Garrido: The real Texas season begins
Head coach Augie Garrido said in Sunday’s selection show viewing party that now “the real Texas season begins.” In the locker room at UFCU Disch-Falk Field there is a trophy case with a baseball designated for every one of UT’s 46 wins this season, having the final score printed on the baseball in burnt orange. Near the right side of the case there are over 15 baseballs that are waiting to be marked.
So what will it take for the Horns to fill the rest of the case? Well, it starts in the Austin regional that showcases No. 1 seed Texas, No. 2 seed Rice, No. 3 seed Louisiana-Lafayette and No. 4 seed Rider, the Longhorns opening matchup. UT comes into the tournament as one of the favorites to win it all, boasting a pitching staff with a tops-in-the-nation ERA of 2.53, the only team ERA in the nation that stands under 3.00. Not only is the pitching amazing, with starters Taylor Jungmann (6-3, 2.16 ERA), Big 12 Pitcher of the Year Cole Green (10-1, 2.64 ERA) and Brandon Workman (11-1, 3.77 ERA), but the defense backing up the pitching is sitting with one of the best fielding percentages in the nation at .979. The offense is probably the biggest question mark coming into the tournament. There were times where the Horns struggled at the plate, but dominant pitching and timely hitting was enough for UT to put together a 21-game win streak during the regular season. What many people don’t realize, though, is the Horns aren’t the usual small-ball team. They’ve knocked 73 home runs out of the park, which isn’t something that’s easy to do when your home field is one of the largest parks in the nation. What will it take for the Longhorns to make their way to the Super Regional? Garrido seems to think the field may not have as much of an impact as his own team’s performance. “I don’t think [having a team you know (Rice) in your bracket] matters. I really don’t. I don’t think there’s any advantage for that point of view,” the UT head coach said. “Manage your own team. That’s all you can control. You certainty can’t control the performances of our opponents.” For our sake, we’ll take a closer look at the opponents in the regional, beginning with Texas’ Friday opponent. The Matchups No. 4 seed Rider Rider University is out of the MAAC conference and finished the regular season with a 36-21 overall record. The Broncs won the MAAC championship, and are led by head coach Barry Davis, who brings the team into the tournament for the second time in three years. The school isn’t unfamiliar with the tournament. This trip to Austin is the schools 10th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Nick Wojnowski, who holds a .396 batting average with 74 hits and 45 RBI, leads the Broncs at the plate. Wojnowski also carried the most balls over the fence this season with nine homers. The team has eight batters batting over .300, and holds a team batting average of .317. A.J. Albee leads the team in RBI with 60, as well as hits with 83. The pitching staff holds a team ERA of 5.33. Tyler Smith holds a 2.77 ERA and leads the team with nine saves on the season. The lowest ERA for a pitcher who has more than six starts on the year is Mike Thomas (3.59 ERA). Thomas handed in a 9-2 regular season record and leads the team with 94 strikeouts in 97-2/3 innings. As Garrido said, the key to winning isn’t always about whom you play, but how good your team plays. Regardless, Texas will take the field versus Rider Friday night at 6:30 p.m. No. 2 seed Rice University “Familiar” is a term that can be used to describe the Longhorns’ relationship with the Owls, as the series between the two teams over the past decade could be called a rivalry. “Big rivalry for us. They know who we are, we know who they are. We know a lot of players, and are good friends with the players on that team,” shortstop Brandon Loy said. Rice’s program is one of the best college baseball programs in the nation. Led by head coach Wayne Graham, the Owls will be heading into the NCAA Tournament for their 16th consecutive season. This season, Rice finished with a 38-21 overall record and a 17-7 mark in Conference USA. Texas took two of the three games against the Owls this season (a 2-1 win in Houston at the Houston College Classic, a 10-6 loss at Rice and a 5-1 win at the Disch). Rice has a team batting average of .327 and is led by sophomore Anthony Rendon, who holds a .393 batting average and a whopping 23 home runs on the season. In just a week, Rice managed to belt 14 home runs. If there’s a team that’s hot from the plate right now, Rice could be pegged as that team. The pitching staff has a 4.47 team ERA, and is led by RHP Jared Rogers (8-1, 4.10 ERA). Not sure if Graham will take the same philosophy as Garrido, in going with one of his main starters on Friday, but either way UT will face a good pitcher if they do meet on Saturday. No. 3 seed Louisiana-Lafayette The Ragin Cajuns are coming into the tournament sort of like UT, losing two in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. There was some doubt that they’d even make it into the tournament with a 37-20 overall record. ULL finished the regular season tied for first in the Sun Belt with Florida Atlantic at 21-9. The Cajuns have a .294 team batting average and are led by Chad Keefer (.333). Keefer leads the team with 15 home runs and 57 RBI on the season. The pitching for Louisiana-Lafayette is pretty good with a team ERA of 3.39. Houston native Zach Osborne, who has a 2.54 ERA and an 8-4 record, leads the Cajuns. Osborne is definitely a big piece to the success of the team with his 108 strikeouts on the year in 112-2/3 innings. It could be really interesting if Texas gets to play ULL because the teams seem to match up really well, at least on paper. Either way, all eyes are set on the Horns. The expectations and pressure are higher than ever given the 21-game win streak and No. 2 national seed. If the Longhorns make it through the Austin Regional, some may peg this team as the “redeem team.” For now, though, there’s still an uneasy feeling among Horns fans given the struggles in OKC. All the action starts on Friday with the first game with No. 2 seed Rice taking on No. 3 seed Louisiana-Lafayette at 1 p.m. No. 1 seed Texas, with Brandon Workman on the mound, will face No. 4 seed Rider that evening. All games will be played at the Disch and can be heard on AM 1300 “The Zone.”
