Texas Baseball: No. 2 Horns set to host surging USF in Super Regional
A dominant showing for No. 2 ranked Texas baseball in the Austin Regional looks to have them rolling into Super Regionals this week. Texas and head coach David Pierce worked through the competition in the Austin Regional without issue. It all started for them with a dismantling of the four-seed Southern Jaguars, which ended by a score of 11-0.
Then it was wins over the two-seed Arizona State Sun Devils and three-seed Fairfield that ultimately propelled the Longhorns through the Austin Regional unscathed. It was almost unquestioned that the Longhorns would be a host of a Super Regional with the way they showed out last weekend at Disch-Falk Field.
All told, Texas beat Southern, Arizona State, and Fairfield in just three games in the Austin Regional by a combined margin of 28 runs. Very few top seeds around the country looked as thoroughly dominant in their regionals as the Longhorns did last weekend.
Given that Texas didn’t have the best showing in the Big 12 Tournament roughly two weeks ago, this strong response in regionals is much needed. If Pierce can lead the Longhorns through Super Regionals and on into the College World Series in Omaha, fans will still be thrilled about the progress this season.
Granted, College World Series appearances are anticipated when a team enters the postseason with a top-two ranking in the entire country.
Texas baseball moving into Super Regional to face South Florida
Moreover, Texas is set to compete in Super Regionals for the first time since the 2018 season. They are set to host the upstart South Florida Bulls out of the American Athletic Conference in at least a two-game series at the Disch this weekend. The first game between USF and Texas in the Austin Super Regional is set to take part on June 12, with first pitch set for 8 p.m. CT.
As needed, the next two games between Texas and USF are set to take place on June 13 and 14.
USF came into the postseason with roughly a .500 record. They looked to have no business making it to Regionals even. But they were a Cinderella story from the very start of the AAC Tournament, which they won over their in-state rival UCF Knights.
Then, USF pulled off a big set of upsets in the Gainesville Regional to overtake the No. 5 ranked Florida Gators, Miami Hurricanes, and South Alabama Jaguars. The sole loss for USF since the AAC Tournament semis came in one of the two meetings with South Alabama in the Gainesville Regional.
Next. 5 players with a lot to prove in summer workouts. dark
Pierce is set to have his Longhorns get back going against USF after what will be a six-day hiatus on June 12 with the mission to make it back to Omaha for the first time since 2018. Texas can also extend their winning streak to four games if they knock off USF in the first meeting in this Super Regional heading into the weekend.