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Texas baseball said all the right things when met with the inevitable barrage of questions Saturday, tightly hugging the day-by-day mentality that has gotten the Longhorns this far.
Shortly after Texas finalized a sweep of Auburn to move three games above Tennessee and Arkansas at the top of the SEC standings, folks wanted to know about the series baseball fans around the state have been looking forward to since coach Jim Schlossnagle left Texas A&M for Texas.
The Longhorns will host the Aggies for a three-game set beginning on Friday. So what do the Horns think about it?
CED'S TAKE: Freshman Jonah Williams has the look of Texas' next great two-sport star | Golden
"We're not worried about next weekend," reliever Jason Flores said. "We're just worried about Texas State (on Tuesday).
"We'll get to it when it comes," first baseman and former Aggie Kimble Schuessler said.
It's an off-the-field mantra that has helped Texas run out to a 33-5 record and 16-2 mark in the SEC. On the field, a few recent developments have the Longhorns well-positioned to take on the resurgent Aggies.
Schluessler said that lately he's been hunting fastballs. Saturday, his aim was true.
Schuessler launched a heater at 91 miles per hour over the wall in left field to secure a 14-2, run-rule victory for the Longhorns on Saturday.
"We really put our focus on being on time with the fastball and trusting ourselves to hit the breaking ball," Schuessler said postgame. "So, when we're on the heater, you know we're right."
More: Texas baseball: Why did starting pitcher Ruger Riojas only last three innings vs Auburn?
In the first inning, Schuessler adjusted to a curveball down and out of the strike zone and smoked it over the left-field wall. In the second, he kept an inside offspeed pitch just fair down the left-field line for a double. Add up the damage and Schuessler finished the afternoon with three extra-base hits and eight runs batted in — five more than his previous career-high of three.
Schuessler is hitting .419 since the beginning of April. Half of those hits have gone for extra bases. After a middling start to the season, Schuessler owns a .367 average in SEC play, placing him behind only Rylan Galvan among Longhorn regulars.
"What a guy," Schlossnagle said. "What an incredible leader, baseball player and competitive athlete. One of the top four or five pure competitors that I've ever coached."
If you're into overreactions, it's time to load up the Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson comparisons.
RECAP: Texas baseball vs Auburn game score: Replay, highlights as Longhorns secure SEC sweep
Freshman Jonah Williams, a two-sport athlete for the Longhorns, started his first two games of the year for Texas over the weekend. He extracted five hits from those two showings, reaching base six times.
With Williams in the fold, a once-barren bottom third of the Texas lineup now looks strong. Players hitting seventh, eighth and ninth in the Longhorns' batting order combined to go 13-for-28 in the Auburn series.
Williams is helping to fill the gap in the outfield left by Max Belyeu, last season's Big 12 Player of the Year. He hasn't played since March 28 and is officially considered week-to-week with an injury. His breakout, combined with the return of stars Adrian Rodriguez and Ethan Mendoza from injury, has deepened the Longhorns' lineup considerably.
Of the nine batters Texas fielded in Saturday's series finale, eight have a season-long OPS above .800. The lone exception, Tommy Farmer IV, sits at .781.
Schlossnagle said he "can't envision" Texas ace Jared Spencer pitching next week against the Aggies after he departed his Thursday start with arm soreness.
With that in mind, Schlossnagle managed his staff in order to give himself "options" next week. Ruger Riojas, the Saturday starter, allowed one run over three innings before Schlossnagle hooked him in favor of Flores.
With Riojas fresh, he'll be available to pitch on Friday or Saturday if Texas wants to go that route.
"If we left him out there for a while, then we wouldn't have many choices," Schlossnagle said.
More: Texas baseball could win the SEC in its debut year. Jim Schlossnagle has bigger goals
If the Longhorns do indeed find themselves in need of a third starter against the Aggies, they've got a handful of relievers with experience pitching multiple innings. Max Grubbs, last year's Friday starter, is averaging three innings per outing out of the bullpen. Star closer Dylan Volantis averages nearly 2⅓ innings per showing.
And Flores, after 3⅔ innings of one-run ball on Saturday, can count himself among the same group, averaging nearly 2⅔ innings every time he takes the mound.
Saturday, he unleashed a splitter he'd been developing to help him torment the Auburn lineup. All three of those pitchers hold season ERAs below 1.70.
"I just think we're different," Flores said. "I feel like we're the most confident team, for sure."
Reach Texas Insider David Eckert via email at [email protected]. Follow the American-Statesman on Facebook and X for more. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Get access to all of our best content with this tremendous offer.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Kimble Schuessler, Texas baseball pitchers prepare for Texas A&M
Continue reading...
