MUSINGS FROM THE DISCH
Well, that happened.
This weekend saw a bit of everything. Great starting pitching, outstanding relief appearances, bullpen implosions, timely hitting, lack of hitting, fielding errors, gunning down runners attempting to steal bases, and lightning delays.
One of the more frustrating things about this Texas Baseball team is the lack of rhythm and continuity. Far too often, they are good in one or two areas, but then absolutely fall on their face on the third area.
Defensively, the fielding continues to be a concern as through 19 games, the Horns have committed 24 errors, which results in a .967 fielding%. For frame of reference, here is where the Horns have finished defensively since 2017. As you can see below, the last time that the Horns ended up with less than a .978 fielding% was back in 2019 during that disastrous collapse. Interestingly enough, the Horns have solid pieces on the infield, but the errors have continued to pile up. That MUST be cleaned up as it puts a ton of pressure on the pitching staff.
2024 (19 games):
2023: 49 (.979)
2022: 37 (.985)
2021: 50 (.980
2019: 69 (.966)
2018: 55 (.978)
2017: 43 (.982)
Offensively, the Horns have a .296 batting average which is 77th nationally. That is not terrible, but it definitely needs to improve as they look at 9 straight conference series coming up to finish the year. In the Big 12, the Horns are currently 5th in the conference in batting average behind the likes of Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Kansas State, and UCF.
Pitching wise, the Horns, as bad as things have been at times still rank in the top tier of the Big 12, though that doesn't say much for the conference in general. Overall, despite a good number of talented teams, one constant this season has been up and down pitching across the Big 12, which was one of the concerns noted in the Big 12 conference preview prior to the season starting.
There are still 36 games to play this season, but the Horns face an uphill battle if they are not able to get more consistent play across all aspects of the game (pitching, hitting, and defense).
Lastly, tip of the hat to both Ace Whitehead and Max Grubbs for stepping up and giving the Horns exactly what they needed from the mound. That kind of mentality is absolutely needed. In addition, tip of the cap to Peyton Powell, who played two games at catcher for the Horns for the first time this season and I believe his career for the Horns. There was some adjusting and rust, but he overall was comfortable behind the plate, blocked well by keeping pitches out in front, received well, and throwing out two runners. Great stuff that absolutely made a difference in the games.
There are no coincidences in life...
USELESS STAT OF THE DAY
This stat comes from @Nash Talks Texas
MID-WEEK PREVIEW
Opponent: Air Force (9-9, 5-1 Mountain West)
Date: Tues and Wed (March 19th and 20th)
Time: 630pm; 4pm
Where: Disch-Falk Field
TV: LHN
History:
Air Force comes into the series on a 5 game win streak, which comes on the heels of a 6 game losing streak. Air Force has faced some tough teams this season, going 1-2 against Mississippi State, 0-1 against Southern Miss, 0-1 against Louisiana Tech, and 0-1 against Auburn.
The Falcons are a senior laden team with guys like Thomason, Spencer, Greiving, Joe, and Kulasingam in the lineup. Picked in the preseason to finish 4th in the Mountain West, the biggest piece of the puzzle to solve from last season was pitching. To some degree, Coach Kaz has gotten solid pitching from his weekend rotation. The bullpen has continued to be an issue though with an average ERA over 7.
As a team, Air Force does not hit a ton of home runs (12 on the season), or that many RBIs. They are more so focused on stringing singles together and putting pressure on opposing staffs by running on the base paths. Defensively, they have committed 30 errors (.957%) on the season, so that certainly has not helped their pitching staff trying to get 3 outs.
Mountain West pre-season player of the year Sam Kulasingam has had trouble replicating his 2023 season to date. In 2024, he is hitting just .222 with 4 doubles and 9 walks. Contrast that to 2023 when he hit .426 with a 1.192 OPS, ending up with 28 doubles, 6 home runs and 50 walks. He also struck out just 24 times last season and is already up to 13 this season, suggesting that teams have identified how to better pitch to him and he may be pressing at the plate as well.
