Longhorns Notebook: No. 16 Texas Cruises Past Houston Christian 20-3
Well, folks, there is plenty of stuff to write about from this one. The Texas Longhorns cruised (3-1) easily past the Houston Christian Huskies (3-2) for a 20-3 blowout win.
Anytime you win by 17 runs is cause for celebration, especially when it came in as smooth of a performance as it did for the Longhorns on Tuesday evening. Next up, another three-game non-conference set against Cal Poly.
For now, though, here are three key takeaways from Texas' midweek win over Houston Christian.
Power surge
One thing to watch following Texas' series against the San Diego Toreros was if it could wake up the bats. Now, take this with a grain of salt due to the competition, but it sure looks like the Longhorns have the offense firing on all cylinders following the performance against the Huskies.
First and foremost, they recorded 24 total hits, which was just one shy of tying the school record for most hits in a single game. Add on 11 extra base hits (three of which were home runs), and you see the potential this offense has as they exploded for 20 runs with six multi-run innings.
Eliminate free passes
One look at the final score from this one and seeing the Huskies limited to three runs is something to be proud of. Yes, limiting any team to so little runs in a win is a good thing. After all the fewer runs a pitching staff allows translates to a higher likelihood of the game being won.
However, looking deeper into the scorebook and one potential issue will catch your attention. Free passes. Texas handed out seven free passes in the lopsided win, a stat that cannot happen as the competition continues to ramp up heading into conference play.
Keep it rolling
Winning two games in a row is not quite a winning streak. No, that title isn't applied until three straight games have been won. So, the Longhorns find themselves on the brink of a winning streak but aren't quite there yet, folks. Of course, that can change this weekend.
Two back-to-back strong wings to end the first weekend and their first midweek game are a good sign for the Longhorns. Winning the series, or even better sweeping, against the Cal Poly Mustangs will go a long ways towards the building of confidence in non-conference play.
What's next for Texas?
The Longhorns will be back in action for their second weekend series of the season when they welcome Cal Poly to Disch-Falk Field on Friday at 6:30 P.M. CT