Shortly after Texas finalized a sweep of Auburn to move three games above Tennessee and Arkansas at the top of the SEC standings, folks wanted to know about the series baseball fans around the state have been looking forward to since coach Jim Schlossnagle left Texas A&M for Texas.
The Longhorns will host the Aggies for a three-game set beginning on Friday. So what do the Horns think about it?
CED'S TAKE: Freshman Jonah Williams has the look of Texas' next great two-sport star | Golden
"We're not worried about next weekend," reliever Jason Flores said. "We're just worried about Texas State (on Tuesday).
"We'll get to it when it comes," first baseman and former Aggie Kimble Schuessler said.
It's an off-the-field mantra that has helped Texas run out to a 33-5 record and 16-2 mark in the SEC. On the field, a few recent developments have the Longhorns well-positioned to take on the resurgent Aggies.
Former Aggie Kimble Schuessler playing his best baseball for Texas
Schluessler said that lately he's been hunting fastballs. Saturday, his aim was true.
Schuessler launched a heater at 91 miles per hour over the wall in left field to secure a 14-2, run-rule victory for the Longhorns on Saturday.
"We really put our focus on being on time with the fastball and trusting ourselves to hit the breaking ball," Schuessler said postgame. "So, when we're on the heater, you know we're right."
More: Texas baseball: Why did starting pitcher Ruger Riojas only last three innings vs Auburn?
In the first inning, Schuessler adjusted to a curveball down and out of the strike zone and smoked it over the left-field wall. In the second, he kept an inside offspeed pitch just fair down the left-field line for a double. Add up the damage and Schuessler finished the afternoon with three extra-base hits and eight runs batted in — five more than his previous career-high of three.
Schuessler is hitting .419 since the beginning of April. Half of those hits have gone for extra bases. After a middling start to the season, Schuessler owns a .367 average in SEC play, placing him behind only Rylan Galvan among Longhorn regulars.
"What a guy," Schlossnagle said. "What an incredible leader, baseball player and competitive athlete. One of the top four or five pure competitors that I've ever coached."
The Texas baseball lineup is looking deeper
If you're into overreactions, it's time to load up the Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson comparisons.
RECAP: Texas baseball vs Auburn game score: Replay, highlights as Longhorns secure SEC sweep
Freshman Jonah Williams, a two-sport athlete for the Longhorns, started his first two games of the year for Texas over the weekend. He extracted five hits from those two showings, reaching base six times.
With Williams in the fold, a once-barren bottom third of the Texas lineup now looks strong. Players hitting seventh, eighth and ninth in the Longhorns' batting order combined to go 13-for-28 in the Auburn series.
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Williams is helping to fill the gap in the outfield left by Max Belyeu, last season's Big 12 Player of the Year. He hasn't played since March 28 and is officially considered week-to-week with an injury. His breakout, combined with the return of stars Adrian Rodriguez and Ethan Mendoza from injury, has deepened the Longhorns' lineup considerably.
Of the nine batters Texas fielded in Saturday's series finale, eight have a season-long OPS above .800. The lone exception, Tommy Farmer IV, sits at .781.
Texas baseball has the pitching depth to withstand Jared Spencer's injury
Schlossnagle said he "can't envision" Texas ace Jared Spencer pitching next week against the Aggies after he departed his Thursday start with arm soreness.
With that in mind, Schlossnagle managed his staff in order to give himself "options" next week. Ruger Riojas, the Saturday starter, allowed one run over three innings before Schlossnagle hooked him in favor of Flores.
With Riojas fresh, he'll be available to pitch on Friday or Saturday if Texas wants to go that route.
"If we left him out there for a while, then we wouldn't have many choices," Schlossnagle said.
More: Texas baseball could win the SEC in its debut year. Jim Schlossnagle has bigger goals
If the Longhorns do indeed find themselves in need of a third starter against the Aggies, they've got a handful of relievers with experience pitching multiple innings. Max Grubbs, last year's Friday starter, is averaging three innings per outing out of the bullpen. Star closer Dylan Volantis averages nearly 2⅓ innings per showing.
And Flores, after 3⅔ innings of one-run ball on Saturday, can count himself among the same group, averaging nearly 2⅔ innings every time he takes the mound.
Saturday, he unleashed a splitter he'd been developing to help him torment the Auburn lineup. All three of those pitchers hold season ERAs below 1.70.
"I just think we're different," Flores said. "I feel like we're the most confident team, for sure."
Reach Texas Insider David Eckert via email at [email protected]. Follow the American-Statesman on Facebook and X for more. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Get access to all of our best content with this tremendous offer.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Kimble Schuessler, Texas baseball pitchers prepare for Texas A&M
Continue reading...
