Destination Omaha!
The Texas Longhorn Baseball team has done it again in punching their ticket to Omaha for the 75th edition of the College World Series. To prevent any of y'all from doing math, this is the 38th appearance for Texas to the CWS, meaning there have only been 37 instances of the CWS in which the Horns have not participated. In those 38 trips, the Texas Longhorn Baseball team has captured 6 national titles and 6 nation runner up trophies. Unlike recent history, this Texas team does not rely on its pitching and small ball strategy to win games, far from it. The 2022 Longhorns have smashed the record for HRs in a season (81 in 2010) by hitting 128, they have obliterated the Slugging % record held by the 1974 team (.508) by hitting .560 on the season and are not terribly far off the season record for batting average (.325 in 1975) by hitting for .318 to date. That is not to say that Texas does not have a solid pitching core and defense, far from it. The Longhorns are on pace to break both fielding % (.982 in 2011 and 2017) and fewest errors (43 in 2017) committed in a single season by sporting a .986 fielding % and having committed just 35 errors on the season.
Despite all of that, the Longhorns have not taken an easy path to Omaha. The opened up the season in grand style sporting the #1 national ranking and got off to an impressive 11-0 start which had Horns fans everywhere dreaming of what could be. The loss of future first round draft pick Tanner Witt and injuries to both Austin Todd and Eric Kennedy, combined with a below average finish to non-conference saw the Horns perceived chances of making it to Omaha greatly diminished. The roller coaster continued as Texas lost three series in Big 12 play, including getting walked off in Lubbock by a runner stealing home, getting swept at the Disch by Oklahoma State and losing a road series to Kansas State, finishing up Big 12 play in 5th place.
Thankfully, the Horns began to put things back together at the back end of the season and finished strongly, including a run to the Big 12 Tournament Championship game and culminating in a #9 overall national seed in the NCAA Tournament. Texas wasted no time in sweeping through their home Regional to set up a date with the #8 overall national seed, East Carolina Pirates in Greenville, North Carolina. Despite the best efforts of the ECU Pirates and their 5,800 strong fans over the weekend, the Texas Longhorns emerged victorious and now head to Omaha, where dreams are fulfilled and dashed and unsung heroes emerge. The Longhorns will face off against Notre Dame in the opening game to the shock of everyone outside of South Bend, Indiana as the entire nation had penciled in the Tennessee Volunteers as a shoe in for Omaha. What a sense of humor the baseball gods have! To add to the fun, there will not be a bigger collection of Longhorn haters than anywhere else as the CWS field includes teams such as Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Arkansas in the field of eight. So if you are triggered by the Horns down, you might not want to watch.
Here is what former Stanford player and long time baseball commentator Kyle Peterson had to say about Texas in the College World Series today during our interview:
Make sure you check out the latest episode of Around the HORNS by @AaronLittleOB and myself
Quick Hitters on Texas' Omaha history:
Quick Hitters on Notre Dame's Omaha history:
Quick Hitters on the CWS (from the NCAA):
Schedule of Games for Left Side of Bracket (Texas, Notre Dame, Texas A&M and Oklahoma):
Texas v. Notre Dame Matchup:
Overall Record: 40-15 (16-11)
RPI - 3
SOS - 31
Notre Dame is 7-3 over their last 10 games.
Q1: 19-8
Q2: 4-1
Q3: 4-4
Q4: 13-2
Home: 17-3
Road: 13-9
Neutral: 10-3
Games Against NCAA Tournament Teams:
Louisville (0-3)
Virginia Tech (0-1)
Florida State (3-0)
Michigan (1-0)
Wake Forest (3-0)
Miami (1-2)
ACC Tourney: Wins v. Florida State and Virginia; Loss to UNC
Statesboro Regional: Wins v. Texas Tech, Georgia Southern and Texas Tech
Knoxville Super Regional: Win/Loss/Win v. Tennessee
Notre Dame Stats:
BA .294
HRs 75
BB 202
K 410.
