What we learned from Texas baseball’s sweep over Texas A&M
The Longhorns needed every ounce of veteran nous Duplantier could offer them on Sunday. Entering the game in the second inning with two runners aboard and nobody out, Duplantier escaped the jam and then some, supplying 5⅔ quality innings while allowing three runs to give the Texas offense time to wake up. Perhaps more important, the length Duplantier provided took the strain off an undermanned pitching staff.
After Texas baseball secured a sweep of Texas A&M with a 6-5 victory on Sunday, one reporter asked the reliever about his status as a fifth-year player and the experience he can offer. And, in Duplantier’s mind, that descriptor undersold it a bit.
“I don’t mean to correct you, but it’s six years,” Duplantier said with a laugh. “It just means everything playing for the name on my chest, not the one on my back.”
I told ‘Dre before the weekend that he was going to play a huge role in this thing,” Texas coach Jim Schlossnagle said postgame. “…To have that experienced, sixth-year pitcher, to bring in the ball game, what a luxury that was.”
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Texas baseball and Texas A&M showcasing pitching dominance
Texas first baseman Kimble Schuessler called Max Weiner the “best pitching coach in the country” in an interview with the American-Statesman on April 16.
The results over the weekend made a compelling case for Schuessler’s argument.
The Aggies and Longhorns combined to produce what ties for the lowest scoring series in the SEC this season, crossing the plate 19 times collectively.
Weiner, who coached in College Station last season before following Schlossnagle to Texas, tutored six of the eight arms the Aggies used to limit the Longhorns to 11 runs in the series. One of the exceptions was Sunday starter Myles Patton, who allowed three runs in 5 ⅔ innings of work.
Weiner’s work with the Longhorns has proven transformative. The Texas pitching staff has dropped its collective ERA from 4.91 last season to 3.09 this year. UT ranked second in the country in that category coming into the weekend.
