UT, A&M hope to resume rivalry in Austin Regional
TSU, Indiana are first obstacles in path of old foes
Texas coach David Pierce and Texas A&M coach Rob Childress are asked annually if they’d like to play a weekend series as nonconference rivals, and they typically defer to the current setup of playing once a season in alternating home sites.
This year, however, the NCAA answered the weekend question for them. No. 1 seed UT, No. 2 seed Indiana, No. 3 seed A&M and No. 4 seed Texas Southern will converge on Austin in an NCAA Tournament regional starting Friday at Disch-Falk Field.
A&M and Indiana start things off at 4 p.m. Friday, and UT and TSU follow at 8 p.m. Naturally, Pierce and Childress fielded questions about the old Southwest Conference and Big 12 rivals likely meeting at some point this weekend, and naturally, they deflected to their first foe in the postseason.
“It’s not about Texas and A&M,” Pierce said in Austin. “It’s about Texas playing Texas Southern and four really good teams in the regional.”
The Longhorns (37-20), who are playing host to a regional for the first time since 2011, won the Big 12 regular-season title but dropped both of their games in last week’s league tournament in snapping a five-game win streak. The Aggies (39-20) had a losing record in SEC play (13-17) but finished 3-1 in last week’s league tournament in advancing to the semifinals and ensuring an NCAA bid.
The Aggies left the Big 12 for the SEC in 2012, and UT and A&M haven’t played in an NCAA Tournament on the others’ home field since, although they did meet in a regional at Rice in 2014, when the Longhorns won two-of-three against the Aggies in claiming the regional title.
Meanwhile, TSU (27-26) won its third SWAC tournament title in the last four seasons under coach Michael Robertson.
“At least we didn’t have to get on a flight,” Robertson said. “That’s the most intriguing thing about (the regional). I’m assuming that’s why my kids are excited — because we’re not flying.”
The driving aspect was a recurring theme among the programs making the trip to Austin on U.S. 290.
“It’s just nice for us that we don’t have to go get on a plane,” said Childress, who has led the Aggies to a school-record 12 consecutive NCAA postseasons. “It’s nice for our fans and it’s nice for the families that they get an opportunity to get in the car and see us continue to play in the postseason.”
Indiana (38-17) finished fifth in the Big Ten and is fifth nationally in team ERA (2.95).
“We have to remember that we have Indiana first,” A&M shortstop Braden Shewmake said when asked about potentially playing UT in the postseason. “Texas is always in the back of your mind, but we have to put Indiana first. We know we’re playing a really good ball club, so we have to be ready to go.”