AUSTIN (KXAN) — No. 4 Texas stayed in the hunt for a Southeastern Conference regular season championship, grabbing an 11-6 win over No. 10 Mississippi State on Sunday at UFCU Disch-Falk Field to win the series 2-1.
The Longhorns moved into a tie for second place with Texas A&M at 15-8 with two series left in the regular season. The Aggies hold a tiebreaker for SEC tournament seeding with a 2-0 series win in April. Georgia leads the SEC with an 18-6 record.
SEC baseball: No. 4 Texas 2, No. 10 Mississippi St. 1
It was an inauspicious start for the Longhorns in the series clincher. The Bulldogs roughed up starting pitcher Luke Harrison for five runs in the first inning, with the big blow from a Bryce Chance grand slam. Harrison issued three walks in the frame, aiding the big inning, but the lefty Longhorn stayed the course, settled down and got through five innings without any more damage.
AUSTIN, TX – MARCH 07: Pitcher Luke Harrison #53 of the Texas Longhorns pitches the ball during the college baseball game between Texas Longhorns and USC Upstate Spartans on March 7, 2026, at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin, TX. (Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The graduate student, who is finishing a master’s degree in sport management, technically struck out the side in the first — he just allowed five runs between the second and third punch outs.
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He said it was “a little strange,” and when he got back in the dugout, he talked to Texas pitching coach Max Wiener about their favorite show and how it applied to Harrison’s rough start.
“We talked about Hodor,” Harrison said of the character from Game of Thrones. “Just hold the line. You knew these guys were going to bring it, but it was just a moment to really gather myself and get back to what matters, and that’s the next pitch.”
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Down 5-0 after the first half-inning, head coach Jim Schlossnagle had no intention of taking Harrison out. It was much too early in the game to begin with, and with Harrison’s experience pitching in just about every situation imaginable, he had faith that Harrison would figure it out.
And he did.
“He found himself and kept us in the ballgame,” Schlossnagle said. “He’s truly committed to moving on to the next pitch, and he doesn’t panic. Nobody is more disappointed in the first inning than Luke, but he just kept making pitches.”
13 batters. 9 runs. 1 huge response.
The Longhorns responded in a big way in the third inning, sending 13 batters to the plate and scoring nine runs. Mississippi State issued four walks in the frame, and Schlossnagle said the Longhorns “got some good swings off,” to flip the game on its head.
Carson Tinney was hit by a pitch after the Bulldogs walked the bases loaded for the first run, and then the hit parade began for Texas. Anthony Pack, Adrian Rodriguez, Temo Becerra, Casey Borba and Aiden Robbins all drove in runs with hits. Pack and Rodriguez each hit 2-run singles, Becerra and Borba smacked doubles and Robbins plated a run with a single.
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After Harrison exited, the Longhorns’ bullpen allowed one hit the rest of the game. Haiden Leffew, Brett Crossland and Sam Cozart were effective, working around a combined five walks, but forcing six ground outs.
The Longhorns scored a run in the fourth and the seventh for some insurance. Becerra delivered another RBI double in the fourth, and Robbins laced a single into left field to score Jayden Duplentier in the seventh.
Robbins, Becerra and Ethan Mendoza had two hits apiece as the Longhorns outhit the Bulldogs 11-4. Rodriguez hit a triple in the fourth, coming home on Becerra’s second double.
Texas stole six bases, a season-high in conference games, and hit .412 with runners in scoring position. The Longhorns improved their home record to 25-4.
Mississippi State head coach Brian O’Connor was ejected in the sixth inning for arguing balls and strikes after Ace Reese struck out looking with the bases loaded.
Texas is full of winners, and that’s why Schlossnagle wasn’t worried
Schlossnagle said he wasn’t worried about his team after going down big early on. He knows his team’s mental make-up and the confidence they have in not only themselves, but each other. That inspires his own belief in his players.
“We have a winning team. They’ve won a lot of ballgames,” Schlossnagle said. “We know how to win. It’s not always the prettiest, but it never really is in this conference, but I have full belief in them, and they have full belief in each other.”
Texas (35-10, 15-8) plays its last midweek game of the season at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday against UTSA, the team that beat them in the NCAA Austin Regional tournament to end its season last year. The Longhorns will head to Knoxville, Tennessee, to face the Tennessee Volunteers for a 3-game series beginning Friday.
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