Texas Baseball Might Have a Problem With Mid-Tier Opponents

Another day, another dropped game to a mid-level opponent for Texas.

South Carolina — the worst team in the SEC entering the weekend — handed No. 2 Texas a 9-1 loss Thursday night in Columbia, controlling the game in nearly every facet possible.

It was another frankly embarrassing defeat added to the Longhorns’ resume.

An all-out poor performance from the Longhorns

South Carolina sophomore Jake McCoy reacts after striking out Clemson sophomore Collin Priest. | Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Yes, it is early in the season. And yes, this could be an overreaction from limited results. But at this point, it’s at least slightly concerning.

Texas falls to 24-5 on the season. Two of those losses came in walk-off fashion against very good SEC opponents.

The other three, not so much.

It started with Tarleton State, when the Texans held Texas to its lowest offensive output of the season. Then came a loss to a 13-14 Houston team sitting at the bottom of the Big 12. And now, South Carolina — a team that entered the night 2-8 in conference play — delivers the most lopsided result of the bunch.

Much of the concern had been tied to midweek games, where Texas had dropped back-to-back contests before rebounding against Texas State.

But South Carolina was not a Tuesday matchup. It was an SEC opener — and it looked just the same.

South Carolina, a team hitting just .260 with a sub-.450 slugging percentage entering the night, had no trouble solving Texas pitching.

Ruger Riojas, arguably Texas’ best starter this season, looked utterly mortal. The right-hander allowed eight hits and six earned runs over three innings — a stunning line considering he had surrendered just seven earned runs across his first 39 2/3 innings this season.

Five of those runs came in a disastrous second inning, fueled by a string of extra-base hits and well-placed contact. Head coach Jim Schlossnagle suggested midgame that Riojas may have been tipping his pitches, as South Carolina consistently jumped on breaking balls.

But whatever the reason, it was a totally uncharacteristic performance for the Longhorns’ ace.

The bats weren’t great either. Aiden Robbins’ solo home run — his 11th of the season — accounted for Texas’ only run. The Longhorns struck out 12 times, managed just six hits and left nine runners on base. Over the final six innings, the offense went completely silent, continuing a recent trend of late-game stagnation.

Oh, and that reshuffled defense? Pretty rough as well.

A softly hit ground ball in the second inning slipped through the middle with Temo Becerra shifted deep in the hole, plating a run and extending the inning. The single plated the second South Carolina run, and set the stage for a very rough series of events.

Texas just had absolutely nothing in the tank against a team they were expected to totally sweep.

But now the question is, why? A lapse of focus? A byproduct or overconfidence, believing their opponents hold no match? Or maybe just the randomness that defines baseball?

The honest answer is probably somewhere in between. Games like this happen, and they don’t usually determine the demise of a team’s season.

But repeated games like this start to say something.

The expectation is that Texas responds. It has all season. After similar stumbles, the Longhorns have bounced back to win series against teams like Ole Miss and Auburn.

That’s still very much on the table.

But tonight should have never happened in the first place. But when the losses start to follow a pattern — especially against teams you’re expected to beat — those questions start to become much more urgent.

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