Jim Schlossnagle: What to know about Texas baseball coach
Four things to know about Texas baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle
This time of year, Texas baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle and the other 63 skippers leading NCAA Tournament teams guard their pitching plans like state secrets.
Some situations make pitching rotations for regionals easier to forecast. It’s unlikely that a No. 3 seed facing a strong No. 2 seed, for example, would hold their ace pitcher out of the opening game, hoping to use him later on in the bracket. But the Longhorns (42-12), as the top seed in this weekend’s Austin regional, benefit from the freedom of choice while they prepare for their opening game against fourth-seeded Houston Christian (32-23). Second-seeded UTSA (44-13) and third-seeded Kansas State (31-24) round out the regional field.
“It just depends on who you have and what your pitching staff looks like and who you’re facing,” Schlossnagle said on Monday. “… You just have to look at that first and then look at our own pitching staff and what gives us the best chance to win the regional.”
While coaching at TCU in 2014, for example, Schlossnagle deployed his ace, Brandon Finnegan, against fourth-seeded Siena in the opening round. That’s because Siena — a small school out of the MAAC — led its rotation with left-hander Matt Gage, who went on to appear in 16 games in the big leagues.
But last year at Texas A&M, Schlossnagle elected not to use regular Friday night starter Ryan Prager against fourth-seeded Grambling State, holding him for the winner’s bracket game against Texas the following night.
Houston Christian’s ace, Parker Edwards, is a 6-foot-5 converted catcher who pitched to a 3.93 ERA. He did not appear in a game against an NCAA Tournament team all season.
“Ruger (Riojas) and Luke (Harrison) currently are the only two remaining consistent weekend starters for us, so we got to figure out what the best matchup is,” Schlossnagle said.
Harrison, Texas’ Saturday starter, comes into postseason play with a 2.98 ERA. Riojas moved into the Friday role following a season-ending injury to ace Jared Spencer. His ERA sits at 5.25 thanks to three rough starts to close out the regular season. Neither player saw any action in last week’s SEC tournament.
Those numbers cloud the rotational hierarchy. Does it make sense to hold Riojas for a potential Saturday game against a stronger opponent if Harrison has been pitching better anyway? Could Schlossnagle give the ball to someone else entirely on Friday in an attempt to conserve both of his weekend starters?
The Texas staff enters NCAA Tournament play fifth in the nation with an SEC-leading 3.56 ERA. Ten Longhorns hold ERAs below 4.00, including several with starting experience.
“We have no question in the pitching depth,” UT first baseman Kimble Schuessler said. “The pitchers, every one of them works their tail off every single day. They come to work with Max Weiner and we think he’s the best pitching coach in the country, and I think that showed throughout the season. I know that they’re going to be prepared.”
Reach Texas Insider David Eckert via email at deckert@gannett.com. Follow the American-Statesman on Facebook and X for more. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Get access to all of our best content with this tremendous offer.