Three questions facing Texas baseball after SEC tournament elimination
In Texas baseball's SEC tournament loss to Tennessee on Thursday, coach Jim Schlossnagle deployed his pitching in a way that will keep all of his usual options available when the Longhorns turn around to play a regional next week.
In fact, he might have uncovered a new weapon.
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Lefty Ethan Walker, who'd pitched 6⅔ innings all season, limited a powerful Tennessee lineup to one earned run over 4⅓ innings of work.
"It certainly gives us somebody, depending on matchup and how deep we play into the regionals, he's got experience starting a game," Schlossnagle said. "So since (Jared) Spencer is down, we really don't have a defined third starter, so we've had a lot of guys who have started games throughout the course of the season, which we have done that by design."
How will Texas baseball align its pitching staff?
With top starters Ruger Riojas and Luke Harrison left unused, Schlossnagle can now move around his chess pieces as he sees fit. A sampling of Texas' projected first-round opponents as of Friday morning included the likes of Houston Christian (RPI 93) and Long Island (180).
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Could the Longhorns look to save their top arms in anticipation of facing higher-quality opposition on the second and third days of the regional?
MORE BASEBALL: Why Texas coach Jim Schlossnagle remembered an Augie Garrido text after loss to Tennessee
In the same situation last year while coaching Texas A&M, Schlossnagle used swingman Tanner Jones in the first game of the Aggies' regional against Grambling State. That freed him up to use ace Ryan Prager against Texas the next night.
Schlossnagle indicated that he spent the last few weeks of the regular season gathering information in an attempt to decide his approach.
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'It's just about figuring out who's going to start a game for us that's going to give us a better chance,' Schlossnagle said on May 11. '...We've had a good season, so it gives us some wiggle room to try a few things before we get to NCAA Tournament play.'
Which No. 2 seed will be sent to Austin to play Texas in the NCAA Tournament?
College baseball's bracket-building process differs from what basketball fans experience yearly in March Madness, which takes a strict approach to seed integrity.
In baseball, proximity to the host sites plays a part in determining the field.
Texas has hosted 10 regionals since the 2004 season. In six of those seasons, there was an eligible No. 2 seed from the Lone Star State in the field. Texas ended up hosting that team three times.
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Put simply: recent history tells us that, if given the option, there's a 50/50 chance the selection committee will send a No. 2 seed from Texas to Austin for the NCAA Tournament.
This year, three Texas schools could enter the tournament field as No. 2 seeds. TCU, another one of Schlossnagle's former employers, finished third in the Big 12 — a game behind West Virginia for the conference crown. The Horned Frogs (38-17) will play Kansas in the Big 12 semifinals on Friday.
CED'S TAKE: Texas A&M's sports nightmare: How the Aggies flopped amid Longhorn SEC takeover | Golden
Dallas Baptist (40-14) finished three games clear of Western Kentucky at the top of Conference USA and will play in the conference tournament semifinals on Saturday.
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That leaves UTSA, which beat the Longhorns on March 18 in Austin. The Roadrunners (43-12) ran away with the American Athletic Conference title, setting the program record for victories along the way.
D1 Baseball projects the Roadrunners to land in the Austin Regional, while Baseball America has the Longhorns hosting Dallas Baptist.
Texas pitcher Dylan Volantis (99) celebrates a strikeout to win the game as the Longhorns play the Texas A&M Aggies in the second game of a three-game series on Saturday afternoon at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin, April 26, 2025. Texas won the two first games, clinching the Lone Star Showdown victory.
Will Texas baseball get Jonah Williams back from injury? And will he start?
The only thing capable of stopping Jonah Williams early in his collegiate career has been the injury bug.
Williams did not play for the Longhorns in their SEC tournament loss to Tennessee on Thursday. The two-sport standout freshman has been battling injuries on and off since he left the Texas State game on April 22.
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When he has played, he's been outstanding, batting .308 with seven RBIs and a pair of stolen bases.
"We have to play clean baseball to win because we're not super explosive," Schlossnagle said Thursday. "We can be with the right guys healthy ‒ if we get Jonah back. (Max) Belyeu obviously changes the makeup of our team. But this is a tough team."
A healthy Williams would give Schlossnagle a decision to make when he fills out his lineup card at next week's regional. Max Belyeu's return from a long-term injury makes him one of the first names on Schlossnagle's scorecard in right field. Will Gasparino has been a fixture in center field, while Tommy Farmer IV has started 29 out of 30 SEC games for Texas, usually in one of the corner outfield spots.
Where does Williams play if he's healthy enough to return? And who sits?
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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas baseball: 3 questions as UT prepares for NCAA Tournament
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