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One fastball at a time, LSU pitcher Kade Anderson introduced Texas baseball to the challenge the SEC can pose.
Anderson struck out eight Longhorns in an 8-2 Texas loss to the Tigers on Friday at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. He did not issue a free pass in six innings of work.
Texas catcher Rylan Galvan, who placed one of two blemishes on Anderson's ledger with an opposite-field home run in the sixth inning, said the LSU lefty was the toughest arm the Longhorns (17-3, 3-1 SEC) have encountered all season.
"He just had a great fastball," Texas coach Jim Schlossnagle said postgame. "He has two different breaking balls, a curveball and a slider, and he throws enough changeups. If you come off his fastball, you're not going to hit it because he rides it, and he gets down the mound. He's got a low release point so he upshoots it a little bit. He's a first-round pick. If he stays healthy, he's a first-rounder. And there's more of them coming."
Schlossnagle doesn't need a crystal ball to know that. Anderson is ranked by MLB.com as the No. 44 prospect eligible for the upcoming draft. There are 12 other SEC arms in the top 100, including LSU's Chase Shores, who is scheduled to pitch Sunday for the Tigers (22-1, 4-0).
PIERCE: David Pierce finds a new job 9 months after ouster as Texas baseball coach
Outside of Galvan's solo shot, the Longhorns managed only one other run against Anderson, which came when they strung together three softly hit singles in the third inning.
"It's OK for the other team's pitcher to have a great night, especially when you're facing this guy," Schlossnagle said.
Though he admitted it was easier said than done, Schlossnagle said he would have liked to see the Longhorns improve their approach to hitting the fastball.
He pointed toward LSU's success against Texas starter Jared Spencer to illustrate his point. Spencer whiffed seven Tigers, but they tagged him for four earned runs in five innings of work.
"When they scored those runs, we're (throwing) soft, soft, slider, changeup, fastball ‒ and boom ‒ they're on it," Schlossnagle said. "That's what good hitters do. They stay on the fastball. No one hits the good breaking pitches. You have to hit the bad ones. And how do you hit the bad ones? You're on the fastball and you see the offside pitch up, and you put a good swing on it."
SCHLOSSNAGLE: How Jim Schlossnagle shaped the Texas baseball plate approach for SEC play
Galvan explained that Anderson's fastball, which topped out at around 95 miles per hour, appeared faster with runners on base because of how quickly Anderson moved to the plate.
"You're going to see a lot of good fastballs in this league and you want to be able to hit them and we didn't hit him tonight," Galvan said. "This is the type of ball club that we're going to have to beat in order to put ourselves in position to compete for the big one, but that's why we play three (games). So, excited to get out here tomorrow and get after it again."
Reach Texas Insider David Eckert via email at [email protected]. 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.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas baseball: LSU introduces Longhorns to SEC's key challenge
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Anderson struck out eight Longhorns in an 8-2 Texas loss to the Tigers on Friday at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. He did not issue a free pass in six innings of work.
Texas catcher Rylan Galvan, who placed one of two blemishes on Anderson's ledger with an opposite-field home run in the sixth inning, said the LSU lefty was the toughest arm the Longhorns (17-3, 3-1 SEC) have encountered all season.
"He just had a great fastball," Texas coach Jim Schlossnagle said postgame. "He has two different breaking balls, a curveball and a slider, and he throws enough changeups. If you come off his fastball, you're not going to hit it because he rides it, and he gets down the mound. He's got a low release point so he upshoots it a little bit. He's a first-round pick. If he stays healthy, he's a first-rounder. And there's more of them coming."
Schlossnagle doesn't need a crystal ball to know that. Anderson is ranked by MLB.com as the No. 44 prospect eligible for the upcoming draft. There are 12 other SEC arms in the top 100, including LSU's Chase Shores, who is scheduled to pitch Sunday for the Tigers (22-1, 4-0).
PIERCE: David Pierce finds a new job 9 months after ouster as Texas baseball coach
Outside of Galvan's solo shot, the Longhorns managed only one other run against Anderson, which came when they strung together three softly hit singles in the third inning.
"It's OK for the other team's pitcher to have a great night, especially when you're facing this guy," Schlossnagle said.
Though he admitted it was easier said than done, Schlossnagle said he would have liked to see the Longhorns improve their approach to hitting the fastball.
He pointed toward LSU's success against Texas starter Jared Spencer to illustrate his point. Spencer whiffed seven Tigers, but they tagged him for four earned runs in five innings of work.
"When they scored those runs, we're (throwing) soft, soft, slider, changeup, fastball ‒ and boom ‒ they're on it," Schlossnagle said. "That's what good hitters do. They stay on the fastball. No one hits the good breaking pitches. You have to hit the bad ones. And how do you hit the bad ones? You're on the fastball and you see the offside pitch up, and you put a good swing on it."
SCHLOSSNAGLE: How Jim Schlossnagle shaped the Texas baseball plate approach for SEC play
Galvan explained that Anderson's fastball, which topped out at around 95 miles per hour, appeared faster with runners on base because of how quickly Anderson moved to the plate.
"You're going to see a lot of good fastballs in this league and you want to be able to hit them and we didn't hit him tonight," Galvan said. "This is the type of ball club that we're going to have to beat in order to put ourselves in position to compete for the big one, but that's why we play three (games). So, excited to get out here tomorrow and get after it again."
Reach Texas Insider David Eckert via email at [email protected]. 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.
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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas baseball: LSU introduces Longhorns to SEC's key challenge
Continue reading...