SLG% .478
OB% .376
SB 78/96
Fielding% .980
ERA 3.95
BA Against .228
Notre Dame Pitching:
Notre Dame Hitting:
Texas v. Notre Dame Predictions:
@ZachattheDisch - Texas
@AaronLittleOB - Texas
Keys to Texas winning (@ZachattheDisch):
X factor to Texas winning and advancing (@AaronLittleOB):
Speaking of Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, here are the dimensions for those that are curious. Of the 8 teams in the CWS field, 5 of the 8 teams have smaller fields than Charles Schwab (Ole Miss, Arkansas, Auburn, Texas A&M and Notre Dame).
Texas A&M and Oklahoma Matchup (@AaronLittleOB):
Odds - OU (-120) vs A&M (-120) O/U 13.5
Probable Pitchers:
OU - Jake Bennett (9-3, 3.53 ERA)
A&M - Nathan Dettmer (5-2, 4.75 ERA)
What happens when a movable object meets a stoppable force? The Aggie faithful better not have brought any of those stupid bubble machines to Omaha. If you want to act like a child in your own ballpark with thousands of other bubble blowing clowns, whatever. But don’t bring that crap to the most prestigious stage of college baseball. And while we are here it would be cool if that “ball four ball five” chant stayed back in College Station as well. We get it. You all can count. To like eleven.
The odds here indicate a pick'em. This is actually the case for all four opening round games with the biggest favorite being Texas at just (-140). It turns out illiteracy is not the only thing the Aggies and Sooners have in common because the baseball teams are very similar. A solid pitching rotation with a few great relievers and an offense that builds off momentum. This feels obvious since both teams are in Omaha, but each side is coming in red hot. A&M swept through the regional and super regional at the bubble factory while OU went on the road to win the Gainesville regional and the Blacksburg super against #4 VaTech. Each team will be eager to turn the ball over to its top bullpen arm. For A&M that is Jacob Palisch (2.60 ERA) and for OU that is Trevin Michael (2.94 ERA). This game will likely turn into a duel between those two relievers. As far as who Texas would rather see it is certainly close, but I would lean Aggy. I think OU has the better game two pitching options and unlike the Sooners, A&M has not seen Lucas Gordon this year. The main rooting interest here is an extra inning game that sees Palisch and Michael throw upwards of 60 pitches.
Pick - OU (-120) Under 13.5
I’ll take the team with the better starting pitcher and an offense that I feel can score in a multitude of ways.
<INSERT ADELE VOICE> “HELLO FROM THE OTHER SIIIIIIIDE (of the cws bracket) (@AaronLittleOB):
The opposite side of the bracket features three teams from the SEC West (Arkansas, Ole Miss, Auburn) along with Stanford. I’ve said it once and I will say it again, I am not one to shy away from making picks, but this field just is so wide open this year. Here is who we got.
Pick - @AaronLittleOB - Auburn
Pick - @ZachattheDisch - Arkansas
The Tigers seem to have found something in the bullpen at the right time of the year. Winning a super regional against Oregon State is no joke and I like what the offense brings to the table with Sonny DiChiara and Blake Rambusch. I’ve got a hot bullpen carrying Auburn to the finals.
Randomness:
The Texas Longhorn Baseball team has done it again in punching their ticket to Omaha for the 75th edition of the College World Series. To prevent any of y'all from doing math, this is the 38th appearance for Texas to the CWS, meaning there have only been 37 instances of the CWS in which the Horns have not participated. In those 38 trips, the Texas Longhorn Baseball team has captured 6 national titles and 6 nation runner up trophies. Unlike recent history, this Texas team does not rely on its pitching and small ball strategy to win games, far from it. The 2022 Longhorns have smashed the record for HRs in a season (81 in 2010) by hitting 128, they have obliterated the Slugging % record held by the 1974 team (.508) by hitting .560 on the season and are not terribly far off the season record for batting average (.325 in 1975) by hitting for .318 to date. That is not to say that Texas does not have a solid pitching core and defense, far from it. The Longhorns are on pace to break both fielding % (.982 in 2011 and 2017) and fewest errors (43 in 2017) committed in a single season by sporting a .986 fielding % and having committed just 35 errors on the season.
