The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
K-State
No. 14 Baseball Preview: vs. K-State [March 21-22]
03.19.2015 | Baseball
Texas plays its second Big 12 series of the season against K-State this weekend
*** FRIDAY'S GAME HAS BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO RAIN; A SCHEDULE FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEKEND IS BEING DETERMINED
No. 14 Texas(13-8, 2-1 Big 12) vs. K-State (11-9, 0-0 Big 12) • Friday, March 20 - Sunday, March 22
Where: Austin, Texas • UFCU Disch-Falk Field (7,373)
Times: | Saturday, 2 p.m. | Saturday, TBA | Sunday, 1 p.m.
TV: Longhorn Network
Talent: Kevin Dunn (Play-by-Play), Keith Moreland (Analyst), Greg Swindell (Analyst)
Radio: AM 1300 The Zone, Texas Sports.com/Audio
Talent: Craig Way/Joe Taylor (Play-by-Play), Bill Little (Analyst)
Live Stats: TexasSports.com
All-time Series: Texas leads 47-15-1
Probable Starting Pitchers
SATURDAY
UT - Sr. RHP Parker French (2-1, 1.72)
KSU - r-So. RHP Nate Griep (3-1, 2.08)
SATURDAY
UT - Jr. RHP Chad Hollingsworth (2-1, 3.52)
KSU - r-So. RHP Colton Kalmus (0-1, 4.15)
SUNDAY
UT - So. RHP Kacy Clemens (1-1, 5.40)
KSU - Jr. RHP Corey Fischer (1-1, 4.63)
A LOOK AT THE MATCHUP
• Texas leads the all-time series with Kansas State 47-15-1, and holds a 24-9-1 lead at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
• In 2014, the Longhorns took two out of three games from the Wildcats in Manhattan, including a 9-8 victory in 10 innings in the series finale.
A LOOK AT THE LONGHORNS
• The Longhorns have played their best baseball this season at home. Texas holds a 9-3 record at UFCU Disch-Falk Field entering the weekend, and it is hitting .298 as a team while posting a 1.67 earned run average.
• Ben Johnson leads the Big 12 in hits (38), batting average (.413) and total bases (58) and Collin Shaw leads the league in doubles with 13.
• The Longhorns mashed 10 extra base hits in the three-game set vs. WVU (5 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR), and have 66 (43 doubles, 9 triples, 14 home runs) through the first 21 games. At this point last season, Texas had 30 extra base hits (18 2B, 9 3B, 3 HR).
• Of Texas's 119 runs, 63 have come with two outs this season (52.9%) after four of its five runs vs. UT Arlington came with two down. The Horns are hitting .297 (70-for-236) with two outs this season.
• Ben Johnson (.476), C.J Hinojosa (.417), Collin Shaw (.333), Brooks Marlow (.333) and Michael (.318) have all come up with timely two out hits all season long.
• In contrast, Texas is holding opponents to a .213 batting avg. (46-for-216) with two down in the inning.
• Texas has now scored 85 of its 119 runs (71.4%) on the year in innings where the leadoff man reaches base safely. Longhorn leadoff hitters are reaching base 39.7% of the time (73 of 184 innings).
• UT is outscoring its opponents 52-16 from the seventh inning on this year, and is 10-0 when leading after the seventh inning.
• Texas ranks in the Top 25 of each major college baseball poll (Collegiate Baseball - 14; NCBWA - 14; USA Today Coaches Poll - 16; D1Baseball.com - 17; Perfect Game - 18; Baseball America - 21).
• Texas currently has played the 10th most difficult schedule in the country (2nd in the Big 12) and sits third in the conference in Isolated Strength Rating (more on p. 4).
• Two Longhorns enter the weekend on 8-game hitting streaks: Brooks Marlow (10-32, 3 XBH) and Collin Shaw (10-33, 4 XBH) who have nearly identical stats during their streaks.
• The Horns are 13th in the country in walks after walking five times against UTA to give them 102 base on balls in their first 21 contests, and the defense has turned 23 double plays (t-10) in the NCAA.
• Texas has four players hitting over .300: Ben Johnson (.413), Tres Barrera (.324), Michael Cantu (.323) and Collin Shaw (.313).
• The same four players all also boast an OPS over .800: Johnson (1.080), Barrera (1.057), Shaw (.903) and Cantu (.855). Mark Payton (.811) was the only Longhorn with an OPS over .800 last season and 2015 currently holds a .801 OPS after having a .709 in 2014.
• Johnson has recorded multiple hits in 12 of the first 21 games this season, and has had five games with three or more hits thus far.
• Both Johnson (March 8) and Barrera (Feb. 17) have had five-hit games this season, marking the first time two Longhorns have recorded five-hit games in the same year since 2007 (Josh Prince and Bradley Suttle).
