PREVIEW: Longhorns Kick Off College Station Regional Against Louisiana

The Longhorns begin their journey to Omaha with a matchup against the Ragin' Cajuns.

Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman /

Well, folks, the time is finally upon us. The regular season and conference tournaments are over, the Field of 64 is set and the NCAA Tournament is officially kicking off across the country on Friday morning.

As for the Texas Longhorns (35-22), they find themselves as the No. 3 seed in the College Station Regional looking to keep their season alive for another weekend. First up will be a tough matchup against the No. 2 seed in the regional, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (40-18).

It has undoubtedly been a rather up-and-down season for the Longhorns. There was a point where it felt like they might find themselves on the outside looking in of postseason play, thanks to losses to teams like the UTRGV Vaqueros and TAMUCC Islanders. However, they thrived in conference play to the tune of 9-1 in their 10 Big 12 series.

Then they went 0-2 in Arlington at the Big 12 Tournament, and all momentum felt halted. Winning this regional will of course be a long shot for the Longhorns, but if they get the team that was potent in conference play then they just might be able to do it.

Texas Longhorns outfielder Max Belyeu (44) celebrates a hit during the game against Cal Poly at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman /

How to watch/listen:

Friday at 5 p.m. CT (ESPN2/Longhorn Radio Network)

Louisiana by the numbers:

• Record: 40-18

• Runs scored: 406

• Runs allowed: 281

• Team Avg.: .299

• Team Avg. against: .226

• Team ERA: 4.32

Louisiana wins this game if...

Its pitching staff can contain a potent Texas lineup. When the Longhorns' bats get going, they can be a difficult unit to stop. From top to bottom, there are very few easy outs, and all nine batters have proven this season that one mistake pitch is all they need to run a pitcher out of the game early.

That being said, they have been a very inconsistent unit. When they're hot, good luck slowing them down. At other times, however, they struggle to get men aboard and move them over due to a tendency to lack small-ball capabilities. Long balls and extra-base hits are great, but small ball often wins games.

If the Ragin' Cajuns pitching staff can keep the offense at bay, they have a good chance at avoiding an elimination game on Saturday afternoon.

Texas wins this game if...

It can get a solid start out of Max Grubbs. Perhaps the biggest weakness of this Longhorns' squad this season has been the shallowness of the bullpen. Guys like Andre Duplantier II and Gage Boehm have been reliable in their appearances, but outside of them, the Longhorns have had a hard time finding consistency in the rest of their bullpen arms.

Which is exactly why they need to be ready for the Ragin' Cajuns coming out aggressively to get Grubbs out of the game as early as possible. His ability to get outs via the ground ball will be paramount in this one, and something that the Longhorns are hoping will come out in full force on Friday.

If he can give them a solid five or six innings, and allow Duplantier and Boehm to come in during the later innings, then the Longhorns will like their chances to advance to the winner's bracket.