Despite all of that, the Longhorns have not taken an easy path to Omaha. The opened up the season in grand style sporting the #1 national ranking and got off to an impressive 11-0 start which had Horns fans everywhere dreaming of what could be. The loss of future first round draft pick Tanner Witt and injuries to both Austin Todd and Eric Kennedy, combined with a below average finish to non-conference saw the Horns perceived chances of making it to Omaha greatly diminished. The roller coaster continued as Texas lost three series in Big 12 play, including getting walked off in Lubbock by a runner stealing home, getting swept at the Disch by Oklahoma State and losing a road series to Kansas State, finishing up Big 12 play in 5th place.
Thankfully, the Horns began to put things back together at the back end of the season and finished strongly, including a run to the Big 12 Tournament Championship game and culminating in a #9 overall national seed in the NCAA Tournament. Texas wasted no time in sweeping through their home Regional to set up a date with the #8 overall national seed, East Carolina Pirates in Greenville, North Carolina. Despite the best efforts of the ECU Pirates and their 5,800 strong fans over the weekend, the Texas Longhorns emerged victorious and now head to Omaha, where dreams are fulfilled and dashed and unsung heroes emerge. The Longhorns will face off against Notre Dame in the opening game to the shock of everyone outside of South Bend, Indiana as the entire nation had penciled in the Tennessee Volunteers as a shoe in for Omaha. What a sense of humor the baseball gods have! To add to the fun, there will not be a bigger collection of Longhorn haters than anywhere else as the CWS field includes teams such as Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Arkansas in the field of eight. So if you are triggered by the Horns down, you might not want to watch.
Here is what former Stanford player and long time baseball commentator Kyle Peterson had to say about Texas in the College World Series today during our interview:
Make sure you check out the latest episode of Around the HORNS by @AaronLittleOB and myself
Quick Hitters on Texas' Omaha history:
- Texas 38th trip to the CWS breaks it's own record of 37 which was broken just last year by the 2021 squad. The 2nd place award for appearances belongs to Miami (25), but they have not been to the CWS since 2016
- The last four trips to the CWS have been a mix of good and bad (3rd place twice and 7th place twice) with the common theme being the Longhorns lost their first game in Omaha.
- Texas and Notre Dame have met once before in the CWS (1957), in which ND knocked Texas out of the tournament with a 9-0 win
- Texas and Notre Dame have a 3-3 record overall with the last meeting occurring back in 1995
Quick Hitters on Notre Dame's Omaha history:
- The Golden Domers have been to 23 Regionals all time with only 3 trips to Omaha (1957 and 2002)
Quick Hitters on the CWS (from the NCAA):
- 10 of the top 13 seeds did not get to the College World Series, including No. 1 Tennessee.
- Omaha’s most familiar face. This is Texas’ 38th CWS appearance. That’s 13 more than second-place Miami. Only 37 College World Series have been played without the Longhorns. When they meet Notre Dame Friday night, it’ll be the program’s 152nd College World Series game. Nobody else has more than 100. It will be Notre Dame’s eighth
- Three past national champions — Texas, Stanford and Oklahoma. But none of the schools that won the past 15 titles.
- One surging team that has gone 22-2 since May 1. Stanford
- Another that is 24-6 since April 9. Texas A&M
- The Hispanic Titanic. That’d be the name the Texas website gives to Ivan Melendez, who leads the nation in home runs and RBI with 32 and 94, and is fourth in on-base percentage.
- The surest-handed defense in the nation. Texas, with 35 errors in 67 games.
