Texas baseball vs. WVU: How to watch the Longhorns on TV this week
The final series of the regular season for head coach David Pierce and Texas baseball is a big one in Big 12 play. Texas will battle it out with the No. 6 ranked West Virginia Mountaineers at home at the friendly confines of UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin starting on May 18.
Texas has played well of late, winning two in a row and five of its last six heading into this three-game series against West Virginia to close out the regular season.
The last game for the Longhorns saw this squad decimate the San Jose State Spartans, by a score of 18-6 in seven innings on May 13. Texas downed San Jose State by a margin of double-digit runs two games in a row last weekend. In the back end of a doubleheader on May 12, the Longhorns took down San Jose State by an incredibly convincing score of 24-3.
Two wins in a row over San Jose State last weekend moved Texas’ record on the season to 35-18 (12-9 Big 12). A share of the Big 12 regular season title is technically still within reach for the Longhorns. Texas would have to sweep this weekend’s series against the Mountaineers for that to happen, though.
Meanwhile, West Virginia comes into this game with a record of 39-13 (15-6 Big 12) following a couple of wins over the Texas Tech Red Raiders at home in Morgantown last weekend. West Virginia has won two games in a row and four of its last five heading into this series against the Longhorns.
Here’s a look at how to watch the series this weekend at the Disch between Texas and No. 6 West Virginia at the Disch in Austin, with the opener set for May 18.
Texas baseball vs. West Virginia weekend schedule
Game 1: May 18, 6:30 p.m. CT
Game 2: May 19, 6:30 p.m. CT
Game 3: May 20, 2:30 p.m. CT
How to watch Texas baseball vs. West Virginia
TV/Stream: Longhorn Network
Radio/Audio Stream: 104.9 FM The Horn/1260 AM
Game time: 6:30 p.m. CT (Game 1)
Live stats: Sidearm Stats
For the final time this season, the Longhorns will have a weekend series broadcast live on Longhorn Network. This is also the last time that a regular season game for this baseball program will be broadcast on LHN before the final campaign on the network in the spring of 2024.
Texas vs. West Virginia pitching matchups
Game 1: Texas LHP Lucas Gordon (5-1, 2.71 ERA) vs. West Virginia LHP Carson Estridge (3-0, 3.75 ERA)
Game 2: Texas RHP Lebarron Johnson Jr. (6-2, 2.76 ERA) vs. West Virginia RHP Blaine Traxel (7-4, 3.23 ERA)
Game 3: Texas RHP Tanner Witt (1-1, 13.50 ERA) vs. West Virginia TBA
According to the game notes from Texassports.com, Texas will be trotting out the junior left-handed ace Lucas Gordon as the starter to open up this series against West Virginia on May 18. Pierce and the Longhorns should have plenty of confidence in Gordon, who leads all Big 12 starting pitchers in ERA this season.
Gordon did have some rough outings of late, though, including two outings in conference play with 4+ earned runs allowed against the Kansas Jayhawks (May 5) and TCU Horned Frogs (April 29).
Texas will also be looking to get the 6-foot-6 redshirt sophomore right-hander Tanner Witt on track as he makes his third start of the season in the series finale on May 20. Witt had two up-and-down outings, where he at least claimed one win, against Kansas (May 7) and San Jose State (May 13) after getting shelled for three earned runs in less than one full inning on the mound against TCU on May 1.
This will obviously be a major test for the Texas pitching staff to go up against one of the most complete offenses and best all-around teams in the Big 12 this season in the Mountaineers. West Virginia ranks second in batting average and runs scored in Big 12 play this season.
The Mountaineers also bolster a pitching staff that ranks among the top three in the conference this season.
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Texas does have the advantage of being at home and having a solid group of three starters lined up to face the Mountaineers this week. If Pierce and the Longhorns can come out on top in at least two of the three games against West Virginia in this series, that would give this team plenty of momentum heading into the Big 12 Tournament.