Texas held off a late charge from UC Santa Barbara to lock down a 6-4 win Sunday at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, securing a spot in the NCAA Super Regionals. Aiden Robbins crushed a two-run homer in the seventh that flipped the game in the Longhorns' favor, and Luke Harrison survived a bases-loaded scare in the ninth to close it out. With the victory, Texas earned the right to host Oregon next weekend in a best-of-three Austin Super Regional.
Robbins was named the Austin Regional's Most Outstanding Player after a weekend in which he finished with four homers, nine RBIs, and a team-leading 23 homers on the season. Across three games, the Longhorns slashed .376 with a .761 slugging percentage, outscored their regional opponents 41-7, and posted a 2.00 ERA as a staff, a combination that reflected a balanced attack peaking at the right time, according to Texas Athletics.
"We had great energy all day," Robbins said after the win, in a short assessment cited by the Austin American-Statesman. The result pushed Texas to 43-13 on the season and finished off a clean sweep of the Austin Regional that underscored the roster's depth and power, per the Austin American-Statesman.
How the final unfolded
UC Santa Barbara drew first blood when Rowan Kelly homered in the opening frame, and the Gauchos kept the pressure on into the late innings before Texas' offense finally took control. Ruger Riojas worked into the sixth with six strikeouts, Sam Cozart allowed five hits in 1½ innings, Thomas Burns picked up the win in relief and Harrison recorded the save to nail down the regional, according to Texas Athletics.
Up next: Oregon in Austin
The Ducks swept the Eugene Regional and will now travel to Austin to meet the No. 6-seed Longhorns in the Super Regional next weekend, with dates and times to be finalized after the rest of the bracket is set. Oregon's run and final scoreline were detailed by Oregon Athletics, while local coverage has already begun sizing up what figures to be a physical matchup for both clubs, per the Austin American-Statesman.
The Disch-Falk crowd, listed at 7,884 for Sunday's final, was a noticeable factor in a weekend of energized home support, and the Longhorns' mix of power and pitching depth drew praise from opponents and columnists alike. Coach Jim Schlossnagle will now try to parlay that momentum into a deeper postseason run as Texas makes its 14th Super Regional appearance, a push noted in local coverage of the regional final by the Dallas News.
