FRIDAY RECAP
Winning Pitcher: Travis Sthele (2-2)
Losing Pitcher: Brandon Mitchell (3-2)
BOX SCORE
RECAP
At least for one day, it felt like 2022 at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. Texas launched three homers and dominated on the mound in its 15-1 win over New Orleans. This win gave Texas its ninth-straight win, all during this long homestand. The Horns broke the game open with eight runs in the sixth inning. Peyton Powell went yard as the second batter in the inning and much later, Eric Kennedy launched a grand slam as the 10th hitter in the frame. Texas took its walks and cashed in via the long ball, just as the 2022 team repeatedly did. Not that Texas needed all these runs on a day that featured Travis Sthele’s best outing of his career.
Some thoughts on yet another win for the Horns…
Statement made. Texas is in the midst of finding its rotation ahead of next weekend’s series against Texas Tech. Is Morehouse a reliever now? Is LBJ set to join the weekend rotation? What’s the best way to use Charlie Hurley? All of these were fair and relevant questions entering this series against New Orleans. But perhaps the biggest mystery of all was what in world was going to happen with Travis Sthele.
Sthele’s bumpy career has been well-documented up to this point. Some high-highs and some low-lows. But Sthele’s start on Sunday against the Privateers was the highest high that he’s ever highed. Sthele didn’t just dominate New Orleans on Saturday, he pitched a beautiful all-around game. Fastball command, tunneling with the changeup, unpredictable sequencing, Sthele checked all the boxes and then some. This felt like a make-or-break start for Travis and he stepped up in an impressive way. As it always is for Sthele, the challenge will be repeating this performance. But regardless of what comes next, this was a pretty special performance.
6 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 9 K, 0 BB.
Porter Brown just keeps swinging it. Texas faced yet another left-handed starter on Saturday, surely a frustrating trend for the likes of Porter Brown and Jared Thomas. But you wouldn't know it from looking at Brown’s stats. Porter’s first hit of the day came on a perfect inside-out swing off the lefty Mitchell. Brown kept his hands inside the ball and smacked it to left. Later in the game, Brown got his bat head out in front of an offering from Mitchell, pulling the ball to RF for another hit. It’s rare that you see a left-handed hitter get two hits off of a LHP to two different parts of the park, but that’s what Brown did.
He’s just a hitter, plain and simple.
Brown is now hitting .329 with 4 HR and 17 RBI
Two more hits for Dylan Campbell… DC has had plenty of barrels this year to complement a large number of ugly at-bats. Just when you might think he is broken, Campbell will unleash on a baseball. Just when you might think he’s heating up, Campbell will drop an 0-4. This might just be the DC experience this year.
Don’t stop now. Texas is 9-0 in this stretch of games at the Disch against teams that are not exactly the Houston Astros. The Horns still have two more of these games before conference play. Now is not the time to slip up. Keep the foot on the gas and squeeze every last ounce of confidence you can out of this stretch.
UP NEXT
Texas (13-7) will close out its series with New Orleans on Sunday at 1 PM on LHN.
Winning Pitcher: Travis Sthele (2-2)
Losing Pitcher: Brandon Mitchell (3-2)
BOX SCORE
RECAP
At least for one day, it felt like 2022 at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. Texas launched three homers and dominated on the mound in its 15-1 win over New Orleans. This win gave Texas its ninth-straight win, all during this long homestand. The Horns broke the game open with eight runs in the sixth inning. Peyton Powell went yard as the second batter in the inning and much later, Eric Kennedy launched a grand slam as the 10th hitter in the frame. Texas took its walks and cashed in via the long ball, just as the 2022 team repeatedly did. Not that Texas needed all these runs on a day that featured Travis Sthele’s best outing of his career.
Some thoughts on yet another win for the Horns…
Statement made. Texas is in the midst of finding its rotation ahead of next weekend’s series against Texas Tech. Is Morehouse a reliever now? Is LBJ set to join the weekend rotation? What’s the best way to use Charlie Hurley? All of these were fair and relevant questions entering this series against New Orleans. But perhaps the biggest mystery of all was what in world was going to happen with Travis Sthele.
Sthele’s bumpy career has been well-documented up to this point. Some high-highs and some low-lows. But Sthele’s start on Sunday against the Privateers was the highest high that he’s ever highed. Sthele didn’t just dominate New Orleans on Saturday, he pitched a beautiful all-around game. Fastball command, tunneling with the changeup, unpredictable sequencing, Sthele checked all the boxes and then some. This felt like a make-or-break start for Travis and he stepped up in an impressive way. As it always is for Sthele, the challenge will be repeating this performance. But regardless of what comes next, this was a pretty special performance.
6 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 9 K, 0 BB.
Porter Brown just keeps swinging it. Texas faced yet another left-handed starter on Saturday, surely a frustrating trend for the likes of Porter Brown and Jared Thomas. But you wouldn't know it from looking at Brown’s stats. Porter’s first hit of the day came on a perfect inside-out swing off the lefty Mitchell. Brown kept his hands inside the ball and smacked it to left. Later in the game, Brown got his bat head out in front of an offering from Mitchell, pulling the ball to RF for another hit. It’s rare that you see a left-handed hitter get two hits off of a LHP to two different parts of the park, but that’s what Brown did.
He’s just a hitter, plain and simple.
Brown is now hitting .329 with 4 HR and 17 RBI
Two more hits for Dylan Campbell… DC has had plenty of barrels this year to complement a large number of ugly at-bats. Just when you might think he is broken, Campbell will unleash on a baseball. Just when you might think he’s heating up, Campbell will drop an 0-4. This might just be the DC experience this year.
Don’t stop now. Texas is 9-0 in this stretch of games at the Disch against teams that are not exactly the Houston Astros. The Horns still have two more of these games before conference play. Now is not the time to slip up. Keep the foot on the gas and squeeze every last ounce of confidence you can out of this stretch.
UP NEXT
Texas (13-7) will close out its series with New Orleans on Sunday at 1 PM on LHN.
