No. 7 Texas baseball has to 'play to a standard, not a scoreboard'

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas head coach Jim Schlossnagle knows that the best team doesn't necessarily win a baseball game; it's the team that plays the best that day. The No. 7 Longhorns need to remember that when taking on Missouri this weekend, a winless team in Southeastern Conference play.

The Tigers' schedule to start SEC play has been loaded, and the Longhorns are the third consecutive ranked opponent for them. They were swept by No. 8 Louisiana State, No. 2 at the time, and No. 15 Ole Miss, No. 23 at the time, to open their SEC slate. Schlossnagle said the Longhorns can't take their foot off the gas pedal.

"(Missouri head coach) Kerrick Jackson is a good friend of mine, and he's doing an unbelievable job at a place that has challenges in our league," he said. "They scored a bunch of runs last week against Ole Miss, and they have three left-handed starters. At the end of the day, left-handed pitching gives you a chance to win in this league."

Missouri snapped a seven-game losing streak March 25 with an 11-9 win over Illinois, and in the three losses to the Rebels, they averaged 7.3 runs per game, so their offense doesn't appear to be the issue.

Freshman right-handed pitcher Jason Flores could be on the mound sometime this weekend after throwing 33 pitches in 2.2 innings March 25 against Sam Houston, and he said the team's chemistry is starting to come together.

"All the guys are saying that this is a team they've never been on before, so that's awesome to hear," he said. "The SEC is definitely a challenge. I mean, I'm a freshman so I don't know what the Big 12 was like, but this has been a challenge so far."

Flores and fellow freshman reliever Dylan Volantis are roommates, and Flores said they've become best friends not just by being on the team and living in the same place but also by experiencing big-time college baseball for the first time together. Volantis has been terrific out of the bullpen for the Longhorns this season with five saves and a 1.29 ERA.

Flores has pitched 15.1 innings in five appearances with a 1.17 ERA, including 3.2 innings of relief March 16 against Mississippi State in a 4-1 win. Combined, the duo has allowed five earned runs in 35.1 innings.

"We talk baseball all the time," Flores said. "We talked about that double that got hit off him against Mississippi State, and it got so loud, but then he said whatever and got the next out. It was pretty awesome."

After struggling last year, the Longhorns' pitching staff has emerged as a strength this season. They are No. 12 in Division I with a 3.39 ERA, No. 13 in hits allowed per nine innings at 7.19 and No. 15 in WHIP at 1.15. Control issues derailed last year's staff, but Schlossnagle said pitching coach Max Weiner has simplified and streamlined a tried-and-true approach — just throw it over the plate.

"We're throwing pitches to the middle of the plate to the point where you may give up some 0-2 hits, a supposed cardinal sin of baseball," Schlossnagle said. "But the more pitches you throw, the more information the hitter has."

It may be leaning toward coachspeak, but Schlossnagle firmly believes in the mantra that if a team plays to its potential, more times than not, they'll come out on top after nine innings.

"You play to a standard, not a scoreboard," he said. "I trust our team, leadership group, and we'll be ready to go."