Austin, TX
Hinojosa launches program to fight Texas school closures, citing public school crisis
As school districts across Texas, including Austin ISD, face budget crises and the threat of campus closures, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa is launching a new effort she says is aimed at helping communities fight back.
Hinojosa said Texas public schools are in dire condition.
“I will tell you that our public schools are on life support right now,” she said.
ALSO “It hurts”: Austin ISD families look to keep community alive on final day for 10 campuses
Hinojosa announced a nonpartisan organizing program called Team Texas Public Schools. The program is designed to train parents, teachers and administrators to fight school closures in communities “getting hit the hardest.”
“Ten schools in this city alone in the school district are shutting down, but it is happening all over this state,” Hinojosa said.
Asked about Austin ISD’s budget process and closures, Hinojosa said, “What I think is important for the people of Austin to understand as they are in the trenches fighting this fight is that it is not just you.”
She also blamed Gov. Greg Abbott for the situation, saying, “And it is important for supporters of our public schools for parents and teachers to understand that Greg Abbott meant for this to happen.”
Abbott, Hinojosa’s November opponent, has focused his K-12 agenda on school vouchers in recent years. In February, Abbott celebrated what his office called “record-breaking school choice demand” after more than 100,000 families applied for vouchers.
Abbott said of vouchers: “Through this program, families will receive funds to send their children to a school that is the best fit for them.”
However, University of Texas at Austin professor Jennifer Keys Adair studies elementary and early childhood education, and says, “vouchers are definitely diverting funds from public neighborhood elementary schools.”
She also added, “it seems like in this voucher conversation, oh, it will allow all families to be able to choose where they go to school. But we know that that’s not what’s happening,” said Adair. She added more affluent families are more likely to get a voucher and said, “So in that case, you’re furthering the kind of pressure on teachers and we’re furthering the like lack of resources that we’re offering to children who need it most.”
Hinojosa said she opposes that approach.
“I don’t believe in public school vouchers,” she said. Hinojosa even called it a “scam.”
Austin ISD parent and former district principal Claudia Kramer Santamaria said she believes Hinojosa is the right advocate for Texas public schools.
“We understand as former principal and teacher that we needed to really have an advocate and I think that’s what failed,” Santamaria said.
Hinojosa also criticized Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath for what she called a “rigged” A-F report card system, saying Morath gets to “make the [STAAR] test, rate the test, look at results, and then decide who fails and who passes,” and added “And he rigs it to make it show what he wants it to show. And he wants it to show that our Texas public schools aren’t strong. And he wants it to show that privatization is a better option.”
Hinojosa said that if she becomes governor she would replace Morath.
Requests for comment were sent to the governor’s campaign and the Texas Education Agency about what Hinojosa said, and we are awaiting responses.
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.
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.
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Jack Brooks #6 of the Oregon Ducks batting during the NCAA Baseball Super Regional Championship at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin, June 6, 2026. Credit: Spencer Gnauck -
Drew Smith of the Oregon Ducks hits a home run during the NCAA Baseball Super Regional Championship at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin, June 6, 2026. Credit: Spencer Gnauck -
Burke-Lee Mabeus of the Oregon Ducks on third base during the NCAA Baseball Super Regional Championship at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin, June 6, 2026. Credit: Spencer Gnauck -
Carson Tinney of the Texas Longhorns tags out Jax Gimenez #7 of the Oregon Ducks after a strike out during the NCAA Baseball Super Regional Championship at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin, June 6, 2026. Credit: Spencer Gnauck -
Naulivou Lauaki Jr. of the Oregon Ducks passes second base during the NCAA Baseball Super Regional Championship at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin, June 6, 2026. Credit: Spencer Gnauck -
Brayden Jaksa of the Oregon Ducks slides to third base during the NCAA Baseball Super Regional Championship at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin, June 6, 2026. Credit: Spencer Gnauck -
UFCU Disch-Falk Field during the NCAA Baseball Super Regional Championship in Austin, June 6, 2026. Credit: Spencer Gnauck -
Drew Smith #17 of the Oregon Ducks and Dariyan Pendergrass #42 of the Texas Longhorns on third base during the NCAA Baseball Super Regional Championship at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin, June 6, 2026. Credit: Spencer Gnauck -
Ryan Cooney of the Oregon Ducks is tagged out by Brody Walls of the Texas Longhorns during the NCAA Baseball Super Regional Championship at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin, June 6, 2026. Credit: Spencer Gnauck -
An Oregon Ducks fan during the NCAA Baseball Super Regional Championship at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin, June 6, 2026. Credit: Spencer Gnauck -
Jax Gimenez of the Oregon Ducks off of second base during the first inning of the NCAA Baseball Super Regional Championship at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin, June 6, 2026. Credit: Spencer Gnauck -
An Oregon Ducks fan celebrating during the NCAA Baseball Super Regional Championship at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin, June 6, 2026. Credit: Spencer Gnauck -
Ryan Cooney #12 of the Oregon Ducks and Dariyan Pendergrass of the Texas Longhorns on second base during the NCAA Baseball Super Regional Championship at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin, June 6, 2026. Credit: Spencer Gnauck -
Cal Scolari of the Oregon Ducks pitching during the NCAA Baseball Super Regional Championship at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin, June 6, 2026. Credit: Spencer Gnauck -
Maddox Molony #9 of the Oregon Ducks during the NCAA Baseball Super Regional Championship at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin, June 6, 2026. Credit: Spencer Gnauck -
Cal Scolari of the Oregon Ducks fielding a pop up during the NCAA Baseball Super Regional Championship at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin, June 6, 2026. Credit: Spencer Gnauck
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.
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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