On May 4, 2021, the No. 6 Texas Longhorns defeated the Texas State Bobcats at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, 4-1, with help from a Zach Zubia home run as left-hander Lucas Gordon made the first of 34 career starts for former head coach David Pierce.
It was the last home win for the Longhorns against the Bobcats, a stretch of 1,972 days since Texas beat Texas State on the Forty Acres, representing four of the 14 all-time wins for the ‘Cats in Austin in a series that started in 1986.
So the stakes are higher
than normal for a midweek game when Jim Schlossnagle’s program hosts Texas State on Tuesday, stakes heightened by two straight Tuesday losses for Texas since moving freshman right-hander Sam Cozart to the weekend bullpen for the start of SEC play after four superlative midweek appearances, including three starts.
While Cozart has performed well against conference opponents, the void created in the Tuesday starter role has contributed to a home loss to Tarleton State and a road loss to Houston last week that saw the Longhorns give up nine unanswered runs to the Cougars.
After junior right-hander Hudson Hamilton and sophomore right-hander Jason Flores started those two losses, Schlossnagle and pitching coach Max Weiner are now turning to senior right-hander Max Grubbs (2-0, 4.08 ERA) in an attempt to stabilize that starting role. It’s the first start for the Arlington Martin product since he unexpectedly emerged as the No. 1 starter under Pierce in 2024, going 6-4 with a 3.67 ERA.
Another pressing concern is how Schlossnagle adjusts to the absence of starting shortstop Adrian Rodriguez, set to miss several weeks after undergoing a hand procedure in the hopes of finally addressing an injury sustained a year ago against Missouri that has lingered ever since.
The simple solution is moving redshirt senior Temo Becerra from third base to shortstop, but the bigger question is what Schlossnagle decides to do at third base. Before the season, Schlossnagle indicated that Wichita State graduate transfer Josh Livingston was competing for the starting job at the hot corner, but given Livingston’s lack of range, the best way to limit the defensive drop off at third base is to move junior first baseman Casey Borba back to the position at which he played 45 games for the Horns last season.
No matter which decision Schlossnagle makes at third base, Texas will need to hit the ball better against Texas State than it has in producing two combined hits over the last two midweek games. The Longhorns did draw 20 walks in those two losses, but went 1-for-12 (.083) with runners on and 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position against the Texans and .167 with runners on and runners in scoring position against the Cougars.
Texas State enters Tuesday’s matchup with momentum built on a seven-game winning streak, the program’s longest since 2022, that includes a sweep of then-No. 25 Louisiana by outscoring the Ragin’ Cajuns 31-11 in San Marcos. During that surge, the Texas State has hit 25 home runs, including eight to clinch the sweep against Louisiana and eight more in the series opener against Georgia State last weekend.
Shortstop Dawson Park and center fielder Jackson Cotton are tied for the team lead with nine home runs, but the hottest hitter for the Bobcats is right fielder Rashawn Galloway, who is batting .476 (40-for-84) with 24 RBI, 22 runs, 12 doubles and three home runs during his 20-game hitting streak.
But the Bobcats are also struggling to find a Tuesday starter after using 10 pitchers against the Longhorns in the 15-4 loss to Texas on March 10 with left-hander Ryan Markwardt (0-1, 37.80 ERA) set to make his first career start. The Lubbock Christian transfer has allowed seven runs on six hits with three walks in 1.2 innings over two appearances this season.
In the previous matchup in San Marcos, Borba went 2-for-3 with two home runs, five RBI, and two walks as Becerra and freshman left fielder Anthony Pack Jr. also hit home runs as Texas jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the fourth inning before scoring eight runs over the final three innings.
First pitch is at 6:30 p.m. Central on SEC Network+.
