Tough SEC challenge looming as new-look Horns begin play
AUSTIN — Back in February 2021, Texas trekked up to Arlington for the inaugural College Baseball Showdown at Globe Life Field. That whole weekend was a disaster.
The Longhorns went 0-3, losing to three ranked SEC teams by a combined 16 runs. The Longhorns went 50-14 the rest of the way and came one win shy of reaching the College World Series final.
Two years later, Texas is gearing up for another season-opening test at Globe Life Field. The unranked Longhorns face No. 8 Arkansas on Friday, Missouri on Saturday and No. 10 Vanderbilt on Sunday.
“We got popped around (in 2021), but it made us better,” seventh-year coach David Pierce said. “We have a saying: RTA, remember the Arlington. So we’re looking forward to this competition again.”
Coming off another CWS appearance in 2022, Texas has a new weekend rotation, seven new starters and two new assistant coaches.
Pierce rewarded junior southpaw Lucas Gordon for last year’s breakout All-Big 12 campaign by naming him the team’s Friday starter. He’ll open against the Razorbacks looking to build on last year’s strong numbers: a 7-2 record, 3.05 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 852⁄3 innings.
Pierce considered slotting in redshirt junior righthander Zane Morehouse as the Friday starter before settling on him as the team’s Saturday arm. The former Dyersburg State transfer struggled in his first year at Texas, allowing 26 earns runs in 39 innings. But Pierce thinks he’s ready to roll this season.
“He’s got a great arm, a really loose arm,” Pierce said. “He’s just growing up. And now he’s starting to simplify his repertoire.”
Redshirt sophomore righthander Travis Sthele will open the season as the Sunday starter. He’ll have some competition in the form of 6-foot-8 USC transfer Charlie Hurley.
“Travis has just been very consistent,” Pierce said. “His slider has improved. His (velocity) is coming back from an injury two years ago. Charlie Hurley is going to be in that mix as well. Early in the season, nobody’s going nine, no one’s going 100-plus pitches. So you’ll see a lot of these guys kind of piggyback and double up.”
Pierce likes to say the shortstop has to be “the captain of the infield and outfield.”
Texas has a new captain now with Mitchell Daly, Texas’ only returning infielder, shifting over from second base to replace stalwart Trey Faltine, who’s now in the St. Louis Cardinals’ farm system.
A freshman All-American and first-team All-Big 12 infielder as a freshman, Daly sputtered throughout his sophomore season. His batting average plummeted from .316 to .237, and his on-base percentage dipped from .431 to .351.
The roster is teeming with new faces — 10 true freshmen, seven Division I transfers and two junior college imports. And all eyes will be on a couple newbies manning the corners the year.
Freshmen third baseman Jalin Flores and first baseman Jared Thomas have some huge shoes to fill as they replace Skyler Messinger (.364, 59 RBI in 2022) and national player of the year Ivan Melendez,.
Flores is an unusually speedy first basemen out of Brandeis who has showcased some power at 6-2 and 195 pounds. Thomas was an All-State player at Waxahachie and the top-ranked first basemen in last year’s signing class.
“They’re not trying to be Skylar, they’re not trying to be Ivan,” Pierce said. “They just need to be themselves. They’re very talented.”
Texas also will miss the presence of Silas Ardoin, the tireless catcher who hit .271, drove in 50 runs and made life easier on every Texas pitcher.
“Our catcher has to be a player that can have presence and be demanding,” Pierce said.
This year, Pierce expects to use a committee approach with USC transfer Garret Guillemette and freshman Rylan Galvan, the state’s top-ranked catcher out of Sinton. In 98 career games (92 starts) for USC, Guillemette batted .292 with eight home runs and 46 RBI.