No. 23 Texas Returns Home Against Incarnate Word
It was a strong opening weekend in conference play for the No. 23 Texas Longhorns (9-6, 1-1), as they went on the road to Lubbock and took their opening series from the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Coming out of a heavyweight bout with two wins, there is plenty to like about this Texas squad.
First and foremost, the offense appears to be fully clicking on all cylinders and capable of lighting up any pitching staff. After slow starts guys like Porter Brown and Max Belyeu are finally getting it going at the plate, making the offense much harder to stop.
As for the pitching staff, well, the potential is there. Ace Whitehead, Max Grubbs and Gage Boehm each offer multi-inning appearances out of the bullpen, showing they're reliable arms for David Pierce. However, the starters still need to figure it out in terms of giving the Longhorns more length.
Next up, though, they welcome an Incarnate Word Cardinals riding a five-game winning streak to town on Tuesday for a midweek showdown.
How to watch/listen:
Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. CT (Longhorn Network/TexasSports.com/Audio)
Incarnate Word by the numbers:
Record: 13-4
Runs scored: 181
Runs allowed: 105
Team Avg.: .326
Team Avg. allowed: .267
Team ERA: 5.26
Incarnate Word wins this game if...
Its potent lineup can take advantage of a Longhorns' pitching staff that has been a bit Jekyll and Hyde so far during the early stages of the season. There is no denying that the Cardinals have not faced the stiffest competition to date in their first 17 games, but 13-4 is an impressive record no matter how you slice it.
Leading the charge on that front has been a strong showing from the lineup, something they hope translates to their midweek contest against Texas. If the bats make the trip to Austin and take advantage of a sometimes shaky pitching staff, they could very well leave Austin with a marquee upset.
Texas wins this game if...
On the flip side, the Longhorns will walk away from this midweek contest if the pitching staff can solve their inconsistencies. At times the they look like one of the best stable of arms in the country, such as their performances in a dominant sweep of Cal Poly.
Other times, however, the bullpen has blown late leads in heartbreaking fashion against both Texas State and Vanderbilt. We know how strong the lineup has been against inconsistent pitching, capable of putting up a crooked number on the scoreboard in the blink of an eye.
If the pitching can complement the bats on Tuesday, then the Longhorns should send the Cardinals home with a loss.
