In different ways, both of these teams were very impressive in earning a trip the super regionals this weekend as Texas will host Tennessee Tech.
The Longhorns swept through their regional, which was a bit of a surprise to most – including myself. They dismantled Texas A&M 8-3 in game two, and then hung on to beat Indiana 3-2 to advance.
As for Tennessee Tech, after losing the second game of the Oxford Regional to Ole Miss, they came through the loser’s bracket and beat Ole Miss twice to advance.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t think either of these teams would be here and doubted both of them coming into the tournament. So to see both of them here is a somewhat of a shock to me.
Texas is playing with a lot of swagger at home, and they have that confidence back from the good ole’ days.
I wondered how that Tech offense would hold up against good pitching, and they showed me it was legit by taking care of Ole Miss in back-to-back games.
To me these two teams are exceeding expectations, and both are looking to prove people wrong, which should lead to a great series.
Pitchers to Watch:
Texas – The Longhorns have three solids arms in their rotation with Nolan Kingham, Chase Shugart and Blair Henley. None of them are big strikeout guys, but they know how to pitch. Andy McGuire and Josh Sawyer are a couple of arms out of the bullpen they can trust.
Tenn Tech – Without question the best pitching on this staff is Ethan Roberts. He picked up a save and won a game as a starter in the Oxford Regional. He’s struck out 96 batters in 71 innings pitched this year. If Tenn Tech has any kind of lead after six innings, Roberts will come in. Travis Moths, Marcus Evey and Alex Hursey will do their best to keep their team in the game until they can get the ball to Roberts.
Hitters to Watch:
Texas – Kody Clemens has been on a tear for the Longhorns lately and leads the team with a .346 average, 21 home runs and 68 RBI. It’s to the point where you can’t let this guy beat you. Shortstop David Hamilton has had a nice jump in his sophomore season hitting .307. Zach Zubia and Duke Ellis help fill out the middle of the order.
Tenn Tech – The numbers for this offense are just eye-popping. You can’t hit in this lineup if you aren’t batting over .300. Seriously, the lowest batting average in their starting lineup is .310. Chase Chambers leads the team with a .404 average, 78 runs scored and 82 RBI. Kevin Strohschein is hitting .386 with 18 home runs and 67 RBI. Leadoff hitter Alex Junior has scored 80 runs this season. These numbers really are ridiculous.
Final Thoughts and Prediction:
As I stated earlier, there were big question marks about both of these teams entering the tournament, and both teams responded by winning their regionals in impressive fashion.
My biggest worry with Texas is if they’ll be able to keep up with Tennessee Tech offensively in this series. No offense to the Longhorn pitching staff, but if Ole Miss’ pitching couldn’t hold them down, I don’t see their staff be able to either. And once you get past Texas’ starters, there aren’t many great options coming out of the bullpen.
I’ve doubted this Tenn Tech team all year, thinking they were just beating up on a weak schedule, but they showed me last weekend they are for real, and they are not scared of the moment. I think this offense will get to the Texas pitching staff, and I think Roberts will be the difference maker coming out of their bullpen once they have a lead late.
Winner: Tennessee Tech
