Stay Alive: Texas Baseball Faces Elimination in College World Series

After a disastrous showing in their Omaha opener, the No. 6 Texas Longhorns find themselves with their backs against the wall.

Texas Longhorns coach Jim Schlossnagle walks back to the dugout against the Georgia Bulldogs in the College World Series. | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

If you told fans of the No. 6 Texas Longhorns that Dylan Volantis threw 6.1 innings and allowed only two earned runs with nine strikeouts against the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs, they would've been ecstatic about his College World Series performance.

An outing that solid against one of the game's best lineups in most circumstances would put him in line to win. Against the Bulldogs, though, it was not the case. Volantis saw seven runs cross the plate, with five of them unearned on what can best be described as a sloppy night for the Longhorns.

Ultimately, they could not overcome a brutal first inning. After giving up a two-run home run, the southpaw should have been out of the frame more than once. However, two strikeouts were dropped by Carson Tinney and then followed by errant throws to extend the inning and allow two more runs to score which gave Georgia a 4-0 lead.

An ugly opening frame doomed Texas against Georgia

The Texas Longhorns infielders await the results of a replay during the College World Series. | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

It was not much better for Tinney at the plate, either. The catcher went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a walk. Far from the only one to struggle, the rest of the top four of the lineup combined to go 0-for-12 with a combined nine strikeouts, as the Texas quarter was responsible for 11 of the 15 strikeouts.

All of these factors snowballed into what can only be described as an ugly 7-1 loss. Fortunately for the Longhorns, however, it is a double elimination and they have a chance to keep their season alive on Monday afternoon against the No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide.

What does Texas need to do to stay alive?

To put it simply, it cannot repeat the performance it put on the field against Georgia. Do so and there is very little chance that the Longhorns will live to see another day in Omaha. And it will be far from easy, too, as the Crimson Tide are no slouches.

First and foremost, the defense has to be better. At this point in the season two throwing errors from your star catcher on what should be routine throws down to first is not going to help you win any games. Especially against the teams left in the field in Omaha.

Elsewhere, production from the top of the order is an absolute must. Your best bats going a combined 0-for-15 with 11 of your team's strikeouts is inexcusable. Bad games happen, yes, but all four having that type of outing in the same game is not good enough.

There is no denying that losing sucks, especially following a performance as rough as the one Texas put together against Georgia. Now, though, it must recover quickly, wipe away the loss and come back on Monday ready to play and keep its season alive.

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