MUSINGS FROM THE DISCH
Another weekend of college baseball in the books, of which there are only 5 more regular season weekends left before conference tourneys kick off. The Horns scuffled, fallen flat on their faces, and also come up as late inning victors this past weekend.
All is not well in Whoville, but the Horns continue to keep pace near the top of the Big 12, sitting just two games back from Oklahoma and West Virginia and just one game back from third place Oklahoma State. That is the good news. The bad news is that the Horns RPI continues to stay down in the 60s.
The Horns have series wins against the current 5, 6, 7, and 13 teams in the Big 12 standings, with their only loss coming to the 12th team in the standings. The Horns still have to play the 2, 3, 8, 10, and 11 teams in the Big 12 standings. Make no doubt about it though, Texas has the ability to lose every single one of the remaining series.
TCU - after starting off the season red-hot, TCU went ice cold hitting and pitching. They did record a big series win over Texas Tech this weekend, so they will be coming in more confident
OU - Sooners have 3 sweeps in the Big 12 and two series losses. It has been an all or nothing kind of season for OU, who has their own share of troubles at various times, due to pitching.
OSU - Cowboys started off slowly this season but have gotten rolling as of late. After dropping the first Big 12 series, they have rolled off 4 series wins in a row, including a sweep of Cincy
UCF - Knights have been up and down. Started off getting swept by OU, but won series against OSU, Kansas, Tech, and Kansas State, before getting swept by West Virginia. They have been better at home.
KU - Jayhawks got a big series win against TCU, but then suffered back to back losses, before bouncing back with a series sweep over BYU, only to get swept by West Virginia
All this to say, no one has any idea what is going to happen in the Big 12 this year as it has been all over the place, including more sweeps than in years past. In large part, the Horns have been their own worst enemy as well, giving up numerous runs due to not attacking the strike zone, falling behind in counts and then having to put something over the plate.
If the Horns could simply play to their "averages," there is not a series or team in the Big 12 that the Horns cannot beat. Unfortunately, when things go sideways, it is usually quickly and in a hurry and the team begins to press to make up for the deficiency, which doesn't go well. Time will tell where the Horns go from here, but hopefully the jolt of energy and success late in the game on Saturday and on Sunday can help kick things into a different gear. If it does not and the Horns continue to sway back and forth, game by game, the Horns will struggle to finish above .500 in conference and will very likely miss post-season play.
USELESS STAT(S) OF THE DAY
Hitting Average: Jared Thomas (4th) and Jalin Flores (9th)
Slugging%: Jalin Flores (1st), Max Belyeu (2nd), and Jared Thomas (4th)
On-Base%: Jared Thomas (8th)
OPS: Jalin Flores (2nd), Max Belyeu (3rd), and Jared Thomas (5th)
Hits: Jared Thomas (1st) and Peyton Powell (9th)
RBI: Jalin Flores (8th)
Home Runs: Jalin Flores (1st), Max Belyeu (3rd), and Jared Thomas (5th)
MID-WEEK PREVIEW
Opponent: UT-Rio Grande Valley (17-15, 7-8 Western Athletic)
Date: Tuesday April 16th
Time: 630pm
Where: Disch-Falk Field (Austin)
TV: Longhorn Network
History:
Prediction:
Texas wins the Tuesday night game 7-5
Season Prediction Update:
On the season, I am 27-10 with my predictions
Rank: n/a
RPI: 249
SOS: 272
Quadrant Records (RPI):
Q1: 0-0
Q2: 0-1
Q3: 2-3
Q4: 15-11
Home: 13-10
Away: 4-5
Neutral: 0-0
Common Opponents:
Stats Comparison:
Pitching Matchups: (will notate matchups once announced):
UTRGV Offensive Leaders:
UTRGV Bullpen Leaders:
BIG 12 RECAP
BIG 12 CONFERENCE STANDINGS (conference record)
What a dang mess the Big 12 is. Horns remain just 2 games back from the conference lead, but they are also just 2 game above being in 9th place.
