A look back at 2019
Texas finished the 2019 season with a 46-17 overall record, including a 12-6 showing against Big 12 conference opponents. The Longhorns performed well at home and on the road, collecting a 27-6 record in Austin and a 12-7 mark in road matchups.
After putting together a 6-game winning streak to start the season – which included a run-rule win over PAC-12 foe California – the ‘Horns lost to LSU in Clearwater, but rebounded for victory over fellow SEC opponent Kentucky. The remainder of non-conference play including two victories over Ole Miss; respective two-game splits with Wisconsin, Arizona State, and Tennessee; and dropping two out of three games to Minnesota at McCombs Field in Austin.
Upon reaching Big 12 play, the Longhorns started their conference slate rather auspiciously, with an 11-0 run-rule win over Iowa State. The Horns swept through that series against the Cyclones, but dropped a best-of-three series to Oklahoma State. During the rest of conference play, the Longhorns recorded a series win over Texas Tech; were swept by Oklahoma in Austin; and recorded victorious series sweeps over both Kansas and Baylor.
The Longhorns dropped a pair of games in the Big 12 tournament to finish 0-2 there after rain washed out the tournament’s final games. A 6-2 loss to Oklahoma State to kick off the tournament was followed by a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Iowa State.
Selected as the 9th-overall seed in the NCAA tournament, the Longhorns began their NCAA tournament stay rather surprisingly, suffering a 2-1 loss to Sam Houston State in a lopsided upset that went down as one of the biggest in recent postseason memory. The ‘Horns would win their next four games in the Regional, including a pair of fairly dominant wins over Houston in the regional final.
Placed in the Tuscaloosa Super Regional against Alabama, the Longhorns lost the best-of-three series to the Crimson Tide, winning an offense-heavy game two but ultimately dropping the winner-take-all matchup to end the season.
Roster turnover
Departures: The Longhorns lost just one major impact player, in graduated pitcher Brooke Bolinger, a former all-Big 12 and all-Region honoree who threw nearly ninety innings and recorded nine wins in her senior year. The team also saw a pair of role players elect to transfer out during the summer.
Additions: In addition to five freshman additions, the Longhorns also picked up another PAC-12 bat with championship experience, adding UCLA transfer Colleen Sullivan, who finished the 2019 season with a .239 batting average and five home runs and won a championship ring with the Bruins.
Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths – The Longhorns almost over-performed in their first season under Mike White, contending nationally and in the Big 12 during each portion of the season, including in conference play and rebounding from some losses during high-pressure situations. Miranda Elish will be the team’s workhorse in the circle, and Shealyn O’Leary is a dependable second option who should also be gearing up for the ace role herself upon Elish’s graduation. Janae Jefferson is a bright spot on offense and should be a major spark plug in both the batting order & the field.
Weaknesses – Beating Oklahoma is no easy task, and the Longhorns showed a season ago that they still have a ways to go before that looks like much more than a pipe dream. The Horns were outscored 16-6 in the series, despite forcing eight innings in one game. The lineup needs consistency, and the ‘Horns need to show that they are not only capable of contending, but that their championship hopes are legitimately within reach.
2020 outlook
Pitching – Elish (18-10, 1.81 ERA, 226 Ks) performed well in her first season at UT, and now has one final year to help the program make some national noise. O’Leary is a quality #2, and is likely to take the ace role upon Elish’s graduation after the season. Both pitchers had some not-so-great moments last season, and while they’ll need to clean up those times and make them scarcer; the unit has the makings of being called one of the nation’s top pitching staffs – the talent is definitely there, at least – but there needs to be more on-field production before they’re bestowed that designation.
Offense – Jefferson led the squad with a .408 batting average a season ago, a mark nearly fifty points above her next-closest teammate. The middle infielder is incredibly consistent with the bat, collecting eighty hits and a .438 on-base percentage on the year. Mary Iakopo was also the only Texas player to reach double-digit home runs, while Elish helped her own cause often, and even played in the field, finishing the year with a .315 average and six home runs in her own right.
Coaching – Mike White enters his second year on the Forty Acres, and does so with the second hitting coach of his tenure. After now-Kansas City coach Kerry Shaw held the position last year, White went to professional baseball to pluck Steve Singleton from the Minor League coaching ranks to be the program’s new hitting coach. The staff is rounded out by defensive specialist and longtime White assistant Chelsea Spencer, as well as former Oregon standout Kailee Cuico, who holds the volunteer assistant coach’s title.
Wrap-up
Texas looked like the Longhorns of old on a number of occasions throughout last season, but the team did not perform well in the postseason, including the dismal Big 12 tournament showing and the Regional-opening loss to Sam Houston State. There’s a lot of talent in burnt orange once-again this season, with minimal roster turnover and no earth-shattering personnel losses, and the Longhorns have the recipe to be successful once-again, but need to prove themselves in big games if they’re going to establish themselves as legitimate, perennial contenders.
