Austin, TX
Austin boat renters facing issues ahead of Memorial Day due to diminished lake levels
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ProblemSolved, USA TODAY
Diminished lake levels in Austin have caused problems for boat renters of what is expected to be a busy Memorial Day weekend.
Lake levels at locations across Austin and Central Texas are in various stages of flow, according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Water Dashboard. Most water sources around Austin appear to be at normal or steady levels, though some, including sections of the Colorado and Blanco rivers, are measuring much below normal for this time of year.
Effects of decreased lake levels have been felt by Jacob Williams, owner of ATX Boat Rentals. The company normally operates on Lake Austin and Lake Travis, and it typically allows guests to board its boats at the Mansfield Dam Park Boat Ramp.
More: Here are 10 most popular boating locations in Texas and rules to follow
However, the ramp has been closed since September 2023 due to low water levels, according to the Travis County Parks Department. That has forced Williams, his company and his customers to pivot ahead of Memorial Day.
“It’s forced us to move everything,” Williams said. “We have to tow boats now over to Lake Austin all the time instead of just going to my house (and) hopping on boats that are already in the water.”
What are the lake levels at Lake Travis?
Lake Travis is about 48 feet below its normal level, according to Go Lake Travis, an informational site. That’s much lower than its level at this time in 2022 and 2023, according to LakesOnline.com.
What water levels are needed to boat safely?
With water levels down in some lakes and rivers across Central Texas, it’s important to know how much water you need to safely operate a boat. A variety of factors go into determining whether a body of water is deep enough to operate a boat in, but the biggest things to pay attention to are your boat’s weight and the shape of its hull.
A good rule of thumb is to make sure any body of water you’re boating on has at least one foot of water in it, according to BoatPowered.com. Even then, boaters should use depth monitors to ensure the water they’re in is deeper than that to avoid problems.
Lake Austin to experience influx of boaters this summer
Williams said having to switch around logistical operations hasn’t had a major effect on his business, but with more people being forced to use fewer lakes to rent and drive their boats, some of the lake options are becoming clogged.
“When nobody can get their boats on Lake Travis, it causes Lake Austin to be more and more packed,” Williams said. “Lake Austin will always be an option, but it’s not fun being on a smaller lake that’s extra packed.”
The city of Austin is enforcing its annual ban this Memorial Day weekend on the use of personal watercraft, wet bikes, motorized surfboards, and similar devices on Lake Austin. Kayaks, canoes, paddleboards and other non-motorized devices are still allowed.
No plans for Memorial Day? Here are 5 things to do around Austin over the holiday weekend
Texas Parks and Wildlife warns of low lake levels
A record 3.6 million Texans are expected to travel for Memorial Day, signaling a possible boon for tourism activities in the Lone Star State. That aligns with ATX Boat Rentals’ busy season, which typically begins around May and extends into September, Williams said.
That figure, coupled with Texas having more square miles of inland waterways than any other state and nearly 560,000 registered boats, means the state’s waterways are likely to be packed for the long weekend.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is warning boaters of potential hazards on waterways. A year ago, the state saw 13 boating accidents during Memorial Day weekend, resulting in two boating fatalities and two drownings.
To avoid those types of accidents, the department is reminding boaters to operate at safe speeds and keep an eye out for low water areas and submerged objects, among other things.
Is Travis County in a drought?
Not really, but some parts of Central Texas are. Eastern parts of the county are not experiencing any drought conditions, and the western half is mostly experiencing abnormal to severe dry conditions.
Counties northwest of San Antonio are experiencing an extreme drought, the worst drought level in the state.
To check your county’s drought stage, check out the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Austin, TX
Texas sweeps Oregon, advances to Men’s College World Series for record 39th time
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Adrian Rodriguez provided another big hit, and then Sam Cozart slammed the door shut on Oregon to send Texas to the Men’s College World Series.
Texas topped the Ducks 6-5 in the second game of the Austin Super Regional late Sunday night at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, completing a sweep and booking a 39th trip in program history to college baseball’s mecca.
Austin Super Regional: No. 6 Texas 2, No. 11 Oregon 0
It’s the first time since 2022 that the Longhorns have made the MCWS field. The Longhorns will face Southeastern Conference foe No. 3 Georgia in the opening round at Charles Schwab Field either Friday or Saturday.
Rodriguez lined a clutch 2-run double down the left field line in the eighth inning to give Texas the lead, and then Cozart mowed down the Ducks for his ninth save of the season.
Cozart struck out four of the six batters he faced, getting the other two to ground out. He threw 28 pitches in two innings, 22 for strikes, and didn’t allow a hit. He lowered his season ERA to 1.65 with the scoreless innings.
