FINAL
Texas - 7
Cal Poly - 0
Winning Pitcher: Cody Howard (2-0)
Losing Pitcher: Ryan Baum (0-2)
BOX SCORE
RECAP:
For the first time since 2002 against UT-Pan American, the Longhorns swept a team and did not allow a single run. Prior to that, the Horns had not accomplished the feat since 1971 at SMU. That is it. That is the entirety of the times that the Horns have played a three game series and not given up a single run. While this pitching staff certainly cannot be compared to the 2002 squad that had Justin Simmons, Alan Bomer, Brad Halsey, and Huston Street, and oh by the way, won the national title, this staff has placed their mark in Texas history. Cody Howard got his first start of the season and turned in a 5 inning performance, giving up zero runs, while scattering 7 hits and striking out 3. He did that in just 67 pitches, which is some nice efficiency and something to build on. Max Grubbs was not his sharpest as his fastball and slider were up, but he gave up just one hit in the scoreless inning he pitched. Gage Boehm continues to be a workhorse out of the bullpen and for good reason, striking out two and giving up just a single hit. Freshman Easton Tumis finished off the last two innings of the game, giving up no hits, walking one batter, and striking out two, including the last batter of the afternoon.
While the offense did not set any records this weekend, they were yeoman like in their work, grinding out at-bats until they got the breakthroughs and taking advantage of some timely hitting. On Sunday, Peyton Powell again led the way hitting a solo home run in the Bottom of the 3rd to plate the games first run. Max Belyeu hit an oppo taco (opposite field home run) for the second day in a row to double the Horns advantage in the Bottom 6th. In the Bottom of the 7th, it was that guy Powell again who blasted a 2 run shot to RF scoring lead off man Jared Thomas. Shortly thereafter Jalin Flores got in on the action, belting a home run to left CF over the Yeti Yard and into the street. When Flores is able to get extension, watch out, as he has some serious power in that 6'2" frame. Then in the Bottom of the 8th, Jared Thomas lead off with a double and ended up scoring after back to back wild pitches to make it 6-0 Texas. The Horns finished out the scoring in the Bottom of the 8th when Rylan Galvan hit a laser to CF, driving in Jalin Flores.
In all, you could not ask for a much better day at the ballpark with temps in the mid 80s. This weekend was a good way to build some confidence in the Texas pitching staff and highlight the areas that need work still.
BIG MOMENT:
While I could go with one of the two home runs by Peyton Powell, I am going to highlight the defensive play by the trio of Porter Brown, Jalin Flores, and Rylan Galvan. In the Top 6th inning, lead off man Jake Steels singled through the left side, bringing Coach Pierce out to the mound to replace starter Cody Howard. Grubbs got the first batter he faced to hit a long fly ball to Porter Brown in LF. Catcher Ryan Stafford then hit a ball into the LF corner, in which Jake Steels tried to go from 1st to home on. The problem for Jake is that Porter got to the ball and fired off a dart to Jalin Flores who handled the relay with gusto, firing off a bullet to Rylan Galvan that was perfectly placed to get the tag down on Steels who was sliding into home. That defensive play kept Cal Poly off the board and absolutely crushed their momentum. Game. BLOUSES!
INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE:
Peyton Powell. He has that dawg in him. He finished the night 4-5, with 2 HRs, 2 runs scored, and 3 RBIs. Oh and he continues to play stellar defense at 3B. Not too shabby!
TAKEAWAYS:
The starting pitching from Texas this weekend was outstanding. They need to take what they did and carry it over and continue to build on it. The bullpen wasn't perfect at times, but they got the job done and there are some dudes emerging, that Coach Pierce and the staff know they can turn to at any time. Offensively, the Horns have one of the best 1-2 punches in the nation at the top of the lineup. Jalin Flores continues to show what he is capable of and Max Belyeu has gotten his confidence back after pressing a bit too much. The Horns also got to play some guys to help build depth. A great example is two freshman in Dee Kennedy and Casey Borba. Coach Pierce mentioned after the game that they came to campus nervous, but they have made massive strides and are going to contribute heavily this season. Likewise, the Horns have several freshman that they believe can be real contributors out of the bullpen, Easton Tumis being one of them. There is still plenty of work to do and things to clean up (walks, base running, and offensively getting some guys going), BUT the important thing is that the Horns improved to 6-1 on the season with one final home game before heading to Houston where the competition will take a massive jump.
