Series Preview: Ole Miss Rebels @ No. 2 Texas Longhorns

The Longhorns begin SEC play this weekend by hosting Ole Miss at Disch-Falk Field in Austin. Texas comes into the series with a perfect 16-0 record, and looking like a team that will be playing into late June if they can stay healthy. The offense has scored 11 or more runs in the last six games, and the pitching staff has shown dominance over opponents. It would be hard to argue that another team has a better offense and pitching combination than what Jim Schlossnagle’s team possesses. Undoubtedly, the competition takes a step up with conference play and that starts with the Rebels on Friday.

Ole Miss enters the series coming off a loss to a promising Southern Mississippi team, but overall the Rebels are quietly 15-3. They played in the Bruce Bolt College Classic in Houston, along with the Longhorns, but did not experience the same success. Ole Miss lost to Baylor and Coastal Carolina at Daikin Park, resulting in a 1-2 weekend. If they had gone 2-1 in the Classic, they would likely be ranked. Regardless, they will be looking to make a statement in Austin this weekend.

How Will the Longhorns Bullpen Perform?

The first crack in the Texas pitching staff came last weekend with their bullpen – specifically with their performance on Saturday. Texas had an 8 run lead going into the 8th inning against USC Upstate. The Trojans were able to put up 6 runs in the 9th, but luckily Texas was able to squeak out a win. Moving forward if something like that happens again, an SEC team will beat you, plain and simple. It wasn’t just one pitcher’s fault for the woes in that game – there was big concern from the bullpen’s performance as a whole, or lack thereof.

The Longhorns’ closer has been Thomas Burns and he looked dominant in the start of the season. Saturday was another occasion where Burns simply struggled to get outs. Burns throws a great fastball in the upper 90’s, but he needs to locate his off-speed pitches better. If he doesn’t, there will more walks in his future. The backend of a bullpen is extremely pivotal for any team.

Josh Livingston Needs More Playing Time

Wichita State transfer DH Josh Livingston has received more playing time the last few games and he has shown he deserves even more. This was highlighted on Sunday when he hit two home runs, one of which was a grand slam. He’s got real pop, and is another bat to put in the middle of the Texas lineup to apply pressure to opposing pitchers. Livingston followed that up with a two-hit performance against Texas State on Tuesday. At the minimum, Livingston deserves a shot to be the every day DH for Texas.

Schlossnagle has stated that RF Jonah Williams injured his shoulder diving for a ball last Friday. It sounds like he could miss a couple of weeks, but there is no definitive timeline. With Williams out that leaves a hole in the middle of the Texas order. Livingston has shown to have real power, and although he doesn’t have the speed of Williams, he can provide protection in the middle of the lineup. Williams was providing great protection and getting on base a lot, and Texas will need to replace that production for the time being. Having hit 15 home runs at Wichita State last year, Livingston’s power shouldn’t surprise anyone.