Prediction:
TUES - Texas wins 8-4
WED - Texas wins 7-5
Season Prediction Update:
On the season I am 14-5 with my predictions
Rank: n/a
RPI: 81
SOS: 84
AIR FORCE Quadrant Records (RPI):
Q1: 0-2
Q2: 1-3
Q3: 0-2
Q4: 8-2
Stats Comparison:
Batting Average: Texas (.296) v. AF (.259)
OPS: Texas (.917) v. AF (.754)
Doubles: Texas (47) v. AF (28)
Triples: Texas (3) v. AF (4)
Home Runs: Texas (34) v. AF (12)
RBI: Texas (137) v. UIW (89)
SLG%: Texas (.532) v. AF (.381)
Walks: Texas (82) v. AF (82)
Strikeouts: Texas (173) v. AF (176)
OB%: Texas (.385) v. AF (.373)
Stolen Bases: Texas (14-19) v. AF (36-42)
ERA: Texas (4.34) v. AF (5.52)
WHIP: Texas (1.44) v. AF (1.60)
Bases on Balls: Texas (75) v. AF (82)
Wild Pitches: Texas (19) v. AF (20)
B/Avg: Texas (.260) v. AF (.271)
Home Runs Allowed: Texas (22) v. AF (12)
Errors: Texas (24) v. AF (30)
Fielding: Texas (.967) v. AF (.957)
Possible Pitching Matchups - (will update once confirmed):
TUESDAY– Texas RHP Grant Fontenot (1-1, 0.00) v. Air Force LHP Jimmy Hebenstreit (1-0, 6.35)
WEDNESDAY- Texas TBA v. Air Force TBA
Options for Air Force include:
Jack Bello (0-0, 7.71 ERA, 2.57 WHIP)
Patrick Davidson (0-1, 13.50 ERA, 3.00 WHIP)
Offensive Leaders:
Bullpen Leaders:
BIG 12 RECAP
BIG 12 CONFERENCE STANDINGS
BIG 12 RPI / SOS
TOP 25 RANKINGS
Well, that happened.
This weekend saw a bit of everything. Great starting pitching, outstanding relief appearances, bullpen implosions, timely hitting, lack of hitting, fielding errors, gunning down runners attempting to steal bases, and lightning delays.
One of the more frustrating things about this Texas Baseball team is the lack of rhythm and continuity. Far too often, they are good in one or two areas, but then absolutely fall on their face on the third area.
Defensively, the fielding continues to be a concern as through 19 games, the Horns have committed 24 errors, which results in a .967 fielding%. For frame of reference, here is where the Horns have finished defensively since 2017. As you can see below, the last time that the Horns ended up with less than a .978 fielding% was back in 2019 during that disastrous collapse. Interestingly enough, the Horns have solid pieces on the infield, but the errors have continued to pile up. That MUST be cleaned up as it puts a ton of pressure on the pitching staff.
2024 (19 games):
2023: 49 (.979)
2022: 37 (.985)
2021: 50 (.980
2019: 69 (.966)
2018: 55 (.978)
2017: 43 (.982)
Offensively, the Horns have a .296 batting average which is 77th nationally. That is not terrible, but it definitely needs to improve as they look at 9 straight conference series coming up to finish the year. In the Big 12, the Horns are currently 5th in the conference in batting average behind the likes of Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Kansas State, and UCF.
Pitching wise, the Horns, as bad as things have been at times still rank in the top tier of the Big 12, though that doesn't say much for the conference in general. Overall, despite a good number of talented teams, one constant this season has been up and down pitching across the Big 12, which was one of the concerns noted in the Big 12 conference preview prior to the season starting.
There are still 36 games to play this season, but the Horns face an uphill battle if they are not able to get more consistent play across all aspects of the game (pitching, hitting, and defense).
Lastly, tip of the hat to both Ace Whitehead and Max Grubbs for stepping up and giving the Horns exactly what they needed from the mound. That kind of mentality is absolutely needed. In addition, tip of the cap to Peyton Powell, who played two games at catcher for the Horns for the first time this season and I believe his career for the Horns. There was some adjusting and rust, but he overall was comfortable behind the plate, blocked well by keeping pitches out in front, received well, and throwing out two runners. Great stuff that absolutely made a difference in the games.
There are no coincidences in life...
USELESS STAT OF THE DAY
This stat comes from @Nash Talks Texas
MID-WEEK PREVIEW
Opponent: Air Force (9-9, 5-1 Mountain West)
Date: Tues and Wed (March 19th and 20th)
Time: 630pm; 4pm
Where: Disch-Falk Field
TV: LHN
History:
- First meeting - 2022
- Horns split a pair of mid-week games and then won both meetings against AF in the Austin Regional
- Recent meeting - 2023
- Horns won 7-1
- Texas leads the all-time series 4-1
Air Force comes into the series on a 5 game win streak, which comes on the heels of a 6 game losing streak. Air Force has faced some tough teams this season, going 1-2 against Mississippi State, 0-1 against Southern Miss, 0-1 against Louisiana Tech, and 0-1 against Auburn.
