Grading Texas Baseball Through The Non-Conference Schedule
Texas Baseball begins Big 12 conference play this weekend against #6 Texas Tech.
After completing the main portion of their non-conference schedule with a wild victory over Texas A&M on Tuesday, Texas Baseball has to focus on the important Big 12 schedule.
The Longhorns also have a chance to make a statement nationally if they take this weekend’s series against Tech. It will not be easy, as the Red Raiders bring a Top 10 ranking and 14-4 record to Austin.
But, the Horns are just as impressive with a 13-6 record and victory over common opponent Texas A&M. Comparably, Tech lost 9-0 to the Aggies in a neutral site game at Minute Maid Park in Houston.
The Longhorns still have non-conference games sprinkled throughout the mid-week schedule, but the real season begins this weekend.
That means it’s time to hand out some grades after completing the main non-conference schedule.
Texas Baseball – Coaching
New Texas manager David Pierce has brought a new approach, energy, and focus to this year’s team. And, the team has responded well after the departure of legendary coach Augie Garrido.
Coach Garrido brought a more laid-back style to the dugout in recent years, while David Pierce is top step all the way. Pierce seemed to be feeling out his team in the first few weeks of the season, but now it’s clear that he’s The Man guiding the ship.
Grade: A
Texas Baseball – Hitting
This is a mixed bag. Kacy Clemens is having an excellent senior season, backup catcher Michael McCann has been a pleasant surprise, Bret Boswell has started to swing the bat well, and Austin Todd had driven in a lot of runs without any homers.
But, the team was inconsistent early on. Hitters were not working together to build innings and rallies, which cost them at least two wins in the four-game Stanford series.
The Horns responded back home in Austin over the past two weeks, winning six games in a row after Stanford. The key has been following the coaches’ instructions by being patient, taking walks, stringing together hits, and putting up crooked numbers.
We hope to see this letter grade improve in Big 12 conference play.
Grade: B-
Texas Baseball – Starting Pitching
What can you say about this unit? Dominant. Powerful. Effective. Intimidating. The starters have been absolutely magnificent through the first half of the season.
Morgan Cooper quickly established himself as the Friday Night Ace, Nick Kennedy has a minuscule 0.75 ERA, Nolan Kingham has even tinier 0.42 ERA, and the starters have combined to give up a grand total of two HRs the entire season. (2017 Texas Baseball Stats)
The starters have been so dominant that Texas even moved Kyle Johnston to the bullpen trying to save some games. That worked last week when Johnston nailed down two games. But, he fell apart Tuesday against Texas A&M in the same spot. Fortunately, Texas held on to win 4-3.
Too often during the first part of the season, the hitters failed the pitchers by not putting together more runs to get these guys and the team more wins. If the hitting becomes more consistent in Big 12 play, watch out.
Grade: A+++
Texas Baseball – Bullpen
Things have not gone so smoothly for the Texas Bullpen. The Stanford series was a prime example where the Horns blew late-inning leads and lost two games in walk-off fashion.
Closer Beau Ridgeway has been up and down, but he has not lost any games this season. He only has two saves, though, matching starter Kyle Johnston.
Then, there is the curious case of Chase Shugart, who nearly has a 10.00 ERA and has given up two HRs. But, he nailed down huge outs against Texas A&M on Tuesday to earn his second save.
So, maybe there is hope for the back-end of the Texas pitching staff. We’ll see in Big 12 play.
Grade: C
Texas Baseball Overall
This is a good-looking baseball team most nights. And, winning six in a row since the Stanford series shows how well they responded to teaching and instruction.
Next: Kacy Clemens Interview - 2017 UT Baseball, CWS, more!
The Longhorns have played like a totally different team, which needs to carry over to Big 12 games starting with Texas Tech. We’ll see if they’re ready for the important games in their schedule after getting a major rivalry win against A&M on Tuesday.
Grade: B+