By Riley Zayas
Baseball starts season with sweep of Rice
The Texas baseball team began its season of redemption last Friday with a bang — literally.
The Longhorns, who are ranked No. 22 in Collegiate Baseball’s top 25 poll, swatting five homers in a three-game weekend series at Rice. The Horns swept the series to start their season with a 3-0 record, outscoring the Owls, 16-8, over the series. Pitching and timely hitting were the keys in each win, as the Longhorns were able to sweep the series despite outhitting Rice by just one in each of the three contests. Texas showed off its power at the plate Saturday, as freshmen Douglas Hodo III and Brenden Dixon each hit a solo home run, accounting for half of the scoring in the 4-0 shutout victory.
The Horns[s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)] followed it up with a 6-2 win Tuesday night in Austin over UT-San Antonio in a game in which they were led by starter Tristian Stevens, who picked up his second win of the season, allowing just one hit in two innings. Offensively, catcher Silas Androin was critical to the UT offense, knocking his first two hits of the season, one of those a double, and scoring two of the Horns’ runs.
Texas came back and beat Lamar, 6-1, in a late-afternoon tilt in which the UT pitchers allowed just six hits. Austin Todd drove in three runs to lead the offense. Six pitchers took the mound for Texas, with starter Kolby Kubicheck striking out three en route to picking up his first win of the season.
Next up, Texas baseball head coach David Pierce and his squad host the Boise State Broncos for a three-game series in Austin. Friday’s first pitch at 7 p.m., Saturday’s at 2 p.m. and the series finale at 12:30 p.m. Sunday. Boise State revived its baseball program this season, and will be playing its first games since 1980.
Game ball: This week’s Horns Illustrated game ball goes to senior outfielder Duke Ellis, who has a four-game hitting streak and posted a pair of two-hit games over the weekend. Ellis started the Horns’ first four games and picked up a sacrifice fly when he came on as a pinch hitter against Lamar.
Football team announces spring practice dates
Head coach Tom Herman and the football team recently announced their spring practice schedule leading up to the annual spring game April 25. These practices will be a chance to see what the team looks like heading into the 2020 season with some new faces, including new offensive coordinator Mike Yurich and new defensive coordinator Chris Ash.
These are the 14 practice dates announced by the program: March 24, March 26, March 28, March 31, April 2, April 4, April 7, April 9, April 14, April 16, April 18, April 21, April 23 and April 24. Times have not yet been released.
Softball sweeps four games in Puerto Vallarta Classic
The No. 4 Texas softball team remained undefeated after a hectic weekend at the Puerto Vallarta Classic in Mexico, in which the Longhorns defeated four of the nation’s best, and lost an exhibition game to the Mexican national team by a score of 5-4.
Texas (11-0) blanked California Baptist, 4-0, and knocked off Utah, 3-2, before running through No. 12 Tennessee, 11-0, in a game that was shortened to five innings. The Longhorns jumped ahead of Tennessee early, with eight runs in the first and cruised to the victory.
Senior Miranda Elish earn her third win of the season; the senior was UT’s only pitcher of the game and allowed just two runners to reach base.
After falling to the Mexican National Team, Texas capped off the trip by defeating Ole Miss, 4-1, in its second game Saturday. First baseman Kaitlyn Washington grounded out to first in the second inning, but drove in UT’s first run and took its first lead. Elish picked up her second win of the Classic, once again throwing a complete game, and allowing just four runners to reach base.
Elish then threw four innings in the Horns’ 3-2 victory Wednesday over North Texas in Austin in UT’s first game of the season that was not part of a multi-team classic. Four different players notched a hit, as UNT held the Horns’ offense in check all game. But UT prevailed when outfielder Shannon Rhodes reached base on error in the bottom of the ninth, and senior Tuesday DeMargosian, who was pinch-running, sprinted across the plate, scoring the game winning run to give Texas its 11th straight win.
Game Ball: Thanks to her phenomenal efforts from the circle throughout the week, Elish earned this week’s Horns Illustrated game ball and was named the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge Second Session MVP. Elish has started off her final season at UT in dominating fashion, and it continued this week. Her final stats from the week: 16 innings pitched, a 3-0 record, six hits allowed and an earned run average of 0.56.
Men’s golf takes home title at The Prestige
The men’s golf team shot 278 in the final round and finished with three-round total of 20-under par 832 to win The Prestige by Charles Schwab at the Greg Norman Course at PGA West in La Quinta, California.
The Longhorns finished six strokes ahead of No. 1-ranked Pepperdine, which came in second. Senior Spencer Soosman, led Texas when he fired a season-best 65 on the final day of the tournament.
“The team win is awesome,” Soosman said. “This is our first win, which we always talk about. “So, winning this tournament meant a lot for us. I’m happy we got it done, and I’m so glad I was able to carry the torch today.”
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