The season wasn’t supposed to end like this for the Longhorns. It wasn’t supposed to, in the most agonizing and heartbreaking way possible, remind Texas that baseball is often a game of inches and luck. But sometimes, that’s just the way baseball goes.
“I was running into left-center when the guy hit the ball and I looked at EK (Eric Kennedy) and I was like, ‘It's over.’ It's crazy, just like that,” recalled Mike Antico when asked about the emotions of the end of the game. “My mind was ready for the top of the 10th inning. I think I was up third. Just like that, it could change so quick, just like life. So, baseball is a crazy sport, it's a crazy game. I love it with all my heart. But you know, a lot of emotions right then and there in that moment. Your season can be made in a split second and it can be broken in a split second. Tonight it was broken.”
The Longhorns (50-17) were on the wrong side of both inches and luck and were eliminated from the College World Series by a walk-off single with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning. Mississippi State (48-17) celebrated the 4-3 victory and CWS Final berth while Texas was immediately faced with its toughest challenge all season: how to process this defeat, which abruptly and cruelly ended the season for David Pierce’s most beloved team.
After Will Bednar appeared ready to strike out a ton of Longhorns over scoreless frames again, Cam Williams delivered a loud message with a big swing of the bat. Texas was ready to make adjustments, and Bednar’s stuff wasn’t quite as completely dominant as it was last Sunday.
After being late to an 0-1 fastball, Williams was ready in an 0-2 count when Bednar predictably tested him up the ladder with another heater. Williams smashed a two-run homer to right field and gave Texas an early 2-0 advantage in the second inning.
Mississippi State cut the deficit to 2-1 in the bottom of the third inning with a two-out RBI single off the bat of SEC Player of the Year Tanner Allen. However, Texas starter Tristan Stevens looked more effective than he did against Tennessee, when he lasted just 3.2 innings. The veteran righty showed feel for his slider and changeup earlier and commanded a sinking fastball well to his armside. Texas knew early he’d be able to take it fairly deep into an outing.
Douglas Hodo began the top of the fifth by smashing a hanging slider off the bottom of the wall in left-center for a leadoff double. With two outs, Mike Antico, as he did so much this season and in Omaha, made sure a runner in scoring position wouldn’t be wasted. The senior from New Jersey jumped all over a 2-1 fastball and lined a hard RBI double to right-center.
But Mississippi State, trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the fifth, immediately responded. MSU put runners on the corners with one out, and was able to push across a run. However, Stevens limited the damage thanks to a double play. Later, he and Texas wouldn’t be as fortunate.
With a low pitch count and a limited bullpen behind him, Stevens, who threw 5.0 innings and gave up three runs on nine hits, one walk and struck out two, was back on the mound in the bottom of the sixth with a 3-2 lead. Credit Mississippi State’s Kamren James for an outstanding at-bat, which resulted in a walk on a 3-2 pitch to start the inning. With Cole Quintanilla now lurking, Texas watched Stevens work into a 1-2 count. What looked like a sinker from Stevens searching for a grounder missed its spot, and a very hard liner missed Mitchell Daly’s glove by inches.
“I don't like having anybody coming in in that big of a mess,” said Pierce about the pitching usage in the sixth inning. “But every time Tristan is in the game, he's a guy that has a history of handling that stuff. And so you've got a quick 5th and it was a no-brainer that we were bringing him back out with Cole being one of two potential guys that would come on if we had runners in the inning.
“So, Sean and I planned it this morning, how we wanted to approach it with guys that would come in clean, guys that would come in in situations, guys that would deal with the top of the order versus the bottom of the order and for Tristan to give us six. I think -- what did he go, five? I mean, probably after pitching on Tuesday, we were looking at three to five, and he got us into the sixth. Yeah, there's a lot that we talked about, but that's kind of how it evolved.”
Texas pitching coach Sean Allen came out to chat with Stevens with runners on the corners and no outs. Again, UT stuck with Stevens and hoped he’d deliver with a grounder. He did. Unfortunately, the routine grounder bounced over Cam Williams’ head because he was playing in with runners on the corners. The RBI double tied the game and MSU had the bases loaded after Quintanilla walked the first batter he faced.
