GAME ONE ANALYSIS
GAME TWO ANALYSIS
The Newcomers didn't really stand a chance in the series finale if we are being honest. The Returners were able to trot a fully-rested Lebarron Johnson Jr. and Andre Duplantier out to the mound while the Newcomers were really hurting for pitchers that stood a chance. It was a complete bloodbath at the Disch, @ZachattheDisch and I took in the good, bad, and the Aggie.
*Texas did not keep official stats for this game
PITCHING BREAKDOWN - @AaronLittleOB
Lebarron Johnson Jr - 3 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 4 K, 2 BB
It was interesting to see Lebarron Johnson Jr. rolled out in a multi-inning role in game three. I figured that LBJ would be a late-inning stopper for Texas, but his usage today suggests that the Horns are at least considering the idea that Lebarron could be used for multiple innings at a time or even start. LBJ was throwing 94-97 MPH fastballs and threw some really nice sliders to righties and lefties. Johnson Jr had 4 strikeouts in 3 innings and did not allow a single hit. LBJ will be a key arm for Texas this year and it was great to see him pitch well today against the Newcomers.
Andre Duplantier
Dre was the best version of himself against the Newcomers on Sunday. Duplantier looked like a veteran as he poured in fastballs, cutters, and sliders with his trademark poise. It isn’t that complicated for Dre, when he is up in the zone, he’ll get hit. When he’s down in the zone he will get weak contact. Duplantier’s fastball was 88-92 MPH, he won’t be overpowering anyone this spring, but he can still be a big part of this pitching staff if he can keep everything at the knees.
Kobe Minchey
The freshman righty came out of the gate throwing strikes and executing his pitches. However, it didn’t take long for the Returners to start to really smack around the youngster. Minchey was not getting many swings and misses and when he began to leave balls over the plate, the Returners started to tee off. Scrimmage results against your own teammates can always be misleading, who knows how many times these hitters have seen Minchey this fall. A good start quickly became a day to forget for Minchey.
David Shaw
Shaw had an extremely rough outing in game one, but responded nicely on Sunday. The lefty from Rice did a nice job controlling his fastball and was getting swings and misses on his slider against lefties. It was important for Shaw to show the ability to flush his last outing and respond, and he did just that.
Max Grubbs and DJ Burke
Max Grubbs and DJ Burke were called upon for the second time in the series and neither had a fun time on the bump. After a great outing on Thursday, Grubbs was lit up by the Returners on Sunday. Grubbs walked the first batter he faced, fell behind in counts, and gave up LOUD contact including the big homer to Daly.
Much of the same can be said about Burke who was serving up fastballs down the middle of the plate. Nothing Burke threw was fooling anyone in the batter’s box. Both of these guys are new to D1 baseball and while the inconsistent outings can be frustrating, they shouldn’t come as a huge surprise or reason for panic.
My final note on the pitching staff is that as a group, these guys need to improve at holding on baserunners. Texas is not going to hit a hundred homers or strike out a ton of batters. UT will need to do the little things well in order to win and that includes the pitchers being able to control the run game.
HITTING BREAKDOWN - @ZachattheDisch
Consistency and repetition. Fall ball is over and as we wrap up, one thing is very evident. The 2023 version of the Horns need a lot more reps and in that, need to find ways to be more consistent. One of them this Fall has been guys going o-fer but then bouncing back to have a good day immediately afterward. That is not necessarily the worst thing in the world as baseball is a game of failures, but as a coaching staff, I am sure it drives them nuts to know that the talent, mindset, and ability to lock in is there but not being tapped into consistently. Repetition is going to be key as well for a lot of the youngsters who are going to be counted on heavily in 2023. The talent and ability are evident, but working on more mature approaches at the plate is going to be a necessity, as is ensuring they are doing the small things defensively. While I don’t think anything is set in stone at this time, based on what I have seen this Fall, there does appear to be some positions that are locked in and a couple that will continue to be battles.
Offensively, there are a couple of guys that you can take to the bank as being able to contribute night in and night out. Dylan Campbell, Eric Kennedy, and Porter Brown all have been good to excellent and fairly consistent throughout. Unsurprisingly, these are three of the most experienced guys on the roster as well. Another two guys that have been solid are Mitch Daly, Garret Guillemette, and Peyton Powell. The latter two are fighting for the starting catching job that will likely go up to the season before anything is announced. My personal opinion is that USC transfer Guillemette will win the job.
The guys that Texas will need to show up are Jack O’Dowd, who has flashed at times this Fall, Jalin Flores, Jared Thomas, and Tanner Carlson. While none of them should be construed as power hitters, all of those guys have the talent and makeup to make some noise this season. The biggest thing for these guys is going to be not letting the off days affect their performance in the field and coming back the next day ready to go. Thomas and Flores are new to D1 baseball and that has shown this fall offensively, where they have struggled, but both have been solid defensively, so they will have to find a way to slot in and help the team out.
Overall, Texas appears to be a team that can hit bad pitching and capitalize on mistakes with their speed on the bases, but time will tell what the lineup can do against some of the power arms coming to the Disch in 2023. The offense is certainly going to take a significant step back from 2022.
Look for an Around the HORNS youtube video this week for a full discussion of the Fall World Series and the state of the team!
