No. 6 Texas punched its ticket to the Super Regionals in dramatic fashion Sunday night, riding a late surge and timely power to a 6-4 win over UC Santa Barbara at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
The Longhorns (43-13), the No. 1 seed in the Austin Regional, erased a midgame deficit and leaned on Aiden Robbins’ go-ahead blast in the seventh inning to secure the program’s 14th Super Regional appearance. Texas will next face No. 11 national seed Oregon, which advanced out of the Eugene Regional without a loss.
Trailing 3-2 in the seventh, Robbins stepped in and flipped the game with one swing. The junior outfielder launched a 406-foot, two-run homer into the right-center field tailgate area after working a patient count, giving Texas a 4-3 lead it would not relinquish. The home run was his fourth of the regional and 23rd of the season, continuing a torrid stretch at the plate.
Texas added insurance in the eighth when Ethan Mendoza delivered an RBI double and later came around to score, stretching the lead to three runs. That cushion proved critical as UC Santa Barbara (40-20) mounted late pressure.
The Gauchos answered with a run in the eighth and loaded the bases in the ninth, but Texas right-hander Luke Harrison closed the door. Harrison, who had already logged 50 pitches in a Friday start against Holy Cross, recorded the final out to earn his first save since his freshman season in 2022.
Reliever Thomas Burns (1-0) earned the win with a dominant outing, retiring all five batters he faced and striking out three.
Texas did all of its scoring over the final four innings, overcoming its first deficit of the NCAA Tournament. Adrian Rodriguez sparked the rally with a game-tying sacrifice fly in the sixth before Mendoza followed with an RBI single to give the Longhorns their first lead of the night.
The regional showcased Texas at its most complete. The Longhorns outscored opponents 41-7 across three games, posting a .376 team batting average with a .493 on-base percentage and .761 slugging percentage while hitting 12 home runs. On the mound, the staff combined for a 2.00 ERA, continuing a season-long trend of balanced production.
Robbins headlined five Longhorns named to the All-Tournament Team, earning Most Outstanding Player honors after hitting .429 with four home runs, nine RBIs and a 1.815 OPS. He was joined by Rodriguez, Carson Tinney, Anthony Pack Jr. and Dylan Volantis.
Texas now turns its attention to Oregon, with a trip to the College World Series on the line.
