Longhorns Country

Longhorns Impress With 18-5 Win Over Houston in Fall Ball Opener

The Longhorns will look to retool after a historic 2022 season and pick up where they left off in 2023.

Connor Zimmerlee

Well, folks, the time has finally come. It may be October but it is never too soon to write about Texas Longhorns baseball, especially with the upcoming season set to see a major retooling done by David Pierce and his staff.

In 2023 Texas will replace a lot of talent, namely Golden Spikes winner first baseman Ivan Melendez, who led the Longhorns to their most dominant season offensively in program history. Doing so will of course be easier said than done, but we were given a glimpse of what's to come on Sunday. 

The Longhorns kicked off their fall ball schedule on Sunday against the Houston Cougars in a 14-inning exhibition which gave both teams a look at their guys ahead of the season. 

It was all Longhorns, though, as they would cruise to an 18-5 win in their first exhibition fall ball game. No, this win does not automatically crown Texas as a College World Series contender, but it does give us a preview of who some of the key players could be this season.

Now, here are three players who impressed the most in Sunday's win over Houston. 

OF Dylan Campbell

Dylan Campbell was a mainstay in the outfield for the Longhorns last season, anchoring down left field with Doug Hodo in center and Murphy Stehly in right. Now, a year later and he's the lone returning starter in the outfield and will be expected to carry a big load. 

He slashed .267/.370/.494 while launching 10 home runs and driving in 29 runs. Campbell was also a menace on the bases, going 14-of-17 on steal attempts. Against Houston, he drove in six runs, including launching a grand slam while showing his speed in both the outfield and on the bases. If Campbell can carry his momentum over from the NCAA Tournament then he could be in store for a huge season for Texas.

OF Porter Brown

Likely to join Campbell in the outfield will be TCU transfer Porter Brown who also had himself quite the day against Houston. Just how good was his day, you might ask? Well, by the time the sixth inning was over Brown had already hit for the cycle, completing the feat with a two-run home run. 

It bears repeating that this is just an exhibition game and as such is not a perfect indicator of future success. However, if this is the Porter Brown the Longhorns get, then 2/3 of the outfield will be locked down by guys who can absolutely rake. For a Texas team looking to retool and get back to Omaha, having that is a major advantage.

P Charlie Hurley

Anyone who followed the Longhorns closely last season knows just how much the pitching staff struggled at times, especially the bullpen. The loss of Tanner Witt early in the season threw things out of whack for the Longhorns and while Lucas Gordon developed into an ace, the bullpen never fully recovered.

As a result pitching coach Sean Allen was let go and Woody Williams was brought in to replace him, with Texas hitting the transfer portal hard. One of the Longhorns' additions was on full display on Sunday as Charlie Hurley, a transfer from USC, provided three scoreless innings for the Longhorns. Hurley could be a huge addition to the Longhorns staff, one that desperately wants to get back on track following a subpar 2022 showing.

What's next for Texas?

The Longhorns will have another 14-inning exhibition on Sunday, Oct. 30 against the San Jacinto Gators at 12 p.m. from Disch-Falk Field. 

You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98

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Connor Zimmerlee
CONNOR ZIMMERLEE

Connor Zimmerlee is a writer and reporter for the FanNation network. Zimmerlee received his Bachelor's of Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and graduated from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism with a Master's of Science in Journalism with a Specialization in Sports Media. 

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