Oregon Coach Mark Wasikowski Doesn't Hold Back About Texas' Pitchers

As the Oregon Ducks prepare to play the Texas Longhorns in the Austin Super Regional, Oregon coach Mark Wasikowski didn't hold back when asked about the Texas pitching staff about to face the Ducks offense.

Mark Wasikowski on the Texas Longhorns Pitching Staff

“Video game numbers. Low walks, high strikeouts, low hits per innings pitched, they're just really good. They command their pitches, they command their pitches in and out of the zone, they're really competitive, they've got power arms out of the bullpen. It's just a balanced team, and that's what you'd expect out of the University of Texas.”

oregon ducks texas longhorns austin super regional ncaa baseball tournament dylan volantis mark wasikowski sam cozart — Oregon head coach Mark Wasikowski walks the field before the game as the Oregon Ducks host the USC Trojans on May 14, 2026, in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oregon relied on quality pitching of their own in order to advance through the Eugene Regional with three straight wins, but the Ducks bats are gearing up for one of their biggest challenges yet. Wasikowski and company just got past an Oregon State team with a pitching staff that holds the lowest ERA in the country as a team at 3.22.

The Longhorns might not have an ERA like the Beavers, but Texas ranks in the top five in pitching categories like strikeouts per nine innings and strikeout to walk ratio.

Texas pitcher Dylan Volantis is considered the ace of the Longhorns' staff, currently boasting an ERA of 1.94 (No. 3 nationally) and a WHIP of 0.94 (No. 6 nationally) with 83.1 innings pitched. Texas reliever Sam Cozart is one of the top freshmen in the SEC with a 6-0 record and 8 saves on the season.

The Longhorns have four pitchers allowing less than a .200 batting average to opposing hitters: Cozart (.137), Volantis (.181) as well as relievers Haiden Leffew (.176) and Thomas Burns (.190). If the Ducks don't get to Texas' starters, the bullpen likely won't be any easier for Oregon.

Behind Volantis, the Ducks could face other starting pitchers like Luke Harrison and Ruger Riojas as the Longhorns look to advance past Oregon to the College World Series. Riojas boasts the best strikeout per nine innings mark on Texas with an average of 13.63, ranked No. 9 in the nation.

Mark Wasikowski on Oregon's Upset Chances

“They've got a history in the program that's really, really good. Their crowd support is very good. It's been one college baseball's finest programs for a lot of years, for a long, long time and so you just know that going in, but you know it's also baseball, and the best team is going to win this weekend. The team that plays best is going to win, and whether you're planning on a piece of paper or not, piece of paper doesn't really work, especially this time of year.”

Wasikowski went on to reference the number of upsets already seen in this year's NCAA Tournament, namely the No. 1 seed UCLA Bruins and No. 2 seed Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets failing to get out of the regional round.

Despite being heavy favorites to advance to the CWS, both UCLA and Georgia Tech were eliminated before the Super Regionals.

According to betting odds from FanDuel Sportsbook, Texas is favored over Oregon with odds of -340 to advance past Oregon and into the CWS. Can the Ducks pull off the latest upset in the NCAA Tournament?

The Austin Super Regional between Oregon and Texas will begin on Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for approximately 5 p.m. PT.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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