Series win gets UT season back on track
The Longhorns needed that. After opening last week with a 9-2 loss to No. 7 Texas A&M, the Texas baseball team found itself in a four-game rut heading into the start of Big 12 play. Texas hadn’t lost four straight games during the same season since 2019, and most UT fans can begrudgingly recall how that disastrous season went.
Three of those four straight losses this season were to No. 3 LSU, No. 7 A&M and No. 9 Vanderbilt, all future SEC rivals. Last week, with three games in Lubbock against No. 17 Texas Tech on deck, Longhorns coach David Pierce was asked if he had any regrets related to the schedule.
“It’s perfect,” Pierce said after the A&M loss at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. “I don’t care. I’m not backing down from competition. It’s going to make us better. We play poor teams, we won’t be exposed and we need to be exposed right now.”
Still, Texas Tech was out for blood in what may have been the Longhorns’ last-ever trip to Lubbock. But Texas responded and won two of the three games, a series win for a solid start in Big 12 play. Perhaps UT fans can exhale.
Texas gets lengthy outings out of the bullpen
Texas scored 33 runs, produced 40 hits and crushed eight home runs over its three games in Lubbock. But it could be argued that the MVPs of the weekend were members of the bullpen.
On Friday, Ace Whitehead was credited with the win. Blessed with a 16-5 lead when he entered the game with one out in the fifth inning, he finished out the game and preserved the rest of the Texas relievers. In a career-long outing, the third-year left-hander struck out seven batters while allowing five hits and three runs.
In Sunday’s series-clinching win, Gage Boehm recorded a four-inning save. It was only the third save of that length during Pierce’s eight years at Texas; Charlie Hurley had a four-inning save at Cal State Fullerton in 2023 and Travis Sthele went four innings for a save last year against San Jose State.
And even though it came in a loss, Max Grubbs pitched the final 42⁄3 innings of Saturday’s 7-2 game. He gave up five hits and the two runs scored against him were unearned.
Add it all up and Whitehead, Grubbs and Boehm posted a 2.70 ERA over their 131⁄3 innings. Texas’ starters — Lebarron Johnson Jr., Cody Howard and Hurley — had a 12.50 ERA over their 82⁄3 innings.
What does this mean?
Texas moved up one spot to No. 23 in the D1Baseball poll on Monday. Texas Tech dropped back to No. 24, which is what Texas was last week.
Up next? Lots of home games
After playing six of their last seven games away from Austin, Texas won’t have to leave Disch-Falk Field for awhile. Incarnate Word is Texas’ guest on Tuesday (6:30 p.m., LHN, 1300) and then Washington comes in for a threegame series this weekend. Texas’ next 10 games are at home.