Roundtable: Texas baseball in trouble after getting swept?

Texas baseball is in trouble after getting swept in the College Baseball Showdown. Overaction?

Daniel Seahorn (@DanielSeahorn) - I’d say it’s definitely an overreaction because it’s very in the season and there is plenty of time left to right the ship. Let's check back in during conference play and see if they’re still struggling to get their footing.

Gerald Goodridge (@ghgoodridge) - It’s for sure an overreaction, but I also understand that there is some valid concern, especially with the way the series ended. On Friday and Saturday, Texas was right in the mix and was one or two plays away from winning. Sunday was a beatdown, precipitated by defensive breakdowns, which I think is where a lot of concern is coming from. Breaking in nearly an entire starting lineup is going to take some time, so I think there's some cause for pause on the panic.

Cameron Parker (@camerondparker) - Trouble isn’t the right word. This season is going to be filled with growing pains and frustrating losses like 2019. Unlike the 2021 opening series in which the Horns got swept, they aren’t coming off a weird winter storm that prohibited the team from practicing beforehand. Can Pierce find a comfortable defensive lineup and who steps up in the lineup that’s not named Eric Kennedy? That’s what I’m curious about over the next few weeks.

Wescott Eberts (@SBN_Wescott) - Yeah, it’s an overreaction. The easy comparison is to the 2021 team that posted the same record in Arlington and then played deep into the College World Series. The upside for this group isn’t as high, but there are a lot of new faces and the first two games were one-run losses before errors by backups in the second inning on Sunday resulted in the blowout. If Texas starts losing games they should win in the coming week, then I’ll be concerned.

Chris Del Conte delivered his virtual town hall earlier this week and among the topics discussed, the most notable are the future additions of LED lights to DKR-TMS, the future of the Longhorn Network, and the firm “no” on alternative jerseys for Texas football. What stood out to you the most?

Daniel - I guess the firm no on the alternative jerseys if I had to pick something. I think it’s been fascinating to see both sides of the argument so firmly entrenched with there not being really any middle ground. I get not wanting to veer from the traditional looks, but I also can see why some folks wouldn’t mind spicing it up every once in a while with something fun.

Gerald - While I’m not staunchly anti-alternative jerseys (show me a photoshop that doesn’t suck and I might be swayed), I am glad that he has a strong point of view and is willing to take a stance on it. I was hoping for more of an update on the practice facility, but I guess we can’t be greedy.

Cameron - I’m all for making home-field an actual advantage and over the last few years it has been (Alabama, LSU, Notre Dame) but most of the time it’s been very meh. LED lights won’t fix it (winning probably does), but it makes the whole experience better for fans, recruits, and maybe even the players.

Wescott - The biggest surprise to me was the firm commitment to installing natural grass surfaces at DKR and the Disch. Del Conte has expressed similar sentiments in the past and so has Steve Sarkisian, but Monday was the first time that Del Conte laid out the plan to replace the FieldTurf at both venues.

With 2.5 games separating Texas and Oklahoma from the rest of the Big 12, it appears Saturday’s game will likely decide the winner of the Big 12 regular season conference championship. Can Texas complete the season sweep against the Sooners?

Daniel - The stakes are high and the environment will be hostile, but I think Vic’s bunch is a tough, scrappy bunch that is capable of venturing north of the Red River and gutting out a win.

Gerald - LNC is a tough place to play and the OU women are playing lights-out basketball right now. Texas is 5-4 on the road, with all three conference losses occurring on the road. I hope I get Cold Takes Exposed for this one and I’ll be cheering my heart out, I just don’t think this one goes Texas’s way.

Cameron - Schaefer and the Horns have struggled on the road and Norman should provide a tough environment. The Sooners look like a completely different team than the one that got run out of the Moody Center back in early January thanks to Madi Williams. With Sonya Morris still sidelined, I lean toward Oklahoma in this one.

Wescott - The Sooners are in the midst of a six-game winning streak and are playing at home, where they have a 12-1 record this season. As much as I want to predict a win for Texas, I think Oklahoma takes care of business in the friendly confines of the Lloyd Noble Center.

Texas running backs coach Tashard Choice posted a legendary picture on social media over the weekend that included Bijan Robinson, Earl Campbell, Ricky Williams, and D’Onta Foreman celebrating another Doak Walker Award winner on the Forty Acres. For this exercise, if you had the ball on the 1-yard line and had one play to score a touchdown, which running back are you handing it off to?

Daniel - They say when Earl ran snot flew. He is one of the hardest running backs to ever touch a football field, and I’m taking him over just about anyone.

Gerald - Gotta be the Rose. When asked whether or not he noticed how slow Earl was getting up, Bum Phillips commented “I noticed how slow get went down, too.” Players are bigger and faster now, but I think Earl would fit right in.

Cameron - Ron Johnson once said that Earl “ runs with a lot of reckless abandon.” I would take Earl with Ricky and Cedric as my 2a and 2b options.

Wescott - Gotta go with Earl. The Tyler Rose just played the game with a different level of physicality, so I’m putting him behind two defensive tackles at fullback and running it straight up the middle.