Anthony Pack Jr. Leads The Charge as No. 6 Texas Wallops Holy Cross

Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year Anthony Pack Jr. and SEC Newcomer of the Year Aiden Robbins rained down five home runs, as the Texas Longhorns offensive returned to form.

Texas starting pitcher Luke Harrison picked up seven strikeouts and allowed just two hits on the day against the Holy Cross Crusaders. The veteran pitcher was efficient, tossing 50 pitches across four innings.

The Longhorns picked up their first win of the Austin Regional, cruising past the Crusaders, 19-1, Friday afternoon at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.

“He proves me wrong every day,” Robbins said about Pack Jr. “He's just confident, and he knows his ability to just go out there and play free, and he displays that every time he steps on the field.”

Offensively Domaint Day At The Disch

texas baseball — Texas junior right fielder Aiden Robbins celebrates while rounding the bases during junior catcher Carson Tinney's Grand Slam in the bottom of the eighth inning against the UTSA Roadrunners on May 5, 2026, at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin, Texas. | Rylan Renteria, The Paisano

One week ago, the Texas offense was drier than the Chihuahuan Desert of West Texas at the SEC Tournament in Hoover. The Longhorns needed a statement at the plate to open up the Austin Regional.

They got it.

The group that struggled the most in the conference tournament was the top of the order. Against Holy Cross, they returned to their imposing form that sent waves through the entire college baseball world in the regular season.

In all, the top three batters for Texas went 8-12, for eight RBI and five home runs, with all three making their Regional debut.

Pack Jr.’s three-home-run performance against Holy Cross marked the first time since Max Belyeu’s performance against Baylor in 2022. The freshman standout was taken out of the game in the 6th inning for cramping.

“I made a couple of different changes to my swing. I actually made a change to copy Aiden Robbins' swing, my bat wiggle, moving my leg — it's because of Aiden,” Pack Jr. said. “Just learning from those older guys.”

Jayden Duplantier, who replaced Pack Jr., rocketed a grand slam in the three-hole spot, just his second career home run towards the YETI Yard.

Robbins entered the postseason with his worst stretch of the season, going 4-for-21 at the plate. He fell 0-2 to open up the afternoon against Crusaders ace, but hammered two for his fifth multi-home run game of the season.

Carson Tinney continued his career year in his NCAA postseason debut, going 3-for-4 at the plate before he was pulled in the seventh inning with a 16-0 lead.

“The homers, like they didn't really feel like homers off the bat,” Robbins said. “I'm just sticking to hitting line drives and trying to just spray it all over the field, and today we accomplished that.”

The rest of the order chipped in, with multi-hit days from Ashton Larson, Adrian Rodriguez, Dariyan Pendergrass, and a big 2-RBI double from Temo Beccera in the fourth inning. Using 15 different position players, the Longhorns only struck out twice in the offensive onslaught.

Harrison’s efficient performance on the mound sets up an opportunity for him to come out in a bullpen role later in the regional. With the giant lead, the Longhorns did not burn any of their premier relief arms.

“He's good to go. He threw a ton of strikes. I thought his breaking ball was good. His fastball was maybe just a tick down from last week,” head coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “It'll be all hands on deck tomorrow, and he'll certainly be available.”

Texas will face the winner of the Tarleton State-UC Santa Barbara game tomorrow at 6 p.m. CT at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.

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