No recorded hits tonight but he did a lot better making contact and had a couple that were long enough for homers but just foul
BASEBALL WEEKEND SERIES THREAD: No. 19 Texas vs. BYU (Sat. 6:50 p.m. - Witt was awesome, but UT loses series-finale)
- Thread starter DustinMcComas
- Start date
Hoping this team ends up looking much better than they did the 1st three games when it is all said and done. Made the first step in that direction late in this game. Lots of base runners and chances late in this game and also a nice 9th inning close....
David Pierce said Austin Todd is dealing with an oblique issue right now, and isn’t sure if he’ll play this weekend. Nothing to add on Petrinsky or Zubia but thinks Texas could get some good news in the next 24 hours.
The lack of offense is getting all the posts, but pitching was excellent tonight. BYU scored 26 in a 4-game series at TxST. Holding them to one was strong.
Wednesday 11:05 p.m. update:
Mike Antico’s eighth-inning two-out, two-RBI single through the right side of the infield definitely wasn’t the hardest ball he hit tonight. That came when he hit a moon shot in the third inning well over Comal Street that was ruled foul despite looking very, very much like a home run.
“That's a home run. There's no doubt about it. I mean, even the catcher from BYU, when the umpires were looking at it, he said that was definitely fair. I mean, after the fact it hooked and, you know, probably landed foul. But every guy in the bullpen. I mean, it was a home run. End of story. So that's all I got on that one. But I will say the ball does not lie. As you guys can see, I've learned that my whole career no matter what happens, the ball does not lie. And that was a perfect example right there,” Antico said referencing the eighth-inning knock.
Eventually, after a review didn’t overturn the call, it led to an ejection for David Pierce. But for Antico, his eventual game-winning knock definitely felt the best of any ball he’s put in play this season, and there haven’t been many. Tanner Witt earned the save with a perfect ninth inning to give the No. 19 Longhorns a 3-1 win to open a four-game home series against BYU (2-3).
Texas (1-3) flirted with disaster in the eighth inning and looked like it would blow a prime chance to regain its lead. Cam Williams, who hit one of the most impressive, yet odd, homers I’ve ever seen at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, was set to play the role of hero again. With one out, he smacked a liner into the left-center gap and immediately sprinted out of the box with two bases on his mind. Barely, the infielder beat the throw into second, and he’d eventually moved to third on a passed ball.
Murphy Stehly walked to put runners on the corners, and with Douglas Hodo up, BYU left-handed reliever Boston Mabeus fired a wild pitch to the backstop. Rewarded earlier in the inning for his aggressiveness, Williams was burned by it this time. With a poor secondary lead and hesitation before a decision, Williams tried to score and was out by a mile. But Hodo walked, another passed ball put both runners in scoring position, and Antico played the role of hero.
As for the Williams homer in the third inning, a recent change to the rules in the home park rewarded one of the hardest hit balls to that part of the park the last decade and maybe longer.
“Okay, for many years, the batter's eye you had to clear. And then we added the extension because of the new softball facility. So the extension is about 12 to 15 feet higher, maybe not that high. But I think the wall itself is 35-plus feet,” Pierce said. “And so at that point, I'm like, it's just unfair to a hitter to hit the ball that far and not get rewarded for it. And the craziest thing happened tonight.
“It's the first time in a ballgame since I've been here that I've seen a ball hit that batter’s eye. The very first time, and he actually hit the new section. So, it would have cleared it. And it would have been a shame if that was a double because he absolutely hammered that ball. If you hit a ball that well, that's what it took me so much with the home run down the line is that you should get rewarded when you hit a ball like that and it's fair.”
For a long while, it looked like one run would be enough for the UT pitchers. Pete Hansen, who hit his 50-pitch pitch count, tossed 3.0 scoreless, no-hit innings and walked two and struck out two. The lefty worked primarily 88-91 MPH last season, and his fastball tonight was 84-87 MPH.
Pierce hopes Hansen, who made two bad errors in the second inning, is back to his usual self next week, but that’s probably too ambitious. While Hansen’s curveball was good, his focus and fastball were not. It was always going to take him a long while to build up following little to no mound time in the fall and two weeks away from action in the preseason.
Using a lively sinker, slider and changeup, right-hander Drew Shifflet competed well on the mound and followed Hansen with 3.0 shutout innings of his own. Shifflet showed quality mound presence by pitching around a leadoff walk and a leadoff double and was unafraid to challenge hitters.
Cole Quintanilla, the winning pitcher, was tagged for a solo homer that tied the game in the top of the eighth. He wasn’t bad,but his stuff wasn’t consistent enough. The same can’t be said about Witt, who got on top of his 91-94 MPH fastball well, threw his plus hook for a strike, and looked totally comfortable in the ninth-inning moment. Perhaps the way this game played out, with Texas staring an awful loss in the face, could help everyone relax.
“Yeah, without a doubt. You get the first one out of the way. I said, ‘Now we can go.’ So we got that first one,” said Antico when asked if he thinks his clutch hit could let everyone ease in, himself included. “It's time to roll now. So yeah, I was just fired up for the guys, everybody. You know, we needed that. We had a tough weekend. So to come back was a good feeling.”
