No. 3 Texas Returns Home for Midweek Clash With Houston Christian

The No. 3 Texas Longhorns (11-0) return home to Austin on Tuesday after a sensational showing in the Bruce Bolt College Classic in Houston. Not only did they sweep through their three games at Daikin Park, they did so in dominant fashion.

Picking up wins over the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, Baylor Bears and Ohio State Buckeyes, Texas continued its impressive early season stretch. In that stretch are three run-rule victories in their first 11 games, including both of their midweek victories so far.

Up next is a return to the friendly confines of UFCU Disch-Falk Field for another midweek game against a Texas foe. This round sees the Houston Christian Huskies (6-6) coming to town, looking to pull off an upset win and bring an end to the Longhorns' undefeated season.

Texas Longhorns head coach Jim Schlossnagle stands in the dugout ahead of the Lone Star Showdown. | Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A look at how the Huskies have done so far this season

How to watch/listen -

Tuesday March 3 - 6:30 p.m. CT - SEC Network+/TexasSports.com/Audio

A look at Houston Christian's season so far -

No team the Longhorns have faced so far defines the term "up and down" more than the Huskies. First, they started their season on a five-game losing streak before rattling off four straight wins. After dropping another game, they have since won two in a row and enter Tuesday's showdown looking to make it three straight.

Houston Christian by the numbers -

Record - 6-6

Runs scored - 91

Runs allowed - 83

Team Avg. - .301

Opponent Avg. - .298

Team ERA - 7.30

Opponent ERA - 6.73

Houston Christian wins this game if...

It can force the Longhorns into this one being a bullpen game earlier than they'd like to. Whether Sam Cozart toes the rubber for a second week or Jason Flores gets the nod, the Huskies need to do everything they can to drive their pitch count up and force Texas to go to the bullpen early.

Midweek games, especially this early in the season, are often when you'll see coaching staffs get a feel for who they like in certain situations. This means it isn't uncommon for a ton of younger arms to get some run as they prepare for conference play and the grind of a long season. If the Huskies can take advantage of that in Austin, then they stand a chance at leaving with an early season marquee win.

Texas wins this game if...

It can bring the same level of energy it has to its first two midweek games against the Lamar Cardinals and UTRGV Vaqueros. Those two contests saw the Longhorns secure a pair of run-rule victories in just seven innings, winning them 14-7 and 14-0, respectively.

Averaging 14 runs a game in two midweek games is impressive, but of course is far from sustainable over the course of an entire season. For now, though, it shows that they are not taking opponents lightly, regardless of the potential difference in talent on paper. If they can keep that up against the Huskies on Tuesday, the Longhorns could find themselves sitting at 12-0 once its over.