Texas Baseball Sweeps South Carolina to Remain Perfect in SEC Series Play

The Texas Longhorns rallied from an early loss Thursday to take the series vs. South Carolina.

Texas Longhorns' outfielder Anthony Pack Jr. celebrates a grand slam against the USC Upstate Spartans. | Texas Longhorns Athletic

The script is becoming almost predictable for the No. 2 Texas Longhorns. 

Drop game 1. Respond the next day. Win the series. 

For the third time in Southeastern Conference play, Texas bounced back from a series-opening loss to take the weekend, defeating South Carolina 4-1 on Saturday at Founders Park. 

Behind a composed outing from Dylan Volantis, a dominant bullpen and yet another big swing from Carson Tinney, the Longhorns improved to 26-5 overall and 9-3 in SEC play.

Volantis delivers bounce-back outing

Texas sophomore pitcher Dylan Volantis tosses a pitch at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin, Texas. | Texas Athletics

After his toughest start of the season a week ago against Oklahoma, Volantis looked every bit like one of the SEC’s top arms again. 

The left-hander cruised through the early innings, needing just five pitches to get through the first and allowing only one baserunner through five. He kept South Carolina off balance all afternoon, attacking a lineup that had done plenty of damage earlier in the series.

Volantis’ only blemish came in the fifth inning, when South Carolina’s Talmadge LeCroy launched a solo home run — the first long ball Volantis has allowed all season.

He exited in the sixth inning after allowing just two hits and one run, handing things over to a bullpen that continued its strong weekend.

Thomas Burns delivered one of his best outings in weeks, striking out four batters across 1.1 innings in a much-needed return to form. From there, the Longhorns’ arms slammed the door.

Burns, baby, Burns 🔥#HookEm | @Thomas_Burns15 pic.twitter.com/Wexn2wdRfT

— Texas Baseball (@TexasBaseball) April 4, 2026

Haiden Leffew worked around a hit-by-pitch with two strikeouts in the eighth, and Sam Cozart struck out the side in the ninth to seal the save. Texas relievers struck out nine of the 11 batters they faced and allowed little more than weak contact.

Offensively, Texas didn’t waste much time getting on the board. 

In the first inning — after Carson Tinney reached on a walk and advanced on a wild pitch — Anthony Pack Jr. delivered a two-RBI double down the left field line, scoring Tinney and Aiden Robbins to give Texas an early 2-0 lead.

Horns strike first 🤘#HookEm | @theeantpack pic.twitter.com/q89hLXUpBf

— Texas Baseball (@TexasBaseball) April 4, 2026

It was a tone-setting moment for Pack, who had three hits on the day and reached base consistently all weekend. 

The Longhorns added another run in the fifth inning in unconventional fashion. Tinney reached on a dropped fly ball and advanced to third, then came home on a sacrifice fly from Robbins to extend the lead to 3-0.

Even so, the offense never fully clicked. Texas scattered hits throughout the game but struggled to string together big innings for a second day in a row, leaving multiple runners on base and missing opportunities to break things open.

But once again, Tinney provided the finishing touch.

Clinging to a 3-1 lead in the ninth inning, the catcher crushed a solo home run to right field — his third of the weekend and second straight game with a late insurance blast.

how bout another Tinney Tank 💣#HookEm | @carson_tinney pic.twitter.com/TA1oYgN9Y3

— Texas Baseball (@TexasBaseball) April 4, 2026

It proved more than enough, as the Longhorns remain perfect in SEC series play.

Texas will return to Austin on Tuesday to face Incarnate Word. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT.

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