Texas baseball is making its way back to Omaha after a three-year absence, clinching a spot in the College World Series for the first time since 2022 and for the first time under head coach Jim Schlossnagle.
The Longhorns advance to the famed tournament for their 39th all-time appearance, the most of any program in the NCAA. Texas swept the Austin Super Regional against the Oregon Ducks, taking game two of the series in a dramatic 6-5 affair on Sunday night.
Texas cruised through the first game of a win-or-go-home three-game series against Oregon, winning the first ballgame in blowout fashion on Saturday. The Longhorns utilized a big scoring output to take game one 11-3 and put themselves a win away from Omaha.
However, the second game of the weekend between the two teams would not be any sort of blowout, coming down to the wire with a ticket to the next round on the line for the Longhorns, and the Ducks looking for a lifeline to extend their season.
The Longhorns got out to an early 4-0 lead, scoring a pair of runs in the first two innings, and while the second game of the series appeared to start much like the first, the script would flip over.
The Ducks continued to chip into the Longhorns’ lead, scoring runs in the second, third, fifth and seventh innings until the Texas advantage disappeared. Oregon put itself out in front for the first time of the weekend, carrying a 5-4 lead after the seventh inning.
The Longhorns needed a response as time began to slip away in the ballgame, and the threat of a third game loomed large. However, in the eighth inning, Texas made the response it needed to make.
Sophomore infielder Adrian Rodriguez stepped into the batter’s box with the bases loaded and two outs in the inning, with the chance of changing the game with one swing of his bat.
In the high-pressure moment, Rodriguez found a clutch base knock to give the Longhorns the lead. On a 3-1 offering, Rodriguez would go the opposite way, slapping a two-RBI double down the left field line to put the Longhorns back out in front 6-5.
“It feels awesome, (having gone) through a lot of struggles during the season,” Rodriguez said. “Definitely keeping my steady head throughout the whole season, knowing my time will come. Coaches all trust me, and I trust everyone else to have my back, and I came through for the squad today.”
With the lead, freshman pitcher Sam Cozart was called out of the bullpen, needing just six outs to close out the victory for the Longhorns.
The freshman didn’t play like a freshman, as he stood on the mound and delivered for the Longhorns in the big moment. Cozart retired all six batters that he faced in his two innings of work, four of which were via the punchout.
“We have supreme confidence in (Cozart),” Schlossnagle said. “That’s why he was out there with Omaha on the line.”
Cozart would blow a 96 mph fastball past Oregon’s junior infielder Ryan Cooney into junior catcher Carson Tinney’s glove for the final out, and the crowd at UFCU Disch-Falk Field erupted into a frenzy.
The Longhorns will get their action started in the College World Series at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb., as they take on a familiar face in the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN.
