The Longhorns' bats explode for 38 runs and nine homers, including two grand slams in a dominant USC Upstate sweep.
At the start of the college baseball season, it’s often easy to spot which teams are the most talented and have the potential to dominate as the season unfolds.
The Texas Longhorns are proving to be exactly that. After sweeping USC Upstate this past weekend, the Horns remain undefeated through the first 15 games, recording the best start imaginable.
Even with challenging weather in Austin for the weekend series, the Longhorns took care of USC Upstate with authority. Rain and lightning caused some delays, but Texas still dominated, especially on offense, posting 38 runs for the series getting double-digit runs in all three games:
Game 1 - 14-2 (W)
Game 2 - 11-9 (W)
Game 3 - 13-3 (W)
You could argue the series was a home run derby for the Longhorns, as the team hit nine homers, including two grand slams, accounting for 21 of the 38 runs scored.
Junior second baseman Ethan Mendoza set the tone for the series in Game 1 with the Longhorns’ first at-bat, blasting a solo home run to left field. The rest of the lineup followed suit, adding four more homers from Casey Borba, Temo Becerra, Aiden Robbins, and, to cap off the game in style, Anthony Pack Jr., who hit a walk-off grand slam to seal the run-rule victory.
In Game 2, most of the Longhorns’ runs came in waves during the first and fifth innings. And unlike Game 1, the ball stayed in the ball park for most of the game with only a homerun a piece from each team.
In the first inning, Texas jumped to a quick 3–0 lead, sparked by an RBI from junior center fielder Aiden Robbins, followed by base hits from sophomore shortstop Adrian Rodriguez and redshirt senior third baseman Temo Becerra.
The fifth inning saw the Longhorns’ bats come alive again. Robbins hit a two-run homer to right field, and additional hits from Casey Borba and Ashton Larson, combined with RBI walks from Carson Tinney and Adrian Rodriguez, extended their lead to 10–3, giving Texas a comfortable seven-run cushion.
In the eighth, Pack Jr. recorded his fifth RBI of the series, driving in Rodriguez from third to add some insurance for the Longhorns. That would be the final run scored for Texas, finishing off Game 2 with 11 runs.
In Game 3, the Texas offense carried the momentum from the first two games, quickly taking a 2-0 lead in the second inning with RBIs from Pack Jr. and Borba. The home runs picked back up in the fourth inning, starting with Borba once again, who blasted a three-run shot down the left-field line.
Grad student Josh Livingstone added two more homers as well, one being a grand slam, helping the Longhorns secure a 13–3 run-rule victory.
Defensively, the Longhorns played well, allowing just two runs in Game 1 and three runs in Game 3. However, they ran into a hiccup in Game 2. After appearing on pace to give up only three runs, USC Upstate scored six in the final inning, turning it into a tighter 11-9 victory for Texas.
Pitching has been absolutely dominant for the Burnt Orange, with only one game in the season passing over the 5-run mark, which was the Game 2 outing.
Weekend starters Ruger Rojas and Dylan Volantis have been flawless on the mound, setting up the bullpen with ease.
Standout performances included Rojas, who pitched six strong innings with 12 strikeouts, and relief pitcher Michael Winter, who was dominant in his two appearances in Games 2 and 3. In Game 2, Winter shut down a six-run rally to help secure the win, and in Game 3, Winter pitched 2.1 innings, striking out three and allowing just one hit.
At this point in the season, most teams are bound to drop a game or two, even to less talented opponents, just look at the losses LSU and Arkansas have suffered. But Texas remains hot, and with conference play starting this week, the Longhorns will enter with confidence on their side.
On Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT, they’ll face a tough test against Texas State on the Bobcats’ home turf in San Marcos. In recent years, this matchup has developed into a bit of a rivalry, and it could serve as the Longhorns’ first real challenge of the season.