Tag: longhorns baseball

Texas’ Ivan Melendez wins the 35th Dick Howser Trophy

Melendez becomes the fourth Longhorn to win the prestigious award presented to the best player in college baseball.

Texas first baseman Ivan Melendez is going to need more space in his trophy room before the season comes to an end. After already taking home Big 12 Player of the Year and plenty of All-American honors, the Texas slugger continues to be recognized for his monster season.

Melendez has been named winner of the 35th annual Dick Howser Trophy, presented to the best player in college baseball.

The “Hispanic Titanic” is hitting .396 with the nation’s best 32 home runs and 94 RBI. He provided excellent defense at first base after strictly playing the designated hitter role in 2021.

Melendez becomes the fourth Longhorn to win the prestigious award along with Taylor Jumngman (2011), Brooks Kieschnick (1992-93) and Scott Bryant (1989). No other program has more than three all-time winners.

Texas is off to the 2022 College World Series for the second straight season with the help of Melendez’s play. The Horns open their trip to Omaha with a matchup against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Friday night.

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Texas vs. Notre Dame preview for the 2022 College World Series

What to expect in Texas’ College World Series opener vs. Notre Dame.

The No. 9 Texas Longhorns will square off against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the College World Series on Friday night. Both teams took down a higher-ranked team on the road in the super regionals to punch their tickets to Omaha.

Texas’ season looked all but dead in the seventh inning of game two vs. East Carolina. The Longhorns trailed 7-2 before mounting a historic comeback victory prior to dismantling the Pirates in game three.

Notre Dame was snubbed of a top 16 national seeded and proved the tournament committee wrong in a big way. The Irish swept through the regional round before pulling the upset of the year over No. 1 Tennessee in Knoxville.

Both teams enter with tons of experience and postseason familiarity. Texas appeared in the College World Series last season while Notre Dame was one game away.

Here is a look at the probable pitching matchups along with a few players to watch on both sides.

WATCH: Texas ex Kody Clemens records first MLB hit

Kody Clemens picks up his first career base hit.

In the second inning facing off against the Chicago White Sox, Kody Clemens recorded his first career MLB hit with a hard-hit single to right field.

It has not been easy sledding for Clemens at the MLB level, his base knock snapped an 0-17 start to his Detroit Tiger career. Clemens provided a veteran answer when asked about his slow start before Monday’s game.

“I think there would be a lot of other people that would be freaking out. At the same time, it hasn’t really fazed me. Trust me, everybody goes through ups and downs in their career. Unfortunately, this is my beginning.”

The former Longhorn got the call to the major leagues on May 30 after hitting .283 with eight home runs at Triple-A Toledo. The 26-year-old Clemens has served as a role player for the Tigers since.

He was drafted in the third round of the 2018 MLB Draft after an All-American campaign at Texas. Clemens hit .355 with 24 home runs en route to Big 12 Player of the Year honors.

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Texas is heading to the CWS after an 11-1 win over ECU

A masterful performance from Tristian Stevns and the Longhorns’ offense has Texas heading back to Omaha.

Texas has punched its ticket to the 2022 College World Series after an 11-1 dismantling of East Carolina.

The Longhorns offense opened the game with some of the late momentum they built in game two. Douglas Hodo and Eric Kennedy reached base before Ivan Melendez smoked home run No. 32 of the season to give Texas an early 3-0 lead.

Skyler Messinger would bring home Murphy Stehly with his first of three hits on the day to push the Texas lead to 4-0 before a five-hour weather delay approached.

Mother nature was not able to slow the Texas bats. Five more Longhorns came across to score in the second inning as Texas strung together some big hits. Trey Faltine and Silas Ardoin would add solo home runs later in the ballgame.

Texas held down the Pirates’ high-powered offense to just one run on five hits behind a legendary performance from senior righty Tristan Stevens. In his first start since April 30 against Oklahoma State, Stevens delivered on the biggest stage with six innings of one-run ball.

Travis Stehle and Jared Southard slammed the door shut on the Pirates season and have Texas fans packing for Omaha.

Texas will square off against Notre Dame in the College World Series opener after the Irish upset No. 1 Tennesse earlier in the day. The Horns are looking for national championship No. 7 in program history.

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Social media reacts to Texas baseball’s comeback win over ECU

Dylan Campbell’s clutch walk-off has social media buzzing.

The Longhorns came all the way back from down 7-2 to come out with a 9-8 win over East Carolina.

Home runs off the bat of Douglas Hodo and Skyler Messinger tied the ballgame in the bottom of the eighth, setting the stage for Texas outfielder Dylan Campbell’s heroics.

The sophomore ripped out the hearts of the purple and gold faithful with a go-ahead home run in the bottom of the eighth and a walk-off single in the ninth.

Campbell has been one of Texas’ best hitters down the stretch this season and came through when the Horns needed him most.

Texas and East Carolina will face off again tomorrow with a trip to Omaha on the line. Expect Texas to empty the tank from a bullpen perspective. David Pierce said in his postgame presser that every pitcher would be available if needed.

Here is how social media reacted to Texas’ miraculous comeback victory.

