Five Bold Predictions for Longhorns Baseball in 2023
We are officially a month away from the start of college baseball, with the Texas Longhorns set to begin their season in Arlington in the College Baseball Showdown.
When the Longhorns take the field in Arlington on Feb. 17, they will look vastly different compared to last year. Gone are lineup anchors Ivan Melendez and Murphy Stehly, taking a large chunk of a historic offensive season for Texas with them.
That being said, they do have talent. Lucas Gordon will be the rotation ace, Dylan Campbell will man the outfield, and transfer portal additions in guys such as Porter Brown and Charlie Hurley to help lead the way.
So, while it is important to temper expectations to some extent, save that for the start of the season when there are games being played.
For now, though, here are five bold predictions about the Longhorns' season.
1) Zane Morehouse has a breakout season
As mentioned above, the Longhorns will rely on Gordon as their staff ace, trotting him out on Friday nights. However, that leaves two open spots in the rotation to be filled. For our first bold prediction, pencil in Zane Morehouse.
Morehouse, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound right hander, flashed wicked stuff last season for the Longhorns. He finished the season 43 strikeouts to just 16 walks in 39 innings, showing his potential. Unfortunately for Morehouse, he allowed 26 runs in those 39 innings and finished the season with a 6.00 ERA.
This season, though, look for Morehouse to develop into the No. 2 pitcher for the Longhorns behind Gordon. He might not put up Golden Spikes numbers, but he will help anchor an improved Texas rotation.
Stats prediction: 7-3 / 3.92 ERA / 115 strikeouts
2) Longhorns lead Big 12 in pitching again
For as much flack as the Longhorns' pitching staff got last season, they actually led the Big 12. They posted a team ERA of 4.22, which was first in the conference. Yes, they did struggle but there is reason to believe that with a change at pitching coach and another year of development, they could improve further.
Gordon has shown he can be a staff ace, Morehouse has the potential to develop into a reliable No. 2 option and there is plenty of depth in the bullpen in guys such as Travis Stehle and Andre Duplantier II. If they can take the next step forward as a staff, don't be surprised if they once again lead the Big 12 in team ERA.
Prediction: Team ERA - 4.10
3) Dylan Campbell wins Big 12 Player of the Year
The Longhorns have not had back-to-back Big 12 Player of the Year winners since Drew Stubbs and Kyle Russell won the award in 2006 and 2007. However, that may very well change this season as they have a candidate to go back-to-back with Ivan Melendez.
Campbell last season didn't produce an eye-popping stat line, finishing the season slashing .267/.351/.367 with 10 home runs and 29 runs driven in. However, he started heating up to end of the season and in the NCAA Tournament, showcasing a pop in his bat that will likely only improve this season.
Stats prediction: .310/.405/.600 / 23 home runs / 70 RBIs
4) Texas loses no more than three games in March
It is nearly impossible to predict how each game or series will go this far out of the season, but darn it we're going to anyway. That being said, the month of March is very favorable to the Longhorns and could see them potentially reel off an impressive winning streak.
They only have four road games all month, with three being against a rebuilding Cal State Fullerton team and the other against rivals Texas A&M. Aside from Texas A&M, they open their conference schedule against Texas Tech, but that series is at home.
After their three-game road set against Cal State Fullerton, they have 14 straight road games against one of the lighter portions of their schedule. If they can win the games they're supposed to, this could go a long way toward building momentum heading into conference play.
5) Longhorns return to Omaha
Maybe this doesn't appear to be as bold as it possibly could have been, but the Longhorns making it to Omaha once again might not happen. They're a rather young team who lost a lot of offensive firepower, and their staff ace, which is hard for any team to overcome.
However, the talent is there. The aforementioned guys plus a talented coaching staff led by David Pierce can compete with anyone. As such, look for the Longhorns to make their 39th trip to the College World Series, this time hopefully playing more than two games.
You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98
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