PREVIEW: No. 24 Texas Longhorns Face Cincinnati in Elimination Game

The Longhorns find themselves staring down an 0-2 showing in Arlington against the Bearcats.

Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman /

Having a short-term memory is imperative in the sport of baseball. Playing games on back-to-back days is commonplace, so failing to shake off a loss and letting that feeling linger is something teams must avoid at all cost. It's something the No. 24 Texas Longhorns (35-21) will look to avoid on Wednesday afternoon.

The Longhorns entered the Big 12 Championship on a three-game winning streak, but saw it snapped in heartbreaking fashion against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. It was a tie game heading into the ninth inning, but a go-ahead two-run home run would see the Longhorns fall 6-4.

Again, though, they cannot let that loss haunt them. They are facing a quick turnaround, squaring off against the Cincinnati Bearcats (31-24) less than 24 hours after the loss in an elimination game. Failing to focus on the present is not an option, as doing so would send the Longhorns packing with a 0-2 showing in Arlington.

Texas Longhorns outfielder Will Gasparino (8) throws the ball to second during the game against Kansas at UFCU Disch–Falk Field. / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman /

How to watch/listen:

Wednesday at 4 p.m. CT (ESPN+/Longhorn Radio Network)

Cincinnati by the numbers:

• Record: 31-24 (17-13)

• Runs scored: 410

• Runs allowed: 352

• Team Avg.: .281

• Team Avg. against: .272

• Team ERA: 5.81

Cincinnati wins this game if...

It can force the Longhorns to play small ball. Launching long balls and racking up extra base hits comes naturally to this Texas squad. Just look at the performance in the tournament opener against the Red Raiders. All four of the runs came via an extra base hit, with a pair of solo home runs and a two-run double doing the damage.

Beyond that, though, the Longhorns could not get anything going and left an uninspiring 10 men on base - including multiple instances of a runner at third base. The Bearcats need to make that the case again on Wednesday. Otherwise, if they get into a slugging contest against the Longhorns, they could see their Big 12 Championship appearance come to an end.

Texas wins this game if...

It can keep the bats going for a full nine innings. A reoccurring issue for the Longhorns this season has been their inability to get strong appearances at the plate throughout the game. As we saw in the loss to the Red Raiders, they're capable of putting up runs in a hurry with four runs in the first three innings.

After that, though, the well went dry and they could not manage another run. Of course, leaving seven men aboard through the final six innings certainly doesn't help. This all ties back into their at times over reliance on extra base hits. If they can play consistently and string together hits against the Bearcats, they should be able to extend their stay in Arlington for another game.