No. 2 Texas Starts SEC Play Strong Against Ole Miss: Longhorns Notebook

Taking care of business on Sunday afternoon, the No. 2 Texas Longhorns (18-1, 2-1) dispatched the Ole Miss Rebels (16-5, 1-2) to secure their first SEC series win of the season. As they look to repeat as conference champions, this was a strong step in that direction.

A series opening loss stunned Texas, but that would be quickly forgotten with an 11-2 win on Saturday. Sunday was more of the same, as Dylan Volantis turned in a brilliant outing. The sophomore southpaw went six innings and allowed one run while racking up a career-high 11 strikeouts.

At the plate, the Longhorns kept the good times rolling with another strong showing offensively. Carson Tinney continued to heat up with a three-hit outing, including a mammoth two-run blast, while Casey Borba stayed hot with a two-run shot of his own to fuel the decisive 8-2 victory.

Texas Longhorns baseball — The Texas Longhorns line up for the national anthem prior to the first pitch. | University of Texas Athletic

Three key takeaways from the Longhorns’ SEC opening series win over the Rebels

Offense keeps it rolling

Texas entered its series against the Rebels red-hot at the plate, scoring at least 10 runs in six straight with a combination of power and small ball. That trend certainly continued against Ole Miss this weekend.

The opener saw them plate eight runs on 10 hits while Saturday they scored 11 runs on 13 hits. Then in the finale they scored eight runs on 11 hits. As the season continues, and the offense continues to improve, these Longhorn bats paired with a nasty pitching staff are not going to be a fun sight for any opponent.

Luke Harrison dialed in

After a shaky outing in Houston against the Baylor Bears, Luke Harrison responded with a strong outing against the USC Upstate Spartans. However, a much tougher test awaited him against the Rebels. Especially after the heartbreaking loss Texas suffered on Friday night.

In return, Harrison delivered arguably his best outing as a Longhorn. Tossing a career-high seven innings, the veteran southpaw racked up eight strikeouts and only surrendered a pair of unearned runs to quiet a potent lineup.

If Harrison can turn in similar performances to his outing against Ole Miss, combined with Ruger Riojas and Dylan Volantis dealing, then this Texas rotation will be tough to beat in SEC play.

Adversity handled

At one point, the Longhorns looked prime for a win in the opener. Up 7-3 entering the bottom of the ninth, they would give up five runs and eventually see themselves lose 9-8 in the 11th inning. Some teams would struggle to come back from that in the next two games.

Not Texas, though. Bouncing back in dominant fashion, with a blowout 11-2 win on Saturday and an 8-2 win on Sunday afternoon. That is exactly what coach Jim Schlossnagle preached in his post game media appearance following the opener.

There are going to be tough moments throughout the season, especially in the SEC. When those happen, though, the Longhorns proved this weekend they’re built to handle them.

What’s next for Texas?

The Longhorns will be back in action on Tuesday evening, as they play host to the Tarleton State Texans in a midweek contest from UFCU Disch-Falk Field at 6:30 p.m. CT.