Underdog Texas has to get by hungry Ragin’ Cajuns before potential date with Texas A&M
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas sophomore pitcher Max Grubbs went from the bullpen to the top of the rotation this season, and he’ll get the ball for the Longhorns’ opener at the College Station regional against Louisiana on Friday.
Grubbs, who finished the regular season with 46 strikeouts and 15 walks in 68 2/3 innings, hasn’t pitched since May 17. He tossed 4 2/3 innings against the Kansas Jayhawks so he’s well-rested and ready to tackle a Ragin’ Cajuns lineup that averages seven runs per game.
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“It’s a whole new role for me this year so my body took a little toll, so getting the rest is huge,” Grubbs said. “I’ve been sticking to my strengths with my sinker, slider, and attacking people and being in the strike zone.”
Longhorns head coach David Pierce said Grubbs has “been our guy.”
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“He’s committed to the strike zone and has done great in his role to give our team a chance to win,” Pierce said of Grubbs. “He’s not a big strikeout guy so he’s gotta stay off the barrel and rely on his defense.”
First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. from Blue Bell Park.
An added element to the matchup is the Longhorns and Ragin’ Cajuns played each other last year to open the Coral Gables regional which Texas ended up winning. Third baseman Peyton Powell said while that’s interesting, it doesn’t matter much because the Longhorns are completely different now.
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“It’s a new team for us,” he said. “The guys here last year certainly know that’s a good team over there, but we’re not shying away from it. We’ve been preparing for this all year.”
Louisiana head coach Matt Deggs said the Longhorns “have grinded all year long and have some toughness to them.”
“They’ve got great makeup, even though they have some younger hitters,” Deggs said. “They’re super talented.”
Deggs will send senior right-hander Carson Fluno to the mound. Fluno has thrown the fourth-most innings for the Ragin’ Cajuns with 52, but he’s been very effective in his 13 starts. He has a WHIP of 1.04 and 2.94 ERA with 47 strikeouts and 19 walks and he’s holding teams to a .186 average.
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The Ragin’ Cajuns boast one of the best hitters in the county, junior Kyle DeBarge. He’s belted 21 home runs with a .361 batting average to go with 17 doubles and 10 stolen bases. He’s a true five-tool player who also leads the team in on-base percentage at .429.
Trey LaFleur is also hitting .361 and has 11 home runs. Louisiana hits .299 as a team this season with a .383 on-base percentage.
No. 3 national seed Texas A&M takes on Grambling State in the other opening-round regional matchup. The Aggies have been a popular pick to advance deep into the Men’s College World Series, and for good reason. They finished No. 2 in the RPI during the regular season and have been a top-five team behind the nation’s No. 7 pitching staff in ERA at 3.97.
Powell said all the pressure is off the Longhorns because a lot of folks are expecting the Aggies to cruise through the tournament without issue.
“That’s the main thing, everyone is expecting A&M to run through this, no problems,” he said. “That takes the pressure off us and we just get to go out and play, stick to our plans and rally behind each other.”
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