Texas baseball's season concludes in deja vu-riddled 7-4 loss to UTSA

To call Texas baseball’s inaugural SEC season a failure would be a short-sighted and controversial take, given the heights first-year head coach Jim Schlossnagle brought them to this year. A regular-season SEC championship, series wins against powerhouses LSU and Georgia, and victories over rivals like Texas A&M and Oklahoma capped off a phenomenal regular season for the Longhorns.

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However, to say Texas’ performances in the postseason—specifically this weekend’s Austin Regional—were a failure is likely an accurate statement. For the third time this season, and the second time in two days, the UTSA Roadrunners defeated the Texas Longhorns, earning a spot in the Super Regionals with a 7-4 victory.

The Roadrunners have been a persistent thorn in Texas’ side all year. The two teams first met in mid-March, with a 12-inning game handing Texas its second loss of the season.

Then, in the winner’s bracket at the Austin Regional on Saturday night, UTSA embarrassed the Longhorns, coming back from a six-run deficit to win 9-7. Texas stranded 14 runners on base and struck out 14 times, including four inning-ending backward Ks in each of the final four innings.

Sunday night’s game, however, felt even tougher for those donning the burnt orange. Texas began the day with a strong offensive win against Kansas State, eliminating the Wildcats from the regional and giving itself a chance to win two games against UTSA and advance to a Super Regional hosting spot.

Despite having all but two pitchers available, Texas head coach Jim Schlossnagle made a controversial decision by starting Hudson Hamilton for the first time all season. Hamilton, 11th on the team in innings pitched, had already thrown more than 50 pitches two days earlier. With an unfamiliar face on the mound, UTSA got to work, scoring two early runs off a walk and a home run by third baseman Norris McClure.

Hamilton was pulled before the second inning in favor of left-hander Ethan Walker, who had started Friday’s game and ranked 13th on the team in innings pitched. Walker allowed two walks and committed a throwing error, but UTSA held only a 2-0 lead after two innings.

“I didn’t think about starting Dylan [Volantis]. I thought about starting Burns, but we felt like Hudson [Hamilton] could get us off to a good start,” Schlossnagle said. “With the exception of one pitch that McClure got a good swing on, I thought he did fine. Walker—he’s been money for us for the last month. The whole reason we’re even here is he was throwing strikes.”

The third inning unraveled for Texas. Back-to-back hits from McClure and first baseman Lorenzo Morressi, followed by a fielder’s choice, put two outs on the board. Walker then hit consecutive batters, his second and third HBPs in two innings, scoring a run. He was promptly replaced by right-hander Max Grubbs, who many expected to be the first or second reliever in the game.

Grubbs allowed a double, a hit-by-pitch, and a single before recording the final out. UTSA scored five runs in the inning, jumping to a 7-0 lead. UFCU Disch-Falk Field fell silent, except for the rowdy Roadrunner fans from San Antonio.

Texas’ offense sputtered, leaving four runners on base between the fourth and sixth innings, adding to the four stranded in earlier innings. Late home runs by Kimble Schuessler and Max Belyeu brought in three runs, but it wasn’t enough.

“The last nine months have been the best nine months of my life,” third baseman Casey Borba said. “I’ve never had this much fun playing baseball.”

This marks unprecedented territory for many Longhorn fans. The last time Texas lost a regional it hosted was in 2007, when the Disch was under construction, and games were played at Dell Diamond. The year before, Texas hosted UT Arlington, Stanford, and NC State at the Disch but fell in back-to-back games to the Cardinal and Wolfpack, a shocking regional loss for the favored hosts.

Just one month ago, this team was the hottest in the nation, fresh off a dominant sweep of Texas A&M and having lost just five games all year. Since then, the Longhorns have lost nine of their last 15 games, knocking themselves out of the No. 1 overall seed, the SEC Tournament, and their own regional.

“The saddest thing is to not wake up tomorrow and be able to go to practice,” Schlossnagle said.

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Who’s to say what changes will be made in Austin this summer, but the only certainty now is that UTSA will be headed to a Super Regional, and Texas will not.