The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Incarnate Word
No. 2 Baseball preview: UIW
03.17.2022 | Baseball
The Longhorns return to UFCU Disch-Falk Field after an eight-day road trip.
#2 TEXAS (14-5) vs. UIW (9-5)
March 18-20, 2022
Where: UFCU Disch-Falk Field
Time: Friday at 6:30 p.m.; Saturday at 2:30 p.m.; Sunday at 1 p.m.
TV: Longhorn Network
Radio: 104.9 FM The Horn/1260 AM
Live stats: https://texassports.com/sidearmstats/baseball
All-time series with UIW: Texas leads, 5-1
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
FRIDAY–Texas LHP Pete Hansen (3-0, 2.35) vs. UIW RHP Michael Garza (2-1, 1.83)
SATURDAY–Texas RHP Tristan Stevens (3-1, 0.76) vs. UIW RHP Aaron Celestino (3-0, 4.09)
SUNDAY–Texas LHP Lucas Gordon (0-1, 2.35) vs. UIW RHP Isaiah Zavala (1-1, 7.43)
THE MATCHUPS—Texas returns home after an eight-day road trip to the state of South Carolina. The Longhorns welcome Incarnate Word to UFCU Disch-Falk Field for a three-game series. This will be the first series between these teams after previously only playing in midweek games. The Longhorns are 5-0 against the Cardinals in Austin and won two midweek match-ups last season.
A LOOK AT THE LONGHORNS—The Longhorns just wrapped up a stretch of playing seven games in nine days with six of the seven on the road. Texas went 3-4 during that tough seven-game stretch but closed it out with a resounding 18-4 win over The Citadel. Offensively the Longhorns are led by Murphy Stehly, batting .435 with 30 hits, eight doubles, 12 RBI and 12 runs scored. Ivan Melendez is the leading run producer with seven doubles, one triple, eight homers, 29 RBI and 22 runs scored. Douglas Hodo III and Eric Kennedy have done well at the top of the batting order. Hodo is batting .293 with seven doubles, one triple, one homer and 18 runs scored, while Kennedy is batting .333 with three doubles, one triple, two homers and 20 runs scored. Starting pitchers Pete Hansen and Tristan Stevens have set the tone on the mound this season. Hansen is 3-0 with a 2.35 ERA and a team-high 27 strikeouts, while Stevens is 3-1 with an 0.76 ERA in 23.2 innings.
TWO-OUT HITTING—Texas has had a knack for scoring runs with two outs this season, driving in 45% of its RBI with two outs. The Longhorns have 54 total two-out RBI of their 121 runs driven in. Ivan Melendez not only leads the team with 29 RBI, but also leads the way with 11 two-out RBI. Trey Faltine also has 10 two-out RBI, while Douglas Hodo III has eight and Murphy Stehly has six. Conversely, the Texas pitching staff has been extremely tough with two outs and allowed just 12 two-out RBI this season and held opponents to a .202 batting average with two outs.
TITANIC—Ivan Melendez launched six home runs over the last eight games to bring his season total to eight and his career total at Texas to 21. He currently ranks in the top-10 nationally in home runs (8th), RBI (7th) and total bases (7th). His first titanic blast of the season was a "Monster Shot," making him the first player to clear the batter's eye in center field three times. Last season Melendez burst onto the scene with 13 homers, a .319 batting average and .603 slugging percentage. He also had a stretch in the month of April in which he homered in six-consecutive games.
MARCH MADNESS—Texas Baseball started the month of March with a tough stretch of 11 games in the first 16 days of the month. Making it even tougher, the majority of those games were away from UFCU Disch-Falk Field, with 10 of 11 on the road. The road has been grueling and the Longhorns are 6-5 so far in the month of March. The back end of the March schedule will be tough as well, starting Big 12 Conference play at Texas Tech, March 25-27, before hosting Texas A&M for a midweek game on March 29.
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS—It's an old adage that played out well in Texas' journey to a record 37th College World Series appearance in 2021. The Longhorns 2.93 ERA led the NCAA by nearly a quarter of a run and the Big 12 Conference by more than a run. Texas' .980 fielding percentage also led the Big 12 and was the 10th-best percentage in the nation. Through 19 games this season, the Longhorns have a 2.87 ERA and are fielding .986.
INFIELD HIT MACHINE—Throughout his career on the Forty Acres, Eric Kennedy has used his speed as a means to get on base. With a bunt single during Opening Weekend, Kennedy now has 52 career infield singles (29 bunts). Last season he had 27 infield singles, including 16 bunt hits.
FLASHING THE LEATHER—Trey Faltine has been a human highlight reel throughout his career, making the difficult look routine. Last season, the Longhorns shortstop led the Big 12 with 203 assists and ranked second with 40 double plays while sporting a .968 fielding percentage in 308 chances. This season, Faltine currently leads the Big 12 with 51 assists.
COMMANDING THE ZONE—Tristan Stevens' command has been outstanding start to the season, winning his first three starts and not allowing just two earned runs in 23.2 innings pitched. He's struck out 17 batters and issued just three walks, while holding hitters to a .218 batting average. Last season, Stevens led the Big 12 with 11 wins and he only walked 23 batters in 111.1 innings pitched.
IMMEDIATE IMPACT—Texas struck gold last season with the addition of graduate transfer Mike Antico from St. John's. The outfielder became the first Longhorn and first player in Big 12 history to hit 10 homers and steal 40 bases in a season. This season the Longhorns will hope for a big contribution from grad transfer Skyler Messinger from Kansas. Last season he led Kansas in batting average (.324), games played (56), games started (56), at bats (213), runs (43), hits (69), doubles (19), RBI (39) and slugging percentage (.460).
PRESEASON PICKS—In a vote of the league's head coaches, Texas was selected to finish first in the Preseason Big 12 Baseball Coaches' Poll. The Longhorns landed in the top spot in the poll for the ninth time overall and for the first time since 2010. LHP Pete Hansen was named the Big 12 Conference Preseason Pitcher of the Year, leading seven total Longhorns on the Preseason All-Big 12 team. Tristan Stevens and Ivan Melendez were unanimous selections, while Silas Ardoin, Mitchell Daly, Trey Faltine and Aaron Nixon also landed on the team.
MORE NATIONAL ACCOLADES—Pete Hansen and Tanner Witt were named to the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List to lead a group of seven Longhorns earning national preseason recognition. Hansen and Ivan Melendez were both named first team Preseason All-American by NCBWA and Collegiate Baseball and second team by D1Baseball and Perfect Game. Aaron Nixon earned first team preseason honors from D1Baseball and NCBWA. Witt and Nixon, along with Trey Faltine and Tristan Stevens landed on the Collegiate Baseball preseason second team, joined by Mitchell Daly on the third team. Nixon was also named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Preseason Watch List.
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 Roger Wallace. This season fans will also hear analysis from Longhorn greats Keith Moreland, Ty Harrington and Nathan Thornhill throughout the season.
WATCH 'EM—Nearly all of Texas' home games will be broadcast on Longhorn Network this season. The team of Keith Moreland and Greg Swindell will return to the booth to call the action for 29 of the 31 games. Games 2 and 3 of the TCU series at UFCU Disch-Falk Field will both be televised on ESPNU.