So what will it take for the Horns to fill the rest of the case? Well, it starts in the Austin regional that showcases No. 1 seed Texas, No. 2 seed Rice, No. 3 seed Louisiana-Lafayette and No. 4 seed Rider, the Longhorns opening matchup. UT comes into the tournament as one of the favorites to win it all, boasting a pitching staff with a tops-in-the-nation ERA of 2.53, the only team ERA in the nation that stands under 3.00. Not only is the pitching amazing, with starters Taylor Jungmann (6-3, 2.16 ERA), Big 12 Pitcher of the Year Cole Green (10-1, 2.64 ERA) and Brandon Workman (11-1, 3.77 ERA), but the defense backing up the pitching is sitting with one of the best fielding percentages in the nation at .979. The offense is probably the biggest question mark coming into the tournament. There were times where the Horns struggled at the plate, but dominant pitching and timely hitting was enough for UT to put together a 21-game win streak during the regular season. What many people don’t realize, though, is the Horns aren’t the usual small-ball team. They’ve knocked 73 home runs out of the park, which isn’t something that’s easy to do when your home field is one of the largest parks in the nation. What will it take for the Longhorns to make their way to the Super Regional? Garrido seems to think the field may not have as much of an impact as his own team’s performance. “I don’t think [having a team you know (Rice) in your bracket] matters. I really don’t. I don’t think there’s any advantage for that point of view,” the UT head coach said. “Manage your own team. That’s all you can control. You certainty can’t control the performances of our opponents.” For our sake, we’ll take a closer look at the opponents in the regional, beginning with Texas’ Friday opponent. The Matchups No. 4 seed Rider Rider University is out of the MAAC conference and finished the regular season with a 36-21 overall record. The Broncs won the MAAC championship, and are led by head coach Barry Davis, who brings the team into the tournament for the second time in three years. The school isn’t unfamiliar with the tournament. This trip to Austin is the schools 10th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Nick Wojnowski, who holds a .396 batting average with 74 hits and 45 RBI, leads the Broncs at the plate. Wojnowski also carried the most balls over the fence this season with nine homers. The team has eight batters batting over .300, and holds a team batting average of .317. A.J. Albee leads the team in RBI with 60, as well as hits with 83. The pitching staff holds a team ERA of 5.33. Tyler Smith holds a 2.77 ERA and leads the team with nine saves on the season. The lowest ERA for a pitcher who has more than six starts on the year is Mike Thomas (3.59 ERA). Thomas handed in a 9-2 regular season record and leads the team with 94 strikeouts in 97-2/3 innings. As Garrido said, the key to winning isn’t always about whom you play, but how good your team plays. Regardless, Texas will take the field versus Rider Friday night at 6:30 p.m. No. 2 seed Rice University “Familiar” is a term that can be used to describe the Longhorns’ relationship with the Owls, as the series between the two teams over the past decade could be called a rivalry. “Big rivalry for us. They know who we are, we know who they are. We know a lot of players, and are good friends with the players on that team,” shortstop Brandon Loy said. Rice’s program is one of the best college baseball programs in the nation. Led by head coach Wayne Graham, the Owls will be heading into the NCAA Tournament for their 16th consecutive season. This season, Rice finished with a 38-21 overall record and a 17-7 mark in Conference USA. Texas took two of the three games against the Owls this season (a 2-1 win in Houston at the Houston College Classic, a 10-6 loss at Rice and a 5-1 win at the Disch). Rice has a team batting average of .327 and is led by sophomore Anthony Rendon, who holds a .393 batting average and a whopping 23 home runs on the season. In just a week, Rice managed to belt 14 home runs. If there’s a team that’s hot from the plate right now, Rice could be pegged as that team. The pitching staff has a 4.47 team ERA, and is led by RHP Jared Rogers (8-1, 4.10 ERA). Not sure if Graham will take the same philosophy as Garrido, in going with one of his main starters on Friday, but either way UT will face a good pitcher if they do meet on Saturday. No. 3 seed Louisiana-Lafayette The Ragin Cajuns are coming into the tournament sort of like UT, losing two in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. There was some doubt that they’d even make it into the tournament with a 37-20 overall record. ULL finished the regular season tied for first in the Sun Belt with Florida Atlantic at 21-9. The Cajuns have a .294 team batting average and are led by Chad Keefer (.333). Keefer leads the team with 15 home runs and 57 RBI on the season. The pitching for Louisiana-Lafayette is pretty good with a team ERA of 3.39. Houston native Zach Osborne, who has a 2.54 ERA and an 8-4 record, leads the Cajuns. Osborne is definitely a big piece to the success of the team with his 108 strikeouts on the year in 112-2/3 innings. It could be really interesting if Texas gets to play ULL because the teams seem to match up really well, at least on paper. Either way, all eyes are set on the Horns. The expectations and pressure are higher than ever given the 21-game win streak and No. 2 national seed. If the Longhorns make it through the Austin Regional, some may peg this team as the “redeem team.” For now, though, there’s still an uneasy feeling among Horns fans given the struggles in OKC. All the action starts on Friday with the first game with No. 2 seed Rice taking on No. 3 seed Louisiana-Lafayette at 1 p.m. No. 1 seed Texas, with Brandon Workman on the mound, will face No. 4 seed Rider that evening. All games will be played at the Disch and can be heard on AM 1300 “The Zone.”
