AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas hasn’t been particularly good at Globe Life Field over the past five seasons, but the Longhorns capped a 2-1 weekend in Arlington with a victory over a former Big 12 Conference foe Sunday.
No. 16 Texas smacked 15 hits, six for extra bases, in a 14-8 win over No. 19 Oklahoma State to end the Shriners Children’s College Showdown with a 2-1 record and the tournament championship. Texas lost to Louisville 4-3 in 10 innings to open the event Friday and thumped Ole Miss 10-0 in a 7-inning, mercy rule-shortened game Saturday.
Texas improved its record at the Texas Rangers’ home stadium to 7-14 over the past five seasons. The Longhorns were 0-7 there in the past two seasons. Head coach Jim Schlossnagle said he knows “a lot more” about his team after opening weekend.
“When you play good teams, they really expose you,” Schlossnagle said. “When you play bad teams, it can create false confidence, so there’s a lot we can take out of this positively.”
It’s safe to say that a positive out of the weekend was freshman third baseman Adrian Rodriguez. The Flower Mound native clobbered Oklahoma State’s pitching, going 4 for 6 with two doubles and a home run from the No. 2 spot in the lineup. He finished the weekend 6 for 14 with two home runs, hitting one in his collegiate debut against Louisville.
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Rodriguez was named the Southeastern Conference co-freshman of the week for his big weekend, the conference announced Monday.
Outfielder Max Belyeu picked up where he left off last season as the Big 12 player of the year with a 4-for-5 performance against the Cowboys with a double and a home run. He hit a solo home run in the second inning to tie the game at 2-2. He went 8 for 14 with two home runs, five RBIs and two doubles over the weekend.
Schlossnagle used nine pitchers against Oklahoma State as starter Kade Bing didn’t make it out of the first inning. Freshman Dylan Volantis pitched two innings and struck out four in an effective outing and Drew Rerick was awarded the win after an inning of relief.
Jared Spencer and Luke Harrison started games for the Longhorns. Spencer, a transfer from Indiana State, was the opening day starter and went 5 2/3 innings with six strikeouts and a walk, allowing four hits against the Cardinals. Harrison was outstanding against the Rebels, pitching 6 1/3 innings with six strikeouts and a walk, allowing two hits. He was named the SEC pitcher of the week, the conference announced Monday.
The Longhorns begin a 5-game homestand Tuesday against the Houston Cougars. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. They’ll host Dartmouth for the first home series of the season beginning Friday.
