The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Sam Houston State
No. 22 Baseball preview: Sam Houston State and UTSA
02.25.2019 | Baseball
Longhorns play home midweek games on Tuesday and Wednesday
No. 22 TEXAS (6-2) vs. SAM HOUSTON STATE (5-1)
No. 22 TEXAS (6-2) vs. UTSA (5-3)
February 26-27, 2019
Where: UFCU Disch-Falk Field
Time: Tuesday—6:30 p.m.; Wednesday—7 p.m.
TV: Longhorn Network
Radio: 104.9 FM The Horn/1260 AM
Live stats: https://texassports.com/sidearmstats/baseball
All-time series with SHSU: Texas leads, 77-19
All-time series with UTSA: Texas leads, 25-5
PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS
TUESDAY—Texas Sr. RHP Matteo Bocchi vs. SHSU R-Sr. LHP Seth Balew
WEDNESDAY—Texas TBA vs. UTSA TBA
GAME NOTES
THE MATCHUPS—The Longhorns host Sam Houston State on Tuesday and UTSA on Wednesday at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. The SHSU Bearkats will play their first midweek game of the season after sweeping Louisiana last weekend. The UTSA Roadrunners went 4-1 last week with a midweek win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and a series win over Dartmouth.
A LOOK AT THE LONGHORNS—Texas improved to 6-2 with a series win over Purdue, three games to one. The Longhorns pitching staff has been solid to start the season, with a 2.62 ERA and 62 strikeouts to only 23 walks. Last season, Texas won the 2018 Big 12 Conference Championship and returned to the College World Series for the first time since 2014. The Longhorns posted a 42-23 record and 17-7 mark in league play.
THE TODD FATHER—Junior outfielder Austin Todd has had a very productive start to the season after battling through injuries last season. He is the Longhorn's leading hitter and run-producer, batting .375 with 10 RBI. Todd has two doubles, a triple and a homer. He has also made an impact defensively, with two outfield assists this season.
NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK—Texas freshman pitcher Coy Cobb threw seven shutout innings against Purdue, earning him the Big 12 Conference Co-Newcomer of the Week award. In his second career start, and his first on the mound at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, Cobb was lights out. He allowed just four hits to the Boilermakers and did not issue any walks. At one point, the freshman retired 12-straight batters until a two-out double in the fifth inning. Cobb got a strikeout to end the fifth with no damage done. He finished with two strikeouts in the game.
THE FRESHMEN PRESIDENTS—Several freshmen are already making an impact for Texas, but a trio of hitters, that all sport Presidential names have especially stood out. Lance Ford had three hits, including a double, two runs scored and one RBI in his first two games. Eric Kennedy has played in all eight games and has two home runs, a double and a triple. He had his first multiple-hit game, going 2-for-6 with three runs at Rice. Bryce Reagan has started seven games and is batting .286 with a homer and six runs scored.
YOUNG GUNS—Head Coach David Pierce's 2019 pitching staff is likely the youngest he has ever head, featuring seven freshmen (one redshirt) and five sophomores (one redshirt). Of the 12 underclassmen pitchers, 11 have already pitched in a game this season. A handful of youngsters have yet to allow an earned run this season – Mason Bryant, Kamron Fields, Nico O'Donnell, Ty Madden, Owen Meaney and Cole Quintanilla. Four of the five pitchers to have started a game for Texas this season are underclassmen.
THEY AREN'T ALL INEXPERIENCED—Despite the number of pitchers without Division I baseball experience, the Texas pitching staff has seven returners who have made an impact on the mound. Jr. RHP Blair Henley and Sr. RHP Beau Ridgeway have each logged over 100 career innings, while Sr. RHP Matteo Bocchi, So. RHP Bryce Elder and So. RHP Nico O'Donnell each pitched more than 30 innings last season.
NEXT UP—Texas begins a stretch of playing several nationally-ranked teams with a weekend series against No. 2 LSU at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, March 1-3. The Longhorns will also play Stanford, Texas Tech, Arkansas and TCU during the Month of March.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK—Following an opening-day gem, Texas sophomore right-hander Bryce Elder was named the Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Week. Elder pitched eight innings and allowed just one run on four hits with no walks. He struck out nine batters in eight innings of work. After allowing a one-out infield single in the fifth, Elder retired the next 11-consecutive batters.
PRESEASON ALL BIG 12—The Longhorns' top returning hitters, OF Duke Ellis and DH Zach Zubia, were named to the Preseason All-Big 12 team. Following the 2018 season – each of their first on the Forty Acres – both Ellis and Zubia were selected as All-Big 12 First Team members. In conference games last season, Ellis led the league in on-base percentage (.484) and finished second in batting average (.390). Overall, Ellis finished the season with a .289/.389/.353 line, one home run and 27 RBI and was successful in 16-of-18 stolen base attempts. Zubia, then a redshirt-freshman, was also named to the Big 12 All-Rookie team after finishing with a .275/.407/.495 line overall along with 14 doubles, one triple, and 11 home runs, good for second-most on the team. Zubia collected 45 RBI in 65 games (59 starts) while walking a team-high 46 times. He also strung together a 41-game on-base streak from February 17 to April 21.
RANKED—Texas remains in the national rankings heading into the third week of the season. The Longhorns' rankings are: D1Baseball (#22), Baseball America (#19), NCBWA (#20), USA Today Coaches Poll (#16) and Collegiate Baseball (#19).
PRESEASON POLL—In the Big 12 preseason coaches' poll, Texas was selected to finish fourth behind preseason favorite Texas Tech (61), Baylor (58) and TCU (48). Last season, five of the nine Big 12 teams made the NCAA postseason.
DRAFTED—Texas saw five players selected in the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft: INF Kody Clemens (Tigers, 3rd round, No. 79), RHP Nolan Kingham (Braves, 12th round, No. 354), RHP Chase Shugart (Red Sox, 12th round, No. 370), LHP Josh Sawyer (Cubs, 16th round, No. 488) and INF Andy McGuire (Blue Jays, 28th round, No. 836).
PIERCE TO THE POSTSEASON—Head Coach David Pierce has reached the NCAA postseason in each of his seven seasons as a head coach at Texas, Tulane, and Sam Houston State. Last season marked the skipper's first trip to the College World Series as a head coach. Pierce advanced to the College World Series four times as an assistant coach at Rice, including winning the 2003 National Championship.
PRO PARKS—Texas plays a pair of regular season games in professional ballparks this season. The Longhorns take on Incarnate Word at Nelson Wolff Stadium, home of the Triple-A San Antonio Missions, on March 26. Texas then plays at Whataburger Field, home of the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks, against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on April 30. Also for the 19th time, the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship will be played in Oklahoma City. The Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, home of the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers, plays host to the event.
WATCH 'EM—All but one Texas home game will be broadcast on Longhorn Network this season. The team of Lowell Galindo, Keith Moreland, and Greg Swindell will return to the booth to call the action.
HEAR 'EM—In partnership with IMG-College, Texas games will be broadcast on the Austin Radio Network, primarily on 104.9 The Horn and AM 1260. Craig Way handles primary play-by-play duties alongside Roger Wallace and Quan Cosby.