NEXT UP:
Tuesday Night Baseball v. St. John's (2-2) at 630pm
Texas - 7
Cal Poly - 0
Winning Pitcher: Cody Howard (2-0)
Losing Pitcher: Ryan Baum (0-2)
BOX SCORE
RECAP:
For the first time since 2002 against UT-Pan American, the Longhorns swept a team and did not allow a single run. Prior to that, the Horns had not accomplished the feat since 1971 at SMU. That is it. That is the entirety of the times that the Horns have played a three game series and not given up a single run. While this pitching staff certainly cannot be compared to the 2002 squad that had Justin Simmons, Alan Bomer, Brad Halsey, and Huston Street, and oh by the way, won the national title, this staff has placed their mark in Texas history. Cody Howard got his first start of the season and turned in a 5 inning performance, giving up zero runs, while scattering 7 hits and striking out 3. He did that in just 67 pitches, which is some nice efficiency and something to build on. Max Grubbs was not his sharpest as his fastball and slider were up, but he gave up just one hit in the scoreless inning he pitched. Gage Boehm continues to be a workhorse out of the bullpen and for good reason, striking out two and giving up just a single hit. Freshman Easton Tumis finished off the last two innings of the game, giving up no hits, walking one batter, and striking out two, including the last batter of the afternoon.
While the offense did not set any records this weekend, they were yeoman like in their work, grinding out at-bats until they got the breakthroughs and taking advantage of some timely hitting. On Sunday, Peyton Powell again led the way hitting a solo home run in the Bottom of the 3rd to plate the games first run. Max Belyeu hit an oppo taco (opposite field home run) for the second day in a row to double the Horns advantage in the Bottom 6th. In the Bottom of the 7th, it was that guy Powell again who blasted a 2 run shot to RF scoring lead off man Jared Thomas. Shortly thereafter Jalin Flores got in on the action, belting a home run to left CF over the Yeti Yard and into the street. When Flores is able to get extension, watch out, as he has some serious power in that 6'2" frame. Then in the Bottom of the 8th, Jared Thomas lead off with a double and ended up scoring after back to back wild pitches to make it 6-0 Texas. The Horns finished out the scoring in the Bottom of the 8th when Rylan Galvan hit a laser to CF, driving in Jalin Flores.
In all, you could not ask for a much better day at the ballpark with temps in the mid 80s. This weekend was a good way to build some confidence in the Texas pitching staff and highlight the areas that need work still.
BIG MOMENT:
While I could go with one of the two home runs by Peyton Powell, I am going to highlight the defensive play by the trio of Porter Brown, Jalin Flores, and Rylan Galvan. In the Top 6th inning, lead off man Jake Steels singled through the left side, bringing Coach Pierce out to the mound to replace starter Cody Howard. Grubbs got the first batter he faced to hit a long fly ball to Porter Brown in LF. Catcher Ryan Stafford then hit a ball into the LF corner, in which Jake Steels tried to go from 1st to home on. The problem for Jake is that Porter got to the ball and fired off a dart to Jalin Flores who handled the relay with gusto, firing off a bullet to Rylan Galvan that was perfectly placed to get the tag down on Steels who was sliding into home. That defensive play kept Cal Poly off the board and absolutely crushed their momentum. Game. BLOUSES!
INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE:
Peyton Powell. He has that dawg in him. He finished the night 4-5, with 2 HRs, 2 runs scored, and 3 RBIs. Oh and he continues to play stellar defense at 3B. Not too shabby!
TAKEAWAYS:
The starting pitching from Texas this weekend was outstanding. They need to take what they did and carry it over and continue to build on it. The bullpen wasn't perfect at times, but they got the job done and there are some dudes emerging, that Coach Pierce and the staff know they can turn to at any time. Offensively, the Horns have one of the best 1-2 punches in the nation at the top of the lineup. Jalin Flores continues to show what he is capable of and Max Belyeu has gotten his confidence back after pressing a bit too much. The Horns also got to play some guys to help build depth. A great example is two freshman in Dee Kennedy and Casey Borba. Coach Pierce mentioned after the game that they came to campus nervous, but they have made massive strides and are going to contribute heavily this season. Likewise, the Horns have several freshman that they believe can be real contributors out of the bullpen, Easton Tumis being one of them. There is still plenty of work to do and things to clean up (walks, base running, and offensively getting some guys going), BUT the important thing is that the Horns improved to 6-1 on the season with one final home game before heading to Houston where the competition will take a massive jump.
NEXT UP:
Tuesday Night Baseball v. St. John's (2-2) at 630pm
