Anthony Pack, Jr. went bang, bang, bang and Texas baseball’s Omaha itinerary is right on schedule.
Holy Cross, the Austin Regional’s No. 4 seed, played its role in Friday’s 19-1 blowout at UFCU Disch-Falk Field and the hosts looked every bit the part of a team with College World Series aspirations.
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Pack became the first Texas freshman to hit three homers in an NCAA postseason game. His third, a mammoth fifth-inning blast that landed on the school bus parked behind the right field wall on Comal St., accounted for his 10th homer, his 70th hit and his 50th RBI this season. All on one swing.
Texas Longhorns outfielder Anthony Pack Jr. (6) celebrates a home run during the NCAA Baseball Regional game against Holy Cross at UFCU Disch-Falk Field on Friday, May 29, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
“He’s pretty good,” said Holy Cross coach Ed Kahovec. “He’s a guy who just makes you pay for your mistakes. If you don’t throw your ‘A’ pitch or your plus pitch, he’ll make you pay for it. And that was really evident today. We left pitches up to him. He was really impressive. He’s super athletic with tremendous versatility in terms of how dynamic he is.”
Texas Longhorns outfielder Anthony Pack Jr. (6) celebrates a home run during the NCAA Baseball Regional game against Holy Cross at UFCU Disch-Falk Field on Friday, May 29, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
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Pack, the reigning SEC freshman of the year, is one of the most emotional Longhorns. He didn’t mind taking a school-record three curtain calls and sharing some some chest bumps while blowing kisses to the crowd in celebration.
“I made a couple of different changes to my swing,” Pack said. “I actually made a change to copy (UT teammate Aiden Robbins’) swing with my bat wiggle and my leg kick. I’m just learning from these older guys.”
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And what about being the only Longhorn to drop three postseason bombs in one game?
“That’s really cool,” he said. “It was a great game. I think it’s on to the next one. That was cool, but I think my mind is on the next game now.”
Texas coach Jim Schlossnagle chuckled to himself a couple of weeks ago when asked about staff ace Dylan Volantis, who’s expected to take the bump in Saturday’s semifinal.
“I get him for another year,” Schlossnagle said.
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The Texas Longhorns celebrtate a home run by outfielder Aiden Robbins (43) during the NCAA Baseball Regional game against Holy Cross at UFCU Disch-Falk Field on Friday, May 29, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Imagine how giddy Schloss must be knowing he’ll have Pack for another two seasons — that is, if he can keep the portal poachers off the kid’s doorstep. Pack was the first SEC freshman in 10 years to hit .400 in conference play.
“Is this guy really a freshman?” I asked Robbins.
“I don’t know. He proves me wrong every day,” Robbins said. “He’s just confident. He know his ability to just go out there and play free and he displays that every time he steps on the field.”
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Pack was unstoppable for most of the day, but cramps invaded his legs after his third bomb. It was either a lack of proper hydration or all that jogging around the bases that caught up to him.
Texas Longhorns head coach Jim Schlossnagle walks the dugout ahead of the NCAA Baseball Regional game against Holy Cross at UFCU Disch-Falk Field on Friday, May 29, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Things were going so well for the Horns that his replacement, Jayden “Gumbo” Duplantier, smacked a five-run homer in the sixth to give the Horns a 16-0 lead. Fourteen of Texas’ 19 runs came with the two outs.
It was an offensive fiesta as each Longhorns starter had at least one hit. The 19 runs were the most in a postseason game since a 19-8 win over Arkansas in the 2005 Austin Regional and the 18-point run differential tied for the biggest in program history with that 2005 team that beat Quinnipiac in that same regional.
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The OG’s among us remember the Horns losing to the Hogs earlier in the 2005 regional before rallying for a pair of wins and a super regional berth where they beat Ole Miss in three games before going on to capture a sixth national title.
Texas Longhorns head coach Jim Schlossnagle greets his players ahead of the NCAA Baseball Regional game against Holy Cross at UFCU Disch-Falk Field on Friday, May 29, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Why Texas grabbed that early time slot
Schlossnagle informed the NCAA of his decision to take the noon game over Friday’s 5 p.m. slot and it was all about maximizing rest time if the Horns won.
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“It’s not an advantage unless the players take advantage of it,” Schlossnagle said. “That’s what we just had a quick conversation about. These guys need to get off their feet (and) hydrate, like, really hydrate.”
He took a glance at Pack for emphasis.
Texas Longhorns infielders Temo Becerra (1) and Adrian Rodriguez (24) hold up the sign of the horns ahead of the NCAA Baseball Regional game against Holy Cross at UFCU Disch-Falk Field on Friday, May 29, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Friday could not have gone better, pitching wise. The Horns went with graduate lefty Luke Harrison and saved Volantis for a potential semifinal showdown with UC Santa Barbara ace Jackson Flora, who’s projected to be a top-five pick in next month’s Major League amateur draft but the Gauchos ran into a Tarleton State buzzsaw, setting up a Longhorns-Texans rematch of a March 17 game, won 6-1 by TSU.
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Big Luke didn’t qualify for Friday’s win because he logged only four innings, but the goal was to get the Horns a no-drama outing, unlike the nail-biters some fellow SEC teams had to eke out. Florida and K/entucky both won by one run while Tennessee and Auburn weren’t so fortunate, losing to East Carolina and those unheralded Panthers of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, respectively. And UCLA, the NCAA’s top overall seed, lost to St. Mary’s.
Texas pitching coach Max Weiner used only four relievers and none were named Sam Cozart, Thomas Burns or Brett Crossland, a trio that’s done the heavy lifting during weekend games.
The Longhorns are still nowhere near to booking plane tickets to Omaha, but they’re right where they need to be.
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