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Tanner Witt to undergo Tommy John surgery, miss rest of 2022

Joe Cookby: Joe Cook03/10/22josephcook89
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Will Gallagher/Inside Texas

Texas starting pitcher Tanner Witt will undergo Tommy John surgery on his throwing arm and miss the remainder of the 2022 season, the school announced Thursday. Witt was scratched from his start on Sunday versus the UCLA Bruins at the Shriners Children’s College Classic due to arm soreness, and additional tests revealed the need for the surgical procedure for an injured ulnar collateral ligament.

Witt was a freshman All-American and All-Big 12 honorable mention in 2021. In 2022, he was 2-0 in two starts with a 1.64 ERA over 11.0 innings as the Longhorns’ Sunday guy.

A 6-foot-5, fourth-generation Longhorn, Witt led the team in appearances on the mound last year with 28. He finished with a 5-0 record, five saves, and a 3.16 ERA in 57 innings pitched.

Losing Witt for the year is a major blow to the No. 1 Longhorns. The sophomore from Episcopal High School in the Houston area was part of a weekend rotation with left-hander Pete Hansen and righty Tristan Stevens that was considered a strength of the team. Though Texas has pitching depth, not many hurlers have been extended to pitch through the batting order several times. Of course, none of the players who are candidates to replace Witt possess his talent, either.

This also comes as a surprise to the program. Texas head coach David Pierce said Sunday he believed Witt was simply dealing with tenderness and that the issue was “above his elbow.” Pierce also mentioned he believed Witt structurally was “good,” but additional tests revealed the need for surgery. Witt will rehab in Austin under the supervision of the Texas Sports Medicine staff.

Potential replacements for Witt include sophomore lefty Lucas Gordon, who started in Witt’s place on Sunday and pitched 4.0 innings of one-run ball against UCLA. Another option could be redshirt freshman Andre Duplantier II. The right-hander from the Houston area has started in three of the five games he’s appeared in this year, those starts coming in midweek contests.

No matter who steps into Witt’s role, they won’t toe the rubber with the same stuff as Witt, who dropped his effort to be a two-way player during the offseason in order to focus on stepping into the open spot in Texas’ starting rotation.

Texas still has a quality team and pitching staff, but losing a freshman All-American talent of Witt’s caliber in the starting rotation before conference play even begins is a significant challenge for any program to overcome, including the No. 1 team in the land.

This is a developing story. Stay up to date with the latest in Texas Longhorns news on the Inside Texas Members Only message board.

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