Facing off against the reigning College World Series champions on Friday night, No. 15 Texas baseball couldn’t seem to find home base against an aggressive No. 3 LSU, falling 6-3 in its first game of the Astros Foundation College Classic.
Texas took its first road trip of the season for the three-day tournament as it looked to go against three new opponents: No. 3 LSU, Texas State, and No. 9 Vanderbilt. The Longhorns returned for their 11th appearance in the tournament but for the first time since 2022.
Last season, Texas was shut out by then-No. 1 LSU in a 3-0 loss, as the Tigers would eventually win the College World Series. This time around, LSU entered the matchup at No. 3 after an upset loss to an unranked Stoney Brook team, putting both the Tigers and Longhorns at 7–1 for the season so far. This game would be the third time in program history that the two have met in competition, drawing in a crowd of nearly 25,000 attendees.
Right out of the gate, both Texas pitcher Lebarron Johnson Jr. and LSU pitcher Luke Holman stood their ground, leaving each opponent scoreless through three innings. Johnson only allowed two runs but was switched out early for redshirt junior Tanner Witt before entering the fourth inning.
In Witt’s first inning of pitching, LSU snatched the lead off a single by junior infielder Michael Braswell Ⅲ that brought two runners home, putting the Tigers at 2-0 over Texas.
The Texas defense featured six different pitchers throughout the night as it tried to contain LSU’s energy, but the Longhorns couldn’t seem to shake the energy emanating from the sea of purple and gold in the stands. LSU cranked out two homers in the top of the seventh to extend its lead to 6-0, leaving Texas without a run and a dwindling hope for victory.
Through seven innings, Texas found itself unlucky offensively as redshirt senior Peyton Powell recorded three hits, two being doubles, but was left stranded each time. It wouldn’t be until redshirt junior catcher Kimble Schuessler knocked a home run to left field during the bottom of the seventh that the Longhorns would arrive on the scoreboard.
“They got a good lineup, but I think we let them hang around on offense a little too long,” Powell said. “I think we would have come out earlier in the game how we did later in the game if we felt comfortable a lot earlier.”
Texas managed to cut its deficit in the bottom of the ninth with a double from freshman infielder Casey Borba to bring redshirt senior Porter Brown and sophomore Jalin Flores home, putting them at 6-3. But it was too late, as LSU took home the win, capped by a display of fireworks around Minute Maid Park.
“We made more mistakes than they did, they were a better team than us,” Head Coach David Pierce said. “I told the team going into the game that the team that takes care of the baseball and makes fewer mistakes will win the game.”
Texas will return on Saturday for its matchup against an unranked Texas State at 3 p.m. to continue the tournament.
