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The regular season has concluded and the real fun begins! The greatest time of the year is upon us when you can watch college baseball action 12 hours a day. The Horns learned their fate on Monday and they are 2 seed in the Coral Gables Regional, which if you look at all the Regionals subjectively is not the worst landing spot. Is this a Regional in which you can pencil the Horns to move on, certainly not. Miami is a veteran led team that has some elite pieces on their roster and the Horns cannot afford to look past the opening game against Louisiana, who is a talented and dangerous team.
For the Horns to succeed, they will need to play complete and complementary baseball. The starting pitching for the Horns have to take the mantle and perform at a high level. The batters have to come out with the same "edge" and determination that they showed against West Virginia. The Longhorns, in summary, will need to play high level competitive baseball and put all the pieces together that they have flashed during various times of the year.
Here are the links for the latest episode of Around the Horns
Check out the latest episode
YOUTUBE
SPOTIFY
Notes on the Horns:
- Texas is set to play its 7th road regional since 2000 and first since 2017
- In 2017, Texas fell to Long Beach in the Regional Final
- In 2014, Texas won the Houston Regional, eventually advancing to the CWS
- In 2000, Texas won the Tempe Regional, eventually advancing to the CWS
- Dylan Campbell is not just riding a 35 game hitting streak, which is tied for the longest in the Big 12. DC has also recorded a hit in 44 of the last 47 games. DC has also reached base safely in 41 games
- During the 35 game hit streak, DC is hitting .409 with 13 doubles, 3 triples, 7 HRs and 31 RBI.
- The Longhorns have hit 85 home runs this season, which is 2nd all-time in Texas history to the 2022 squad
- Lucas Gordon was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Year
- This is the 8th Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and second in the last three seasons (Ty Madden) for Texas
- Texas had 8 selections to All-Big 12 teams, with 5 First-Team, which is the most of any Big 12 team this season
- Jared Thomas is hitting .444 with 7 doubles, 3 triples and 3 HRs over the past 24 games
- Longhorns have play 31 games this season with scores decided by three runs or less
- In those 31 games, Texas holds a record of 16-15
- Texas holds a record of 6-8 in one-run ball games
Here is a look at the Coral Gables Regional:
Series Histories:
- Texas has a 33-8 all-time series lead over Louisiana
- Last played Cajuns to open 2019 season, winning 2 of 3
- Texas has a 7-0 all-time series lead over Maine
- Last played all the way back in 1996
- Texas has a 21-19 all-time series lead over Miami
- Last played Miami in 2003 in Omaha, Horns won both games
- Last played in Coral Gables in 1999, got swept
- Horns are just 3-13 on the road against Canes
- Texas NCAA Tournament Appearances (last): 62nd (2022)
- Texas All-Time NCAA Regional Record: 151-57-1
Game One Matchup:
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (40-22, 18-12 Sun Belt) v. Texas Longhorns (38-20, 15-9 Big 12)
Date: June 2nd
Time: 1pm CST
Where: Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field (Coral Gables, FL)
