The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
#18 Oklahoma
Baseball preview: at No. 18 Oklahoma
04.25.2024 | Baseball
The Longhorns head back on the road for a Big 12 Conference series against the Sooners.
TEXAS at #18 OKLAHOMA
April 26-28, 2024
Where: L. Dale Mitchell Park
Time: Friday at 6:30 p.m.; Saturday at 4 p.m.; Sunday at 2 p.m.
TV: ESPN+
Radio: AM-1300 The Zone/103.1 FM
Live stats: Texas.Statbroadcast.com
All-time series: Texas leads, 156-68-2
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
FRIDAY–Texas RHP Max Grubbs (4-3, 3.61) vs. OU LHP Braden Davis (4-3, 5.37)
SATURDAY–Texas LHP Ace Whitehead (4-0, 3.32) vs. OU RHP Kyson Witherspoon (4-2, 3.72)
SUNDAY–Texas RHP Lebarron Johnson Jr. (2-3, 5.03) vs. OU LHP Grant Stevens (5-0, 4.72)
THE MATCHUP—The Longhorns head back on the road for a Big 12 Conference series at Oklahoma and this will be the first trip for Texas to L. Dale Mitchell Park since the 2018 season. The Longhorns lead the all-time series over the Sooners, 156-68-2 and hold a 33-19 advantage in Norman. Last season, Oklahoma swept Texas in the series in Austin.
A LOOK AT THE LONGHORNS—Texas heads into the weekend following a second consecutive Big 12 Conference series win and an 11-0 midweek shutout of UT Arlington. The Longhorns are batting .292 with 96 doubles and a Big 12 leading 81 home runs, while the pitching staff has a 4.75 ERA with 349 strikeouts in 377 innings pitched. Jared Thomas is the leading hitter with a .366 batting average with 12 doubles and 12 homers, while Jalin Flores leads the team and Big 12 Conference with 15 homers followed by Max Belyeu with 14 homers.
ONE-TWO PUNCH—Jared Thomas and Peyton Powell have been mainstays at the top of the Texas batting order this season, starting almost every game in the top two spots in the lineup. Thomas has a hit in 34 of the 42 games and has also scored at least one run in 28 of the 42 contests. In the 14 games that Thomas has not scored a run, the Longhorns have a 4-10 record. His on-base percentage of .458 from the leadoff spot is the best on the team. Powell has a hit in 34 of the 42 games and is third on the team with 34 RBI.
BOMB SQUAD—With 81 home runs this season, Texas has hit 300 bombs combined over the last three seasons. The Longhorns hit a program record 128 homers in 2022 and followed that up with the second-most ever at 91 in 2023. The next-most homers by Texas in a three-year stretch was 196 from 1986-88. The Longhorns have also hit more homers in the last three seasons than in the previous seven seasons combined, with 297 from 2015-21. Texas is currently on pace to hit 106 home runs during the 55-game regular season schedule.
MORE HOME RUN HISTORY—The Longhorns tied a Texas Baseball record with six home runs against UT Arlington on April 23. It was the fifth time a Texas team hit six homers in a game and the first since April 25, 1998 at Missouri. The Longhorns now have 23 multiple-homer games this season, including eight four-homer games and six three-homer games.
MAX POWER—Outfielder Max Belyeu is having a breakout sophomore season, launching 14 home runs this season. In the March 24 win over Baylor, Belyeu tied a program record by hitting three homers. The eighth Longhorn to go deep three times in a game, Belyeu hit two solo shots before launching a grand slam. Belyeu also has a two-homer game this season against UTA on April 25. The Aledo, Texas product has been named the Big 12 Player of the Week twice this season.
THE GRAND SLAM MAN—Dating back to the end of the last season, Jalin Flores hit three grand slams over a 12-game span. His first career grand slam was in the NCAA Regional Final last season against Miami to help Texas advance to the Super Regional. This season Flores hit a game-winning grand slam on Opening Day and then launched his second against St. John's on Feb. 27. Flores is not the only Longhorn to go deep with the bases loaded this season, as Rylan Galvan, Will Gasparino and Max Belyeu all have hit grand slams this season.
OWN THE DISCH—A large part of the Longhorns success under head coach David Pierce has come down to dominating at home. Since 2017 Texas has produced a 195-59 (.768) record at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. Since the stadium opened in 1975, Texas has gone 1626-419-3 at home for a .795 winning percentage. The fan base has also done a great job of making the Disch a difficult place to play. With the exception of the 2021 season because of limited capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Texas has led the Big 12 in attendance for 15-consecutive seasons. This season, the Longhorns are averaging 7,460 fans per game, the fifth-highest average attendance in the country.
FIFTIETH SEASON AT THE DISCH—Texas is in the midst of its 50th season at UFCU Disch-Falk Field after the facility opened in 1975. The first game at The Disch was played on Feb. 17, 1975 with the eventual National Champions sweeping a doubleheader of St. Mary's. Texas will officially celebrate 50 years of Disch-Falk Field and the 50th anniversary of the 1975 National Championship team during the 2025 season.
PRESEASON HONORS—Lebarron Johnson Jr. picked up plenty of preseason praise, being named Big 12 Preseason Pitcher of the Year as well as landing on the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List. OF Porter Brown joined Johnson on the Preseason All-Big 12 team as well as picking up some Preseason All-America recognition. Freshman OF Will Gasparino was also named Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year.
PRESEASON PICKS—In a vote of the league's head coaches, Texas was selected to finish second in the Preseason Big 12 Baseball Coaches' Poll. The Longhorns sit behind preseason favorite TCU, who received 11 first place votes. Texas picked up the other two first place votes to finish second. Last season, Texas won the Big 12 regular season championship after being picked fourth in the preseason poll.
DRAFT WINS AND LOSSES—Texas lost five players to the 2023 MLB Draft but also got five key players back for the 2024 season. The Longhorns biggest losses in the draft were 4th round selection Dylan Campbell and sixth-rounder Lucas Gordon. OF Porter Brown and INF Peyton Powell were not selected though and will lead the offense this season, while Charlie Hurley, Lebarron Johnson Jr. and Tanner Witt are expected to play big roles on the mound. OF Will Gasparino making it to the Forty Acres was also a big win for the program.
HEAR 'EM—In partnership with Learfield IMG College, Texas games will be broadcast on the Longhorn Radio Network, primarily on AM 1300 The Zone. 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 34 home games. The first two games of the TCU series, April 19-20 will be broadcast on ESPNU.
traDISCHion—Texas Baseball will honor its history throughout the 2024 season as part of the Saturday TraDISCHion series at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. For the third-consecutive season the Longhorns are celebrating past greats every Saturday (and a few Fridays) throughout the year. The 2024 TraDISCHion schedule:
Feb. 17 vs. San Diego: LHP Richard Wortham (1973-76)
Feb. 24 vs. Cal Poly: LHP Justin Simmons (2001-04)
March 16 vs. Washington: RHP Beau Hale (1998-2000)
March 23 vs. Baylor: LHP Austin Wood (2006-09)
April 6 vs. BYU: 1B Danny Peoples (1994-96)
April 20 vs. TCU: OF/LHP Dennis Cook (1984-85)
May 4 vs. OSU: RHP Cole Green (2008-11)