The hard-throwing righthander responded by using his changeup - an extremely rare occurrence - against dangerous left-handed hitter Kellum Clark. Quintanilla struck him out looking on a breaking ball over the middle and then he made the next hitter look silly with three-straight breaking balls. Somehow, the game remained tied and Quintanilla came off the mound as fired up as he’s ever been in a Texas uniform.
From there, Quintanilla and eventually MSU stud reliever Landon Sims went to work. Both relievers pitched exceptionally well and often overwhelmed opposing hitters with good breaking balls and hard fastballs. The teams traded zeroes until the ninth inning. That’s when Texas threatened to score.
Ivan Melendez was hit by a 3-2 pitch to begin the ninth inning and pinch-runner Dylan Campbell was bunted to second base. Williams put a jolt into a 3-2 fastball deep to left field, and off the bat, Sims immediately reacted like it was a homer. But the ball wasn’t carrying much to left and was caught. Hodo then gave a pitch a deep ride to right field only to watch it find a glove on the warning track. Clearly, Sims was tiring. Texas wouldn’t see him again, though.
Following a strikeout, Quintinalla looked like he’d punch out another batter. However, he attempted to get the strikeout with a backfoot breaking ball only to watch it literally hit the left-handed batter’s backfoot. Mississippi State brought on pinch-runner Brayland Skinner, and he stole second with ease as Quintanilla was too slow to the plate.
Tanner Leggett, inserted into the game for his defense, delivered the biggest hit of the MSU season when he lined a walk-off single into left-center field. Quintanilla, perhaps throwing as well as he ever had in a Texas uniform, gave up one run across 3.1 innings on two hits with one walk and five strikeouts.
And just like that, the season was over for Texas. Done. Gone. As quick as baseball can deliver the most delicious hope on the biggest stage, it can end months of hard work and endless hours practicing and playing with a single swing.
“It was an unbelievable season. It's a special group of guys, and we worked as hard as we possibly can,” Antico said. “We didn't leave any stone unturned on our way here. I mean, no regrets at all. It was a great season. Baseball is a crazy sport. You know, we had a man on second in the top of the ninth. They had a man on second in the bottom of the ninth. They got it done, and we didn't and the season's over that quick. You blink your eyes and it's over. “I mean, it sucks to lose that way, but it was an unbelievable season, and I'm really proud of this whole team, the coaches and the players. It was a hell of an experience."
The Longhorns won’t be remembered as national champions. Only one team each season can claim that distinguished honor. But getting as close as Texas did after proving it truly was capable of winning a national championship matters. The Longhorns were beaten and it’ll take a long time for them to get over it.
“We'll look at today and what an incredible baseball game that was. We talk about it every single day, and there's not one thing -- you look at this game, there's not one thing you say if we would have done this or if we would have done that,” Pierce said. “We hit four balls to the wall that any of them could have been out or all four of them could have been out. We played impeccable defense the entire series, and big-time pitches in big-time moments, and the defense played their tails off. And so I always look at every single day as no regrets, and there's zero regrets.”
They were beaten, though. They didn’t give in. They didn’t play poorly. With everything on the line, they performed admirably, impressively and came this close. They proved they were every bit as good as their record, conference title, No. 2 overall seed and CWS berth.
“The grit, the toughness, the never-give-up mentality, the energy. Just the talent. There's just so many words that you describe this group, and they are all positive,” responded an emotional Pierce when asked what he hopes people remember about this team. “I mean, did a great job of dealing with COVID. Did a great job of staying in the classroom taking care of business. We had zero issues. It's just a team that has really set the standard of what we expect at the University of Texas."
When they’re able to stomach this and process it as the lingering sting fades away, perhaps they’ll understand what the many who watched them all season already do: they were really talented, really freaking good and their collection of consistent competitiveness, maturity, and mental toughness is the standard for future Texas teams under Pierce.
“The only thing that I'm disappointed in is this team will no longer be this team anymore, and it's the most incredible team I've ever been a part of, and I've won a National Championship and been here now six times," Pierce stated, clearly fighting the emotions of the season ending. "But just when you talk about culture and you talk about standard, and you talk about all those buzzwords and then you go out and watch it happen and just get inspired by young people… This group is incredible. You know, it's that good of a team. A lot of fun. 50 games we won this year; that close to winning a National Championship, pretty impressive.”
Impressive, indeed. The 2021 Longhorns were what Texas Baseball is supposed to look like. With so many young players on the diamond at TD Ameritrade Park, maybe we should get used to seeing it more often.
