No. 4 Texas Wrapping Up Home Stand With Midweek Clash Against Air Force

After a disappointing showing in College Station, the No. 4 Texas Longhorns (30-8) have gotten themselves back on track. First, they picked up a midweek win over the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders and then a series win over the No. 13 Alabama Crimson Tide.

Now, they look to keep that momentum rolling as they conclude their five-game home stand with a showdown against the Air Force Falcons (18-20). Of course, Texas knows it needs to be ready to go from the opening pitch and that this game is far from an automatic check in the win column.

This season, the Longhorns have dropped two midweek games -- one to the Tarleton State Texans and one the Houston Cougars. Air Force has the talent to be the third loss, and if the Longhorns are sluggish from the start they'll find themselves in a battle against an upset hungry Falcons squad.

How do the Falcons and Longhorns stack up?

Texas Longhorns outfielder Aiden Robbins celebrates after hitting a home run against the Auburn Tigers. | University of Texas Athletics

How to watch/listen -

Tuesday April 21 - 6:30 p.m. CT - SEC Network+/TexasSports.com/Audio

A look at Air Force's season so far -

So far this season, the Falcons have been a team that can slug with the best of them -- having scored at least 10 runs in 15 of their 38 games. However, their pitching has also been prone to giving up plenty of runs, a factor that brings them into this contest with a record just below .500.

Air Force by the numbers -

Record - 18-20

Runs scored - 334

Runs allowed - 303

Team Avg. - .299

Opponent Avg. - .309

Team ERA - 7.51

Opponent ERA - 8.10

Air Force wins this game if...

It can turn this game into a slug fest and take advantage of a Texas bullpen that, at times, has struggled with depth. This has been especially evident in the Longhorns' midweek contests, as evidenced by their tendency to give up a plethora of runs to opponents on Tuesday night.

Fortunately, that has only burned them twice so far in their losses to Tarleton State and Houston. However, Air Force boasts an offense capable of scoring in bunches and must bring the bats out in this one.

If they can score early and often and turn this into a high-scoring affair, then the Falcons have a chance at leaving Austin with an upset win in their pockets.

Texas wins this game if...

It can get a solid showing from its pitching staff again, in a similar fashion to what Kade Bing and Hudson Hamilton delivered against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. As we mentioned earlier, the Longhorns have shown they can bash in midweek contests.

Their struggles, though, have come when the pitching staff has been unable to contain opponents -- with their midweek losses seeing them give up six runs and seven runs, respectively. That will not fly against a lineup as potent as Air Force's, as it will have no issue lighting up any mistake and pouring on runs.

Avoiding that pattern against the Falcons will be key. If they can do so, then they have a high chance at picking up another midweek victory.

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