The Falcons are a senior laden team with guys like Thomason, Spencer, Greiving, Joe, and Kulasingam in the lineup. Picked in the preseason to finish 4th in the Mountain West, the biggest piece of the puzzle to solve from last season was pitching. To some degree, Coach Kaz has gotten solid pitching from his weekend rotation. The bullpen has continued to be an issue though with an average ERA over 7.
As a team, Air Force does not hit a ton of home runs (12 on the season), or that many RBIs. They are more so focused on stringing singles together and putting pressure on opposing staffs by running on the base paths. Defensively, they have committed 30 errors (.957%) on the season, so that certainly has not helped their pitching staff trying to get 3 outs.
Mountain West pre-season player of the year Sam Kulasingam has had trouble replicating his 2023 season to date. In 2024, he is hitting just .222 with 4 doubles and 9 walks. Contrast that to 2023 when he hit .426 with a 1.192 OPS, ending up with 28 doubles, 6 home runs and 50 walks. He also struck out just 24 times last season and is already up to 13 this season, suggesting that teams have identified how to better pitch to him and he may be pressing at the plate as well.
Prediction:
TUES - Texas wins 8-4
WED - Texas wins 7-5
Season Prediction Update:
On the season I am 14-5 with my predictions
Rank: n/a
RPI: 81
SOS: 84
AIR FORCE Quadrant Records (RPI):
Q1: 0-2
Q2: 1-3
Q3: 0-2
Q4: 8-2
Stats Comparison:
Batting Average: Texas (.296) v. AF (.259)
OPS: Texas (.917) v. AF (.754)
Doubles: Texas (47) v. AF (28)
Triples: Texas (3) v. AF (4)
Home Runs: Texas (34) v. AF (12)
RBI: Texas (137) v. UIW (89)
SLG%: Texas (.532) v. AF (.381)
Walks: Texas (82) v. AF (82)
Strikeouts: Texas (173) v. AF (176)
OB%: Texas (.385) v. AF (.373)
Stolen Bases: Texas (14-19) v. AF (36-42)
ERA: Texas (4.34) v. AF (5.52)
WHIP: Texas (1.44) v. AF (1.60)
Bases on Balls: Texas (75) v. AF (82)
Wild Pitches: Texas (19) v. AF (20)
B/Avg: Texas (.260) v. AF (.271)
Home Runs Allowed: Texas (22) v. AF (12)
Errors: Texas (24) v. AF (30)
Fielding: Texas (.967) v. AF (.957)
Possible Pitching Matchups - (will update once confirmed):
TUESDAY– Texas RHP Grant Fontenot (1-1, 0.00) v. Air Force LHP Jimmy Hebenstreit (1-0, 6.35)
WEDNESDAY- Texas TBA v. Air Force TBA
Options for Air Force include:
Jack Bello (0-0, 7.71 ERA, 2.57 WHIP)
Patrick Davidson (0-1, 13.50 ERA, 3.00 WHIP)
Offensive Leaders:
- Jay Thomason (.361 BA, 1.114 OPS, 5 HR, .667 SLG%, .447 OB%, 4-4 SB)
- Chase Spencer (.309 BA, .769 OPS, .397 SLG%, .372 OB%, 14-16 SB)
- Chris Stallings (.305 BA, .881 OPS, 2 HR, .458 SLG%, .423 OB%, 8-8 SB)
- Jake Greiving (.304 BA, .946 OPS, 4 HR, .551 SLG%, .395 OB%, 1-1 SB)
- Aerik Joe (.288 BA, .673 OPS, .315 SLG%, .358 OB%, 2-4 SB)
- Sam Kulasingam (.222 BA, .634 OPS, .278 SLG%, .356 OB%, 1-1 SB)
Bullpen Leaders:
- Doyle Gehring (1-1, 2.25 ERA, 16 IP)
- Sam Hentges (0-0, 2.70 ERA, 3.1 IP)
- Jimmy Hebenstreit (1-0, 6.35 ERA, 11.1 IP)
- Davis Rhyne (0-0, 7.00 ERA, 9 IP)
- Gaines Estridge (0-0, 7.04 ERA, 7.2 IP)
- Kyle Moats (0-1, 8.71 ERA, 10.1 IP)
BIG 12 RECAP