BIG 12 RPI / SOS
Horns RPI remains an issue when looking ahead at potential post season play. The predicted RPI for the Horns is not supposed to go above 60. Big red flag!
Horns do still have the remaining RPI teams to play: TCU (32), Oklahoma (19), Oklahoma State (23), UCF (14), Kansas (92)
The next 4 series will largely define where Texas RPI ends up at, especially road games against Oklahoma and UCF.
TOP 25 RANKINGS
Reminder
As a reminder, the Longhorns are winding down the NIL fiscal year for baseball and the Longhorns are going to drastically ramp up funding efforts for Texas Baseball as it enters the SEC in 2025.
A monthly donation of $20-$100 a month makes a big difference in baseball. This is not football that has massive contracts and full scholarships for all the players. If you currently support a different sport through Texas One Fund, consider adding even $5-$10 for baseball.
If you have any questions, reach out to @AgaveHorn
Another weekend of college baseball in the books, of which there are only 5 more regular season weekends left before conference tourneys kick off. The Horns scuffled, fallen flat on their faces, and also come up as late inning victors this past weekend.
All is not well in Whoville, but the Horns continue to keep pace near the top of the Big 12, sitting just two games back from Oklahoma and West Virginia and just one game back from third place Oklahoma State. That is the good news. The bad news is that the Horns RPI continues to stay down in the 60s.
The Horns have series wins against the current 5, 6, 7, and 13 teams in the Big 12 standings, with their only loss coming to the 12th team in the standings. The Horns still have to play the 2, 3, 8, 10, and 11 teams in the Big 12 standings. Make no doubt about it though, Texas has the ability to lose every single one of the remaining series.
TCU - after starting off the season red-hot, TCU went ice cold hitting and pitching. They did record a big series win over Texas Tech this weekend, so they will be coming in more confident
OU - Sooners have 3 sweeps in the Big 12 and two series losses. It has been an all or nothing kind of season for OU, who has their own share of troubles at various times, due to pitching.
OSU - Cowboys started off slowly this season but have gotten rolling as of late. After dropping the first Big 12 series, they have rolled off 4 series wins in a row, including a sweep of Cincy
UCF - Knights have been up and down. Started off getting swept by OU, but won series against OSU, Kansas, Tech, and Kansas State, before getting swept by West Virginia. They have been better at home.
KU - Jayhawks got a big series win against TCU, but then suffered back to back losses, before bouncing back with a series sweep over BYU, only to get swept by West Virginia
All this to say, no one has any idea what is going to happen in the Big 12 this year as it has been all over the place, including more sweeps than in years past. In large part, the Horns have been their own worst enemy as well, giving up numerous runs due to not attacking the strike zone, falling behind in counts and then having to put something over the plate.
If the Horns could simply play to their "averages," there is not a series or team in the Big 12 that the Horns cannot beat. Unfortunately, when things go sideways, it is usually quickly and in a hurry and the team begins to press to make up for the deficiency, which doesn't go well. Time will tell where the Horns go from here, but hopefully the jolt of energy and success late in the game on Saturday and on Sunday can help kick things into a different gear. If it does not and the Horns continue to sway back and forth, game by game, the Horns will struggle to finish above .500 in conference and will very likely miss post-season play.
