Defensively, who is Texas outfielder Will Gasparino starting to remind David Pierce of?

ARLINGTON − While playing in the outfield at Globe Life Field on Tuesday night, Texas freshman Will Gasparino created a highlight worthy of the major leagues.

To lead off the fifth inning of a first-round game at the Big 12 tournament, Texas Tech's TJ Pompey blasted a shot to centerfield. The 6-foot-6 Gasparino ran to the wall in the deepest part of the ballpark and robbed Pompey of a homer after a perfectly-timed jump.

The catch preserved a 4-4 tie between No. 24 Texas and Texas Tech. Pompey tipped his helmet to Gasparino afterwards.

Gasparino has recently caught the attention of his teammates and coach with his play in centerfield. Last Saturday, he ended a 9-7 win over Kansas with a diving catch in the outfield. And after Gasparino made a few nice defensive plays in a Friday takedown of the Jayhawks, UT coach David Pierce said that the freshman "looked a little bit like Drew Stubbs."

A 2017 inductee into the Texas Hall of Honor, Stubbs patrolled centerfield at UT from 2004-06. An All-American on UT's 2005 national championship team, Stubbs is fondly remembered for a diving catch that he made to preserve a late tie in a College World Series against Baylor that season. The eighth overall pick in the 2006 MLB draft, Stubbs later spent nine seasons in the major leagues.

Gasparino entered the Big 12 tournament with a .982 fielding percentage. He had caught 112 balls in the outfield and committed just two errors. He was still looking for the first outfield assist of his college career.

Texas had been putting Jared Thomas in centerfield while shifting Gasparino to right field when it wanted to start someone other than Thomas at first base. This past weekend, Texas kept Gasparino in centerfield and moved Thomas to left field during the two games it used Casey Borba as its first baseman.

"He's made huge strides since the beginning of the year," senior third baseman Peyton Powell said. "At the beginning of the year, he was good. He's talented, he's toolsy, he's the total package for a prospect, but he had to clean up some things.

"In the last two, three weeks, I've seen him take (it to) a next level into how he takes pride in his fly balls, throwing it in, even when there's no real threat or anything like that, and it just looks a whole lot better. I think he recognizes that that'll help him become the player he wants to be."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas coach David Pierce compares Will Gasparino to Drew Stubbs