No. 6 Texas Baseball Opens Austin Regional With Luke Harrison
No. 6 texas baseball opens the Austin Regional on Friday against Holy Cross with Luke Harrison on the mound and last year’s collapse still in the background. Texas is back in a home regional after finishing behind a second straight 40-win season, and this time the Longhorns are trying to move forward with several regulars managing injuries or illness.
Schlossnagle on Texas
Jim Schlossnagle said Monday that he had not made last year’s disappointment the message for this group. "I haven’t instilled the message, maybe the veteran players have," he said, leaving the accountability inside a roster that includes returners from the team that was eliminated in Austin last year.
That loss came after Texas blew a 6-1 lead on Saturday and then fell behind 7-0 on Sunday against UTSA. The Longhorns are again in the Austin Regional, this time as the No. 6 seed, with UC Santa Barbara and Tarleton State also in the field.
Harrison Against Holy Cross
Harrison is the only Texas player with College World Series experience. He threw two innings against Texas A&M in Omaha in 2022, and his start gives Texas its clearest opening-game edge on the mound.
Schlossnagle said the plan for the weekend is open-ended beyond Harrison. "Other than Luke starting the game, there’s no real plan other than that, other than to have every pitcher available for every game, and certainly the guys who have pitched the best will be the ones that more than likely pitch the most. Can’t script out a weekend when you’re playing great teams, and it’s a postseason — anything can happen," he said.
Injuries Shape Texas
The roster around Harrison is not at full strength. Ethan Mendoza has not played second base since injuring his shoulder against Tennessee three weeks ago and is 2-for-16 as the designated hitter since then. Aiden Robbins was sick during the Missouri series and missed the regular-season finale, while Adrian Rodriguez continues to deal with pain in his surgically-repaired left hand.
Ruger Riojas has also been working through tendinitis in his throwing shoulder. Schlossnagle said Thursday that he expected the senior right-hander to be at full strength, adding, "I think he’s in a really, really good place" and, "He had a couple side sessions in the last two weeks, one in particular a couple days ago, that was outstanding, and so I anticipate him being at full strength."
Texas still has enough on paper to be dangerous. It ranks 18th nationally in fielding percentage, and Schlossnagle’s infield has been steadier than the outfield, which has had more mistakes. The regional opener now turns on whether that defense and a limited set of healthy arms can carry the Longhorns through the weekend at home.
