Longhorns Notebook: Texas Chokes, Suffers Ugly Loss Against UTSA

Now, here are three key takeaways from the Longhorns' loss to the Roadrunners.

A night to forget for Jalin Flores

First and foremost, this loss is not solely on the shoulders of Jalin Flores. It is at the end of the day a team sport and the rest of the team did not do enough to get the job done themselves either. That being said, we would be remiss not to discuss what was a brutal night for Flores, both in the field and at the plate.

Offensively, his woes persisted as he posted a rough 0-5 showing with two strikeouts. However, his worst two at-bats came in the sixth and the eighth. Both times the first two hitters got on base and both times he popped out, unable to even advance both men 90 feet.

Then in the field it was not much better, as he was far from his usual sharp self defensively. This was glaringly evident in the ninth when he flubbed a grounder, allowing the runner to get to second, leading to him eventually coming home to score and securing a 9-7 win for UTSA.

Bats continuing to trend down

Take away the five-run third inning and you see what has been a worrying trend for the Longhorns dating back to their series against the Aggies. The offense simply just cannot do enough to push across runs aside from a big inning or two here and there. It was no different against UTSA.

They stranded an inexcusable 14 runners and struck out 12 times combined as a team. Twice they got the first two men aboard late in the game, in the sixth and eighth innings, only for Flores to pop out, Will Gasparino to go down swinging and Jonah Williams to stare at a pitch for a called third strike.

Ultimately, this Texas team has the talent on paper to produce runs and have shown it can do so more than once this season. However, it has been a long time since it has done so consistently, something that needs to be fixed in a hurry to avoid going home in the regional round.

Time to bounce back

With all of the above being said, you cannot erase the past or go back in time to change things. You had a 6-1 lead and proceeded to choke. That's just how baseball goes sometimes. Now, the Longhorns find themselves with their backs against the wall and cannot afford to not respond.

Next up is a scrappy Kansas State team that has the potential and the talent to give the Longhorns all they can handle. In no way, shape or form can they afford to take this game lightly. If they do then it could be an early and disappointing end to what was once a promising season for the Longhorns.

What's next for Texas?

The Longhorns are back in action on a quick turnaround, as they take on the Kansas State Wildcats at 2 p.m. CT on Sunday, looking to avoid elimination from their own regional.