No. 3 Texas Looking to Complete Weekend Sweep Against Ohio State

Coming into this weekend, the No. 3 Texas Longhorns (10-0) knew this slate of games would be their toughest test yet of the young season and that they could not take their foes lightly. Under coach Jim Schlossnagle, however, that was never going to be an issue.

First, they dispatched the No. 9 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in their Houston opener on Friday in an 8-1 blowout victory, thanks to four home runs and a stellar outing from Ruger Riojas. Then they came back on Saturday and grinded out a 5-2 win over the Baylor Bears, with the bullpen carrying the load en route to a victory.

Standing between the Longhorns and a clean sweep in Houston, though, is the Ohio State Buckeyes (5-4). While the Buckeyes have dropped their first two games this weekend, they've shown this season that they can hang with tough teams and will not make life easy for a Texas squad hoping to stay undefeated.

Ohio State Buckeyes catcher Mason Eckelman — The Auburn Tigers and Ohio State Buckeyes play a game during the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field. | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

How do the Longhorns stack up against the Buckeyes in this one?

How to watch/listen -

Sunday March 1 - 2 p.m. CT - Houston Astros Youtube/TexasSports.com/Audio

A look at Ohio State's season so far -

It has been a bit of an up and down season so far for the Buckeyes as their enter their weekend finale against the Longhorns. They started 3-0 but have since gone 2-4, including a pair of losses to the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and a loss to the UTSA Roadrunners and Ole Miss Rebels here in Houston.

Ohio State by the numbers -

Record - 5-4

Runs scored - 45

Runs allowed - 42

Team Avg. - .244

Team Avg. Against - .231

Team ERA - 4.44

Opponent ERA - 4.50

Ohio State wins this game if...

It can slow down the Texas offense long enough to get to the bullpen and go to work. Of course, that will be much easier said than done after the Longhorns have been coming out of the gates firing on all cylinders during their first two games here in Houston.

However, they have shown at times this season that the offense at times is a bit slow to get clicking and that's where the Buckeyes need to focus on. That will not be an easy task, unfortunately, when every bat in the lineup, from Ethan Mendoza to Presley Courville, has been dialed in at that plate all weekend.

If the Buckeyes can neutralize that, however, and turn this into a grinder then they'll have a chance at leaving with an upset win over the Longhorns.

Texas wins this game if...

It can get yet another outstanding outing from its star southpaw, Dylan Volantis. Through his first two games, the sophomore left-hander has been completely untouchable. He has yet to give up a single earned run and sports a 2-0 record with 17 strikeouts to a mere two walks. Yeah, that's pretty, pretty good.

All of that can change in the blink of an eye, though, as baseball is a sport where anything can happen. The Buckeyes know this and will be ready to go on Sunday against one of the nation's best arms. If he can just keep doing what he's been doing and keep it rolling, then Volantis certainly has the ability to add another gem to his ledger in 2026 and help keep the Longhorns undefeated.