AUSTIN
— With a legacy of live arms that includes Burt Hooton, Greg Swindell
and Roger Clemens, the Longhorns realize that the greatest equalizer of
all is usually the man on the mound.
But after a return trip to the College World Series, Texas’ rotation seems to be under major construction in 2019.
Two
of head coach David Pierce’s most reliable hurlers — Nolan Kingham and
Chase Shurgart — are no longer with the program, leaving Blair Henley as
the most experienced returnee. Henley, a junior right-hander from Fort
Worth, posted a 3.32 ERA last season on his way to earning All-Big 12
second team recognition.
Most
expect Pierce to rely on depth during the early season until a handful
of reliable pitchers separate themselves from the pack. If that doesn’t
happen, then it could be all hands on deck for the entire year.
Also
figuring into the potential starting rotation will be sophomore
right-hander Bryce Elder, freshman right-hander Coy Cobb, sophomore
right-hander Matt Whelan and freshman right-hander Ty Madden. Elder, who
played his high school ball in Decatur, is off to a solid start with a
0.64 ERA in his first 14 innings of work.
There
are plenty of options in the bullpen, including sophomore right-hander
Kamron Fields, who got some quality playing time in the CWS last season
as a collegiate newcomer and is also set to play some outfield for
Texas.
Redshirt
freshman Cole Quintanilla, a native of nearby Cedar Park, has done his
best to prove he can be trusted in multiple situations. The 6-foot-5
righty has already collected a win and a save in his first four
appearances — all without surrendering a run.
In
addition to Fields and Quintanilla, Tristan Stevens, Brandon Ivey,
Donny Diaz, Mason Bryant and Nico O’Donnell have each seen more than one
appearance in the first two weeks of 2019. Bryant is a 6-foot-5,
right-handed freshman from Austin McCallum, while Ivey, a senior
southpaw from Houston, is the lone senior of the bunch.
One
of the most intriguing prospects in senior Matteo Bocchi, who is from
Parma, Italy. The 6-foot-4 right-hander tossed three scoreless innings
during the Longhorns’ 8-6 loss to the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns and could
be a wild card as the season progresses.
The
good news is there’s still some time to figure out who will figure into
the mix when Big 12 play rolls around. Texas is set to open conference
play in Austin on March 15-17 with a three-game series against Texas
Tech.
