How Texas Baseball’s Bottom of the Order Can Propel a Win Over Oregon

While the term “super regionals” admittedly does not sound nearly as fun as "Sweet 16," it still carries a similar sense of grandeur and accomplishment.

Texas baseball is one of 16 teams still standing after advancing to the super regional round for the first time since 2023. Now, the Longhorns will try to return to Omaha for the first time since 2022, when they defeated East Carolina to secure the program's 38th appearance in the Men's College World Series.

Again, not as festive-sounding as the “Elite Eight,” but you get the picture.

To earn a 39th trip to Omaha, Texas will have to get through No. 11 seed Oregon. And while the Longhorns looked dominant during their 3-0 sweep of the Austin Regional, the Ducks present a much stronger, more disciplined challenge than Texas faced last weekend.

A challenge that will require the Longhorns to be exceptional in nearly every facet. And that starts with the bottom of the order.

Schlossnagle Praises Bottom of the Order Ahead of Super Regionals

Texas Longhorns' Ethan Mendoza fields a ground ball as Auburn Tigers take on Texas Longhorns. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Part of Texas’ complete thrashing of its respective opponents this past weekend came from meaningful production throughout the order. Of course, Aiden Robbins, Carson Tinney and Anthony Pack Jr. had themselves a show, but the Longhorns didn’t rely solely on their stars.

Ethan Mendoza, Ashton Larson and Dariyan Pendergrass — Texas' six-, seven- and nine-hole hitters — looked great. Ahead of this weekend's series, head coach Jim Schlossnagle made a point to highlight that group.

"The guy in the lineup that no one's been asking about since the weekend is Mendoza," Schlossnagle said. "He had as good a weekend as anybody."

The praise was warranted.

Since moving into a designated hitter role after suffering a shoulder injury while fielding a ground ball against Tennessee, Mendoza has remained one of Texas' most consistent bats.

During the Austin Regional, he went 5-for-14 with a home run, a double and three RBIs. His biggest hit came against UC Santa Barbara when he ripped an RBI double off the wall to help spark Texas' comeback victory. And Schlossnagle admitted that adjustment to life as a DH has been a major factor in his recent success.

"It's actually really tough for guys used to playing every day,” Schlossnagle said. “And especially if you have a bad at-bat, at least you can go out on defense and make a play. And now, when you're DH, and you have to sit on a little bit, but he's gotten into a good routine.”

But it hasn’t stopped with Mendoza. Larson has been a steady presence for Texas as of late. The sophomore went 5-for-11 during the regional, drew three walks and drove in two runs. He’s also noticeably improved against left-handed pitching.

"I think Ashton had a great weekend," Schlossnagle said. "Ashton's hitting the lefties better now than he was at the beginning of the season."

Pendegrass, meanwhile, reached base five times during the regional, collected two RBIs against Holy Cross and was one of Texas’ biggest values in the outfield.

Oregon’s staff is plenty capable of making things hard for Texas’ hitters. But if Mendoza, Larson and Pendergrass continue getting on base, they should set the stage for Texas' star-studded top of the lineup to deliver plenty of damage.

That’s how Texas got it done against Holy Cross and Tarleton State, at least. And it’s what it’ll need to walk out of this round with a win.

The Longhorns’ offense has been up-and-down this season, to say the least, and has long been the factor several have declared could keep this team out of Omaha.

And who's to say last weekend wasn't an outlier? Baseball has a funny way of providing a few of those. The Longhorns could very easily come back to earth against a quality Oregon staff after scoring 41 runs in three regional games.

If Texas were to reach Omaha, it would certainly need its stars. But it might need the bottom of the order just as much.

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