Longhorns Notebook: No. 1 Texas Cruises to Midweek Victory Against UTRGV

For the second straight week, the No. 1 Texas Longhorns (30-5) handled their business in strong fashion to secure a midweek. After doing so against Houston Christian last week, they dispatched the UTRGV Vaqueros (25-11) on Tuesday night.

Fresh off their series win over the Kentucky Wildcats and subsequent ascent to the No. 1 ranking, there was a chance for the Longhorns to come out flat against the Vaqueros. That was far from the case.'

Instead, the entire team was dialed in and firing on all cylinders from the first pitch. While starter Kade Bing twirled five innings of one-run baseball, the offense backed up with an explosive showing at the plate that resulted in 11 runs coming home to score in the win.

Now, here are three key takeaways from the Longhorns' 11-4 win over the Vaqueros.

Texas pitcher Jason Flores (4) pitches during the Longhorns' game against Houston Christian. | Mikala Compton/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Bing cruises again

Another week comes with yet another masterful performance from Bing on the mound. After starting the season as the Longhorns’ Sunday starter and struggling, the southpaw has found his role as the go-to midweek starter.

He got off to a tad of a shaky start, allowing a pair of runners in the first inning before working out of it with a double play. From there he cruised. Sailing through the Vaqueros lineup, he tossed five innings of one-run baseball with four strikeouts in the win.

Offense bounces back

While the Longhorns did win their weekend series against the Wildcats, they did not do so with a plethora of runs. Both of their wins were close, with their win the opener coming 6-3 and the victory in the finale a nail-biter 5-4 win. Their one loss was a 5-4, 15-inning defeat.

Fortunately, they were able to get the bats going early and often against the Vaqueros. They were firing on all cylinders from the first inning, plating three in the first, four in the second, two in the third and then two in the fifth in the 11-4 win.

Yes, it was a team they should have taken advantage of pitching wise. However, it bodes well that they were able to bounce back from an inconsistent weekend at the dish.

Quick turnaround coming

A normal week would see the Longhorns play their midweek game on Tuesday, have Wednesday and Thursday off with before getting back into action on Friday night to kick off a three-game SEC set. This is not a normal week, though, and will have a different schedule.

Instead, the Longhorns will be back in action in less than 48 hours as their three-game series against the No. 8 Auburn Tigers will be played from Thursday-Saturday. They must be ready for a quick turnaround, because if they aren't then a red-hot Auburn squad could very well come into Austin and hand them their first conference series loss of the season.

What’s next for Texas?

It will be a short break for the Longhorns, who will be back in action on Thursday evening to kick off a three-game conference series against the No. 8 Auburn Tigers from UFCU Disch-Falk Field at 6:30 p.m. CT.