Schedule of Games for Left Side of Bracket (Texas, Notre Dame, Texas A&M and Oklahoma):
- Game One: Texas A&M v. Oklahoma - Friday June 17th - 1pm CST - ESPN
- Game Two: Texas v. Notre Dame - Friday June 17th - 6pm CST - ESPN
- Texas is the home team for the first game against Notre Dame. The home team dugout is along the third base line
- Game 5: Sunday - June 19th - 1pm CST - ESPN (Loser of Game One and Loser of Game Two)
- Game 6: Sunday - June 19th - 6pm CST - ESPN2 (Winner of Game One and Winner of Game Two)
- Game 9: Tuesday - June 21st - 1pm CST - ESPN (Winner of Game Five and Loser of Game 6)
- Game 11: Wednesday - June 22nd - 1pm CST - ESPN (Winner of Game 6 and Winner of Game 9)
Texas v. Notre Dame Matchup:
- Notre Dame is a versatile team that is extremely experienced. Eight of the nine starting lineup has already graduated. The number one and number two pitchers are both graduate students. This Notre Dame team is not just experienced, but they also play clean defense and while they do not have the best statistical offenses in the nation, they have shown that they can beat anyone on any given day as they took down a solid Texas Tech club in Regional play and then took down #1 overall seed Tennessee in the Knoxville Super Regional. This Notre Dame team also played in the Starkville Super Regional in 2021, narrowly losing to eventual national champion Mississippi State. The environment is not going to be too big for them and they will not be deterred. The key for Notre Dame will continue to be their pitching and defense as they will not be able to hit the same home runs in Omaha as they did in the Statesboro Regional and Knoxville Super Regional.
Overall Record: 40-15 (16-11)
RPI - 3
SOS - 31
Notre Dame is 7-3 over their last 10 games.
Q1: 19-8
Q2: 4-1
Q3: 4-4
Q4: 13-2
Home: 17-3
Road: 13-9
Neutral: 10-3
Games Against NCAA Tournament Teams:
Louisville (0-3)
Virginia Tech (0-1)
Florida State (3-0)
Michigan (1-0)
Wake Forest (3-0)
Miami (1-2)
ACC Tourney: Wins v. Florida State and Virginia; Loss to UNC
Statesboro Regional: Wins v. Texas Tech, Georgia Southern and Texas Tech
Knoxville Super Regional: Win/Loss/Win v. Tennessee
Notre Dame Stats:
BA .294
HRs 75
BB 202
K 410.
SLG% .478
OB% .376
SB 78/96
Fielding% .980
ERA 3.95
BA Against .228
Notre Dame Pitching:
- Friday Night Starter - Sr LHP John Bertrand (2.69 ERA, 9-3, 103.2 IP, 20 BB and 107 K)
- 3rd Team All-American
- 2x First Team All-ACC
- Golden Spikes Mid-Season watch list
- Bertrand's "stuff" won't blow you away but he has excellent command of the strike zone (88-91 FB)
- Bullpen:
- Fr LHP Jack Findlay (1.99 ERA, 6-2, 3 saves
- Upper 80's FB and mid 70's curve
- Alex Rao (4.06 ERA, 3-1)
- McLinskey (2.42 ERA, 0-1)
- Aidan Tyrell (3.60 ERA, 5-1)
- Radek Birkholz (5.14 ERA, 1-0)
- Fr LHP Jack Findlay (1.99 ERA, 6-2, 3 saves
Notre Dame Hitting:
- LaManna - .348 with 2 HR
- Putz - .336 BA with 76 hits and 7 HR >> star of the offense in Knoxville Super Regional
- Zyska - .317 BA with 13 HR
- Cole - .312 BA with 9 HR and 21-22 stolen bases
- Brannigan - .296 BA with 12 HR and 10-14 stolen bases
- Texas Tech was able to hold Notre Dame in check in the Statesboro Regional, but Notre Dame did well in the Knoxville Super Regional opening the Friday afternoon game with four home runs to open the game
Texas v. Notre Dame Predictions:
@ZachattheDisch - Texas
@AaronLittleOB - Texas
Keys to Texas winning (@ZachattheDisch):
- Texas has the best offense and defense in Omaha and have a top 4 pitching staff according to the stats. In fact, if you look at season long statistical trends, Texas would looked at as a heavy favorite based on their play to date and the experience they return from the 2021 CWS. In addition, Charles Swchab Field is a big place where the wind usually knocks down long hits making doubles king of the field. The Longhorns lead the field in both HRs and Doubles. The Horns also play at Disch-Falk Field which plays similar to Charles Schwab whereas Ole Miss, Auburn, Arkansas, Texas A&M and Notre Dame all play at fields that are smaller than Charles Schwab.
