Winning Pitcher: Trey Braithwaite (3-0)
Losing Pitcher: Tristan Stevens (5-6)
BOX SCORE
SATURDAY RECAP
QUICK SUMMARY
No brooms on Mother’s Day. Texas was unable to complete the sweep of West Virginia, suffering an 8-6 loss in the series finale. The Horns had a lead at multiple points in the game, but the bullpen was once again unable to shut the door. This is a theme that has become all too familiar for Texas this season. Offensively, the Horns scratched a respectable 6 runs, but left 10 runners on base and had some bad baserunning blunders. Trey Braithwaite, the WVU closer, threw a season-high 4.1 innings in relief, allowing no runs and earning the victory.
BIG MOMENT
When the first two West Virginia batters reached base in the sixth it looked like it was going to be one of “those” innings for the Texas bullpen. And it was. Luke Harrison was unable to record an out on a bunt and suddenly the bases were loaded with no outs. Harrison was yanked in favor of Marcus Olivarez who proceeded to leave an 0-2 fastball over the plate, much to the pleasure of Dayne Leonard. Leonard snuck the ball past Ivan down the right field line for the bases-clearing double that gave the Mountaineers a 7-5 advantage.
THE ARMS
For the first time in conference play, Zane Morehouse was the starting pitcher for UT. This decision was not a “benching” of Tristan Stevens, but rather a move to put Morehouse in the best position to succeed. After closely watching the mechanics and command of Morehouse, it is apparent that he is far more comfortable in the windup as opposed to the stretch. When a runner gets on and Morehouse is forced to pitch out of the stretch his timing is thrown off, causing a noticeable drop in command and effectiveness.
Tristan Stevens once again came on in relief on Sunday. Stevens threw three innings allowing 3 ER in what was his third relief appearance of the week. Tristan and the pitchers that followed him were just not good enough on Sunday to get the win. Olivarez was solid after allowing the double, but allowing a double on an 0-2 pitch can’t happen in tight games.
TAKEAWAYS
The continued struggles of Aaron Nixon remain a dark cloud over the team. Nobody else has stepped into the closer role and Nixon certainly has not regained his 2021 form. I do believe the Stevens as a reliever gimmick should continue, he is more valuable in high leverage spots than he is as a starter at this point. While a sweep would have been massive, a series win on the road is still a successful weekend. Texas will likely jump back into the top 25 and has a favorable schedule ahead. The strengths of the team are obvious as are the weaknesses. Perhaps the BYE next weekend will allow a few relievers to play with some adjustments.
UP NEXT
Texas (34-17, 11-10) will host Texas Southern on Tuesday night before enjoying a weekend off.
HookEm
Losing Pitcher: Tristan Stevens (5-6)
BOX SCORE
SATURDAY RECAP
QUICK SUMMARY
No brooms on Mother’s Day. Texas was unable to complete the sweep of West Virginia, suffering an 8-6 loss in the series finale. The Horns had a lead at multiple points in the game, but the bullpen was once again unable to shut the door. This is a theme that has become all too familiar for Texas this season. Offensively, the Horns scratched a respectable 6 runs, but left 10 runners on base and had some bad baserunning blunders. Trey Braithwaite, the WVU closer, threw a season-high 4.1 innings in relief, allowing no runs and earning the victory.
BIG MOMENT
When the first two West Virginia batters reached base in the sixth it looked like it was going to be one of “those” innings for the Texas bullpen. And it was. Luke Harrison was unable to record an out on a bunt and suddenly the bases were loaded with no outs. Harrison was yanked in favor of Marcus Olivarez who proceeded to leave an 0-2 fastball over the plate, much to the pleasure of Dayne Leonard. Leonard snuck the ball past Ivan down the right field line for the bases-clearing double that gave the Mountaineers a 7-5 advantage.
THE ARMS
For the first time in conference play, Zane Morehouse was the starting pitcher for UT. This decision was not a “benching” of Tristan Stevens, but rather a move to put Morehouse in the best position to succeed. After closely watching the mechanics and command of Morehouse, it is apparent that he is far more comfortable in the windup as opposed to the stretch. When a runner gets on and Morehouse is forced to pitch out of the stretch his timing is thrown off, causing a noticeable drop in command and effectiveness.
Tristan Stevens once again came on in relief on Sunday. Stevens threw three innings allowing 3 ER in what was his third relief appearance of the week. Tristan and the pitchers that followed him were just not good enough on Sunday to get the win. Olivarez was solid after allowing the double, but allowing a double on an 0-2 pitch can’t happen in tight games.
TAKEAWAYS
The continued struggles of Aaron Nixon remain a dark cloud over the team. Nobody else has stepped into the closer role and Nixon certainly has not regained his 2021 form. I do believe the Stevens as a reliever gimmick should continue, he is more valuable in high leverage spots than he is as a starter at this point. While a sweep would have been massive, a series win on the road is still a successful weekend. Texas will likely jump back into the top 25 and has a favorable schedule ahead. The strengths of the team are obvious as are the weaknesses. Perhaps the BYE next weekend will allow a few relievers to play with some adjustments.
UP NEXT
Texas (34-17, 11-10) will host Texas Southern on Tuesday night before enjoying a weekend off.
HookEm