TV: ESPN+ / LHN
- If Texas wins their first game, they will play the winner of Maine v. Miami on Saturday at 5pm CST
- If Texas loses their first game, they will play the loser of Maine v. Miami on Saturday at 11am CST in an elimination game
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns:
Notes:
- One of the last 4 teams in the NCAA tournament
- 18 trip to NCAA Regionals
- Last trip was in 2022 when it came close to upsetting Top 8 national seed Texas A&M in the College Station Regional
- First at-large selection since 2013
- Louisiana have won 4 Regionals previously (1999, 2000, 2014 and 2015)
- 24-9 at Home
- 12-10 on Road
- 4-3 Neutral
- 7-10 in Q1 games; 6-6 in Q2 games
- Record against NCAA Regional teams
- 1-2 v. Campbell
- 1-0 v. Tulane
- 1-2 v. Troy
- 1-0 v. LSU
- 1-2 v. Coastal Carolina
- 3-0 v. Texas State
- 1-2 v. Southern Miss
- Cajuns made a long run in the Sun Belt conference tournament, eventually falling to Southern Miss in the championship game
Record:
Texas (38-20, 15-9 Big 12)
Louisiana (40-22, 18-12 Sun Belt)
RPI
Texas - 28
Louisiana - 47
SOS
Texas - 27
Louisiana - 67
Projected Pitching Matchups:
- Texas LHP Lucas Gordon (6-1, 2.55 ERA, 1.12 WHIP)
- Confirmed by Coach David Pierce to be the starter for game one
- Louisiana RHP Jackson Nezuh (9-5, 6.14 ERA, 1.34 WHIP)
- Florida State transfer
- 91-94 FB
- Clean, Simple mechanics with not much FUMP per Aaron
- Will show changeup to lefties
- Goes to the curveball early in the count
- FIP (Field Independent Pitching) - 4.83 - (average to below average)
- xFIP (Expected Fielding Independent Pitching) - 5.11 - (average to below average)
- SIERA (skill interactive earned run avg) - 3.37 - (average to below average)
- Gave up no hits in 6 innings against Texas State to open Sun Belt conference tournament
Top Relievers:
- RHP Cooper Rawls (10-1, 3.66 ERA, 1.16 WHIP)
- RHP Jerry Couch (2-1, 3.52 ERA, 1.43 WHIP)
- LHP Blake Marshall (3-1, 4.36 ERA, 1.42 WHIP)
Offensive Leaders:
--Aggressive at the plate and a team that likes to run and put pressure on the defense, boasting 6 hitters with an OPS over 900. A very balance lineup with 5 RHH and 4 LHH.
- Kyle DeBarge (.370 BA, .991 OPS, 6 HR, .449 OB%, 17-26 SB)
- Heath Hood (.336 BA, .933 OPS, 6 HR, .420 OB%, 35-40 SB)
- Julian Brock (.318 BA, 1.016 OPS, 11 HR, .444 OB%, 7-10 SB)
- Carson Roccaforte (.309 BA, .933 OPS, 6 HR, .422 OB%, 22-34 SB)
Look at the Numbers:
Batting Average:
Texas - .297
Louisiana - .288
OPS:
Texas - .895
Louisiana - .860
OB%
Texas - .391
Louisiana - .388
Slugging%:
Texas - .504
Louisiana - .472
Home Runs:
Texas - 85 (2nd most in team history, trailing only the 2022 squad)
Louisiana - 66
Walks:
Texas - 278
Louisiana - 286
Stolen Bases
Texas - 64-86
Louisiana - 161-218 (3rd in Nation)
ERA:
Texas - 4.13
Louisiana - 4.73
WHIP:
Texas - 1.39
Louisiana - 1.38
Fielding:
Texas - .980
Louisiana - .982
Errors:
Texas - 43
Louisiana - 40
University of Miami Hurricanes:
Notes:
- No. 9 overall national seed
- The Coral Gables Regional (No. 9) is paired with the Palo Alto Regional (No. 8)
- Record against NCAA Regional teams
- 1-0 v. Indiana State
- 1-2 v. Florida
- 2-1 v. NC State
- 0-3 v. Wake Forest
- 0-3 v. Virginia
- 2-1 v. UNC
- 2-1 v. Duke
- Made 1st appearance in the ACC championship game in 11 years
- Miami lost to Ole Miss in the Coral Gables Regional last year
