Texas
Pitching a persistent problem for Texas baseball team in ’embarrassing’ loss to UTRGV
To open his postgame press conference on Tuesday night, Texas coach David Pierce got right to the point.
“At the end of the day, we’re not a very good baseball team at times. Then there’s times where we look like we’re really good. We’re from one spectrum to the other and tonight was just embarrassing,” Pierce said.
Texas issued 20 free passes to UTRGV in a 17-9 loss at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. Texas walked 11 batters and the Vaqueros were hit by nine Texas pitches. The UTRGV offense also produced 11 hits, two of which were solo homers by Martin Vazquez.
The 17 runs were the most allowed by Texas since a 31-12 loss at Missouri in 2008. Before Tuesday, UT’s season-high totals for walks was eight. The Longhorns hadn’t hit more than four opponents in a single game in 2024.
In a game that lasted four hours and five minutes, Texas could not solve its pitching problems. One of the 10 pitchers who threw on Tuesday was sophomore Jared Thomas, who is normally UT’s starting first baseman. Texas failed to retire UTRGV in order in any of Tuesday’s nine innings.
“I think we have a huge gap in our mentality,” Pierce said. “We have some guys in our clubhouse that are tough as nails and then we have some guys that are just trying to fit in and trying to figure out in the middle of competition if they’re good enough and they’re just not very confident.
“We’re not even talking about Power Five (competition), we’re talking about college baseball, of not being able to throw strikes. At the end of the day, it’s on me. We’ve got to figure this out because it’s going to be a long rest of the season if we don’t.”
Now 22-16 this season, Texas’ RPI of 67 won’t be helped by Tuesday’s result. Entering Tuesday, UTRGV (18-15) had the No. 250 RPI and that baseball program hadn’t won in Austin since 1968.
The Longhorns will host TCU this weekend in a series featuring the Big 12’s fourth- and 11th-place teams. TCU and Texas were ranked first and second in the conference’s preseason poll.
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Texas
Texas basketball: Longhorns open final stretch of non-conference play with a blowout win
Texas women’s basketball nonconference schedule
Texas women’s basketball nonconference schedule
Back at Moody Center for just the second time this month, No. 6 Texas crushed La Salle in a non-conference game on Tuesday night.
Senior forward Taylor Jones recorded her third double-double performance of the season, and Kyla Oldacre and Justice Carlton respectively scored 18 and 17 points in a 111-49 victory. With two games left until its Southeastern Conference opener, Texas is now 11-1.
The Longhorns will next host South Dakota State (10-2) on Sunday afternoon.
“We’ve got a monster on Sunday. South Dakota State is really good and well-coached. They’re always an NCAA tournament team. They win their league every year. So we’ve got to sharpen up a little bit and be ready on Sunday,” Texas coach Vic Schaefer said. “My concern on Sunday is that my kids are going to have one foot out the door ready for Christmas break, and sometimes you can do that against the three-name directional school. You (can’t) get away with that on Sunday.”
The 62-point win was the second-most lopsided victory of UT’s season, but the game was competitive in the first quarter. La Salle (6-6) even led twice before the first media timeout was called.
During that first quarter, Texas leaned on the depth it has often boasted about but not always used this season. Eleven Longhorns played in the first quarter, and Schaefer made his first substitutions less than three minutes into the game.
Reserve guard Jordana Codio, who had not played in a first half this season, gave UT a lead it wouldn’t relinquish when she sank a 3-pointer with 5:38 left in the frame. A junior, Codio finished with seven points over a career-high 17 minutes.
“That was the game plan,” Schaefer said. “Jordana’s had four really good days, she’s earned it. … She’s doing what Shay had to do her first few years. She’s over there on the men’s practice team, and she dominated our team. So she deserved the opportunity. She came in and did exactly what we needed, which was give us some juice.”
Texas exited the first half with a 19-12 advantage and then outscored La Salle by a 38-9 margin in the second quarter. The Longhorns’ lead swelled to as many as 67 points in the second half.
While playing just 14 minutes, Jones scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against the undersized Explorers. Jones and fellow post players Oldacre and Carlton led Texas to a 70-14 advantage in paint points. The Longhorns also got a combined 21 points and 11 assists from point guards Rori Harmon and Bryanna Preston while All-American forward Madison Booker had 10 points and six rebounds.
Aryss Macktoon and Ivy Fox each scored seven points to lead La Salle.
Before Tuesday’s game, members of the UT basketball team received rings to celebrate the championship they won at last season’s Big 12 tournament. Nine players remain from that team.
Texas
Texas electors cast ballots for Trump, Vance on Tuesday
Members of the Texas Electoral College met at the state capitol building in Austin on Tuesday to cast their 40 electoral votes for president.
The office of Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson reported all 40 electoral votes were cast for President-elect Donald J. Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
The vote, the secretary’s office said, reflects “the will of the Texas voters in the 2024 General Election.”
Nelson presided over the proceedings in the Texas House Chamber. In an address to the electors, Nelson emphasized the historical significance of their duty.
“Today, you join a distinguished line of Texans who have served as electors—a role vital to the strength of our democracy,” Nelson said. “This event marks the culmination of months of effort to ensure free, fair, and secure elections.”
The event was broadcast live through Texas House media and can be watched here.
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