Oregon appeared to seize momentum after taking the lead 5-4 in the bottom of the seventh with a Brayden Jaksa RBI groundout. Even though the game was in Austin, the Ducks were the designated home team for the second game of the super regional series.
Texas put together an eighth-inning rally with two outs to regain control. Toby Twist walked Tinney, and then Oregon head coach Mark Wasikowski went to the bullpen for Derek Bell. He hit Anthony Pack Jr. with a pitch, and then Temo Becerra chopped an infield single in between the third baseman and shortstop to load the bases for Rodriguez.
Rodriguez provided his sixth and seventh RBIs of the series, sending a sizzling line drive down the third-base line past a diving Drew Smith. The ball caromed off the short wall in foul ground, allowing Tinney and Pack to touch home for the lead.
Cozart then took care of the rest with elite command of his fastball and two breaking pitches, a curveball and slider. Thomas Burns struck out two of the three batters he faced in the seventh, becoming the pitcher of record for his second win of the season.
The game started with a bang, two, in fact, for the Longhorns. Aiden Robbins and Carson Tinney hit back-to-back home runs off of Oregon ace Will Sanford to start the game, and then Texas tacked two more on in the second on a Robbins bases-loaded walk and Tinney RBI single.
The Ducks responded with three runs combined in the second and third frames off of Texas starter Ruger Riojas, and then tied the game 4-4 in the fifth on a Burke-Lee Mabeus bases-loaded groundout.
Sanford labored through 3.2 innings, throwing 98 pitches with seven strikeouts and five walks. He allowed four runs on six hits. Reliever Tanner Bradley did a tremendous job to keep the Ducks in the game, utilizing a terrific changeup to baffle the Longhorns’ lineup through 3.1 innings. Bradley struck out five with a walk, allowing one hit before Twist entered.
Smith and Ryan Cooney had two hits for the Ducks.
Texas outhit Oregon 9-7, and Tinney finished 3-for-4 with a homer, two singles and two RBIs. Rodriguez was 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs, and Robbins’ lone hit was the lead-off homer.
Texas (45-13) joins fellow Southeastern Conference members Ole Miss in the MCWS. Troy and No. 16 West Virginia will make their first-ever MCWS appearances after sweeping their super regionals. No. 5 North Carolina needed a third game to dispatch Southern California and advance to Omaha.
Bad weather forced two Game 2s to be suspended until Monday. Oklahoma leads No. 15 Kansas 8-1 in the bottom of the third, and No. 7 Alabama leads St. John’s 7-2 in the bottom of the eighth. The Sooners and Crimson Tide will advance to Omaha with wins.
Austin, TX
Austin Super Regional Game 2: Oregon vs. Texas live updates
QuickTake:
Follow along for updates throughout Oregon’s game against Texas in the Austin Super Regional.
Click here to jump to the latest update
We’re back at Disch-Falk Field here on the University of Texas campus for Game 2 of the Austin Super Regional between Oregon and Texas.
The Longhorns took Game 1 Saturday, 11-3, on a night filled with missed opportunities for the Ducks. Facing elimination tonight, Oregon turns to its ace, Will Sanford, to try to push this series to Monday.
We’ll be providing live updates throughout the game as the Ducks fight to keep their season alive.
First, here’s what you need to know:
Oregon Ducks (43-17, 20-10 Big Ten) vs. Texas Longhorns (44-13, 19-10 SEC)
How to watch: ESPN
How to listen: KUGN 590 AM
Probable pitchers: Oregon RHP Will Sanford (9-2, 3.46 ERA) vs. Texas RHP Ruger Riojas (5-2, 3.86 ERA)
Stories to read:
Live updates
Bottom of 2: Drew Smith led off with a double and scored on a two-out RBI single from Naulivou Lauaki. It had to be Lauaki’s softest hit of the year — a 72 mph squib shot off the bat that found a hole in the right side of a shifted infield.
It’s 4-1 Texas.
Top of 2: It’s not getting any better for Sanford. After getting the leadoff batter, he allowed a single, walked a pair, let a run score on a wild pitch and then another when Tinney ripped a ball toward third base that Drew Smith couldn’t corral. It’s 4-0 Texas now.
Bottom of 1: A breezy 1-2-3 inning for Rojas in his first half inning against the Ducks. He’s sitting at about 95-96 mph with his fastball and has already shown a change of arm angle slot on a few different pitches. It’s still 2-0 Texas after 1.
