NERD ALERT - Stats to know about Texas
9-0
.67 ERA
.88 WHIP
.300 BA
72-10 (Runs for/against)
The Horns have started the season on a tear. They are pitching exceptionally well and scoring far more runs than their opponents, freezing rain not withstanding. The competition is about to get real though. Texas is going to face off against the #17 Vols (Fri), #7 Tigers (Sat) and a talented team UCLA (Sun). I will be up front in saying I don't expect a sweep and while it is possible, I think more than likely Texas drops their first game of the year on Friday against the Vols. It is not so much that I don't believe in Hansen's pitching, the bullpen or even the hitting, but solely based on a gut feeling and knowing that Texas will face off against two of the best offenses in the nation this weekend. At the same time, Texas represents a huge step up in competition for the Vols and to some degree the Tigers (they lost to LaTech), so the Horns could very well come out 3-0 with the same trajectory as a rocket to the moon. Either way, the goal for Pierce and crew will remain the same, make it to Omaha and let the chips fall where they might.
Television:
AT&T SportsNet SW and MLB Network. AT&T SportsNet SW will air all nine games live in the Astros five-state viewing area. Outside of the Astros viewing area, MLB Network will also air all nine games live. Fans are asked to check local listings for more information.
In addition to television coverage, all nine games of the tournament will be streamed nationally on Astros.com, the Astros Twitter, Facebook and YouTube accounts, and the MLB app. Additionally, subscribers to AT&T SportsNet SW can also stream all nine games live on the AT&T SportsNet app.
***I will have a gameday thread with PBP for each of the games going on***
Weekend Schedule:
Friday, March 4 UCLA vs. Baylor 11:05 a.m.
Oklahoma vs. LSU 3:05 p.m.
Tennessee vs. Texas 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, March 5 Oklahoma vs. UCLA 11:05 a.m.
Baylor vs. Tennessee 3:05 p.m.
Texas vs. LSU 7:05 p.m.
Sunday, March 6 Tennessee vs. Oklahoma 11:05 a.m.
UCLA vs. Texas 3:05 p.m.
LSU vs. Baylor 7:05 p.m.
Here is the link to @AaronLittleOB and I discussing the past week and upcoming weekend, along with baseball in general - WATCH ME! - If there is additional baseball content y'all want to see in the future, feel free to send me a message.
Game 1 - Vols (8-0) v. Horns (9-0)
Pitching Matchup:
R-So. LHP Pete Hansen 0.00 ERA / .82 WHIP / 1-0
Fr. RHP Chase Burns 0.00 ERA / .80 WHIP / 2-0
The Vols are very good offensively and even without their ace Blade Tidwell, they have been very good on the mound. The Vols will be the biggest test on the weekend, despite having played lower tier competition to date. The Vols will also be out for revenge after their run-in with Texas in the 2021 CWS (shout out to Witt and EK). Burns is a big guy with good command that throws hard and limits walks. Top bullpen arm is Sr. Sewell who struck out 3 and did not allow a hit in 1.2 IP. He is a do it all kind of guy who has started, closed and come in as relief over his career. The top hitters for the Vols are Jared Dickey (.692 avg / 2.058 OPS) and Trey Lipscomb (.533 avg / 1.812 OPS).
#4 Batting Avg - .372
#2 ERA - .90 (Texas is #1 with a .67)
#1 WHIP - .74
#1 Doubles
#12 Hits
#1 HRs
#1 Runs
#1 Base on Balls
Game 2 - Tigers (8-1) v. Horns (9-0)
Pitching Matchup:
R-Sr. RHP Tristen Stevens 0.00 ERA / .83 WHIP / 2-0
Sr. RHP Ma'Khail Hilliard 5.63 ERA / 1.00 WHIP / 0-0
Everyone knows that the Tigers can hit, even if Jacob Berry has started life slower than anticipated at LSU. The Tigers have not put up the gaudy numbers as Vols, but make not mistake, they are one of the top 3 offenses in the nation. The big question mark for the Tigers is their pitching staff. Outside of Fri night starter Blake Money and talented reliever Devin Fontenot, the bullpen has been up and down and their Saturday starter Hilliard has had two rough outings so far. Hilliard has an overhand fastball and a 12-6 curve with good bite, but he is not an overly hard thrower. His FB lives in the high 80s to low 90s range. Coach Johnson has used a lot of guys at the start of the season to figure out what he has, but I would not be surprised to see Javen Coleman and Paul Gervase on Saturday. Something else to watch is the defense, which has not been the strongest this year and will be something to watch with the speedy Hodo and EK. Stealing will be tough though as their catcher has good pop time and a strong arm.
Game 3 - Bruins (6-3) v. Horns (9-0)
Pitching Matchup:
So. RHP Tanner Witt 1.64 ERA / 1.09 WHIP / 2-0
R-So. RHP Kelly Austin 0.00 ERA / .50 WHIP / 0-0
UCLA is a young team but one that has some talented pieces. They have started the year a bit up and down, but did score a nice mid-week win against Long Beach State. Texas gets the benefit of going against UCLA on Sunday, so they get to see them in live action against OU and Baylor. On the season, the Bruins are hitting .249 as a team and they have not hit for very much power, so it is definitely not a lineup that scares you, especially with the dangerous Witt on the mound. From a pitching stand point, they have a respectable 2.22 ERA, but that is almost solely based on the efforts of their starters. The bullpen is questionable at times. The projected starter Austin has faced CSUN and UC Riverside, so certainly not top quality competition and Texas will be his biggest test to date.
Prediction - Texas goes 2-1 on the weekend, dropping the Friday night game against the Vols.
I'll be down in Houston this weekend after a last minute change of plans, so feel free to say hi and hope everyone shows up!
