Happy to say this week's column is again brought to you by The Timothy Center. The father-son duo of Doctors Jimmy and Josh Myers, both big Longhorn fans, are doing some great counseling work in the Austin area, especially during such a trying time mentally for many as we all are dealing with a global pandemic.
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Alright, the writing...
1) Texas Baseball demands your attention…
If you’ve been here a while, you know my heart is laced with 108 stitches. Not literally, of course. That would be scary and extremely unusual. You get the point. I love the big three sports - football, basketball, and baseball. Clearly, I write about all three. But my heart beats with a special affection for baseball.
Undoubtedly, this website, message board and fan base are about football overwhelmingly more than anything else. Football is king on the Forty Acres, and it’s often king of our content. However, this Texas Baseball team doesn’t just deserve your attention. Texas demands it.
Since its embarrassing and frustrating opening weekend in Arlington, when it was smoked by three top-five teams after being unable to pick up a bat or ball all week because of the winter storm of the century, the No. 3 Longhorns are 26-5. They’ve yet to lose a weekend series in 2021. They’re on top of the Big 12 standings at 10-2, have won nine-straight games and are 18-2 at home.
“I think a lot of people would expect there to be like a panic button hit like, ‘Ah, shit we’re 0-3.’ And there was no feeling like that whatsoever. It was a lot of maturity that went with it. It was a lot of, you know, really taking a hard look in the mirror and saying, ‘What do we need to do to get better?’ And I was really proud to be a part of this team at that moment because that takes a lot of maturity,” said Zach Zubia ahead of the team’s series versus South Carolina. “It takes a lot of wisdom to be able to digest that without really panicking, without really having a freakout moment. And I think that was really beneficial for us. And I think it's shown. I think you said what, 8-2. Right? That's pretty good if you ask me, but I think that going forward we're just gonna have to keep on keeping that same mature mentality and approach towards winning and losing.”
Why are the Longhorns winning so much? In order to understand this Texas team, you have to appreciate and understand what’s going on between the ears and when games aren’t being played. That team approach and maturity coming out of the opening weekend hasn’t disappeared. Instead of the Longhorns responding to getting their butts kicked with one strong week, they’ve proven the 8-2 mark over those next 10 games wasn’t a fluke. This approach mentally is who they are.
“I've been involved with a lot of great teams, and a lot of great players. And I don't know if I've ever had a group of 15 to 17 hitters that are here when I'm here. When I get here early, when Tulo and coach Miller get here early, it's almost a guilt trip if you're not there just because they each put so much pressure on themselves to put their work in,” said David Pierce following a Saturday win versus Oklahoma. “When you have two coaches in there throwing two hours before regular batting practice and giving them everything they have, and you have everybody else preparing. It's just kind of the culture that we're building and what we want.
“We want guys to show up and then have to back them off more so than encouraging them and motivating them to prepare and they're buying into the work. If we put in the work, we will have success and I just want to see them continue and really grow and develop not only in their personal development but with each other. I mean, we talked today about... we were 1-0 in the series last night, and it was a pretty harsh meeting with the hitting coaches, with the team because they didn't feel like they were competing in the cage work today. And then we followed up with our team meeting of just centering our team and making sure that we stay ready to compete and don't get complacent.”
This isn’t just a team that works occasionally or when things are going poorly. The Longhorns consider showing up every single day to put in extra work who they are. No one tells them to show up early or stay late because it’s understood and the foundation of the program’s culture under Pierce and his coaching staff. And when a team has that collective bond, a deep belief in team success, best players that are the best workers and talent to go with it, special things can happen.
Special things are happening. And they’re happening because UT’s elite mental approach is so fantastically consistent. College baseball is a grind. Teams play 50-plus games. It’s easy to go through the motions during a midweek game, fall asleep versus a lesser opponent on the weekend or get a big head after an impressive win. After all, these guys aren’t professionals. They are young student-athletes and they’re also encountering a grind filled with COVID protocols too. But the Longhorns have managed to develop and treasure an identity built on competing and winning. And they don’t care how it looks, how it happens or who does it. Friday’s win versus Kansas State was a perfect example.
From talking to the Longhorns and hearing about their approach, you’d never know they’re the No. 3 team in the country. Good luck finding a hint of complacency or satisfaction in that clubhouse. And with upcoming Big 12 series at No. 13 Oklahoma State, versus No. 8 Texas Tech, at No. 12 TCU and versus West Virginia, the Longhorns’ mental approach and ability to win games in a variety of ways is going to be tested with a conference title on the line. They won’t survive that gauntlet unscathed. Expecting that is being unrealistic. But they’re going to be ready to compete each time they’re in a dugout. And that’s why this season could truly be a special one.
2) Another quote that explains a lot about this team and program…
Mike Antico’s struggles earlier in the season are well-chronicled and caught the attention of many Texas fans who wondered why he was in the lineup. The Longhorns, besides the occasional off day, didn’t flinch. Their belief in Antico’s ability, after a fantastic fall offseason and preseason and his long track record of hitting at a high level at St. John’s, didn't waver. And they were rewarded. However, they were rewarded because their coaches connected with the graduate transfer in a way that allowed him to take pressure off himself and just start playing like he has his entire career.
“But for me personally, I owe my life to these coaches, man. Coach Pierce giving me the opportunity every day to play center field. It's a special thing, you know. I'm coming from out of town, different school or whatever. He hasn't had to stick with me through and through and he has,” said Antico after Friday’s win against Kansas State. “So, I'm so thankful for him. You know, and then with that, I have coach Tulo and coach Miller. They kind of brought me in the other day and were like, ‘What do we have to do to get you [to be you]? We want you to be the best player that you can be.’ And obviously, up to this point so far, I haven't been playing up to my potential... they want the best for me. They think that I could do anything that I would like to do on a baseball field. So, they kind of brought me in and said, ‘Let's all get on the same page here. And what do we have to do?’ And it was just a couple small adjustments with the swing and besides that they were just like, be yourself. Be who you were when he showed up all through the fall, all through the early spring. Just just be yourself, man. Because you’ve been playing this game a long time and you have no reason to be thinking about anything.
“So to be honest with you, just today more than any day just tried to go in with a clear head. I was talking to some family this week, and they said, ‘Mike, you've been playing baseball since you could walk. What are you thinking about? Just go.’ So, I tried to play freely tonight and I think it worked very well for me. But like I started with, I owe it to these coaches, man. They're they really helped me and without them I wouldn't be sitting here with you guys tonight. And I wouldn't be in the position I am because they've helped me throughout this whole season this whole year.”
That’s candid, emotional, real stuff, man. What does a fantastic connection between player and coaching staff sound like? It sounds like that quote above. And it’s an excellent example of the work this coaching staff does to go beyond and connect with the mental side of players to forge relationships and bring out their true talent. By the way, Antico is now hitting .273/.370/.591 in Big 12 play with a team-high 17 RBI and as many walks (7) as strikeouts.
3) A couple examples of development happening…
Last week when asked about adjustments he made, Ivan Melendez mentioned his hand positioning and stance being adjusted recently, which has allowed him to barrel the baseball out in front more and make better contact. To the untrained eye, the adjustments probably wouldn’t be noticeable. They’re subtle (the LHN telecast last night did a great job of breaking them down) but have been highly impactful. Watch Melendez swing now and you’ll notice his lower half working in better harmony with his top half and his hand placement better allows him to get to the barrel to the baseball more consistently and on a better, well-timed path...
READ THE REST OF THIS COLUMN AND DISCUSS THE LONGHORNS INSIDE THE 40 ACRES
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