke nearly every offensive stat in school history this season en route to a second straight College World Series trip.

Tulo played a huge role in the development of the Texas infielders from a defensive standpoint. Texas finished with a top-five fielding percentage in back-to-back seasons.

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Texas’ Ivan Melendez wins the 2022 Golden Spikes Award

Ivan Melendez becomes the first Longhorn to win the Golden Spikes Award.

Texas first baseman Ivan Melendez has been named the 2022 Golden Spikes Award winner. An honor given to the top amateur baseball player in America. Melendez becomes the first Longhorns to take home the award.

The “Hispanic Titanic” chose to return to Texas after getting drafted by the Marlins in the 2021 MLB Draft with hopes of rising his draft stock. Melendez did exactly that and more with a historic 2022 season.

Melendez hit .387 with the nation’s best 32 home runs and 94 RBI. He passed Kris Bryant’s nine-year-old record of 31 bombs during the BBCOR era.

Defense is easy to forget about behind his video game offensive numbers but Melendez’s glove was a huge weapon for Texas’ top-ranked defense in the nation.

Melendez finishes his Texas career as one of the best to ever put on the uniform. Expect to see the No. 17 retired here in the near future.

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Notre Dame tops sluggish Texas 7-3 in the CWS opener

Texas will take on Texas A&M in an elimination game on Sunday afternoon.

Texas’ College World Series opening woes continue as Notre Dame took game one over the Longhorns 7-3.

The Fighting Irish outplayed Texas in every aspect of the game from the jump. A solo home run in the first inning set the tone for the rest of the ballgame.

The Irish scratched a couple of runs followed by a three-run fifth inning which broke the game open for Notre Dame. They took a commanding 6-1 lead and never looked back.

Pete Hansen was not sharp, allowing six runs on nine hits in just 4.1 innings of work. Tristan Stevens did a good job in relief to keep Texas in the game, but the offense could not muster another comeback victory.

Texas never seemed to threaten the Notre Dame bullpen late. Lefty Jack Finley shut the door retiring the last four Longhorn hitters in order.

The loss sends Texas to the losers bracket for an elimination game against Texas A&M on Sunday afternoon. Lucas Gordon will take the mound as the Horns hope to get back on track in Omaha.

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