Texas Bullpen Offers Mixed Postseason Preview Ahead of SEC Tournament

Texas baseball’s regular season is officially over, and it ended on a high note at that, as the Longhorns completed a sweep of Missouri to secure their eighth Southeastern Conference series victory of the season and all but lock up a top-eight national seed in the NCAA Tournament.

But Saturday’s victory was anything but routine. The series finale featured one of the strangest pitching sequences of the season, as starter Ruger Riojas faced just one batter before being lifted in favor of freshman reliever Brody Walls.

And despite some unusual sights on the mound — including freshman Kaleb Rogers making his first collegiate appearance and effectively burning his redshirt — the weekend offered valuable insight into what Texas’ pitching staff may look like once postseason play begins.

Here’s what we learned from the series sweep.

A symbolic start with bigger implications

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

Riojas’ abbreviated outing was strange, to say the least.

The senior right-hander has been dealing with soreness in recent weeks, which pushed his start back a day during last weekend’s series against Tennessee. So when he exited after recording just one out, there was understandable concern, especially after he appeared to be laboring during his warmup pitches.

Head coach Jim Schlossnagle later described the move as precautionary and designed to preserve one of Texas’ most important postseason arms.

“We really get him a chance to reset before the regional,” Schlossnagle said.

And with the NCAA Tournament now less than two weeks away, that reset may prove far more important than any inning Riojas could have thrown Saturday, as a less-than-perfect Riojas is still far better than no Riojas at all.

“I’m not going to tell you he feels like a 10,” Schlossnagle said, “but it’s not any worse than last week.”

At this point, Texas’ top priority is avoiding further aggravation and giving Riojas every opportunity to contribute in June. The Longhorns are well-aware of how quickly a postseason run can falter with a depleted staff.

Riojas still got his Senior Day moment, and Texas avoided overtaxing a pitcher it hopes will play a major role in June.

What we learned from the bullpen

Texas Longhorns Pitcher Thomas Burns throws a pitch on the mound at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin, Texas. | Texas Athletics

If Riojas’ health remains uncertain, Texas will need more from its bullpen. And Saturday offered both encouraging signs and familiar concerns.

Freshman Brody Walls threw 1 2/3 innings after replacing Riojas and, aside from a solo homer, looked composed. Cal Higgins made his first meaningful appearance in over a month and settled down nicely after surrendering a leadoff home run.

The most encouraging outing belonged to Cody Howard.

The fifth-year right-hander retired his first nine batters and cruised through three perfect innings before running into trouble in the eighth. Texas has lacked consistent strike-throwers outside of Sam Cozart, and Howard’s ability to pound the zone could make him an increasingly valuable option in postseason play.

Crossland, however, again struggled when thrust into a higher-pressure situation, issuing free passes and allowing inherited runners to score. Thomas Burns ultimately escaped the jam, while freshman Kaleb Rogers made his collegiate debut and recorded the final out.

"I mean, we have some guys that need to clean up their act a little bit. Throw more strikes,” Schlossnagle said.

Texas has the frontline talent to make a deep postseason run. But if the Longhorns are going to reach Omaha, they will need both a rested Riojas and a bullpen capable of turning promising outings into dependable ones.

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