Predicting the winners of each NCAA baseball super regional

Calling our shot on who will survive each super regional this weekend.

After one of the most wild regional weekends in recent college baseball history that saw tons of home runs, incredible comebacks and clutch performances, the eight super regional sites are now officially set.

There are 11 national seeds and five unseeded teams that advanced to the super regional round setting up a full slate of intriguing matchups.

  • Notre Dame vs. No. 1 Tennessee
  • No. 9 Texas vs. No. 8 East Carolina
  • Oklahoma vs. No. 4 Virginia Tech
  • No. 12 Louisville vs. No. 5 Texas A&M
  • UCONN vs. No. 2 Stanford
  • Arkansas vs. No. 10 North Carolina
  • No. 14 Auburn vs. No. 3 Oregon State
  • Ole Miss vs. No. 11 Southern Miss

The winners of each best of three series will make the trip to Omaha, NE for the College World Series.

The super regionals take place from June 10-14, starting with four matchups on Friday.

Here is a look at who we think will be moving on to Omaha after the super regionals are completed.

No. 9 Texas dominates Air Force 10-1, advance to the Super Regionals

Texas is on to the Super Regionals!

No. 9 Texas baseball is moving on to the Super Regionals for the second straight season after a dominant 10-1 performance over Air Force in the Austin Regional final.

The Longhorns’ offense wasted no time in this one, striking for five runs in the first inning behind an Ivan Melendez home run and a Trey Faltine two-RBI double.

Melendez’s home run marked No. 30 on the season, marking the first player in college baseball to hit 30 bombs since Kris Bryant in 2013.

The relentless Texas offense would keep applying pressure all game. The Horns finished with 10 runs on 13 hits, six of which being extra-base hits.

Dylan Campbell continues to prove his bat needs to stay in the lineup as the outfield launched two home runs over the left-field wall in the game. Campbell was locked in at the plate for the entirety of the regional.

The effort of Texas’ pitching staff should not go unnoticed. Texas pieced together a bullpen game to hold the powerful Falcons’ offense to just one run on six hits. Jared Southard picked up the victory giving Texas three shutout frames in relief.

Texas now awaits the winner of the Greenville Regional. If Eastern Carolina wins, Texas will travel for the Super Regional. If Coastal Carolina can pull off the upset, Texas will stay at home next week.

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No. 9 Texas opens the NCAA tournament with an 11-3 win over Air Force

Texas is off to a fantastic start to the NCAA Tournament.

No. 9 Texas baseball could not ask for a better start to the NCAA Tournament. The Longhorns took down Paul Skenes and Air Force 11-3, saving relief pitcher Tristan Stevens in the process.

Texas was able to force the Falcons to the bullpen in the fifth inning by taking excellent at-bats and working deep into many counts. Skyler Messinger had a huge day at the plate, going 4-5 with three RBI. The third baseman broke the game open with a bases loaded RBI single in the fifth.

Texas’ offense would keep the foot on the gas all game, finishing with 11 runs on 12 hits.

Pete Hansen brought his prototypal ace stuff on Friday. The lefty held down Air Force’s powerful offense to just three runs in 6.2 innings pitched. Marcus Olivarez and Coy Cobb provided strong innings of relief to close the door.

Texas is on to the winner’s bracket and will face the winner of Louisiana Tech and Dallas Baptist on Saturday night.

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Texas’ Ivan Melendez named Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Year

Texas first baseman Ivan Melendez has enjoyed one of the greatest seasons in program history.

Texas first baseman Ivan Melendez has enjoyed one of the greatest seasons in program history. Melendez is already starting to take home some hardware for his efforts this year.

Collegiate Baseball has named the “Hispanic Titanic” National Player of the Year following his monster season for the Longhorns. Melendez was named Big 12 Player of the Year and a first team All-American selection.

Melendez becomes the fourth Longhorn to win Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Year. Brooks Kieschnick (1993), Scott Bryant (1989) and Greg Swindell (1986) all have their number retired at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. Melendez looks to be on his way to receiving the same honor.

The powerful slugger is hitting a whopping .406 with the nation’s best 29 home runs along with 87 RBI on the season. He has Texas ranked No. 9 in the country heading into the NCAA Tournament.

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Former Longhorn Kody Clemens to make his MLB debut

Former Texas star Kody Clemens is off to the big leagues.

The Detroit Tigers have called up former Texas baseball star infielder Kody Clemens.

Clemens brings a powerful left-handed bat to the Detriot lineup. He hit .256 with 26 home runs in the last two seasons with the Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate in Toledo.

The 26-year-old provides versatility on the defensive side of the ball. Clemens can play second base, third base and both corner outfield positions.

Clemens was selected in the third round of the 2018 MLB Draft after an All-American junior season at Texas.

He led the 2018 Longhorns to a Big 12 Championship and College World Series appearance while hitting .351 with 24 home runs. Clemens was named Big 12 player of the year and a Golden Spikes Award finalist.

Clemens joins right-headed pitcher Bryce Elder as Texas exes to get the call to the big leagues this season.

The Tigers will host the Minnesota Twins on Monday afternoon for Clemens’ Major League debut.

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