Longhorns Notebook: Texas Longhorns Handle ACU, Cruise to Midweek Win

The Longhorns keep the momentum rolling and pick up their third straight win.

The Texas dugout smile and chat ahead of the Longhorns' game against the Texas A&M Aggies at the / Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA

The Texas Longhorns (18-11) entered their Tuesday night matchup against the Abilene Christian Wildcats (17-12) with a good amount of momentum behind them and looked to keep it rolling. Well, it is safe to say they did just that with a dominant showing in the midweek clash.

In what was always going to be a bullpen day for Texas, the pitching staff shut down a strong ACU lineup. While it obviously needs to further translate to a conference series, the ability to keep the Wildcats’ bats quiet is a positive sign moving forward for a staff that has been inconsistent. 

At the plate, the Longhorns rode an eight-run fifth inning and cruised from there to the victory. There was a bit of everything, from walks and singles to a power surge with Jared Thomas going deep once and Jalin Flores launching a pair to lead the way in the 11-1 blowout victory.

Now, here are three key takeaways from the Longhorns’ 11-1 win over the Wildcats on Tuesday night. 

Jared Thomas’ power surge

Getting on base has not been an issue in the slightest for Thomas so far this season. The Longhorns’ leadoff man entered Tuesday’s matchup hitting a team-high .409 at the plate, also leading the team with 18 walks. Getting into a groove and finding his power stroke would only make him that much deadlier at the plate. 

Folks, he’s done just that. Leading off the fifth inning, the first baseman took one deep for a solo home run. It was his seventh of the season and his fifth in the last seven games. Already a threat to get on base at a consistent clip and steal some bases, Thomas getting into a groove with the long ball makes him an even more difficult out for opposing pitchers. 

Bullpen depth impresses

Midweek games present teams like the Longhorns a key opportunity to test out their bullpen depth. From getting in work before a conference series to allowing young guys to get some work in, these Tuesday and Wednesday night matchups are a pivotal moment for those who may not have much work otherwise.

That was the case for Texas on Tuesday against ACU. The bullpen has been a wild ride so far for the Longhorns, with high highs and low lows. Starting on the mound was Chase Lummus, tossing 3.2 innings of one-run baseball. Coming in behind him and offering strong innings were potential bullpen pieces for the home stretch of conference play in Easton Tumis and Hudson Hamilton.

Texas’ bullpen was lights out after Lummus exited, holding the Wildcats to zero runs on four hits with eight strikeouts. If they keep that up on a consistent basis, it bodes well for the end of the season.

Keep the ball rolling

Yes, winning a midweek game against a team you should beat is no barometer for success, especially at this point in the season. However, the win over ACU marked the Longhorns' third straight win after taking the final two games against Kansas State to win that series over the weekend. 

There won’t be much time to rest, though, as the Longhorns are right back at it on Thursday for a conference series against BYU. BYU currently finds themselves tied for last in the Big 12 with Houston, the team Texas takes on next weekend in conference play. A sweep would be huge and go a long way towards conference title hopes, but sending the Cougars packing with a series win is the bare minimum for the Longhorns. 

What’s next for Texas?

The Longhorns face a quick turnaround as they are back in action on Thursday evening, kicking off another conference series against the BYU Cougars at 6:30 p.m. CT.