The Longhorns' 17-game winning streak was snapped when they faced the UTSA Roadrunners on Tuesday night. However, one of the more notable storylines from the game wasn't the loss, it was the random departure of relief pitcher Andre Duplantier II.
Duplantier entered the game during the seventh inning and threw out his warm-up pitches. Then, head coach Jim Schlossnagle visited the mound and pulled Duplantier before he ever threw an in-game pitch.
Immediately, fans grew worried that there was something wrong with their senior pitcher, who came in for multiple clutch performances last season.
The trainer comes out while Andre Duplantier is warming up and Duplantier leaves the game. Not good.
— HornSports (@HornSports) March 19, 2025
UTSA and Texas are tied at 6 in the 7th. #HookEm
After the matchup went into extra innings and the Horns suffered the subsequent 8-7 loss, Schlossnagle was (obviously) asked about Duplantier's status.
"He's fine. I think he didn't have a lot of time to get ready," Schlossnagle said. "He said he was ready. It looked like he was kind of slinging it a little bit, I don't think there's anything wrong with him."
The notion that Duplantier will be good to go in the future should immediately put Texas fans' hearts at ease, especially with a series against the No. 2 LSU Tigers rapidly approaching.
"When I went out and asked him, 'How are you feeling?' he said, 'I'm okay.' Yeah, we're not going to pitch on a Tuesday night if we're just feeling okay. So, I think he's fine, but we'll see."
The matchup with UTSA was a non-conference matchup that didn't have much bearing on Texas' national rankings, beyond the fact that the Horns lost. To put it simply, Schlossnagle is focusing on the long game, which is smart as Texas continues its first-ever season in the SEC.
The Longhorns and the Tigers are scheduled to throw out the first pitch of their three-game series on Friday, March 21, at 7 p.m. CT. The series will be broadcast on the SEC Network.