- The 2023 Coral Gables Regional features two programs (Texas - 36 and Miami - 25) who are #1 and #2 on the list of most College World Series Appearances
- Hurricanes have won 4 national championships (1982, 1985. 1999 and 2001)
- 1982 National Title
- Opened up CWS with a 7-2 win over Maine; beat Texas 2-1 and eliminated Maine en route to a title over Wichita State
- 1985 National Title
- Sent to losers bracket by Texas, but won 4 straight games, including two wins over Texas to win the title
- 1999 National Title
- Last time that the #1 overall seed won the College World Series
- 2001 National Title
- #2 overall seed that swept straight through for a title
- 1982 National Title
Record: (40-19, 18-12 ACC)
- 28-5 at Home
- 9-13 on Road
- 3-1 Neutral
- 16-13 in Q1; 9-4 in Q2
RPI - 12
SOS - 23
Starting Pitching Rotation:
- Sophomore RHP Gage Ziehl (7-4, 4.61 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 86 IP)
- 90-97mph FB with strong changeup
- Tight slider around 86-87mph that he will throw to both lefties and righties
- Pretty clean mechanics that allows for good command, especially of change against lefties
- Something to watch - Miami could very well pitch "backwards," meaning that they save Ziehl for game two of the Regional
- Junior RHP Alejandro Rosario (4-6, 7.45 ERA, 1.68 WHIP)
- 95mph FB
- Rosario likes to pump gas while on the mound
- He has a big arm, but has been very hittable
- RHP Karson Ligdon (3-1, 4.25 ERA, 1.20 WHIP)
- Working back from shoulder inflammation, where he has missed a bit of time this season
- Per Miami Head Coach DiMare, the velo has been good (tick below his norm), but the changeup has just been ok
- RS-Soph RHP Alejandro Torres (4-1, 4.89 ERA, 1.13 WHIP)
- Junior RHP Ronaldo Gallo (2-3, 6.81 ERA, 1.70 WHIP
Top Relievers:
- Junior RHP Andrew Walters (4-0, 11 saves, 1.08 ERA, 0.78 WHIP)
- Two time All-ACC and All-American reliever who has continued to put up improved numbers season over season
- FIP - 2.87 (elite)
- xFIP - 2.78 (elite)
- SIERA - .63 (elite)
- High 90s fastball, but due to carry and arm action, it looks like 105 out of the hand
- Breaking ball is nasty, but the FB is the primary pitch
- Leads all active D1 pitchers in career ERA and strikeouts per innings
- Two time All-ACC and All-American reliever who has continued to put up improved numbers season over season
- Senior RHP Carlos Lequerica (5-1, 3.92 ERA, 1.14 WHIP)
- Big surprise out of the bullpen
- Had previous stops at FIU and Bethune-Cookman, but has suddenly become a weapon for Miami
- Big surprise out of the bullpen
Offensive Leaders:
- Yohandy (Yoyo) Morales - (.405 BA; 1.157 OPS, 61 RBI,16 HRs, .477 OB%)
- Morales is legit. Seriously, he is one of the best hitters to come through Miami all-time
- CJ Kayfus - (.351 BA, 1.058 OPS, 40 RBI, 13 HR, .463 OB%)
- Kayfus is the heart beat of the team and the glue guy
- Great bat to ball skills, sneaky good athlete, great defensive 1B
- Blake Cyr - (.303 BA, 1.039 OPS, 60 RBI, 16 HR, .429 OB%)
- Zach Levenson - (.301 BA, .961 OPS, 43 RBI, 13 HR, .404 OB%)
- Dominic Pitelli - (.293 BA, .897 OPS, 50 RBI, 11 HR, .384 OB%, 9-13 SB)
- Pitelli can really pick it at SS and anchors the infield
Stats:
Batting Average:
Miami - .300
OPS:
Miami - .923
OB%
Miami - .401
Slugging%:
Miami - .522
Home Runs:
Miami - 112
Walks:
Miami - 296
Stolen Bases
