Longhorns Notebook: Texas Handles Houston Christian in Austin Regional Opener

They did start a bit slow, but they never trailed and looked like a team ready to make a deep run into June. The bullpen was lights out again while the offense was able to capitalize on mistakes, pushing across seven runs and leading the way for a 7-1 win to start the Austin Regional.

Now, here are three key takeaways from the Longhorns' win over the Huskies.

Offense finally shows signs of life

The biggest knock on the Longhorns heading down the home stretch of the season was the offense going missing in a big way. They scuffled badly to end the regular season and then struck out a whopping 18 times as a team in their loss to the Tennessee Volunteers in the SEC Tournament.

Through the first five innings that worrying trend appeared ready to continue.  Then the bats came to life in a big way in the fifth inning. Capitalizing on an error start the inning, the Longhorns then produced six hits. Of those six, five came with two outs and led to a five-run frame that broke the game open for good.

Saunier and Hamilton deliver 

Coming into this game as the No. 1 seed in their regional, the Longhorns had the ability to save some of their usual starters. As a result, they trotted Ethan Walker out to the mound to start the game following his phenomenal outing against Tennessee in the SEC Tournament. Walker, though, only lasted 1.2 innings. 

Behind him, though, the duo of Grayson Saunier and Hudson Hamilton were absolute nails out of the bullpen. Both arms gave Texas 3.2 phenonenal innings, combining to allow only six hits and giving up just one run. Not only was it a great outing from both guys, but it allowed Texas to save key arms such as Max Grubbs and Dylan Volantis for the winner's bracket games.

One game at a time

Winning the College World Series is the ultimate goal for every team in the Field of 64. You can't do so, though, without advancing through your regional and then a super regional. For the Longhorns, they advanced one step closer to making their 39th trip to Omaha with a win over the Huskies.

Now, though, they have to stay focused. They have a date with either UTSA or Kansas State on Saturday, both of which are capable of handing them an upset loss and sending them into the elimination bracket. There's a lot to like about the current path for Texas, but all that matters is winning the next game.

What's next for Texas?

The Longhorns will be back in action on Saturday evening at 8 p.m. CT, as they wait to see their opponent. They will be facing the winner of Friday night's contest between the UTSA Roadrunners and Kansas State Wildcats.