David Pierce reveals in-game pitching plan in Game 3 vs. Stanford

Texas saw Tanner Witt start the decisive Game 3 of the Stanford Super Regional. He did stay on the mound for too long, with head coach David Pierce making a quick call to the bullpen. Zane Morehouse is now pitching for the Longhorns and the plan is to keep him out there for a good bit.

When asked his plan for the rest of the game, Pierce revealed Morehouse is going to pitch as long as he possibly can. While the head coach does trust some of the arms in the bullpen, he would like Morehouse to limit the damage the Stanford lineup is capable of doing.

“We’d like to extend Zane,” Pierce said. “He’s got to get the ball down, pitch ahead. He’s got good stuff. We’ve got couple other guys in the ‘pen that we can count on. So, we’re just going to extend as much as we can and try to stay in the game.”

At the time of posting, Morehouse has gone 4.0 innings for Texas and some damage has already been done. Stanford has scored three times, with Morehouse giving up three hits and four walks. Only three Cardinal batters have struck out against the right-handed pitcher.

Stanford is currently leading 6-3.

Pierce will be hoping Morehouse can throw at least a couple of more innings. And if Texas is going to have a chance, he will have to shut down Stanford and keep them from having more runs cross the plate.

Texas offense gets rolling thanks to Jack O’Dowd

Heading into the sixth inning, the Texas offense has produced three runs. All of them can on one swing of the bat, with Jack O’Dowd clearing the bases with a deep double into right-center field. Pierce described the play from his perspective and praised his batters for their patience.

“I thought he got a pitch, soft middle,” Pierce said. “He did a great job just hammering it. The three guys in front of him just didn’t try to do too much. That’s what we got to try to do. We just got to piece them together.”

Pierce will be hoping some similar at-bats are coming in the near future. Texas is playing with their backs against the wall and vs. one of the best teams in the country. Setting up a few big innings is likely how the Longhorns will have to get back into the game.