The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
South Florida
No. 2 Baseball preview: NCAA Austin Super Regional
06.11.2021 | Baseball
The Longhorns host South Florida in a best-of-three series at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
TEXAS (45-15) vs. SOUTH FLORIDA (31-28)
June 12-14, 2021
Where: UFCU Disch-Falk Field
Time: Saturday at 8 p.m.; Sunday at 8 p.m.; Monday at 3/6 p.m. (if necessary)
TV: ESPNU/ESPN2
Radio: 104.9 FM The Horn/1260 AM
Live stats: NCAA.StatBroadcast.com
NCAA Super Regional Appearances (last): 11th (2018)
All-Time Super Regional Record: 19-7
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
SATURDAY–Texas RHP Ty Madden (7-4, 2.59) vs. South Florida RHP Jack Jasiak (6-7, 2.89)
SUNDAY–Texas RHP Tristan Stevens (10-3, 2.77) vs. South Florida RHP Collin Sullivan (3-3, 3.69)
MONDAY (if necessary)–Texas TBA vs. South Florida TBA
THE MATCHUP—Texas is the No. 2 national seed in the NCAA Division I tournament and will be playing in the Super Regionals for the 11th time in program history. The Longhorns will be welcome South Florida to UFCU Disch-Falk Field this weekend, the ninth time Texas will host Super Regional action. The Bulls will be making their first appearance in the Super Regionals after winning the Gainesville Regional as the No. 4 seed. Saturday's game will be the first between Texas and South Florida.
A LOOK AT THE LONGHORNS—Texas swept its way to an NCAA Regional Championship last weekend, outscoring Southern, Arizona State and Fairfield by a combined score of 33-5. The 33 runs were the second-most scored by the Longhorns since the current four-team regional format began in 1999 and the most since scoring 58 runs over five games in the 2005 Austin Regional. Zach Zubia earned Regional Tournament MVP honors after batting .357 (5-for-14) with one double, one home run, six RBI and four runs scored. The Texas pitching staff has compiled a 2.87 ERA, which ranks No. 1 nationally and leads the Big 12 by over a run. The starting pitching trio of Pete Hansen (1.84), Ty Madden (2.59), and Tristan Stevens (2.77) all rank in the top six in ERA in the Big 12, while Stevens' nine wins lead the conference.
ALL-BIG 12 HONORS—Ty Madden led a total of 13 Longhorns named to All-Big 12 teams this season. Right-handed pitcher Tristan Stevens, second baseman Mitchell Daly and designated hitter Ivan Melendez join Madden on the first team. Third baseman Cam Williams and outfielder Mike Antico both landed on the second team. Seven other Longhorns picked up Honorable Mention recognition: Silas Ardoin, Trey Faltine, Pete Hansen, Douglas Hodo III, Aaron Nixon, Tanner Witt, Zach Zubia. First-year Longhorns Daly, Nixon and Witt all landed on the Big 12 All-Freshman team. The 13 total players recognized leads the Big 12 and are the most for Texas since 2005.
BIG 12 PITCHER OF THE YEAR—Ty Madden was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year leading into the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship. Madden compiled a 2.59 ERA and a 7-4 record in 15 starts this season. He struck out 110 batters in 94 innings pitched and has the best opponents' batting average in the league at .193. Madden is the Longhorns' first Big 12 Pitcher of the Year since Taylor Jungmann in 2011 and the seventh Longhorn overall.
BIG 12 COACH OF THE YEAR—For the second time in his five seasons at Texas, head coach David Pierce led the Longhorns to the Big 12 regular season title and was named the league's coach of the year. The award is his fourth overall as a head coach after receiving the honor twice in the Southland Conference while leading Sam Houston.
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS—It's an old adage that played out well in Texas' quest toward a Big 12 Championship and can be a recipe for postseason success. The Longhorns 2.87 ERA leads the NCAA by a quarter of a run and the Big 12 Conference by more than a run. Texas' .979 fielding percentage also leads the Big 12 and is the 16th-best percentage in the nation. The squad has committed a conference-low 47 errors while also turning 47 double plays, the second most in the Big 12.
