Winning Pitcher: Cody Howard (1-0)
Losing Pitcher: Joey Danielson (0-3)
BOX SCORE
RECAP
Gritty win. Even in a stretch against weaker opponents, there will be tests. Texas got a test from the Bison on Wednesday night and passed it with a 7-4 victory. This was the seventh game in nine days for the Horns and it took some guts to pull this one out as the team was running thin on pitching. Ace Whitehead came out throwing strikes and to their credit, the Bison made some loud contact and took a 2-0 lead in the second inning. Texas tied the game in the third with the first of two Eric Kennedy homers on the night. North Dakota State responded by taking the lead right back when Max Grubbs allowed a walk and a single before throwing away a bunt, eventually leading to two unearned runs. Then in the 5th, it was another returning player, this time Dylan Campbell, who tied the game with a long ball of his own into the bullpen in left. Kennedy later gave UT the lead with his second blast of the night before Thomas and Guillemette added some insurance runs in the 8th. Zane Morehouse picked up his first save as a Longhorn to secure the seventh straight win for Texas.
Some analysis from another win at UFCU Disch-Falk Field
It was Texas' grittiest player that led the team to a gritty win. Eric Kennedy has been through these wars, he's fought every battle and knows what to do in a given situation. David Pierce has mentioned recently that this team has looked and felt tired at points in this stretch, the early innings on Wednesday felt that way. There wasn't much life in the lineup until Eric Kennedy lit the spark. The grizzled vet had plenty of juice on a Wednesday night against the Bison. That's what makes great players great. They bring it every single night. That's not to say there will be great results every game, that's not how baseball works. But Kennedy plays hard night in and night out, making two-homer nights like these unsurprising.
Two hits for Dylan Campbell felt important going into the weekend. There are four more games until Texas Tech rolls into town. When Gavin Kash and Co. show up it will be important that Dylan Campbell is heating up at the plate. DC singled in his first at-bat of the game and later tied the game with a seed into the bullpen in the 5th. Campbell is supposed to be one of the top players on the team and that was a situation where a top player would come through. There was a runner on first, a hittable lefty was on the bump, and Texas trailed by two with the wind blowing out to left field. Campbell has come to the plate in situations like these a few times this year and the results had not gone his way up until this point. Campbell made it happen on Wednesday, now we'll see if he can build some momentum and give Tech pitchers something to worry about next Friday.
This bullpen keeps getting the job done. It's not that I'm stunned that this group keeps coming through, it's the makeup of the group itself that still catches my attention. This is the University of Texas in the year 2023. Seemingly everyone has a cousin or knows a local high school kid that throws 95 MPH, yet velocity is not what defines this bullpen. Ace Whitehead, Max Grubbs, Andre Duplantier II, David Shaw, and Cody Howard covered 8 of the 9 nine innings on Wednesday and none of them had success by simply being more talented than the NDSU hitters. Don't get it twisted, these guys are talented, just not in the way I would expect UT relievers to be. Woody Williams and Chris Gordon have done a really nice job with this pitching staff. It's a group that has a plan on the mound and has the guts to make big pitches when necessary.
QUOTES AFTER THE WIN
Eric Kennedy on raising his hands at the plate - "It was Wednesday or Thursday right before we played Arkansas, my problem is I get under the ball sometimes... I think getting them (my hands) up there really helps me get on top and be able to drive balls"
EK on being a leader - "Being an older guy and having experience I know the other guys look up to me so it's crucial that I set a good example and lead them down the right path. I'm not going to say a whole lot but when something needs to be said I'll say it."
Pierce on Campbell and Kennedy coming through - "If I'm a young guy I'm going to follow those two around, especially EK right now because he's really made some nice changes in his swing and approach which then equates to confidence and success."
Pierce on the rotation for the weekend - "Lucas Gordon is going to pitch on Friday is what I know for sure."
UP NEXT
Texas (11-7) will host New Orleans (11-6) for three games at the Disch this weekend.
