No. 4 Texas baseball got back on track last weekend, taking down the then-No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide. The Longhorns clinched a series victory after the two games and narrowly missed out on the sweep, losing by one run on Sunday.
Now, after staying home for a weekend, the Longhorns will get back out on the road and head north to Nashville for a meeting against the Vanderbilt Commodores.
The Commodores prepare to host the Longhorns, heading into the conference series with a 25–17 overall record and an even 9–9 record in the Southeastern Conference. Texas heads to Hawkins Field, where Vanderbilt has been a tough team to beat, posting a 20–6 record at home.
Vanderbilt heads into the weekend with some momentum after taking a series victory over the Kentucky Wildcats on the road. Just like the Longhorns, the Commodores also got out of a rut last weekend after losing back-to-back conference series.
Their win against the Wildcats, the Commodores’ latest SEC series win, came almost a month after they made a statement by sweeping their rivals, then-No. 21 Tennessee Volunteers.
The Commodores have found plenty of success in the batter’s box with the sixth-best batting average in the SEC. Vanderbilt posts a .294 batting average, while also having plenty of help from the long ball with 87 home runs on the season, which sits as the second-best in the conference and top five in the country.
The leader in the Vanderbilt clubhouse takes shape in sophomore infielder Brodie Johnston, pacing the team with a .367 batting average and a 1.133 OPS. The sophomore has powered the Commodores’ offense, tied as the team leader in home runs with 13 homers and 38 RBIs.
The Longhorns’ pitching staff will once again have to be up for the task when facing the Commodores’ lineup. After making the changes to the starting pitching rotation last weekend, head coach Jim Schlossnagle will not move anything around as the Longhorns head to Nashville.
That choice from Schlossnagle comes after the rotation of starting sophomore pitcher Dylan Volantis on Friday night, followed by senior pitcher Ruger Riojas and graduate pitcher Luke Harrison, who found plenty of success against the Crimson Tide.
“We’ll keep them there,” Schlossnagle said after Friday’s win. “If for no other reason than to keep them in the proper rest. We’ll just wait to see how the rest of the other guys pitch, but I feel good about (Riojas) being a Friday night starter, the same as I feel about (Volantis) and (Harrison).”
The three pitchers combined for 18 innings pitched, surrendering 15 hits and five earned runs while striking out a resounding 33 batters. Each pitcher reached the double digits while allowing just five walks all weekend.
The pitching staff as a whole set a program record, tossing for 49 strikeouts across their three-game series against Alabama. The Texas arms will look to keep its momentum on the mound against Vanderbilt.
The first game of the conference clash between the Longhorns and the Commodores is set for Friday at 6 p.m.