The Texas offense wasn’t great and its hitting issues are still uncomfortably real. However, Texas struck out just five times tonight and multiple players put the ball in play very hard. Trey Faltine watched a fly ball caught at the wall and next at-bat just barely pulled a deep homer foul; Ivan Melendez had a very hard single; Texas was robbed of a hit twice by the shift and once by the BYU pitcher’s back foot on a kick save.
“I like the fact that we worked on some things yesterday, and they came out today. And that's to me, progression. I know they listen. I know they want to be good. And they're gonna put the time in.”
Overall, the Longhorns still looked too tense and only Williams consistently attacked the baseball with confidence in the box. But tonight wasn’t as bad as last weekend. Baby steps.
“We have to get mentally tougher when we’re in the box. And before we create some type of fear, in a pitcher's mentality of thinking that he has to make better pitches, we've just got to have results. And we've got to be bigger in the box. We've got to be better in the box to put more pressure on the defense, and make the pitcher work much harder than they're working right now.
A few notable Texas players weren’t in the starting lineup tonight. Austin Todd, who eventually coached first base after Pierce was ejected, is dealing with an oblique injury. Pierce isn’t sure if he’ll play this weekend. Zach Zubia and DJ Petrinsky were “not available,” and weren’t even at the field tonight. Pierce didn’t have an update on either but said he hoped Texas would get some good news the next 24 hours.
Mike Antico’s eighth-inning two-out, two-RBI single through the right side of the infield definitely wasn’t the hardest ball he hit tonight. That came when he hit a moon shot in the third inning well over Comal Street that was ruled foul despite looking very, very much like a home run.
“That's a home run. There's no doubt about it. I mean, even the catcher from BYU, when the umpires were looking at it, he said that was definitely fair. I mean, after the fact it hooked and, you know, probably landed foul. But every guy in the bullpen. I mean, it was a home run. End of story. So that's all I got on that one. But I will say the ball does not lie. As you guys can see, I've learned that my whole career no matter what happens, the ball does not lie. And that was a perfect example right there,” Antico said referencing the eighth-inning knock.
Eventually, after a review didn’t overturn the call, it led to an ejection for David Pierce. But for Antico, his eventual game-winning knock definitely felt the best of any ball he’s put in play this season, and there haven’t been many. Tanner Witt earned the save with a perfect ninth inning to give the No. 19 Longhorns a 3-1 win to open a four-game home series against BYU (2-3).
Texas (1-3) flirted with disaster in the eighth inning and looked like it would blow a prime chance to regain its lead. Cam Williams, who hit one of the most impressive, yet odd, homers I’ve ever seen at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, was set to play the role of hero again. With one out, he smacked a liner into the left-center gap and immediately sprinted out of the box with two bases on his mind. Barely, the infielder beat the throw into second, and he’d eventually moved to third on a passed ball.
Murphy Stehly walked to put runners on the corners, and with Douglas Hodo up, BYU left-handed reliever Boston Mabeus fired a wild pitch to the backstop. Rewarded earlier in the inning for his aggressiveness, Williams was burned by it this time. With a poor secondary lead and hesitation before a decision, Williams tried to score and was out by a mile. But Hodo walked, another passed ball put both runners in scoring position, and Antico played the role of hero.
As for the Williams homer in the third inning, a recent change to the rules in the home park rewarded one of the hardest hit balls to that part of the park the last decade and maybe longer.
“Okay, for many years, the batter's eye you had to clear. And then we added the extension because of the new softball facility. So the extension is about 12 to 15 feet higher, maybe not that high. But I think the wall itself is 35-plus feet,” Pierce said. “And so at that point, I'm like, it's just unfair to a hitter to hit the ball that far and not get rewarded for it. And the craziest thing happened tonight.
“It's the first time in a ballgame since I've been here that I've seen a ball hit that batter’s eye. The very first time, and he actually hit the new section. So, it would have cleared it. And it would have been a shame if that was a double because he absolutely hammered that ball. If you hit a ball that well, that's what it took me so much with the home run down the line is that you should get rewarded when you hit a ball like that and it's fair.”
For a long while, it looked like one run would be enough for the UT pitchers. Pete Hansen, who hit his 50-pitch pitch count, tossed 3.0 scoreless, no-hit innings and walked two and struck out two. The lefty worked primarily 88-91 MPH last season, and his fastball tonight was 84-87 MPH.
Pierce hopes Hansen, who made two bad errors in the second inning, is back to his usual self next week, but that’s probably too ambitious. While Hansen’s curveball was good, his focus and fastball were not. It was always going to take him a long while to build up following little to no mound time in the fall and two weeks away from action in the preseason.
Using a lively sinker, slider and changeup, right-hander Drew Shifflet competed well on the mound and followed Hansen with 3.0 shutout innings of his own. Shifflet showed quality mound presence by pitching around a leadoff walk and a leadoff double and was unafraid to challenge hitters.
