Longhorns Square Off Against Miami Again in Coral Gables Regional Final
Well, folks, we have ourselves a rematch in the Coral Gables Regional Final between the No. 2 seeded Texas Longhorns and No. 1 seeded Miami Hurricanes. A win for the Longhorns sees them into the super regional while the Hurricanes look to stave off elimination once again.
Texas has rode dominant pitching so far in the regional, getting a combined 16 innings of two-run baseball from starters Lucas Gordon and Lebarron Johnson Jr. - needing the bullpen for only two innings of work so far.
However, beating the Hurricanes for a second straight time will undoubtedly be much easier said than done. Luckily for the Longhorns, a loss on Sunday does not end their season quite yet but would force a winner-take-all game on Monday.
How to watch/listen:
Sunday at 5 p.m. CT (ESPNU (ESPN+)/TexasSports.com/Audio)
A look at Miami's regional so far
The Hurricanes got off to a strong start in their regional opener, cruising past the Maine Black Bears in a 9-1 rout. However, they then ran into a buzzsaw named Lebarron Johnson Jr., who led Texas to a 4-1 win on Saturday. They kept their tournament alive with an 8-5 win over Louisiana to avoid elimination and advance to the regional final.
Miami by the numbers
Record: 42-20
Runs scored: 464
Runs allowed: 330
Team Avg.: .299
Team ERA: 5.02
Miami wins this game if...
It can do what has not been do so far in this regional, getting to the Longhorns bullpen. Through the first two games Texas has used only three pitchers, with the bullpen only needed to record six outs in the opening win over Louisiana. While Tanner Witt likely won't give Texas nine innings, if the Hurricanes can rattle him early they could stave off elimination for one more day.
Texas wins this game if...
It can once again get a strong outing from its pitching staff. Needing only three pitchers in two games is elite work, and one that has the Longhorns in the regional final. Witt, of course, will still be on a pitch count as he recovers from Tommy John surgery which means the bullpen behind him will need to be lights out when their names are called. If they can get a similar performance on Sunday, they could be through to the super regionals.
You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98
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