- Baylor (7-12, 2-4 Big 12)- won the series against Texas Tech, completely shutting down the Red Raiders hitting
- Next Up: Tues v. Sam Houston, at Texas
- BYU (9-8, 3-3 Big 12)- won the series against Houston
- Next Up: Tues at Utah Tech, travel to Lubbock for a series against Texas Tech
- Cincinnati (12-9, 3-3 Big 12)- won the series against Kansas
- Next Up: at Miami (OH) on Wed, out of conference at Saint Louis
- Houston (12-6, 4-2 Big 12)- beat BYU on Thurs, but dropped the next two games
- Next Up: Tues and Wed games against Rice, hosts Kansas State this weekend
- Kansas (10-8, 3-3 Big 12)- lost the series at Cincy
- Next Up: Tues against Missouri, then host UCF this weekend
- Kansas State (13-6, 2-1 Big 12)- swept Missouri State in non-conference play
- Next Up: at Wichita State on Tues, travel to Houston this weekend
- Oklahoma (13-6, 6-0)- swept TCU in Fort Worth to stay perfect in Big 12 play
- Next Up: Host Dallas Baptist on Tues, then host West Virginia this weekend
- Oklahoma State (12-8, 1-2 Big 12)- lost the series to UCF, winning on Sunday to avoid being swept
- Next Up: Host Missouri State on Tues, then host TCU this weekend
- TCU (15-5, 1-5 Big 12)- got swept at home by Oklahoma
- Next Up: Host UT Arlington on Tues, travel to Oklahoma State this weekend
- Texas (11-8, 2-1 Big 12)- lost the series to Washington, winning on Sunday to avoid being swept
- Next Up: Tues and Wed against Air Force and then host Baylor this weekend
- Texas Tech (14-6, 2-4 Big 12)- Red Raiders bats went cold on a wet weekend in Waco. Won game one and then lost the next two and the series to the Bears
- Next Up: Hosts Abilene Christian on Tues and then host BYU this weekend
- UCF (12-5, 2-4 Big 12)- won the series against Oklahoma State, winning the first two games, before dropping the Sunday finale
- Next Up: Host Florida Atlantic on Tues and then travel to Kansas this weekend
- West Virginia (11-9, 2-1 Big 12)- Lost the series to Ohio State after winning Fri night. Lost on Sunday 26-11
- Next Up: Host Marshall on Wednesday and then travel to Oklahoma this weekend
BIG 12 CONFERENCE STANDINGS
- Oklahoma (6-0)
- Houston (4-2)
- Kansas State (2-1)
- Texas (2-1)
- West Virginia (2-1)
- Cincinnati (3-3)
- Kansas (3-3)
- BYU (3-3)
- UCF (2-4)
- Texas Tech (2-4)
- Baylor (2-4)
- Oklahoma State (1-2)
- TCU (1-5)
BIG 12 RPI / SOS
- Oklahoma - (5 / 1)
- UCF - (7 / 4)
- TCU - (39 / 63)
- Oklahoma State - (49 / 33)
- Houston - (53 / 40)
- Texas - (55 / 16)
- Kansas State - (56 / 62)
- West Virginia - (63 / 66)
- Texas Tech - (70 / 135)
- Kansas - (92 / 94)
- BYU - (93 / 118)
- Cincinnati - (155 / 182)
- Baylor - (156 / 34)
TOP 25 RANKINGS
- Arkansas (17-2)
- Oregon State (17-2)
- Vanderbilt (18-3)
- Clemson (17-2)
- LSU (17-4)
- Florida (12-7)
- Texas A&M (18-2)
- Tennessee (18-3)
- Duke (15-5)
- East Carolina (14-4)
- Alabama (17-3)
- Florida State (18-0)
- Coastal Carolina (17-3)
- Virginia (16-4)
- Dallas Baptist (16-3)
- Wake Forest (13-6)
- Oklahoma (13-6)
- TCU (15-5)
- Virginia Tech (14-4)
- North Carolina (17-4)
- Mississippi State (15-6)
- Campbell (15-4)
- Auburn (13-6)
- UC Irvine (15-3)
- UC Santa Barbara (12-5)
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