3 Biggest Takeaways From Texas Baseball’s Comeback Win Over UTSA

It was the midweek game of all midweek games for Texas Baseball, as it hosted UTSA on Tuesday night, not long after the Roadrunners spoiled the Longhorns' season on that ugly June day.

Whether the Longhorns themselves carried the same level of resentment that fans did toward the program that spoiled last season’s regional hopes is debatable. But the significance was still there. Tuesday represented a chance at some level of revenge — or at least an opportunity to ease some lingering frustration.

And after another roller coaster of blown leads, Texas escaped with an 11-8 win thanks to Carson Tinney’s walk-off grand slam in the eighth inning.

Here are the three biggest takeaways from Texas’ wild comeback victory.

Carson Tinney feels destined for a postseason moment

GO-AHEAD GRAND SLAM 💣#HookEm | @carson_tinney pic.twitter.com/YxT3HEwdoU
— Texas Baseball (@TexasBaseball) May 6, 2026

At this point, it’s becoming impossible to ignore just how often Tinney delivers when Texas absolutely needs something.

The junior catcher launched yet another massive home run Tuesday night, continuing what has become a ridiculous stretch of clutch hitting.

With one out in the bottom of the eighth, Texas loaded the bases against UTSA relievers Sam Simmons and Connor Kelley before Tinney stepped to the plate. Two pitches later, he crushed a 483-foot grand slam over the left-field wall off Kelley, giving him his 17th home run of the season and the longest homer by a Longhorn this year.

And it came just one week after another heroic moment against Sam Houston, when Tinney delivered a walk-off two-run homer, lifting the Longhorns to a 15-14 victory.

Right now, it almost feels inevitable that Tinney’s clutch gene will eventually carry over into the postseason. Texas certainly hopes so.

Texas still needs more from parts of the bullpen

Texas pitcher Max Grubbs (38) throws a pitch in game two of the Big 12 baseball series against Texas Tech. | Chase Seabolt/For the Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Even in a win, it’s pretty clear Texas still does not fully know what it’s getting from some of its middle-inning arms.

Max Grubbs and Ethan Walker both struggled Tuesday night, and the inconsistency in those innings nearly buried the Longhorns before the offense bailed them out. UTSA turned a four-run deficit into a tie game largely because Texas simply could not stop the bleeding for stretches.

To be fair, midweek baseball is chaotic by nature, and bullpen experimentation is part of the deal this time of year. But ideally, by this point in the season, Texas would have a clearer picture of what they have entering postseason play.

The Longhorns still need one or two more reliable bullpen options to emerge before late May.

Freshman Brody Walls certainly helped answer part of that question Tuesday night with another excellent outing. Now Texas needs a few more relievers to follow suit.

Maddox Monsour keeps making the most of his opportunities

Texas Longhorns Aiden Robbins, Maddox Monsour and Anthony Pack Jr. throw up the Hook 'Em Horns. | University of Texas Athletic

Maddox Monsour continues to quietly stack quality performances.

The freshman outfielder hit the first home run of his Texas career Tuesday night, a 434-foot two-run shot to left-center field that tied the game in the third inning. He also drew a walk and played strong defense in the outfield, continuing momentum from some highlight-level play against Mississippi State over the weekend.

it's a bird, it's a plane, it's @madhacksmonsour 🤘#HookEm | #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/3X9y4cOLuh
— Texas Baseball (@TexasBaseball) May 3, 2026

While head coach Jim Schlossnagle noted Monsour probably still needs to build more confidence at the plate, his defensive value already gives Texas another intriguing option in a relatively thin outfield group. And if he continues putting together quality at-bats like Tuesday’s, he could carve out an even larger role down the stretch.

If this game was any indication, that progress may be arriving sooner than expected.

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