Tag: texas baseball recruiting

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.

Two Longhorns Named To Preseason All Big 12 Team

Texas Longhorns baseball team has two players represented on the preseason All-Big 12 team with Bryce Elder and Eric Kennedy.

Two weeks until the Longhorns start their baseball conference championship defense against the Rice Owls on February 15th. The Big 12 announced their preseason All-Big 12 team. Two Longhorns represented on the team with pitcher Bryce Elder and outfielder Eric Kennedy.

Elder is heading into his junior season for the Longhorns. Last year with Texas, Elder was named to the All-Big 12 second team. He posted a 2.93 ERA in 13 starts where he pitched 83 innings. He led the team with 86 strikeouts and was named Big 12 pitcher of the week on multiple occasions. Elder looks to lead the staff back to the College World Series in Omaha for the second-consecutive season for the first time since 2002-2005 when Texas participated in the championship tournament for four consecutive years.

Kennedy will return to Austin for his sophomore season. The former high school All-American was named to the All-Big 12 honorable mention team as a freshman. He led all Longhorns with a .310 batting average and hit safely in 13 of 14 of the final games of the season. He scored 41 runs with eight doubles, three triples and two home runs in 2019.

Is It Time For Former Longhorn Roger Clemens To Get HOF Nod?

Roger Clemens missed out on the Hall of Fame class in 2020 but is it time that the former Texas Longhorn get in?

Just a week ago the newest class for the National Baseball Hall of Fame was announced. The class of 2020 includes former New York Yankee Derek Jeter and former Colorado Rockies, Montreal Expos and St Louis Cardinals first baseman and right fielder Larry Walker. One name that just missed the class was former teammate of Jeter and former Texas Longhorns great Roger Clemens.

Clemens finished fourth among the candidates receiving 60.7% of the votes, the required threshold is 75%. Each year since 2014, Clemens has been gaining votes that started with just 35.4% and continued to grow until this past year at 60.7%. Under voting rules, Clemens has until 2022 to receive the necessary number for induction or he comes off the ballot for writers. It then moves to a committee that would meet in 2024.

The controversy surrounding Roger Clemens induction stems around the BALCO investigation that stated that Clemens received performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) from trainer Brian McNamee. Baseball purist believe that Clemens doesn’t deserve to be in the Hall of Fame based on this investigation. Clemens never admitted to taking steroids and had he admitted one would think the case against him in the Hall of Fame wouldn’t be as strong.

Given the era that Clemens played in, it seemed to be common place for players using steroids. While it is no excuse, given how Clemens performed before the accusations of PEDs, he deserves his opportunity to shine and be inducted. For the former Longhorn, 2021 just might be his best chance given how voters have been delivering their votes in recent years. It is hard to deny what Clemens accomplished on the mound and for that it is time to make it right.

Roger Clemens Accomplishments

  • 11-time All-Star
  • Two-Time World Series Champion
  • Seven-time Cy Young Award Winner (Most All-Time)
  • American League Most Valuable Player (1986)
  • Two-Time Triple Crown Winner (ERA, Wins and Strikeouts)
  • Led Major League Baseball in wins (four times)
  • Led Major League Baseball in ERA (seven times)
  • Led American League in strikeouts (five times)
  • MLB All-Century Team
  • Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame
  • Career Wins-354 (9th All-Time)
  • 4,672 strikeouts (3rd All-Time)

 

Former Longhorn Brandon Workman Looks To Lock Down Closer Role

Former Texas Longhorn and current Boston Red Sox pitcher Brandon Workman is looking to lockdown the closer role in 2020.

Another former Texas Longhorns pitcher is looking for a big year in 2020. For the Boston Red Sox they could have their next closer in Brandon Workman. For Workman his journey started in Bowie, Texas where he lettered all four years in high schooling. During those four years he earned All-State honors in two of the four years and Silver Slugger All-American recognition. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies but did not signed and joined the baseball team at the University of Texas in 2008.

After three seasons with the Longhorns, Workman was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the second round of the 2010 MLB Draft with the 57th overall selection. In 2013 he would be promoted from Double A Portland to Triple A Pawtucket and eventually to the Majors in July. He would be part of the bullpen that propelled the team to a World Series Championship. He didn’t surrender a single run in seven postseason appearances.

Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports

His sophomore season in the majors wasn’t memorable as Workman went 1-10 with 5.17 ERA in 19 games. In 2015 he would require Tommy John surgery costing him the entire season. In 2016 Workman spent the year trying to get back to the big leagues. He would return to Boston in 2017 appearing in 33 games with a 3.18 ERA which was a career best at the time.

The former Longhorns pitcher would be up and down between Boston and minor league affiliate Pawtucket in 2018, although he recorded a 6-1 record and 3.27 ERA in 43 games. He was apart of the Red Sox ALDS and ALCS roster before being replaced for the World Series.

Last season saw Workman finish the season as the closer where he closed out 16 games for Boston. The team wouldn’t qualify for the postseason after finished third in the AL East division. During the season Workman posted a 10-1 record with a career best 1.81 ERA. Heading into Spring Training, Workman is looking to be the closer but he has some competition in Boston. Given how he finished out the season Brandon Workman should get the opportunity to be the man to lockdown the ninth inning in 2020.