USELESS STAT(S) OF THE DAY
- Batting - Horns rank 5th in the Big 12
- Pitching - Horns rank 4th in the Big 12
- Fielding - Horns rank 3rd in the Big 12
Hitting Average: Jared Thomas (4th) and Jalin Flores (9th)
Slugging%: Jalin Flores (1st), Max Belyeu (2nd), and Jared Thomas (4th)
On-Base%: Jared Thomas (8th)
OPS: Jalin Flores (2nd), Max Belyeu (3rd), and Jared Thomas (5th)
Hits: Jared Thomas (1st) and Peyton Powell (9th)
RBI: Jalin Flores (8th)
Home Runs: Jalin Flores (1st), Max Belyeu (3rd), and Jared Thomas (5th)
MID-WEEK PREVIEW
Opponent: UT-Rio Grande Valley (17-15, 7-8 Western Athletic)
Date: Tuesday April 16th
Time: 630pm
Where: Disch-Falk Field (Austin)
TV: Longhorn Network
History:
- First met in 1968 when UTRGV was UT-Pan American (edited)
- Horns hold a 54-6 all-time series lead
- Horns hold a 45-1 advantage all-time in Austin with the lone loss coming back in 1968
- Horns last met UT-RGV in 2022
- Horns won the first contest in Austin 13-5
- Horns won the away contest in Edinburg 7-2
Prediction:
Texas wins the Tuesday night game 7-5
Season Prediction Update:
On the season, I am 27-10 with my predictions
Rank: n/a
RPI: 249
SOS: 272
Quadrant Records (RPI):
Q1: 0-0
Q2: 0-1
Q3: 2-3
Q4: 15-11
Home: 13-10
Away: 4-5
Neutral: 0-0
Common Opponents:
- Texas A&M-Corpus Christi - (Loss 1-2)
- at Incarnate Word - (Loss 5-7)
- at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi - (Win 5-2)
- Incarnate Word - (Win 5-4)
- at Texas State - (Loss 6-12)
- UT-Arlington - (Won series 2-1)
Stats Comparison:
| Stat | Texas | UTRGV |
| Batting Average | .294 | .281 |
| OPS | .920 | .802 |
| Doubles | 90 | 47 |
| Triples | 5 | 4 |
| Home Runs | 74 | 31 |
| RBI | 259 | 187 |
| SLG% | .541 | .417 |
| Walks | 148 | 143 |
| Strikeouts | 344 | 254 |
| OB% | .379 | .385 |
| Stolen Bases | 30-35 | 28-39 |
| ERA | 4.80 | 4.98 |
| WHIP | 1.47 | 1.47 |
| Bases on Balls | 151 | 127 |
| Wild Pitches | 32 | 53 |
| B/Avg | .267 | .264 |
| Home Runs Allowed | 48 | 22 |
| Errors | 32 | 28 |
| Fielding% | .977 | .976 |
Pitching Matchups: (will notate matchups once announced):
- TUESDAY–Texas LHP Jared Thomas vs. UTRGV RHP Francisco Hernandez (2-3, 5.86)
UTRGV Offensive Leaders:
- Steven Lancia (.396 avg, .983 OPS, 2 HR, .514 SLG%, .469 OB%)
- Armani Raygoza (.319 avg, .949 OPS, 4 HR, .536 SLG%, .413 OB%)
- Martin Vazquez (.309 avg, 1.022 OPS, 11 HR, .626 SLG%, .396 OB%)
- Erick Martinez (.304 avg, .710 OPS, .333 SLG%, .377 OB%)
UTRGV Bullpen Leaders:
- Robert Bonilla (2-0, 2.70 ERA, 10 IP)
- Nico Rodriguez (3-0, 2 saves, 2.95 ERA, 18.1 IP)
- Anthony Tejada (1-2, 5.25 ERA, 12 IP)
- Jack Lopez (0-0, 5.56 ERA, 11.1 IP)
- Francisco Hernandez (2-3, 2 saves, 5.86 ERA, 27.2 IP)
BIG 12 RECAP
- Baylor (16-18, 8-7)- Bears swept BYU over the weekend, winning game two in extra innings and surviving an 18-17 contest in the finale
- Next Up: Bears travel to take on UT-Arlington and then host Kansas for a weekend series
- BYU (14-18, 6-12)- Cougars got swept at home by Baylor in a tight series
- Next Up: Cougars host Utah Tech and then host Oklahoma for a Thur-Sat series
- Cincinnati (20-16, 7-8)- Bearcats got swept by Oklahoma State in Stillwater
- Next Up: Bearcats host Eastern Kentucky and Xavier during the mid-week and then host Houston for a weekend series
- Houston (17-18, 5-13)- Cougars took game one against Texas, lost late in game two, and then lost late again in game three
- Next Up: Cougars host Houston Christian and Southern during mid-week, then travel to Cincy for a weekend series
- Kansas (19-14, 7-8)- Jayhawks swept Pacific in out of conference play this weekend
