Texas still ranked after a rough weekend
After this past weekend, Texas might not want to return to Houston anytime soon.
Granted, the Longhorns don’t have a choice. Texas has a three-game series at Houston that begins on April 12. By then, UT will hope that its 0-for-3 showing over the past few days at the Astros Foundation College Classic will be a distant memory.
During its appearances at Minute Maid Park, Texas lost 6-3 to No. 3 LSU, 11-10 to Texas State and 14-11 to No. 9 Vanderbilt.
What does this all mean? Maybe nothing. Texas has gone 3-12 over the past five seasons at these early-season showcases hosted by the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros. In two of the previous four years, UT still reached the College World Series.
But should Texas be concerned about its future? At those showcases, Texas is just 3-10 against Southeastern Conference teams. Texas is joining the SEC this summer.
Including its appearances at the events in Arlington and Houston, Texas is 13-18 against SEC teams since 2020. The Longhorns have faced Alabama, Arkansas, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt. Texas is also 5-6 in that span against Oklahoma, which is also making the move to the SEC.
Pitching problems for Texas
Ahead of the Astros Foundation College Classic, Texas was coming off a weekend series in which it did not allow a run against Cal Poly. The Longhorns had last posted a shutout of the entirety of a three-game series in 2002.
Flash forward a week and Texas gave up 31 runs and 37 hits against stiffer competition. Since 26 of those runs were earned, Texas posted a 9.00 ERA over the weekend.
During the Cal Poly series, Texas needed only eight pitchers and each of its starters lasted at least five innings. Over UT’s three games at Minute Maid Park, 15 different Longhorns threw. None of the Texas starters got out of the fifth inning, and the team’s bullpen blew late leads in the Texas State and Vanderbilt games.
As of Monday, Texas ranks 31st nationally with its 3.69 ERA.
Despite the bad showing in Houston, Texas is still ranked. The Longhorns, however, are holding on for dear life in the D1Baseball poll.
On Monday, UT fell to the No. 24 spot in the aforementioned poll. Texas (7-4) was ranked 15th last week.
Up next? Ranked rivals
The Longhorns will have a chance to redeem themselves this week, but it won’t be easy. Texas will host No. 7 Texas A&M on Tuesday before it opens Big 12 play with a three-game series at No. 17 Texas Tech. A&M currently leads the country with its 1.45 ERA. Texas Tech is scoring a Division I-high 13.8 runs per game.