The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Central Arkansas
No. 2 Baseball preview: Central Arkansas
03.21.2022 | Baseball
The Longhorns continue their four-game homestand before heading into Big 12 play.
#2 TEXAS (17-5) vs. CENTRAL ARKANSAS (7-11)
March 22, 2022
Where: UFCU Disch-Falk Field
Time: Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
TV: Longhorn Network
Radio: 104.9 FM The Horn/1260 AM
Live stats: https://texassports.com/sidearmstats/baseball
All-time series with UCA: Texas leads, 1-0
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
TUESDAY–Texas RHP Justin Eckhardt (0-0, 5.68) vs. UCA TBA
THE MATCHUPS—Texas closes out a four-game home stand by hosting Central Arkansas on Tuesday. The Longhorns and Bears will meet for the just the second time ever and the first time since 2012. UCA started a new era for the program last weekend, winning its first series as a member of the ASUN Conference after a 15-year run in the Southland Conference.
A LOOK AT THE LONGHORNS—The Longhorns returned home after 10-of-11 on the road and put on a show at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. Texas swept UIW, outscoring the Cardinals 41-4 during the weekend. The Longhorns batted .388 with 10 doubles and seven homers over the weekend, while the pitching staff recorded a 1.33 ERA and held UIW to a .191 average. Offensively the Longhorns are led by Murphy Stehly, batting .458 with 38 hits, nine doubles, five homers, 22 RBI and 19 runs scored. Ivan Melendez is the leading run producer with eight doubles, two triples, nine homers, 33 RBI and 27 runs scored. Eric Kennedy and Douglas Hodo III have done well at the top of the batting order. Kennedy is batting .372 with four doubles, one triple, three homers and 27 runs scored. Hodo is batting .298 with eight doubles, one triple, two homers and 23 runs scored. Starting pitchers Pete Hansen and Tristan Stevens have set the tone on the mound this season. Hansen is 4-0 with a 2.57 ERA and a team-high 33 strikeouts, while Stevens is 4-1 with a 1.17 ERA in 30.2 innings.
TWO-OUT HITTING—Texas has had a knack for scoring runs with two outs this season, driving in 50% of its RBI with two outs. The Longhorns have 81 total two-out RBI of their 160 runs driven in. Ivan Melendez not only leads the team with 33 RBI, but also leads the way with 15 two-out RBI. Douglas Hodo III also has 14 two-out RBI, while Murphy Stehly has 11 and Trey Faltine has 10. Conversely, the Texas pitching staff has been extremely tough with two outs and allowed just 13 two-out RBI this season and held opponents to a .200 batting average with two outs.
TITANIC—Ivan Melendez launched his ninth homer of the season on Sunday against UIW, upping his career total at Texas to 22. He currently ranks in the top-10 nationally in home runs (8th), RBI (5th) and total bases (5th). He also ranks 17th nationally with 27 runs scored and 19th overall with 19 base on balls. Melendez's 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.
MURPH DOG—Murphy Stehly has been unstoppable through the first 22 games of the season, batting .458 with nine doubles, one triple and five homers. He has a hit in all but two games and has 13 games with multiple hits, including a just the sixth three-homer game in Texas Baseball history. His versatility has also been on display, playing first base, second base, third base and right field throughout the season.
INFIELD HIT MACHINE—Throughout his career on the Forty Acres, Eric Kennedy has used his speed as a means to get on base. With two bunt singles this season, Kennedy now has 53 career infield singles (30 bunts). Last season he had 27 infield singles, including 16 bunt hits.
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 was grueling and the Longhorns started the month with a 6-5 record. 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 22 games this season, the Longhorns have a 2.66 ERA and are fielding .985.
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 65 assists. He had a career-high eight assists against UIW on March 20.
COMMANDING THE ZONE—Tristan Stevens' command has been outstanding start to the season, winning four of his first five starts and allowing just four earned runs in 30.2 innings pitched. He's struck out 19 batters and issued just three walks, while holding hitters to a .230 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.
