On Sunday evening, the Texas Longhorn baseball team was warming up for a matchup against Oklahoma State in the Shriner’s Children’s College Showdown and that night’s starter, Kade Bing, was clearly excited for the moment.
“He normally pitches in the 90 to 91 (mph) range and he was warming up at 92 to 93 miles an hour,” head coach Jim Schlossnagle told the press Thursday. “I looked at Max and said, ‘I'm not so sure this is a good thing.’ He was so excited. And of course, then he yanked one at 94 (mph), the hardest pitch he's ever thrown in his life, right into the leadoff hitters rear end.”
Bing’s first start of the season lasted 2/3 innings with the sophomore leftie giving up one hit, two hit batsmen and two earned runs.
Bing’s erratic, albeit short lived night, was a departure from what Schlossnagle has seen from the pitcher so far.
“Kade is one of our best strike throwers on the team,” Schlossnagle said.
What Bing didn’t do that night, apart from avoiding hitters bats – as well as the hitters themselves – is master the self-control that Schlossnagle has spent a lot of time and money trying to get his players to perfect.
“He had the skills, and he attempted to execute the skills, he just didn't do a good job of - you know, taking that big, deep breath that slows your heart rate down, and being present,” said Schlossnagle. “When the environment gets to be like that, when it gets to be you know, a big league stadium, and a big moment or whatever, that's when you slow down the most. But sometimes, like your children, you can tell them till you're blue in the face but until they experience it on their own, you know they have to experience it first and then they'll be better from it.”
The Texas coach says he’s a big believer that mental sharpness is a skill that coached, taught, repeated and learned.
Schlossnagle has employed the help of “mental performance coach” Brian Cain for several years now, going back to his TCU.
“He’s [Cain] is a big part of the culture of our program and I think our players have really bought in,” Schlossnagle said. “It's the mental game it's being able to control yourself in those moments to where you just play and you're in control of your breath and your heart rate and Cain helps us do that.”
As for Kade Bing, he’ll be back out on the bump Sunday when the Horns take on Dartmouth in game three of the series.
But if you’re planning to head out to the Disch this weekend, bundle up.
TEXAS SPORTS ROUNDUP:
It is the start of the beach volleyball season this weekend with the #15 ranked Texas Longhorns headed to Houston for the Houston Christian University tournament.
But this week also saw the university announce a new partnership that will allow fans to watch the beach volleyball matchups without fear of getting sand in your eyes.
Texas’ media rights holder, Learfield, announced a deal with KXAN to broadcast 11 home matches on sister station KBVO in Austin. And for those of you out of town, you can catch the games on the LHN app.
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The number one ranked softball team is back in action this weekend as well with the 11-0 Texas Longhorns on the road to Tucson, Arizona for a tournament.
The 11-0 Longhorns kicked a lot of butt last week with star pitcher Teagan Kavan leading the way. Kavan pitched a complete game in picking up the 2-1 extra-innings win against Texas Tech and their star pitcher NiJaree Canady. For her efforts, Kavan was named pitcher of the week by just about every outlet that covers the sport.
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The women’s basketball team, which moved up to number two in this week’s rankings after beating LSU last Sunday, head to Athens, Georgia on Monday to take on the UGA Bulldogs.
Georgia is currently 2-11 in conference play (Texas is tied atop the standings with South Carolina – each having a 12-1 record). So instead of writing about the matchups, I’ll leave you with this awesome photo of Kevin Durant and Madison Booker from earlier this week.
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The SEC Championships in swimming and diving are still going on right now and Texas continues to dominate.
Team Scores Through Day 4
WOMEN:
Texas — 888.5
Florida — 576
Tennessee — 556
Georgia — 441.5
Texas A&M — 347
South Carolina — 344
LSU — 308
Alabama — 289
Auburn — 242.5
Missouri — 208.5
Kentucky — 166
Arkansas — 146
Vanderbilt — 89
MEN:
Texas — 827.5
Florida — 714
Tennessee — 526.5
Georgia — 463
Texas A&M — 377
Alabama — 329
Auburn — 308
LSU — 295
Kentucky — 231
South Carolina — 164
Missouri — 157
Picking up another conference title, this time in the SEC, would be even more impressive … but part for the course. The Horns have won 45 straight conference titles in swimming and diving – going back to the Southwest Conference days.
Not bad for new coach Bob Bowman.
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The Texas men’s tennis team fell just short of competing for a national indoor championship – losing in the semifinals to Wake Forest.
But there’s no time to mourn because the outdoor season gets underway this weekend … even if the first match is being moved indoors.
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And finally, the men’s basketball team heads to Columbia, South Carolina to take on the winless (in conference play) University of South Carolina. This is only the third time in school history that the Longhorns and Gamecocks have faced each other in men’s basketball.
USC may not be the best team in the world, but every win counts as the Horns move closer and closer to tournament play.
