The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Rice
No. 7/7 Baseball Preview: vs. No. 21/30 Rice [April 8, 2014]
04.07.2014 | Baseball
Texas meets Rice Tuesday at 7 p.m.
No. 7/7 Texas (26-7) vs. No. 21/30 Rice (22-12) · Tuesday, April 8, 7 p.m.
Where: Austin, Texas • UFCU Disch-Falk Field (7,237)
TV: Longhorn Network - Talent: Kevin Dunn (PbP), Keith Moreland (Analyst)
Radio: AM-1300 The Zone, online at www.TexasSports.com/showcase - Talent: Craig Way (PbP), Bill Little (Analyst)
Live Stats: sidearmstats.com/texas/baseball
All-Time Series: Texas leads, 222-53-2, 123-16-1 at home
Probable Starting Pitchers
So. RHP Caleb Smith (1-1, 6.94) vs. Jr. RHP Lukas Schiraldi (5-1, 2.50)
QUICK HITS
· Texas has won 11 of its last 12 games including a series sweep of Baylor last weekend.
· Texas is 20-4 in non-conference games this year and has won 12 straight Tuesday games dating back to last season.
· In his three Tuesday starts, Lukas Schiraldi is 3-0 with a 1.25 ERA, with opponents hitting just .118. The junior has logged 21 2/3 innings, an average of 7.22 innings per start.
· The Texas pitching staff leads the Big 12 and is tied for fourth nationally with a 1.98 ERA. That's nearly a run better than TCU, which is second in the league at 2.82. As a staff, Texas is holding opponents to a .217 batting average, also best in the league.
· Texas has allowed just 83 runs (2.5 runs/game) this year. That's the lowest number of runs allowed through 33 games in head coach Augie Garrido's 18-year tenure at Texas. Second on the list is 93 in '09.
· The Longhorns rank second in the league and sixth nationally in fielding percentage (.981). At home, Texas has a .989 fielding percentage, having committed just nine errors in 21 games. Texas leads the Big 12 and is tied for 11th nationally in double plays (33).
· Over the last 12 games, Texas is averaging 6.2 runs per game and hitting .317 as a team with a .424 slugging percentage and .414 on-base percentage. The Horns have recorded double-digit hits in nine of those 12 games. The Longhorns are 10-0 when scoring six or more runs this year.
· Tres Barrera (21-51 .412), Zane Gurwitz (17-45, .378), Brooks Marlow (17-48, .354), Ben Johnson (16-49, .327), and Mark Payton (14-47, .298) have been the offensive leaders over the last 12 games.
· Since March 11, Barrera is 27-of-65 (.415) at the plate, including 15 RBI, 11 runs, eight doubles, a triple and a home run. He has raised his batting average 167 points (128 to 295) in that span.
· Texas is ranked in the top 10 by all five major polls, including seventh by Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, eighth by Perfect Game and ninth by USA Today and the NCBWA.
· Texas ranks fifth in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI). The Longhorns have a 7-2 record against teams in the RPI top 30, including 5-1 in road and neutral games. Against the RPI top 50, Texas is 13-5 including 7-3 in road/neutral contests.
· Mark Payton leads the Big 12 in on-base percentage (.486) and is tied for the lead in triples (5), ranks third in batting average (.370) and third in walks (27). Payton has reached base safely in 72 consecutive games dating back to last season, which is the longest streak nationally and the second longest in Big 12 history (93 - Nick Martini, K-State, 2009-11).
· Head coach Augie Garrido surpassed Gordon Gillespie for the most wins (1,894) by any college baseball coach at any level with the 5-1 win over Texas State on March 25. He now has 1,900.
· Texas' 44 hits in the Texas Tech series were the most in a three-game series since March 16-18, 2012, when the Longhorns had 45 at Oklahoma.
· The Longhorns are 13-1 when scoring in the first inning this season. The lone loss came on March 29 at Texas Tech. Texas has scored in the first inning in seven of the last 10 games.
· The Longhorns are tied with TCU for a Big 12 best six shutouts. That also ranks t-10th nationally.
· Texas is No. 1 in the country in Iterative Strength Rating, according to college baseball site BoydsWorld.com (see more - page 3). The Longhorns have played the 19th most difficult schedule.
· The Texas bullpen had a streak of 30 consecutive scoreless innings snapped when it surrendered five runs in the ninth inning against Kansas on March 16. On the year, the bullpen has a 1.95 ERA, while the starters have a 2.00 ERA.
· Texas is 26-3 when scoring two runs or more.
· Texas has stolen 30 bases on 38 attempts this season, with Collin Shaw (9-13), Ben Johnson (6-6) and Mark Payton (5-6) leading the way. The Longhorns have been excellent against the run, with opponents stealing just 14 bases on 22 attempts. That's the lowest number in the Big 12, with West Virginia ranking second (15-22).
· Texas leads nation with 55 sacrifice bunts. The Longhorns had nine in the Baylor
series.
