Longhorns Notebook: Texas Takes Final Non-Conference Series Over Spartans

After an ugly showing in game one, the Longhorns bounced back in dominant fashion to take the series against the Spartans.

Entering their final non-conference series of the season, the Texas Longhorns wanted to keep the momentum of their three-game winning streak rolling ahead of postseason play. 

Standing in their way, though, were the San Jose State Spartans - a team that would not make life easy for the Longhorns, at least at first. So much so that the Spartans came into Austin on Friday and handed the Longhorns a 6-4 loss in the series opener. 

From there, though, it was all Texas in the final two games as the Longhorns cruised to a series win after outscoring the Spartans 42-9, including a run-rule victory in the finale. 

Now, the Longhorns turn their attention to the final series of the regular season, a three-game series against West Virginia that could have major postseason implications on the line. 

For now, though, here are three key takeaways from Texas' series win against San Jose State. 

Strong bounce back wins

This series should have been a swep for the Longhorns, if not for their ugly showing in the final two innings of game one. After taking a 4-2 lead into the eighth the Longhorns bullpen allowed four unanswered runs, including a three-run eighth, in what became the series opening loss.

It would've been easy for the loss to rattle Texas but instead it lit a fire that fueled two straight blowout wins. The first came in game two on Friday, which the Longhorns ran away with 24-3. Then, in the finale on Saturday they won 18-6 and took home a run-rule victory in seven innings. Dropping game one obviously hurts, but they showed they have what it takes to bounce back from an ugly loss in this series. 

Short leash for Zane Morehouse

Morehouse has shown flashes that they can be the closer for the Longhorns this season, but after this series it is hard to trust that they can get the job done for Texas in postseason play. As we touched on this series should have been a sweep, with the eighth inning showing from Morehouse a big reason why it wasn't.

The Longhorns led the Spartans entering the top of the eighth in game one 4-2, and looked ready to take a thriller in game one. Instead, Morehouse ran out of gas and gave up three runs to give the Spartans a 5-4 lead. Yes, one run was unearned, but giving up three runs is inexcusable. With postseason play fast approaching, he may have pitched his way out of favor. 

Bats staying hot

Anytime you score 46 runs in three games, the odds are high that your offense is red hot - which is exactly the case for the Longhorns. Even though they dropped the series opener, as a team the Longhorns bats have been on fire down the final stretch of the season. 

Collectively they are hitting .299 as a team, with the first six hitters in their lineup batting well over .300. After that, Tanner Carlson has recently become the every day DH for the Longhorns and even his average is above .300, as he's hitting .305 in limited action. These absurd averages make Jack O'Dowd's .282 look pedestrian in comparison, and will help the Longhorns make a deep run in the postseason if they can stay hot.

What's next for Texas?

Arguably the biggest conference series of the season to date, the Longhorns welcome West Virginia to Austin for a three-game series to end the regular season. This series will have major postseason implications, with an outside chance that the Longhorns can win the regular season conference championship.

---

You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Longhorns? Click Here to Subscribe to the Longhorns Country Newsletter

Want even more Texas Longhorns? Check out the SI.com team page here

Follow Longhorns Country on Twitter and Facebook.

Make sure to subscribe to the Longhorns Country Podcast today! Click here To Listen.