The Texas Longhorns headed to Knoxville this weekend hoping to bolster their postseason resume against the unranked Tennessee Volunteers in the penultimate SEC series of the regular season. But after dropping two of three games, the Horns have slipped in the latest USA TODAY Coaches Poll.
Texas fell from No. 4—a spot they'd held for over a month—to No. 5, as the Georgia Bulldogs leapfrogged them into fourth place. The weekend got off to a rough start Friday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, where Longhorns ace Dylan Volantis struggled early, giving up three runs in the first two innings. Volantis had only allowed three or more runs once this season, back in March against Oklahoma. Texas dropped the opener 5-1.
Saturday turned into a back-and-forth slugfest that went Tennessee's way, 14-9. The Horns jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning, but the Vols scored runs off Texas pitching in every single inning to take control.
The Longhorns bounced back in the series finale, powered by Casey Borba's multi-homer game in a 13-6 win over Tennessee. Texas launched four home runs, highlighted by Borba's two dingers and six RBI. The junior crushed a solo shot in the first inning, just two pitches after Adrian Rodriguez's three-run homer, then added his second career grand slam in the sixth.
The victory was historic: Texas (37-12, 16-10 SEC) became the first college baseball program ever to reach 1,500 conference wins. With one series left in the regular season, the Horns will host the Missouri Tigers this weekend at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