- Next Up: Jayhawks travel to Omaha and then head to Waco for a weekend series at Baylor
- Kansas State (21-13, 7-8)- Wildcats got swept by the Sooners in Norman
- Next Up: Wildcats travel to UConn and Northeastern during the mid-week and then host Oklahoma State for a weekend series
- Oklahoma (21-14, 11-4)- Sooners swept Kansas State over the week to stay tied for first place in the Big 12
- Next Up: Sooners travel to Utah to for a Thur-Sat series against BYU
- Oklahoma State (25-11, 10-5)- Cowboys swept Cincy to continue their surge up the Big 12 standings and now sit just one game out of first
- Next Up: Cowboys host Dallas Baptist on Tuesday and then travel to Kansas State for a weekend series
- TCU (22-11, 7-11)- Frogs lost the first game at home to Tech, but then won a pair of close games to win the series
- Next Up: Frogs travel to Abilene Christian for a Tuesday matchup and then travel to Austin for a massive series against Texas
- Texas (22-15, 9-6)- Horns lost yet another Friday night game, but bounced back to win the series,
- Next Up: Horns host UT-RGV for a Tuesday matchup and then host TCU for a massive Big 12 weekend series
- Texas Tech (26-11, 9-9)- Red Raiders continue their hot-cold Big 12 play as they lost the series to TCU, after winning game one
- Next Up: Red Raiders travel to previously #1 Arkansas for a Tues/Wed series before hosting league leading West Virginia at home this weekend
- UCF (21-12, 8-10)- Knights ran into the buzz saw known as West Virginia and got swept in Morgantown
- Next Up: Knights host North Florida on Tuesday and then step out of conference for a four game series for Central Michigan
- West Virginia (22-13, 11-4)- Mountaineers stay hot and swept a tough UCF team over the weekend
- Next Up: Mountaineers host Pitt on Tuesday and then travel to Lubbock to take on Texas Tech
BIG 12 CONFERENCE STANDINGS (conference record)
- West Virginia (11-4)
- Oklahoma (11-4)
- Oklahoma State (10-5)
- Texas (9-6)
- Baylor (8-7)
- Texas Tech (9-9)
- Kansas State (7-8)
- Kansas (7-8)
- Cincinnati (7-8)
- UCF (8-10)
- TCU (7-11)
- BYU (6-12)
- Houston (5-13)
What a dang mess the Big 12 is. Horns remain just 2 games back from the conference lead, but they are also just 2 game above being in 9th place.
BIG 12 RPI / SOS
- UCF: 14 / 3
- Oklahoma: 19 / 1
- Oklahoma State: 23 / 33
- West Virginia: 27 / 37
- TCU: 32 / 42
- Texas Tech: 36 / 72
- Kansas State: 38 / 43
- Texas: 67 / 53
- Cincinnati: 75 / 80
- Kansas: 92 / 71
- Houston: 99 / 46
- BYU: 115 / 67
- Baylor: 116 / 58
Horns RPI remains an issue when looking ahead at potential post season play. The predicted RPI for the Horns is not supposed to go above 60. Big red flag!
Horns do still have the remaining RPI teams to play: TCU (32), Oklahoma (19), Oklahoma State (23), UCF (14), Kansas (92)
The next 4 series will largely define where Texas RPI ends up at, especially road games against Oklahoma and UCF.
TOP 25 RANKINGS
Reminder
As a reminder, the Longhorns are winding down the NIL fiscal year for baseball and the Longhorns are going to drastically ramp up funding efforts for Texas Baseball as it enters the SEC in 2025.
A monthly donation of $20-$100 a month makes a big difference in baseball. This is not football that has massive contracts and full scholarships for all the players. If you currently support a different sport through Texas One Fund, consider adding even $5-$10 for baseball.
If you have any questions, reach out to @AgaveHorn
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