Cole Quintanilla, the winning pitcher, was tagged for a solo homer that tied the game in the top of the eighth. He wasn’t bad,but his stuff wasn’t consistent enough. The same can’t be said about Witt, who got on top of his 91-94 MPH fastball well, threw his plus hook for a strike, and looked totally comfortable in the ninth-inning moment. Perhaps the way this game played out, with Texas staring an awful loss in the face, could help everyone relax.
“Yeah, without a doubt. You get the first one out of the way. I said, ‘Now we can go.’ So we got that first one,” said Antico when asked if he thinks his clutch hit could let everyone ease in, himself included. “It's time to roll now. So yeah, I was just fired up for the guys, everybody. You know, we needed that. We had a tough weekend. So to come back was a good feeling.”
The Texas offense wasn’t great and its hitting issues are still uncomfortably real. However, Texas struck out just five times tonight and multiple players put the ball in play very hard. Trey Faltine watched a fly ball caught at the wall and next at-bat just barely pulled a deep homer foul; Ivan Melendez had a very hard single; Texas was robbed of a hit twice by the shift and once by the BYU pitcher’s back foot on a kick save.
“I like the fact that we worked on some things yesterday, and they came out today. And that's to me, progression. I know they listen. I know they want to be good. And they're gonna put the time in.”
Overall, the Longhorns still looked too tense and only Williams consistently attacked the baseball with confidence in the box. But tonight wasn’t as bad as last weekend. Baby steps.
“We have to get mentally tougher when we’re in the box. And before we create some type of fear, in a pitcher's mentality of thinking that he has to make better pitches, we've just got to have results. And we've got to be bigger in the box. We've got to be better in the box to put more pressure on the defense, and make the pitcher work much harder than they're working right now.
A few notable Texas players weren’t in the starting lineup tonight. Austin Todd, who eventually coached first base after Pierce was ejected, is dealing with an oblique injury. Pierce isn’t sure if he’ll play this weekend. Zach Zubia and DJ Petrinsky were “not available,” and weren’t even at the field tonight. Pierce didn’t have an update on either but said he hoped Texas would get some good news the next 24 hours.
A win, hooray...the first of many to come for I believe!!!!!!
uh, I am allowed to believe, right sir? 🙃 @DustinMcComas
uh, I am allowed to believe, right sir? 🙃 @DustinMcComas
He had us take pitches for specific reasons. Either a pitcher with control issues, or just getting the pitch count up. He did it with those who were high contact hitters. One strike down wasn't a big deal.
I stayed up half the night watching on TV the rain-delayed game in Utah in 2013. And then I got to watch the same BS happen all over again, live and in person at DKR the next year, 2014.
I root for BYU to lose every game, now. Those two games created a deep-seeded hatred in me, irrational maybe, but I care not!
A long season. Let’s see how March goes before passing judgment on this team. A slow start isn’t a big deal in college ball. Just get to the tourney, that’s what it’s all about.
hitting a baseball is really, really hard......so is scoring runs, apparently. 7 runs in four games, yikes.
It‘s probably too early to panic, but that is slightly disturbing given the recent history of this program struggling at the plate.
It‘s probably too early to panic, but that is slightly disturbing given the recent history of this program struggling at the plate.
LHN is great in baseball season. I rail on its other programming because it seems extremely lazy and thought out by a 5 year old.
Having said all that, it’s baseball production is generally great. But how in the world do you not have a right down the line right field camera shot? Think they said they have one for left, but not for right.
Having said all that, it’s baseball production is generally great. But how in the world do you not have a right down the line right field camera shot? Think they said they have one for left, but not for right.
Had a fun night at the ballgame. My first sporting event since last March. Good to get the win. This team takes a frustrating number of strikes but they definitely seemed to make better contact last night. Hopefully they can get into a more positive and aggressive groove.
Thursday 12:20 p.m. update:
Looks like Pierce and the team received the good news he was hoping for with Zubia, who is back in the lineup. Witt gets the start at DH.
Looks like Pierce and the team received the good news he was hoping for with Zubia, who is back in the lineup. Witt gets the start at DH.
Hopefully the weather provides a window to get them in. The soakers have played a lot of baseball without much of a break.
Anybody know if LHN is going to make the adjustment for the 2p EST start today? As of a couple hours ago, they hadn't adjusted the listing on DirTV...
Pretty good mist coming down here at the Disch... might impact the feel of the baseball a bit.
Eckhardt gets a weak tap out to begin the game, but then issues a walk and a wild pitch moves the runner to second.
Eckhardt gets a weak tap out to begin the game, but then issues a walk and a wild pitch moves the runner to second.
TexasSports.com/audio: FREE streaming audio
TexasSports.com/audio: FREE streaming audio
texassports.com
3 consecutive walks. gotta bear down
Another walk puts runners on first and second with one out. Pierce out to have a chat.
Ahead 1-2, Eckhardt issues another walk to load the bases. Sac fly makes it 1-0 BYU. two outs, runners on first and second.
Ahead 1-2, Eckhardt issues another walk to load the bases. Sac fly makes it 1-0 BYU. two outs, runners on first and second.
Similar threads
Latest posts
-
-
-
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS study: gender reassignment surgery is harmful- Latest: Republic of Texas
-