MOUND PRESENCE—The Texas pitching staff has been among the most dominant groups in the nation. Three Texas starters rank in the top-six in the Big 12 Conference in earned run average, with Pete Hansen leading the conference with a 1.84 ERA. Ty Madden sits in fifth with a 2.59 ERA, while Tristan Stevens' 2.77 ERA ranks seventh. As a staff, the Longhorns have the best ERA in the nation at 2.87, a mark that leads the conference by more than a run.
FLASHING THE LEATHER—Trey Faltine has been a human highlight reel this season, making the difficult look routine. The Longhorns shortstop leads the Big 12 with 177 assists and ranks second with 31 double plays while sporting a .970 fielding percentage in 263 chances.
MAKING A BIG IMPRESSION—After a relatively quiet start to the season, Ivan Melendez caught fire in the month of April. For the month, Melendez hit .412 with eight doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 27 RBI and 16 runs scored. In that span, he compiled a .529 on-base percentage and .912 slugging percentage for an OPS of 1.441. He raised his batting average from .263 to .344 during the 19 games. From April 3-11, he established a program-record six-game home run streak that culminated with a pair of bombs against Kansas State on April 11. For his efforts in April, he was named Big 12 Player of the Week, National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Hitter of the Week, and Big 12 Co-Newcomer of the Week.
MR. CONSISTENT—With a base hit against Fairfield in the NCAA Austin Regional Championship Game, Zach Zubia extended his streak of reaching base safely to 36 games. During the streak, Zubia has hit .338 with seven doubles, two triples, seven home runs and 33 RBI, while walking an incredible 32 times for a .464 on-base percentage. Zubia has 13 multi-hit games and eight multi-walk games during the run, including five three-hit games, one three-walk and one four-walk game. On the season, the redshirt junior's 45 walks are fourth in the Big 12 Conference and rank 28th in the NCAA.
DALY GETTING IT DONE—Mitchell Daly has had a breakout season at the plate, reaching base safely in 48 of the 52 games he has started this season with 15 multi-hit games, including three three-hit games and a four-hit game. Daly's .323 batting average is 16th in the Big 12 Conference. The freshman is currently second on the team in batting average and hits (60) and tied for second in doubles (14), while sitting fifth in on-base percentage (.413), slugging percentage (.430) and OPS (.843) and sixth in total bases (80).
QUICKER THAN QUICK—Mike Antico leads the Big 12 Conference and is third nationally with 36 stolen bases, the most for a Longhorn since 2002 (Tim Moss). Antico has also walked 57 times this season, the second-highest total in the nation and the most in a season for a Longhorn since Mark Payton had 57 in 2014. The redshirt senior stole four bases against Fairfield in the NCAA Austin Regional Championship, the first Longhorn to swipe four bags in a game since 2016 (Joe Baker vs. Stanford, Feb. 26).
INFIELD HIT MACHINE—Throughout his career on the Forty Acres, Eric Kennedy has used his speed as a means to get on base. This season is no different, with 25 infield singles, including 15 bunt hits. In his career, Kennedy has 49 infield hits (27 bunts). He's not the only speedy Longhorn, as Texas has 30 total bunt singles this season. Douglas Hodo II has six bunt hits, Mike Antico has four, Mitchell Daly has three and Trey Faltine has two.
COMMANDING THE ZONE—Tristan Stevens' command has been on point this season, yielding only 12 walks over his last 87 innings pitched. Prior to issuing a walk to open the sixth inning at Oklahoma State on April 24, Stevens had gone 113 batters (28 1/3 innings) without relinquishing a free pass. Stevens' 10 wins on the year lead the Big 12 Conference.
HEAR 'EM—In partnership with Learfield 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 Keith Moreland.