Top of 1: It’s a meltdown of a first inning here for the Ducks. Will Sanford allowed back-to-back home runs to the game’s first two batters, then walked the three-hole hitter. Sanford was able to get out of the jam with a strikeout followed by a strikeout-throw-out double-play, but not an ideal start at all for the Ducks.
Pre-game
5:45 p.m.:
We have lineups.
5:30 p.m.:
Alrighty, let’s fire these updates up again. It’s about 30 minutes away from first pitch here at Disch-Falk Field and the Ducks are finishing up warm-ups. I’ve noticed the group completes their workout before every game by forming two lines and going through and hugging each other, one by one.
Will they get to do it again?
Green is the color of the day for Oregon, Jersey Mike’s is the press meal up here in the box and don’t let that mild 83-degree temperature reading fool you — it’s downright soupy out there.
Here’s hoping for a closer — and quicker — game than last night.
Austin, TX
Oregon Baseball vs. Texas: Starting Pitchers, How to Watch Elimination Game
The Oregon Ducks baseball team is facing elimination vs. the Texas Longhorns in the Austin Super Regional. Will the Ducks’ shot at the College World Series end on Sunday night?
The No. 11 national seed Oregon Ducks fell flat in game one vs. the No. 6 national seed Texas at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. In prime time on Saturday night, Oregon stranded a season-high 17 runners while going 0-for-14 with runners in scoring position in a 11-3 loss to the Longhorns.
Oregon Faces Elimination vs. Texas
The rowdy Texas crowd grew louder and louder as Oregon could not bat in their runners, the Ducks left at least one runner on base in each of the first six innings. Longhorns coach Jim Schlossnagle started his ace Dylan Volantis and then surprisingly elected to bring in his No. 2 starting pitcher, Luke Harrison, in relief. It was clear just how aggressively the Longhorns were managing game one.
Meanwhile, Texas jumped out to a 7-0 lead in front of a record-setting 8,550 fans. At the plate, the Longhorns were led by Adrian Rodriguez, who finished with a career-high five RBI. Oregon starting pitcher Cal Scolari (5-1) was charged with the loss and allowed five runs on two hits with six walks and four strikeouts in 3.2 inning.
Will Oregon baseball be able to turn it around in time to save their season? Schlossnagle feels confident in his Texas team, who is looking to clinch their first trip to Omaha in four years.
“I felt like there were a lot of awesome bats all the way through the lineup,” Schlossnagle said. “Again, we scored 11 runs without two of the best players in the country getting a hit, so if we can get them going tomorrow, I like our chances.”
Only eight teams will advance to the College World Series in Omaha and there are three teams who have already earned their way in by winning their Super Regionals: West Virginia, Troy and Ole Miss.
If Oregon wins on Sunday night, it will force a game three on Monday. Then, the Ducks will be only one win away from punching their ticket to the CWS for the first time since 1954.
Sunday, June 7: 6:00 p.m. PT, ESPN
Monday, June 8: TBD – if necessary
Fans can also tune into the Ducks’ radio broadcast to listen to the series on the Oregon Sports Network.
Starting Pitchers For Oregon and Texas
For Sunday’s game, Oregon starter Will Sanford will be on the mound. Sanford is fresh off a career performance, striking out a career-high 14 batters vs. Washington State in the Eugene Regional, while surrendering just one hit across 6.1 scoreless innings and earning the tournament’s MVP.
The Ducks feed off his infectious energy and Oregon will need every bit of it on Sunday.
For Texas, on the mound will be Ruger Riojas, who is an Austin native. The veteran right-hander did battle an injury earlier in the season but helped the Longhorns clinch their regional, limiting UC Santa Barbara to three hits and one run in five innings of work while striking out six.
What Oregon Said After The Loss
Oregon infielder Maddox Molony hit the nail on the head with his breakdown of the defeat.
“We did a good job of setting the table,” Molony said, “But the moment got too big a couple times. We need a better job of staying within ourselves and trusting in our abilities.”
Oregon coach Mark Wasikowski was dissappointed in the game one loss but remains optimistic the Ducks can right the ship.
“I think we’re a whole lot better than what we showed tonight, but what we showed tonight was what we all saw, and that wasn’t reflective, in my opinion, of how we got this far,” Wasikowski said after the loss.
“I thought we kind of shot ourselves in the foot tonight and that’s why we came out on the wrong side of the scoreboard…. We’re 0-1 and it’s the first team to win two,” Wasikowski said. “It’s like a regular conference weekend where you have to win two of three. Nothing got won tonight and nothing got resolved tonight in terms of who goes to Omaha.”
The Ducks have a great challenge in from of them: beating the Longhorns on a hot Texas evening, with their season on the line.
The College World Series begins on Friday, June 12, at Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska.
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