The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
San Diego
No. 8 Baseball Preview: vs. San Diego [Feb. 27-March 1]
02.26.2015 | Baseball
Texas opens its series with San Diego Friday at 7:30 p.m.
No. 8 Texas (8-2, 0-0 Big 12) vs. San Diego (2-6, 0-0 WCC) • Feb. 27 - March 1
Where: Austin, Texas • UFCU Disch-Falk Field (7,373)
Times: Friday - 7:30 p.m. | Saturday 6:30 p.m. | Sunday, 1 p.m.
TV: Longhorn Network
Talent: Kevin Dunn (Play-by-Play), Keith Moreland (Analyst), Greg Swindell
Radio: AM 1300 The Zone, Texas Sports.com/Audio
Talent: Roger Wallace, Joe Taylor & Craig Way (Play-by-Play), Bill Little (Analyst)
Live Stats: TexasSports.com
All-time Series: Texas leads, 7-5
Probable Starting Pitchers
FRIDAY
UT - Sr. RHP Parker French (1-0, 0.82)
USD - Jr. RHP David Hill (0-2, 6.35)
SATURDAY
UT - So. LHP Josh Sawyer (1-1, 4.82) OR So. RHP Kacy Clemens (1-1, 9.00)
USD - Jr. RHP Gary Cornish (0-0, 4.22)
SUNDAY
UT - So. LHP Josh Sawyer (1-1, 4.82) OR So. RHP Kacy Clemens (1-1, 9.00)
USD - Jr. LHP PJ Conlon (1-0, 2.45)
A LOOK AT THE MATCHUP
• The Longhorns lead the all-time series with San Diego 7-5, with all 12 meetings coming in the Augie Garrido era at Texas.
• San Diego took two of three games the last time the teams met in 2007, but the Longhorns are a perfect 3-0 vs. the Toreros at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
A LOOK AT THE LONGHORNS
• The Texas baseball team ranks in the Top 11 of each major college baseball poll (USA Today Coaches Poll - 6; Perfect Game - 8; NCBWA - 9; Baseball America - 9; D1Baseball.com - 9;
Collegiate Baseball - 11).
• Bret Boswell's walk-off single vs. UTPA on Wednesday (2/25) was the first UT walk-off win since Mark Payton's dramatic three-RBI double to defeat Baylor last year on April 4.
• The Longhorn offense is second in the NCAA in doubles (Texas Tech - 30) with 29, and has 37 extra-base hits in just 10 games. UT blasted 20 of these extra base hits (15 doubles, four triples, one home run) in the series vs. Minnesota. Collin Shaw had six of them (all doubles), and has a team-high 10 extra base hits this season (nine doubles, one triple), after having six (five doubles, one triple) in all of 2014. Ben Johnson is tied for the national lead in hits with 21.
• The pitching staff tossed its third consecutive shutout last Sunday vs. the Golden Gophers, which was the first time Texas has done that since March 22-24, 2002, against UTPA. Prior to that, Texas hadn't recorded three straight since 1983 vs. Dallas Baptist.
• Texas' starting pitchers went 4-0 vs. Minnesota and did not allow an earned run. The staff's ERA went from 4.30 entering the weekend to 2.36 by the end. It now rests at 2.33 after allowing two earned runs vs. UTPA on Wednesday.
• The Longhorn bullpen has not allowed an earned run in 31 consecutive innings dating back to the sixth inning of the UTSA game (2/17), and boasts a 0.82 ERA on the year.
• The pitching staff did not allow an earned run throughout the entire Minnesota series, and it held Minnesota to an .067 batting average (3 for 45) with runners on base. With runners in scoring position, it held the Gophers hitless (0 for 18), and with two outs Minnesota hit .118 (4-for-34) with zero RBIs.
• Comparatively, Texas hit .302 (26-for-86) with runners on base, .364 (20-for-55) with runners in scoring position and .362 (17-for-47) with two outs. Sixteen of UT's 28 RBIs on the weekend came with two down in the inning, including all seven last Sunday.
• The 8-2 start by Texas is its best since 2009 when they began the season 11-0. The Longhorns have won seven games in a row after starting the season 1-2, matching their longest winning streak since 2011.
• The 31 runs scored by the Longhorns in the Minnesota series was the highest total in a four-game set since they had 34 against Dallas Baptist in 1989.
• Longhorn base runners swiped six bases in last Sunday's game against Minnesota, the most since they had six steals against California on March 30, 2012.
• Texas is outscoring its opponents 35-2 from the seventh inning on this season.
• UT has scored 49 of its 68 total runs in innings where the leadoff man reaches base safely.
• Six Texas hitters have an OPS (on base % + slugging %) of .800 or greater, and five .900 plus: Tres Barrera (1.100), Collin Shaw (1.081), Ben Johnson (1.065), Bret Boswell (.957), Michael Cantu (.900) and Brooks Marlow (.809). Last season, the Longhorns finished with one player over .800 (Mark Payton, .828).
• Six Longhorns are batting .300 or above: Ben Johnson (.447), Bret Boswell (.375), Collin Shaw (.366), Tres Barrera (.342), Michael Cantu (.320) and Brooks Marlow (.300).
• Ben Johnson has recorded a hit in each of the first 10 games, giving him an 11-game hit streak dating back to last season. Johnson is hitting a team-high .447 on the year and leads the Big 12 and is tied for the national lead with 21 hits.
