After winning the Big 12 regular season title, the Texas Longhorns will host the Austin regional this weekend despite going two-and-out in the Big 12 Tournament.
Joining them in this regional will be Indiana, Texas A&M and Texas Southern.
- Texas 37-20 (17-7)
The Longhorns put together a strong schedule to start the season playing LSU, Stanford and Arkansas. They started the season 9-9, but won all but two Big 12 series. They hit .272 as a team, led by Kody Clemens who hit .341 with 19 home runs and 61 RBI. They averaged 6 runs a game. The pitching staff was up-and-down this year with a 4.36 ERA in 498 innings pitched with 401 strikeouts. Nolan Kingham has had his struggles at times this year, but is still their top starter with a 4.26 ERA in 82.1 innings pitched with 64 strikeouts.
- Indiana 38-17 (14-9)
The Hoosiers had some very good wins to start the season, but struggled near the end in conference play with series losses to Minnesota and Ohio State. And then the lost to Illinois twice in the Big Ten Tournament. But they enter this regional as a two-seed. Matt Gorski leads the offense with a .363 average to go along with 39 runs scored, 8 home runs and 39 RBI. They hit .284 as a team and scored 6.2 runs per game. They have a very deep lineup. Their pitching staff has been even better than expected this year with an ERA of 2.95 in 502.2 innings pitched with 439 strikeouts. Jonathan Stiever had a 2.89 ERA in 96.2 innings pitched with 96 strikeouts. Pauly Milto posted a 2.29 ERA in 70.2 innings pitched.
- Texas A&M 39-20 (13-17)
The Aggies weren’t really tested at the beginning of the season and clearly weren’t prepared for SEC play. It looked like they were turning a corner in the middle of the season, including a 6-5 mid-week win over Texas, but then struggled again down the stretch before making a run in the SEC Tournament, which got them into the NCAA Tournament. Braden Shewmake is the leader of this offense after hitting .329 with 40 runs scored, 5 home runs and 44 RBI. Michael Helman (.366) and Logan Foster (.329, 8 home runs) are a big part of an offense hitting .284 and scoring 5.9 runs per game. They have two solid starting pitchers in John Doxakis (2.89 ERA) and Mitchell Kilkenny (3.00 ERA). Nolan Hoffman, Kaylor Chafin and Cason Sherrod are all solid out of the bullpen. They had a staff ERA of 3.23 in 533 innings pitched with 491 strikeouts.
- Texas Southern 27-26 (17-6)
Texas Southern cruised to a SWAC Tournament championship. They did play Texas in a mid-week game earlier this season and lost 10-2. Kamren Dukes led this offense with a .396 average and 65 runs scored. Christian Sanchez hit .343 with 17 home runs and 60 RBI. They hit .307 as a team and scored 7 runs a game. The pitching staff was not as great with a 5.18 ERA in 442.2 innings pitched with 356 strikeouts. Aron Solis is the leader of the staff with a 3.44 ERA in 86.1 innings pitched with 65 strikeouts. Chris Suarez has been their best pitching out of the bullpen.
Prediction:
Being a host was huge for Texas, and not everyone thought they deserved to host this weekend, but playing in front of their fans will be helpful. The Indiana pitching staff has the arms to compete in this regional, but I worry because they’ve struggled against some of the best teams on their schedule.
In all honesty, I’ve felt Texas A&M was one of the most talented teams in the country all year, but for whatever reason they haven’t played to their potential. I saw that potential at the SEC Tournament, and I think they carry that into the postseason. They are the most talented team in this regional, and I have to believe that talent plays out this weekend.
Winner: Texas A&M
