For the first time in nearly five years, Texas Longhorns baseball will host the Texas A&M Aggies at UFCU-Disch Falk Field.
The first pitch on Tuesday evening is at 6:30 p.m. CT and the expected sell out will air on Longhorn Network featuring the nation’s No. 19-ranked team in the Aggies, who will play the ‘Horns in Austin for the first time since departing the Big 12 in the summer of 2012.
Head coach David Pierce’s Texas team should provide some strong competition, however, as the Longhorns enter the game riding a five-game winning streak following last weekend’s sweep of the Bruins.
Most encouragingly, the bats got going, producing 44 runs on 58 hits in the three games at home against UCLA.
The freshmen have been a big part of the offensive surge that stretched back to last week’s contests against Richmond and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, going 13-for-30 with five extra-base hits, nine runs scored, and 14 RBI.
As the replacement for team leader Zane Gurwitz, the senior center fielder who is dealing with a nagging hamstring injury, Austin Todd has been a big part of that freshman awakening. In the five games last week, he went 7-for-17 with four doubles and nine RBI. In addition, he’s walked eight times compared to only three strikeouts, resulting in a .462 on-base percentage.
Texas A&M enters the contest on a similar winning streak, having also won the last five games. Watch out for a pair of fellow freshmen at the plate — second baseman Braden Shewmake is hitting .397, while designated hitter Logan Foster is hitting .377.
On the mound, the Longhorns may have an advantage with sophomore left-hander Nick Kennedy (2-0, 1.97) going against another left-handed pitcher in freshman John Doxakis, who has given up 15 runs over 14.2 innings and six appearances.
And while the rivalry is no longer renewed each season, Texas and Texas A&M have played four times in the last three seasons, with the ‘Horns taking two of three from the Aggies in the Houston Regional in 2014 before falling on the road last season courtesy of a walk-off home run.
Tomorrow night, the Longhorns and Aggies meet once again in Austin. #HookEm pic.twitter.com/vtqaqosUpN
— Texas Baseball (@TexasBaseball) March 13, 2017
This year, Longhorns legend Colt McCoy will throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
First pitch tonight: @TexasFootball great @ColtMcCoy. #HookEm pic.twitter.com/uAcf1AfLMe
— Texas Baseball (@TexasBaseball) March 14, 2017