Senior pitcher Jared Spencer has become one of the brightest spots this season for No. 5 Texas baseball. Making the jump from Indiana State, where he was mostly a bullpen arm, Spencer converted to a starter before his first season at Texas.
Facing the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs, the second best hitting team in the entire Southeastern Conference, Spencer did not appear to break a sweat while on the mound.
Pushing his pitch count to a season high 111 pitches, lasting well into the eighth inning, Spencer finished the game allowing only two hits and a single run as the Longhorns took a decisive 5–1 win over the Bulldogs Friday night.
“Something we always preach about is having fun, and I mean from the beginning of the day to now,” Spencer said. “Enjoy while I’m out there, that’s kind of what I say to myself, I’m walking out there talking to my glove, have fun and smiling.”
Spencer was lights out to open the night, holding Georgia without a hit for the first four innings as the team struggled to make contact. It took the Bulldogs to the fifth inning to notch their first hit of the night, a base hit up the middle by graduate infielder Christian Adams.
After walking a pair of batters later in the fifth and loading the bases, the Bulldogs were in a spot to take control. Despite the situation, Spencer and the rest of the Texas fielding unit remained collected, closing out the inning with a pop-up.
Georgia finally got their first and only stab on the board, as graduate outfielder Nolan McCarthy launched a home run deep into left center. That would be Spencer’s second and final hit allowed of the night. Spencer finished the night with four additional strikeouts, setting a career high with 11 and earning his fourth win of the year.
Spencer’s night would end after walking a pair of batters in the eighth inning, despite head coach Jim Schlossnagle wanting his starting pitcher to last until the end of the inning.
“I was trying to let him finish the inning. Felt like he’s still running the ball up there, 96 miles an hour, and had good bite to the breaking ball,” Schlossnagle said. “But I think just the fact that they had seen him the third or fourth time, they were maybe laying off some of those pitches.”
Employing one of its rising stars, freshman pitcher Dylan Volantis closed the game for Spencer, throwing just eight pitches to earn his seventh save of the year.
“It’s awesome, awesome feeling. But going back to it, take one game at a time and enjoy it now, but flush it by tomorrow,” Spencer said.
Texas will look to take the series as they face the Georgia Bulldogs again tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin, Texas.