GAME TWO ANALYSIS
The Newcomers didn't really stand a chance in the series finale if we are being honest. The Returners were able to trot a fully-rested Lebarron Johnson Jr. and Andre Duplantier out to the mound while the Newcomers were really hurting for pitchers that stood a chance. It was a complete bloodbath at the Disch, @ZachattheDisch and I took in the good, bad, and the Aggie.
*Texas did not keep official stats for this game
PITCHING BREAKDOWN - @AaronLittleOB
Lebarron Johnson Jr - 3 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 4 K, 2 BB
It was interesting to see Lebarron Johnson Jr. rolled out in a multi-inning role in game three. I figured that LBJ would be a late-inning stopper for Texas, but his usage today suggests that the Horns are at least considering the idea that Lebarron could be used for multiple innings at a time or even start. LBJ was throwing 94-97 MPH fastballs and threw some really nice sliders to righties and lefties. Johnson Jr had 4 strikeouts in 3 innings and did not allow a single hit. LBJ will be a key arm for Texas this year and it was great to see him pitch well today against the Newcomers.
Andre Duplantier
Dre was the best version of himself against the Newcomers on Sunday. Duplantier looked like a veteran as he poured in fastballs, cutters, and sliders with his trademark poise. It isn’t that complicated for Dre, when he is up in the zone, he’ll get hit. When he’s down in the zone he will get weak contact. Duplantier’s fastball was 88-92 MPH, he won’t be overpowering anyone this spring, but he can still be a big part of this pitching staff if he can keep everything at the knees.
Kobe Minchey
The freshman righty came out of the gate throwing strikes and executing his pitches. However, it didn’t take long for the Returners to start to really smack around the youngster. Minchey was not getting many swings and misses and when he began to leave balls over the plate, the Returners started to tee off. Scrimmage results against your own teammates can always be misleading, who knows how many times these hitters have seen Minchey this fall. A good start quickly became a day to forget for Minchey.
David Shaw
Shaw had an extremely rough outing in game one, but responded nicely on Sunday. The lefty from Rice did a nice job controlling his fastball and was getting swings and misses on his slider against lefties. It was important for Shaw to show the ability to flush his last outing and respond, and he did just that.
Max Grubbs and DJ Burke
Max Grubbs and DJ Burke were called upon for the second time in the series and neither had a fun time on the bump. After a great outing on Thursday, Grubbs was lit up by the Returners on Sunday. Grubbs walked the first batter he faced, fell behind in counts, and gave up LOUD contact including the big homer to Daly.
Much of the same can be said about Burke who was serving up fastballs down the middle of the plate. Nothing Burke threw was fooling anyone in the batter’s box. Both of these guys are new to D1 baseball and while the inconsistent outings can be frustrating, they shouldn’t come as a huge surprise or reason for panic.
My final note on the pitching staff is that as a group, these guys need to improve at holding on baserunners. Texas is not going to hit a hundred homers or strike out a ton of batters. UT will need to do the little things well in order to win and that includes the pitchers being able to control the run game.
HITTING BREAKDOWN - @ZachattheDisch
Consistency and repetition. Fall ball is over and as we wrap up, one thing is very evident. The 2023 version of the Horns need a lot more reps and in that, need to find ways to be more consistent. One of them this Fall has been guys going o-fer but then bouncing back to have a good day immediately afterward. That is not necessarily the worst thing in the world as baseball is a game of failures, but as a coaching staff, I am sure it drives them nuts to know that the talent, mindset, and ability to lock in is there but not being tapped into consistently. Repetition is going to be key as well for a lot of the youngsters who are going to be counted on heavily in 2023. The talent and ability are evident, but working on more mature approaches at the plate is going to be a necessity, as is ensuring they are doing the small things defensively. While I don’t think anything is set in stone at this time, based on what I have seen this Fall, there does appear to be some positions that are locked in and a couple that will continue to be battles.
Offensively, there are a couple of guys that you can take to the bank as being able to contribute night in and night out. Dylan Campbell, Eric Kennedy, and Porter Brown all have been good to excellent and fairly consistent throughout. Unsurprisingly, these are three of the most experienced guys on the roster as well. Another two guys that have been solid are Mitch Daly, Garret Guillemette, and Peyton Powell. The latter two are fighting for the starting catching job that will likely go up to the season before anything is announced. My personal opinion is that USC transfer Guillemette will win the job.
The guys that Texas will need to show up are Jack O’Dowd, who has flashed at times this Fall, Jalin Flores, Jared Thomas, and Tanner Carlson. While none of them should be construed as power hitters, all of those guys have the talent and makeup to make some noise this season. The biggest thing for these guys is going to be not letting the off days affect their performance in the field and coming back the next day ready to go. Thomas and Flores are new to D1 baseball and that has shown this fall offensively, where they have struggled, but both have been solid defensively, so they will have to find a way to slot in and help the team out.
Overall, Texas appears to be a team that can hit bad pitching and capitalize on mistakes with their speed on the bases, but time will tell what the lineup can do against some of the power arms coming to the Disch in 2023. The offense is certainly going to take a significant step back from 2022.
Look for an Around the HORNS youtube video this week for a full discussion of the Fall World Series and the state of the team!