Miami - 35-52
ERA:
Miami - 5.12
WHIP:
Miami - 1.43
Fielding:
Miami - .979
Errors:
Miami - 43
University of Maine Black Bears:
Notes:
- Maine has appeared in 16 NCAA Tournaments previously and surprisingly, has appeared 7 times in the College World Series
- CWS appearances (1964, 1976, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986)
- Battle of the Old English script "M" - Maine has a 2-8 record against Miami, last meeting for a three game series back in 2018
- Maine is competing in their first NCAA Regional since 2011, having won the America East conference tournament for the first time since 2011
- Maine has hit 83 home runs on the season, which surpassed their previous season record of 75, set back in 1991
- Jeremiah Jenkins is the first America East player to hit 20+ HRs in a season since 1998
- If you are a Houston Astros fan, Maine should be familiar as SS Jeremy Pena played at Maine from 2016 to 2018
Record: (32-19, 19-5 America East)
- 13-3 at Home
- 13-12 on Road
- 5-4 Neutral
- 0-3 in Q1; 2-1 in Q2; 0-0 in Q3; 29-15 in Q4
RPI - 124
SOS - 249
Starting Pitchers:
- Soph LHP Caleb Leys (5-0, 4.30 ERA, 1.57 WHIP)
- Junior RHP Noah Lewis (7-1, 4.41 ERA, 1.24 WHIP)
- Soph RHP Colin Fitzgerald (6-1, 4.48 ERA, 1.49 WHIP)
Top Relievers:
- Freshman RHP Gianni Gambardella (6-3, 2.91 ERA, 1.15 WHIP)
- Sr RHP Justin Baeyens (3-3, 8 saves, 4.81 ERA, 1.49 WHIP)
Offensive Leaders:
- Jenkins (.378 BA, 1.277 OPS, 20 HR, 75 RBIs, .506 OB%)
- McDaniel (.355 BA, 1.219 OPS, 16 HR, .520 OB%, 32-38 SB)
- Goodman (.320 BA, .792 OPS, 2 HR, .402 OB%)
- Rainess (.317 BA, 1.073 OPS, 16 HR, .444 OB%, 38-45 SB)
Stats:
Batting Average:
Maine - .293
OPS:
Maine - .893
OB%
Maine - .400
Slugging%:
Maine - .493
Home Runs:
Maine - 83
Walks:
Maine - 250
Stolen Bases
Maine - 98-120
ERA:
Maine - 5.77
WHIP:
Maine - 1.61
Fielding:
Maine - .971
Errors:
Maine - 53
Regional Winner Predictions:
- @AaronLittleOB - Miami
- The injuries have really changed what I think this team will do. I think Texas will show up and fight hard, but the injuries in the bullpen are too much for me to pick Texas
- @ZachattheDisch - Miami
- Texas does not have the pitching depth to win this Regional. Also, Miami has a veteran lineup that has experienced heart break at home in last year's Regional and have shown a tendency to win games late offensively and with All-American closer Andrew Walters.
Regional Extras:
- Best Hitter: Yohandy "Yoyo" Morales
- Best Starting Pitcher: Lucas Gordon
- Best Relief Pitcher: Andrew Walters
- Best Defensive Player: Dylan Campbell
- Best Rotation: Texas Longhorns
- Best Offense: Miami Hurricanes
- Best Defense: Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
- Odd Note: Not often that you see two top teams (Texas and Miami) that have 1B as lead-off hitters
Big 12 Teams in NCAA Regional action:
- Texas Tech v. Connecticut (ESPNU, 11am CT) - Gainesville Regional
- Louisiana v. Texas (ESPN+/LHN, 1pm CT) - Coral Gables Regional
- Oral Roberts v. Oklahoma State (ESPN+, 6pm CT) - Stillwater Regional
- Oklahoma v. East Carolina (ESPN2, 6pm CT) - Charlottesville Regional
- Indiana v. West Virginia (ESPN+, 6pm CT) - Lexington Regional
- Arizona v. TCU (ESPNU, 8pm CT) - Fayetteville Regional
Lucas Gordon continues to add to his accolades as he has been announced as a First Team All-American by CB Newspaper