Losing Pitcher: Joey Danielson (0-3)
BOX SCORE
RECAP
Gritty win. Even in a stretch against weaker opponents, there will be tests. Texas got a test from the Bison on Wednesday night and passed it with a 7-4 victory. This was the seventh game in nine days for the Horns and it took some guts to pull this one out as the team was running thin on pitching. Ace Whitehead came out throwing strikes and to their credit, the Bison made some loud contact and took a 2-0 lead in the second inning. Texas tied the game in the third with the first of two Eric Kennedy homers on the night. North Dakota State responded by taking the lead right back when Max Grubbs allowed a walk and a single before throwing away a bunt, eventually leading to two unearned runs. Then in the 5th, it was another returning player, this time Dylan Campbell, who tied the game with a long ball of his own into the bullpen in left. Kennedy later gave UT the lead with his second blast of the night before Thomas and Guillemette added some insurance runs in the 8th. Zane Morehouse picked up his first save as a Longhorn to secure the seventh straight win for Texas.
Some analysis from another win at UFCU Disch-Falk Field
It was Texas' grittiest player that led the team to a gritty win. Eric Kennedy has been through these wars, he's fought every battle and knows what to do in a given situation. David Pierce has mentioned recently that this team has looked and felt tired at points in this stretch, the early innings on Wednesday felt that way. There wasn't much life in the lineup until Eric Kennedy lit the spark. The grizzled vet had plenty of juice on a Wednesday night against the Bison. That's what makes great players great. They bring it every single night. That's not to say there will be great results every game, that's not how baseball works. But Kennedy plays hard night in and night out, making two-homer nights like these unsurprising.
Two hits for Dylan Campbell felt important going into the weekend. There are four more games until Texas Tech rolls into town. When Gavin Kash and Co. show up it will be important that Dylan Campbell is heating up at the plate. DC singled in his first at-bat of the game and later tied the game with a seed into the bullpen in the 5th. Campbell is supposed to be one of the top players on the team and that was a situation where a top player would come through. There was a runner on first, a hittable lefty was on the bump, and Texas trailed by two with the wind blowing out to left field. Campbell has come to the plate in situations like these a few times this year and the results had not gone his way up until this point. Campbell made it happen on Wednesday, now we'll see if he can build some momentum and give Tech pitchers something to worry about next Friday.
This bullpen keeps getting the job done. It's not that I'm stunned that this group keeps coming through, it's the makeup of the group itself that still catches my attention. This is the University of Texas in the year 2023. Seemingly everyone has a cousin or knows a local high school kid that throws 95 MPH, yet velocity is not what defines this bullpen. Ace Whitehead, Max Grubbs, Andre Duplantier II, David Shaw, and Cody Howard covered 8 of the 9 nine innings on Wednesday and none of them had success by simply being more talented than the NDSU hitters. Don't get it twisted, these guys are talented, just not in the way I would expect UT relievers to be. Woody Williams and Chris Gordon have done a really nice job with this pitching staff. It's a group that has a plan on the mound and has the guts to make big pitches when necessary.
QUOTES AFTER THE WIN
Eric Kennedy on raising his hands at the plate - "It was Wednesday or Thursday right before we played Arkansas, my problem is I get under the ball sometimes... I think getting them (my hands) up there really helps me get on top and be able to drive balls"
EK on being a leader - "Being an older guy and having experience I know the other guys look up to me so it's crucial that I set a good example and lead them down the right path. I'm not going to say a whole lot but when something needs to be said I'll say it."
Pierce on Campbell and Kennedy coming through - "If I'm a young guy I'm going to follow those two around, especially EK right now because he's really made some nice changes in his swing and approach which then equates to confidence and success."
Pierce on the rotation for the weekend - "Lucas Gordon is going to pitch on Friday is what I know for sure."
UP NEXT
Texas (11-7) will host New Orleans (11-6) for three games at the Disch this weekend.
