The Good, The Bad and The Ugly From Texas Baseball’s Series Win Over Alabama

Texas takes the series over the Crimson Tide behind elite pitching, but inconsistent bats remain a growing concern.

Texas Baseball's starting pitcher Ruger Riojas | Texas Athletics

A series win in the SEC is always a good thing.

No. 4 Texas took two of three from Alabama at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, bouncing back from last weekend’s disappointment in College Station with a performance that was both encouraging and revealing.

We know this team’s ceiling is incredibly high. But its floor? Still a little uncertain. 

Here’s everything good, bad and ugly from last weekend’s series against the Crimson Tide.

The Good — The pitching staff is still elite

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

If there was any concern about Texas’ pitching after the Texas A&M series, it didn’t last long. The Longhorns were dominant on the mound all weekend.

Dylan Volantis set the tone Friday with a career-high 12 strikeouts. Ruger Riojas followed with 11 on Saturday. Then Luke Harrison bounced back Sunday with a career-high 10 of his own.

Texas struck out 49 Alabama hitters across three games, with the starters accounting for 33 of them. It was one of the first times in a while that every starter completely overwhelmed an opposing lineup.

Even more encouraging? The bullpen held up.

After being a major storyline in recent weeks, Texas’ relievers were composed, effective and, most importantly, reliable. Sam Cozart, in particular, delivered a standout performance. The freshman right-hander allowed just one baserunner and struck out five in three innings Friday night, then returned Saturday to strike out the side and secure a 3-1 win.

That version of this pitching staff can carry Texas a long way.

The Bad — The offense is still inconsistent

Texas Longhorns second baseman Ethan Mendoza celebrates after scoring against the Texas State Bobcats | University of Texas Athletics

For as dominant as the pitching was, the offense remains… unpredictable.

Even with a reshuffled lineup — Adrian Rodriguez returning from injury, Ethan Mendoza sliding to the five-hole and Aiden Robbins taking over leadoff duties — the bats couldn’t find consistency for the life of them. 

Friday was explosive — 16 hits and runs up and down the lineup. Saturday was a grind with just three runs, all manufactured late.

Sunday? A complete stall. Just four hits and one run.

That’s the issue.

At times, this lineup has proven dangerous. But the consistency is still missing. In its last eight SEC games, Texas has topped five runs just twice and sits at 4-4 in that stretch.

Too often, Texas relies on a few key bats — Aiden Robbins, Carson Tinney, Anthony Pack Jr. — to generate offense. The trio has accounted for nearly half of the Longhorns’ offensive production in conference play. When those guys are quiet, the entire lineup tends to follow.

Sunday’s 0-for-7 performance from Robbins and Tinney said it all.

The Ugly — The bottom of the order is giving Texas nothing

Temo Becerra celebrates a home run against Coastal Carolina in the Bruce Bolt College Classic at Daikin Park. | University of Texas Athletics

If the top of the lineup drives the offense, the bottom of the order is supposed to sustain it. And right now, it’s doing quite the opposite.

Throughout the Alabama series, Texas got very little production from the back half of its lineup — particularly the 5-through-9 spots. And it’s been trending this way for weeks.

At the moment, anything after Pack Jr. in the four-hole has been lifeless. While those spots hold a .283 season average, they’ve combined to hit just .178 over the past two weeks. Casey Borba and Ethan Mendoza are both in clear slumps, and Temo Becerra has yet to have a productive game since before conference play. 

That lack of depth is a glaring concern for a team with another SEC title aspirations. The bottom of the order simply needs to wake up if they expect that goal to come into fruition.

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