Longhorns Set For First Weekend Series of Season Against Indiana

The first weekend series of the year is here for the Longhorns, as they welcome the Hoosiers to Austin.

The first weekend series of the season is here for the Texas Longhorns (1-3), as they welcome the Indiana Hoosiers (2-2) to Austin for a three-game set. 

It was far from an ideal start out of the gate for Texas, as the Longhorns struggled mightily in the College Baseball Showdown to the tune of an 0-3 start. They bounced back on Tuesday, though, in a dominant 12-2 blowout win over Texas A&M Corpus Christi. 

As for Indiana, the Hoosiers lost their opening series to Auburn after dropping the first two games. They managed to avoid the sweep against Auburn however, and enter Friday on a mini two-game winning streak. 

Texas hopes to keep the momentum from its win on Tuesday rolling into the series against Indiana, which kicks off on Friday. 

How to watch: 

Game 1: Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT (Longhorn Network/TexasSports.com/Audio)

Game 2: Saturday at 1 p.m. CT (Longhorn Network/TexasSports.com/Audio)

Game 3: Sunday at 12 p.m. CT (Longhorn Network/TexasSports.com/Audio)

Indiana by the numbers: 

Record: 2-2

Runs scored: 29

Runs allowed: 21

Team Avg.: .264

Team ERA: 4.76

Indiana wins this series if... 

They can shut down the Texas offense and force the defense to make tough plays. While the Longhorns exploded for 12 runs on 16 hits in their win over the Islanders, there is no telling if that was a sign of things to come or them taking advantage of a weaker pitching staff. 

As for the defense, well, it is essentially the same. It was a tale of two teams between Arlington and the home opener on Tuesday. If Indiana can force the Longhorns to make costly errors and put up runs as a result, they have a good chance of pulling out the road series win. 

Texas wins this series if...

The bats carry their momentum in from Tuesday and the pitching staff stays true to form. 12 runs on 16 hits is impressive regardless of the opponent, especially when every starter records a hit. Which version we'll see this weekend, though, is yet to be seen. 

While the bats have been inconsistent to start the season, the pitching staff has been an area of strength. Lucas Gordon was Lucas Gordon, Travis Sthele showed promise despite an eight-run inning with no earned runs and Zane Morehouse has the potential. Along with the bullpen, if Texas can wake up the bats again and the pitching can do what its been doing, this could be a good series for Texas. 

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You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98

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