9-0
.67 ERA
.88 WHIP
.300 BA
72-10 (Runs for/against)
The Horns have started the season on a tear. They are pitching exceptionally well and scoring far more runs than their opponents, freezing rain not withstanding. The competition is about to get real though. Texas is going to face off against the #17 Vols (Fri), #7 Tigers (Sat) and a talented team UCLA (Sun). I will be up front in saying I don't expect a sweep and while it is possible, I think more than likely Texas drops their first game of the year on Friday against the Vols. It is not so much that I don't believe in Hansen's pitching, the bullpen or even the hitting, but solely based on a gut feeling and knowing that Texas will face off against two of the best offenses in the nation this weekend. At the same time, Texas represents a huge step up in competition for the Vols and to some degree the Tigers (they lost to LaTech), so the Horns could very well come out 3-0 with the same trajectory as a rocket to the moon. Either way, the goal for Pierce and crew will remain the same, make it to Omaha and let the chips fall where they might.
Television:
AT&T SportsNet SW and MLB Network. AT&T SportsNet SW will air all nine games live in the Astros five-state viewing area. Outside of the Astros viewing area, MLB Network will also air all nine games live. Fans are asked to check local listings for more information.
In addition to television coverage, all nine games of the tournament will be streamed nationally on Astros.com, the Astros Twitter, Facebook and YouTube accounts, and the MLB app. Additionally, subscribers to AT&T SportsNet SW can also stream all nine games live on the AT&T SportsNet app.
***I will have a gameday thread with PBP for each of the games going on***
Weekend Schedule:
Friday, March 4 UCLA vs. Baylor 11:05 a.m.
Oklahoma vs. LSU 3:05 p.m.
Tennessee vs. Texas 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, March 5 Oklahoma vs. UCLA 11:05 a.m.
Baylor vs. Tennessee 3:05 p.m.
Texas vs. LSU 7:05 p.m.
Sunday, March 6 Tennessee vs. Oklahoma 11:05 a.m.
UCLA vs. Texas 3:05 p.m.
LSU vs. Baylor 7:05 p.m.
Here is the link to @AaronLittleOB and I discussing the past week and upcoming weekend, along with baseball in general - WATCH ME! - If there is additional baseball content y'all want to see in the future, feel free to send me a message.
Game 1 - Vols (8-0) v. Horns (9-0)
Pitching Matchup:
R-So. LHP Pete Hansen 0.00 ERA / .82 WHIP / 1-0
Fr. RHP Chase Burns 0.00 ERA / .80 WHIP / 2-0
The Vols are very good offensively and even without their ace Blade Tidwell, they have been very good on the mound. The Vols will be the biggest test on the weekend, despite having played lower tier competition to date. The Vols will also be out for revenge after their run-in with Texas in the 2021 CWS (shout out to Witt and EK). Burns is a big guy with good command that throws hard and limits walks. Top bullpen arm is Sr. Sewell who struck out 3 and did not allow a hit in 1.2 IP. He is a do it all kind of guy who has started, closed and come in as relief over his career. The top hitters for the Vols are Jared Dickey (.692 avg / 2.058 OPS) and Trey Lipscomb (.533 avg / 1.812 OPS).
#4 Batting Avg - .372
#2 ERA - .90 (Texas is #1 with a .67)
#1 WHIP - .74
#1 Doubles
#12 Hits
#1 HRs
#1 Runs
#1 Base on Balls
Game 2 - Tigers (8-1) v. Horns (9-0)
Pitching Matchup:
R-Sr. RHP Tristen Stevens 0.00 ERA / .83 WHIP / 2-0
Sr. RHP Ma'Khail Hilliard 5.63 ERA / 1.00 WHIP / 0-0
Everyone knows that the Tigers can hit, even if Jacob Berry has started life slower than anticipated at LSU. The Tigers have not put up the gaudy numbers as Vols, but make not mistake, they are one of the top 3 offenses in the nation. The big question mark for the Tigers is their pitching staff. Outside of Fri night starter Blake Money and talented reliever Devin Fontenot, the bullpen has been up and down and their Saturday starter Hilliard has had two rough outings so far. Hilliard has an overhand fastball and a 12-6 curve with good bite, but he is not an overly hard thrower. His FB lives in the high 80s to low 90s range. Coach Johnson has used a lot of guys at the start of the season to figure out what he has, but I would not be surprised to see Javen Coleman and Paul Gervase on Saturday. Something else to watch is the defense, which has not been the strongest this year and will be something to watch with the speedy Hodo and EK. Stealing will be tough though as their catcher has good pop time and a strong arm.
Game 3 - Bruins (6-3) v. Horns (9-0)
Pitching Matchup:
So. RHP Tanner Witt 1.64 ERA / 1.09 WHIP / 2-0
R-So. RHP Kelly Austin 0.00 ERA / .50 WHIP / 0-0
UCLA is a young team but one that has some talented pieces. They have started the year a bit up and down, but did score a nice mid-week win against Long Beach State. Texas gets the benefit of going against UCLA on Sunday, so they get to see them in live action against OU and Baylor. On the season, the Bruins are hitting .249 as a team and they have not hit for very much power, so it is definitely not a lineup that scares you, especially with the dangerous Witt on the mound. From a pitching stand point, they have a respectable 2.22 ERA, but that is almost solely based on the efforts of their starters. The bullpen is questionable at times. The projected starter Austin has faced CSUN and UC Riverside, so certainly not top quality competition and Texas will be his biggest test to date.
Prediction - Texas goes 2-1 on the weekend, dropping the Friday night game against the Vols.
I'll be down in Houston this weekend after a last minute change of plans, so feel free to say hi and hope everyone shows up!
