Explaining why Texas is 52-15 since missing the 2019 Big 12 Tournament...
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Alright, the writing...
1) Remember when Texas Baseball didn't even make the Big 12 Tournament?
Following a Big 12 title and a College World Series appearance, the Texas Longhorns appeared ready to make another run in 2019. They swept then No. 1 LSU in dominant fashion, moved up to No. 12 in the polls and scored four runs in the ninth at No. 6 Stanford to open a four-game series with a thrilling win. The Longhorns then finished the season 15-24.
They were so bad they didn’t even make the Big 12 Tournament thanks in part to a completely lifeless performance against Oklahoma during the final Friday (the series began on Thursday ahead of the Big 12 Tournament and UT played a doubleheader Friday) of the regular season. Texas’ most consistent trait that season was its ability to figure out new ways to lose. How bad was that 13-0 loss at home against OU to clinch a series defeat and no postseason? A look back at my column:
Yikes. It was really, really bad. Pierce didn’t manage the team well, a team that lacked player leadership especially of the vocal nature. When the head coach pushed and began coaching third base to get his frustrated voice out of the dugout, the team crumbled. Mentally, it was weak, and it didn’t help Texas lost its best player, David Hamilton, to a season-ending injury before the season began and had some of the worst injury luck at catcher I’ve ever seen, which led to the worst catching situation I’ve ever seen. The defense fell apart when Hamilton was removed, and an average pitching staff fell apart without DJ Petrinsky. There were games when pitchers were visibly affected by their catcher's inability to handle breaking stuff. Quality depth was nowhere to be found.
Since the end of that disastrous season, the Longhorns are 52-15. A shortened 2020 season because of COVID-19 robbed Texas and its fans from following a Big 12 and Omaha contender. Bryce Elder and Ty Madden were dominating; Pete Hansen, with his 0.00 ERA, was moving into the weekend rotation; Longhorn veterans were setting the tone in the batter’s box and Trey Faltine looked like a future star.
However, what stood out most is the 2020 Longhorns did the exact opposite of the 2019 disaster. They found ways to win games instead of lose them and looked like a completely different program mentally. This season, we’re seeing very similar results. Injuries? Texas has overcome them, including replacing its best reliever and hitter from 2020. Adversity? An opening weekend in Arlington after the ice storm of the century resulted in some Orangebloods members firing the entire coaching staff. Competition? The Longhorns have played the No. 11 strength of schedule.
Obviously, we’ll have to wait and see if the Longhorns can reach the College World Series again. But as last weekend proved, they’re as capable as any team in the country. How did Texas go from disaster to the opposite in an offseason? Let’s explore:
2) Coaching staff adds Troy Tulowitzki
I didn’t think Phil Haig was a bad coach. His fingerprints were on a lot of positive development stories in 2018 and he had a good knowledge in how to blend things like analytics and tech into getting more out of arms, like Matteo Bocchi late in 2018 and changing Parker Joe Robinson’s arm angle. But the Longhorns needed to shake things up, and Tulowitzki expressed interest in being UT’s volunteer assistant.
By now you know the story. Tulowitzki reached out to buddy Huston Street. Street reached out to Pierce and Pierce wanted to make Tulowitzki wait a little to see if the interest was genuine. As Street said when he told Pierce he’s not like him, a retired pro player with interest in baseball but many other enjoyable retirement activities as well. Tulowitzki’s interest was genuine. Truly, he is a baseball junkie.And the five-time MLB All-Star truly believes none of his success happens without his unique work ethic and obsession with the game and getting better. Good luck winning over Tulowitzki, hitting with success and playing in the infield if you’re not mentally tough and willing to put in the work.
So, as Pierce, Sean Allen and Philip Miller knew at the conclusion of 2020’s disaster they needed to remake the mental makeup of their program, quite literally the perfect guy arrived to check that box. The results across the board followed.
Plus, don't overlook the importance of people like Ryan Monsevalles, who returned to the program as the Director of Player Personnel and Analytics after leaving Texas in 2018 to work for the Blue Jays, Director of Player Development Carli Todd, Director of Operations Drew Bishop and new strength coach Matt Couch. The support staff matters more than most realize.
3) Fresh faces arrive and the makeup of the team changes immediately
Fans sometimes forget high school baseball recruiting is done years ahead of time. The 2020 Texas roster was, basically, the first roster of Pierce, Allen and Miller’s construction. Freshmen like Trey Faltine, Douglas Hodo, Andre Duplantier, Pete Hansen and Silas Ardoin arrived along with JUCO additions like Cam Williams.
There was a clear upgrade in raw talent and athleticism as Texas’ shift towards targeting athletic players with higher ceilings continued. But there was also an upgrade in competitiveness and mental makeup. Ardoin is the son of a former MLB catcher and part of a deep catching class to ensure 2019 wouldn’t happen again; Hodo is the son of a national champion at Texas; Faltine was a decorated high school and select player beloved by scouts who played for Team USA; Williams is obsessed with working on his craft and is one of the hardest workers the program has ever seen...
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