Texas baseball suffered a deflating sweep on the road last weekend against the Arkansas Razorbacks, getting outscored 28-9 and striking out 38 times.
Longhorns look to regain momentum against Florida
The (still) top-ranked Longhorns are looking to prove last weekend was nothing more than a speed bump as the red-hot Florida Gators come to town. The Gators have won 10 of their last 12 SEC games—including a sweep of South Carolina last weekend—after starting 1-11 in conference play.
This is a critical series for Jim Schlossnagle’s squad. The ‘Horns haven’t lost back-to-back series since 2023—to A&M and OU—and with the SEC tournament fast approaching, this weekend is about sending a message that the Arkansas series was an aberration.
Recent results tell two different stories
The Longhorns return home with their tail tucked between their legs after getting whupped in Fayetteville. Texas was outclassed all weekend in all phases of the game by Arkansas, capped off by a 13-8 defeat in the Saturday finale to complete the sweep.
The bats came alive, but pitching let them down once again. Even in Tuesday's 9-3 win over Lamar, the performance was less than inspiring. The offense struck out eight times and stranded 16 baserunners. That included leaving the bases loaded five(!) times against a team sitting near the middle of the Southland Conference standings.
Florida, meanwhile, is catching fire. After a brutal start to conference play, the Gators are on a four-series winning streak, including a sweep over South Carolina and a series win over Arkansas the weekend prior. Their bats are on fire—scoring 8.5 runs/game over their last 16—and they’ve managed just enough on the mound to allow the lineup to outscore teams.
This series now pairs two teams who seem to be heading in opposite directions—one needing to reassert its dominance, and the other looking to prove it’s for real.
What Texas needs to show this weekend
This weekend marks the first-ever regular-season meeting between Texas and Florida, and it couldn't come at a more pivotal moment. With the SEC tournament around the corner, the national spotlight is still on the Longhorns, and they've got plenty they need to prove.
Pitching has to settle down
The starting rotation, already thin with the loss of ace Jared Spencer, needs to center itself. Texas starters gave up 20 earned runs in the Arkansas series and failed to record a quality start. That included a career-high nine earned runs surrendered by Ruger Riojas in the series opener.
Texas not only couldn't contain Arkansas' bats, but they also couldn't throw strikes, allowing 31 walks over the course of the series. Coach Schlossnagle took notice:
"We set the table for them so they didn't have to make very many tough decisions," he said. "Either we missed the plate by a lot, or we threw it in the middle of the plate."
Whether it's Riojas, Luke Harrison, or someone else, the pitching staff has to stabilize and allow the offense a chance to go to work.
Situational hitting has to improve
Texas has stranded 32 baserunners over their last four games, including 16 on Tuesday against Lamar. That’s a lot. The Longhorns have firepower, and they can score runs in bunches, but they need to string together more productive at-bats with runners in scoring position. Florida’s pitching staff isn’t elite, but Texas must capitalize on opportunities, especially early.
Get to Florida's bullpen
The emergence of Jake Clemente out of the Florida bullpen has helped slow the bleeding a bit, but this is still a weak spot for the Gators. During a particularly tough six-game stretch in March, Florida had ninth-inning leads in three games and lost all of them.
While Clemente’s performance has stabilized a unit that had been leaking runs left and right, this is still an area that Texas can exploit. Florida has a team ERA of 5.18, with relievers posting an ERA of 6.63. Texas needs to grind out at-bats early, push pitch counts, and force the Gators to lean on their second-tier arms.
This offense is too talented to keep coming up empty, but the damage needs to come before the late innings.
Texas needs to set the tone for the stretch run
The Arkansas series exposed some cracks. The midweek win over Lamar, though needed, didn’t smooth them over. And with the SEC tournament less than two weeks away, there’s no more time for feel-it-out weekends.
This Florida series will be a battle, and Texas needs to show they are up for the test. They don’t need to be perfect, and they don’t even need to sweep. But they do need to look like a team that is ready for a run, not only in the SEC tournament, but in Omaha. That means sharper pitching, more timely hitting, and cleaner execution across the board.
They’ve earned the No. 1 ranking. It’s time to play like it again.
Weekend series schedule
Texas will take on Florida at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
- Friday, May 9 / 6:30 p.m. CT / ESPN U
- Saturday, May 10 / 1:00 p.m. CT / SEC Network+
- Sunday, May 11 / 1:00 p.m. CT / SEC Network+