Longhorns Notebook: Texas Stumbles in Oklahoma State Series Loss
No win streak can last forever, which is a lesson the Texas Longhorns learned over the weekend against the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
The Longhorns entered their weekend series against the Cowboys with all the momentum in the world, after their 5-2 midweek win over the Texas A&M Aggies extended their win streak to 15 games.
Despite that, though, the series against the Cowboys was never going to be an easy one. After all, the Cowboys swept the regular season series against the Longhorns last year, with Texas getting its revenge when it eliminated Oklahoma State in the Big 12 tournament.
However, it was mostly a weekend the Longhorns will want to forget as their winning streak was snapped and they were handed consecutive losses for the first time since February in a series loss to the Cowboys.
As the Longhorns look to bounce back, here are three key takeaways from their disappointing trip to Stillwater.
Bats go cold
During the Longhorns' 16-game winning streak the offense was red hot, fully complementing a strong pitching staff. Well, that came to a screeching halt over the weekend against the Cowboys. After putting up five runs on 10 hits to take the series opener, including a pair of two-run home runs from Garett Guillemette and Jalin Flores, they couldn't get much going on Saturday or Sunday.
Over the final two games of the series they combined for four runs on nine hits, with 27 strikeouts and an uninspiring 12 men left on base. The crescendo of poor offensive performance came in the top of the ninth on Sunday, when the Longhorns loaded the bases with no outs but failed to plate a single insurance run in a game they would lose 4-3.
There is no reason to panic quite yet regarding the offense, especially seeing as this was likely the best pitching they'll see the rest of the way. However, if they want to compete for a regional host bid, weekends like this cannot happen at the plate.
Pitching continues to impress
When you give up only 10 runs across a three-game series, you normally like your chances to win said series. Especially when your opponent came into the series hitting .314 as a team and averaging over five runs per game.
Unfortunately for the Longhorns pitching staff, outside of Friday's showing, their performances were not met with support from the offense. Instead, they watched the Texas offense sputter to a grinding halt while shutting down the second best offense in the Big 12.
After their series against the Cowboys the Longhorns pitching staff still maintains the best team ERA in the conference at 3.40, comfortably ahead of second-best West Virginia's 3.89. If the pitching continues to shove, and the bats come back to life, this team has shown it can be extremely tough to beat - especially at home.
Into the second half
With 29 games under their belt for the season, the Longhorns are officially in the back half of their schedule. Well, they were officially in the second half starting on Sunday but we're not here to argue semantics.
Either way, they find themselves sitting at 20-9 with the second half looming, which is a favorable position to be in. They sit at second place in the Big 12, with their 4-2 record just behind Oklahoma State's 6-3.
Now, with 27 games left in the season the goal is clear for the Longhorns - compete for a conference championship and put themselves in position to host a regional in the NCAA Tournament. If they can get back on track following their first stumble in almost a month, don't be surprised if they vie for both of those goals come May and June.
What's next for Texas?
The Longhorns return home to Disch-Falk Field for a mini four-game home stand, which they will kick off on Tuesday against the Air Force Falcons at 4 p.m. CT.
You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98
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