Did you miss the drama of a packed stadium and Super Regional-type atmosphere? I won’t fault any Texas fan for feeling like they needed a cigarette once this game ended. Tonight, No. 3 Texas (37-11, 14-5) at No. 6 TCU (33-11, 15-4) didn’t just live up the hype. It exceeded it in what was one of the most tensely competitive games of the college baseball season surrounded by an electric atmosphere, the type of atmosphere we probably haven’t seen since 2019.

From opening pitch until the final out, this game had the energy, electricity and anxiety of college baseball when it’s at its absolute best, which makes Aaron Nixon’s performance even more impressive. Nixon entered the bottom of the ninth with runners on first and second with no outs and his team clinging to a 5-4 lead. He proceeded to dominate TCU with his best slider of the season, stuck with his hard slider despite a passed ball moving runners into scoring position, and watched Eric Kennedy, after two strikeouts, catch a fly ball to preserve the win and his seventh save.

How Texas grabbed its late-game lead was even more impressive. It wasn’t long ago Mike Antico delivered an impassioned response to a postgame question about what helped him find his form, which included thanking Texas coaches profusely for sticking with him and helping him gain his confidence back. Antico’s early-season struggles were well-documented. Since the series at Kansas, he’s performed like one of the best players in the Big 12. Tonight, he was the best player on the field.

In the eighth inning, Antico broke a 4-4 tie with two outs when he recognized slider spin early, sat back, and lined a solo homer over the fence in right-center. In the sixth inning, Antico could be credited with saving the game...

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