X factor to Texas winning and advancing (@AaronLittleOB):
- Tristan Stevens and Jared Southard are the guys I am locked in on. I see four evenly matched teams on the Texas side of the bracket which should lead to a lot of really tight games. Late in close games it very well could be either Stevens or Southard on the bump for Texas. There have been some low points for each of them, but Stevens is coming off a great outing vs ECU while Southard has been strong all postseason. I like Stevens because of the experience he brings and the heart he shows. Those qualities have a chance to pay off big time in close games on this massive stage. My reasoning for liking Southard is more baseball centric. He throws gas with a disgusting slider. Texas will be in a situation where a strikeout is needed and Southard is the man best suited for that spot. In such a giant park, there is lots of room for bloopers to drop in so a guy that misses bats is important and that is Southard’s MO.
- I worry about Stevens getting dinked and dunked for soft hits and the concern with Southard is always walks. If these guys don’t have it I have a hard time seeing Texas advance to the championship series. But if they do, I think the Horns have a real shot to win the whole thing. .
Speaking of Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, here are the dimensions for those that are curious. Of the 8 teams in the CWS field, 5 of the 8 teams have smaller fields than Charles Schwab (Ole Miss, Arkansas, Auburn, Texas A&M and Notre Dame).
- Left field line - 335 feet
- Left field alley - 375 feet
- Center field - 408 feet
- Right field alley - 375 feet
- Right field line - 335 feet
- Height of center field wall/batter’s eye—8 feet/42 feet overall
- Stadium capacity—24,500
Texas A&M and Oklahoma Matchup (@AaronLittleOB):
Odds - OU (-120) vs A&M (-120) O/U 13.5
Probable Pitchers:
OU - Jake Bennett (9-3, 3.53 ERA)
A&M - Nathan Dettmer (5-2, 4.75 ERA)
What happens when a movable object meets a stoppable force? The Aggie faithful better not have brought any of those stupid bubble machines to Omaha. If you want to act like a child in your own ballpark with thousands of other bubble blowing clowns, whatever. But don’t bring that crap to the most prestigious stage of college baseball. And while we are here it would be cool if that “ball four ball five” chant stayed back in College Station as well. We get it. You all can count. To like eleven.
The odds here indicate a pick'em. This is actually the case for all four opening round games with the biggest favorite being Texas at just (-140). It turns out illiteracy is not the only thing the Aggies and Sooners have in common because the baseball teams are very similar. A solid pitching rotation with a few great relievers and an offense that builds off momentum. This feels obvious since both teams are in Omaha, but each side is coming in red hot. A&M swept through the regional and super regional at the bubble factory while OU went on the road to win the Gainesville regional and the Blacksburg super against #4 VaTech. Each team will be eager to turn the ball over to its top bullpen arm. For A&M that is Jacob Palisch (2.60 ERA) and for OU that is Trevin Michael (2.94 ERA). This game will likely turn into a duel between those two relievers. As far as who Texas would rather see it is certainly close, but I would lean Aggy. I think OU has the better game two pitching options and unlike the Sooners, A&M has not seen Lucas Gordon this year. The main rooting interest here is an extra inning game that sees Palisch and Michael throw upwards of 60 pitches.
Pick - OU (-120) Under 13.5
I’ll take the team with the better starting pitcher and an offense that I feel can score in a multitude of ways.
<INSERT ADELE VOICE> “HELLO FROM THE OTHER SIIIIIIIDE (of the cws bracket) (@AaronLittleOB):
The opposite side of the bracket features three teams from the SEC West (Arkansas, Ole Miss, Auburn) along with Stanford. I’ve said it once and I will say it again, I am not one to shy away from making picks, but this field just is so wide open this year. Here is who we got.
Pick - @AaronLittleOB - Auburn
Pick - @ZachattheDisch - Arkansas
The Tigers seem to have found something in the bullpen at the right time of the year. Winning a super regional against Oregon State is no joke and I like what the offense brings to the table with Sonny DiChiara and Blake Rambusch. I’ve got a hot bullpen carrying Auburn to the finals.
Randomness:
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