Game Day: Texas @ MU

Corey Knebel
bevoscorner.com

Be sure to check out all the details about promotions and publicity - and the revised Saturday game time - for the Longhorn Weekend at Taylor Stadium.

The Texas Longhorns, after their typically slow start, are now in 2nd place in the Big 12 with a 12-6 conference record, 26-16 overall.

Their losses have been scattered through the season, coming at the hands of Duke, UT Arlington, Stanford (x3), Tennessee, Arkansas, Loyola Marymount, Cal (x2), plus Big 12 losses to Kansas State, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas and Texas A&M (x2, last weekend).  UT's only conference sweep was against OU.  Mizzou and then Baylor are their last two Big 12 opponents.

Weekend Weather
FRI 87 / 30% T-storms
SAT 89 / Mostly sunny
SUN 88 / 30% T-storms
Weather.com

Texas has averaged 5 runs per game vs. their opponents' 4.2.  In their losses they have been outscored by an average 7 runs to 2.6 runs.Their hitting and pitching seem to practice synchronized stumbling.

Given that history, Texas looks beatable.

The Tigers seem to always play the Longhorns tough at Taylor Stadium.  With all the promotion and publicity designed to put a crowd in the seats for each game, it could be a good weekend for the slumping Tigers.

And it needs to be.  If the team is going to build some momentum heading toward  what looks to be another must-win Big 12 Tournament, they need to get it going now.

MU is currently in 6th place in the conference, ahead of Texas Tech, Kansas and Kansas State, with only 4 games separating 9th place K-State from MU.  With those bottom four all playing one or more of the other bottom four in these last two weekends, the Tigers need to win every Big 12 game they can against Texas and then Kansas in order to maintain their ranking or even boost it up.

We don't want to be the 8th seed and face the Bad News Bears in Game 1 of the Tournament

♦ MU vs. UT Stats

	MU	UT
Batting Average	.269	.268
ERA	4.26	3.18
RPI	.532	.563
RPI rank	91st	42nd
Strength of Schedule	76th	39th

♦ Scouting Report on Texas (texags.com)

Click the link, check it out.  Very detailed scouting report.

♦ Longhorn Big 12 Players and Pitchers and Newcomers of the Week in 2012 (big12sports.com)

4/23 Newcomer of the Week: John Curtiss, Texas, Fr., RHP, Southlake, Texas/Southlake Carroll

Curtiss pitched in three of Texas' four games on the week, yielding just one hit in 8.1 scoreless innings of relief. In the Longhorns' midweek game against Texas State, Curtiss earned his first collegiate victory with 3.0 innings of work in a 2-0 win. He scattered two walks while striking out one. In Friday night's loss to Kansas, the freshman entered the game to start the fifth with the Longhorns trailing 3-0 and worked two scoreless innings, walking two and striking out four. On Sunday, the right-hander's appearance came with Texas trailing 2-0, one on and no outs in the second inning. He worked 3.1 shutout innings, allowing one hit.

4/9 Player of the Week: Erich Weiss, Texas, So., 3B, 6-2, 190, Brenham, Texas/Brenham

Weiss, the reigning Big 12 Freshman of the Year, batted .588 (10-for-17) on the week as the Longhorns won two-of-three against Texas Tech, capping off a conference start in which UT has won 7-of-9 all on the road. He recorded multiple hits in all three games, including four hits both Friday and Saturday. In the series opener, Weiss went 2-for-5 with a run in a 7-4 win. On Friday, he went 4-for-6 with a walk, a run and a double. He capped off the weekend by going 4-for-6 with three runs, a home run and two RBI. Weiss ranks sixth in the league in hits (41) and runs scored (29). His .357 batting average is seventh-best in the Big 12.

3/19 Newcomer of the Week: Parker French, Texas, Fr., RHP, Dripping Springs, Texas/Dripping Springs

French played a part in three of Texas' wins over top 25 teams last week as the Longhorns went 4-0 with French posting a 2-0 record and one save. On Tuesday, with the UT entering the week with a 6-8 record, No. 20 Texas State visited Austin as French took the mound with a 50-pitch limit set. He stretched the 50 pitches over 4.0 scoreless innings, scattering three hits. On Friday in the series opener against No. 17 Oklahoma, the freshman earned his second career save for the Longhorns retiring both batters he faced in the 12th inning as Texas picked up a 7-6 win. With the Horns looking for the road sweep over the Sooners, French silenced Oklahoma's bats by not allowing a hit through the first 5.2 innings in his Sunday start. Texas would go one to win, 9-4. On the week, the Dripping Springs, Texas-native pitched 11.1 innings over three games with five strikeouts and a 3.18 ERA.

3/5 Player of the WEek: Jonathan Walsh, Texas, Jr., OF/C, Coppell, Texas/Coppell

Jonathan Walsh batted .500 and posted a .688 slugging percentage last week. He was named to the All-Tournament team at the Houston College Classic, which featured four national ranked squads, including two in the top 5. At the event, Walsh went 6-for-12 with two runs, two RBI, three doubles and one stolen base. In Texas' 11-8 win over No. 5 Rice, Walsh went 2-for-4 with one run, one RBI, two doubles, one stolen base and one sacrifice fly. In Texas' 7-3 loss to Arkansas, he went 3-for-4 with one run, one double and one RBI. He started the week by going 2-for-4 with one run scored in Texas' 2-0 win over Houston Baptist.

3/5 Newcomer of the Week: Brooks Marlow, Texas, Fr., 2B, 5-9, 175, Giddings, Texas/Giddings

rooks Marlow was named to the All-Tournament team at the talent-laden Houston College Classic which featured four national ranked squads, including two in the Top 5. Marlow logged a .600 batting average (6-for-10), .667 on-base percentage and .900 slugging percentage at the event. He recorded two runs, five RBI, one double, two triples, two walks and a sacrifice bunt. In Texas' 11-8 win over No. 5 Rice, Marlow went 3-for-5 with one run and three RBI. He followed it up by going 3-for-3 with one double, one triple, one run, one sacrifice bunt and two RBI in Texas' 5-4 loss to Tennessee. With Texas trailing 5-3 with two outs and a runner on base in the ninth inning, Marlow delivered a triple to knock in a run and put the tying run at third base. In Texas 7-3 loss to No. 4 Arkansas, Marlow reached base twice via the walk and scored a run.

2/20 Newcomer of the Week: Brooks Marlow, Texas, Fr., 2B, 5-9, 175, Giddings, Texas/Giddings

Brooks Marlow became the first player in Texas history to hit two home runs in his first career game. In the first game of UT's Saturday doubleheader against Duke, the freshman hit two home runs off projected first-round draft choice Michael Stroman to lead Texas to a 4-0 lead. In the nightcap, Marlow tallied a sacrifice bunt, sacrifice fly and one RBI. His sacrifice fly provided the go-ahead run in Texas' 5-3 win over the Blue Devils. He closed out the series hitting .333 with two runs, two home runs and four RBI and went errorless in 20 fielding chances at second base, turning three double plays.