After a weekend road series win over the South Carolina Gamecocks in the Columbia, the fourth in a way to start conference play, the No. 2 Texas Longhorns (26-5) are back at UFCU Disch-Falk Field to face off against the Incarnate Word Cardinals (16-16).
The midweek results have swung wildly for head coach Jim Schlossnagle and the Longhorns this season, veering from winning the first four games by double-digit runs, including three run-rule victories, to back-to-back losses to Tarleton State and Houston
before bouncing back with a 10-8 win over Texas State last week to break a four-game home losing streak to the Bobcats.
At No. 193 in the latest RPI under first-year head coach Nick Zaleski, the Cardinals are the worst opponent the Longhorns hae faced so far this season. Among common opponents, UIW suffered a run-rule defeat by Tarleton State, lost a weekend conference series to Houston Christian in Houston, got beat by Baylor 16-7 in Waco, and took another weekend conference series loss to Lamar in Beaumont. Texas A&M also notched an 11-1 run-rule victory over Incarnate Word in College Station.
The bats aren’t the problem for the Cardinals, who hit .294 as a team with six regulars batting over .300, led by outfielder Preston Newberry at .344. Shortstop Cole Tabor paces UIW with 11 home runs to bolster the team’s .479 slugging percentage.
On the mound is where Zalesky’s team struggles with an ERA of 7.79 and a WHIP of 1.65 as opponents hit .300 against the Cardinals. In last week’s Tuesday win over UTSA, UIW used 10 pitchers and hasn’t been able to settle on a midweek starter this season because right-hander Emir Encalada has struggled with a 13.72 ERA over 11 appearances, including six starts.
Texas has had its own struggles finding a Tuesday starter since moving freshman right-hander Sam Cozart into the weekend bullpen, where he’s recorded four save and solidified his role as the team’s closer. In the three games since that move, three different pitchers have started for the Longhorns, a trend likely to continue with junior left-hander Kade Bing featured on a gameday post from Texas.
The McClennan transfer was solid in that role last year, posting a 3-0 record in 11 starts with a 31.5 ERA. Known as a strike thrower last year, Bing has improved his velocity this season, although he seen much action, struggling in allowing three earned runs against Tarleton State thanks to a hit, a walk, and a hit batter while failing to record an out before bouncing back by retiring a batter in the loss to Houston and pitching three innings against Texas State, striking out two and allowing a solo home run.
At the plate, freshman outfielder Anthony Pack Jr. enters the weekend with momentum as the SEC Co-Freshman of the Week behind a .563 average and a 1.299 OPS over those four games, including a big series against South Carolina in which he slashed .727/.769/.909 by reaching safely in 10 of his 13 plate appearances while delivering the game-winning two-run double in Saturday’s series finale.
First pitch is at 6:30 p.m. Central on SEC Network+.
