Texas Baseball: Horns will face Virginia next in CWS

A big win for No. 2 Texas baseball to stay alive in the College World Series was delivered on the afternoon of June 22. The biggest win of the season so far came over the No. 3 ranked Tennessee Volunteers out of the SEC East, by the comfortable final score of 8-4. That was the win that head coach David Pierce needed to keep Texas alive in Omaha, and it was his first win in the College World Series ever with this program.

When Pierce and the Longhorns made an appearance in the College World Series back in 2018, they were knocked out in just two games. That at least won’t be the case this year.

It was a tale of two stories for the Longhorns in the first two games of the College World Series. In their first outing in Omaha, redshirt sophomore right-hander Ty Madden spun a gem out on the mound. But Texas still couldn’t top the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the end, falling short by the final score of 2-1. Texas got a solid go at it from their starter in the first game in Omaha, but redshirt junior right-hander Tristan Stevens wasn’t as good against the Vols.

Texas got four stolen bases and a big game from Eric Kennedy to get them over the hump against Tennessee. Kennedy delivered two hits, two runs, and three runs batted in, including one home run, in the win over Tennessee on June 22.

Can Eric Kennedy help push Texas baseball forward in Omaha?

Next up for the Longhorns after taking down Tennessee and falling short to Mississippi State is a meeting with the No. 6 ranked Virginia Cavaliers in their third outing in Omaha. Virginia couldn’t get it done against Mississippi State in their game on June 22.

Virginia fell short to the Bulldogs by the final score of 6-5. Mississippi State is waiting on the winner of Texas-Virginia this coming weekend. And the meeting between Texas and Virginia is set to take place on June 24.

Pierce and the Longhorns are now two games away from the final game of the College World Series. But Texas is also one loss away from heading back to Austin without a title. There is obviously a lot on the line moving forward for this squad.

Texas will need the bats to come alive again to topple Virginia in their third game in Omaha. The likes of Kennedy and Cam Williams were big for Texas with their bats in the four-run win over the Vols. But that will be needed again on June 24 against the Hoos.

Texas comes into this College World Series meeting with Virginia sporting a record of 48-16. Meanwhile, Virginia comes in with a record of 36-26 following their loss to Mississippi State on June 22. First pitch between Texas and Virginia is set for 6 p.m. CT on June 24.