March 18, 2026, 5:13 p.m. CT

On Tuesday night, Longhorns baseball suffered a rare midweek loss to Tarleton State. The Texas offense, which has looked unstoppable at times, mustered only one run, and the pitching allowed six runs on eight hits. While it is a game Texas will quickly put in the rearview mirror, there was a positive to take from it. 

The only offense came from Carson Tinney, who homered for the second straight game. While the former Notre Dame star has gotten off to a slow start, his bat is starting to heat up. He has at least one hit in four of his last five games and has driven in four runs in that span. As the Longhorns chase a national title, Tinney’s play will be vital to their success. 

Unfortunately for Texas, Tinney’s home run was their only sign of offense. The Tarleton State pitching staff held Texas to two hits, with the other belonging to Josh Livingston. As the Texans’ offense took control of the game in the fourth inning, Ethan Mendoza, Adrian Rodriguez, and Aiden Robbins were held in check. 

After a strong start by Hudson Hamilton, the Longhorns’ relievers struggled mightily. Kade Bing and Cal Higgins allowed a combined four runs and did not record an out. While Max Grubbs and Brody Walls were able to stop the bleeding, the game was already out of reach. 

For Texas, their focus will turn to preparing for their three-game series with Auburn, which is slated to start on Friday. Through 20 games, the Tigers have posted an 18-2 record and are undefeated in conference play. It will be a good test for a Longhorns team that has lost only two games so far this season. 

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If the Longhorns can get back to what has made them a winning machine, a series win over Auburn would make their dissipating performance against Tarleton State a distant memory.Â