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Texas baseball lefthander Dylan Volantis spent 5⅓ innings this weekend introducing Georgia's lineup to physical gifts that anyone with a discerning eye could identify without a second look.
The 6-foot-6 freshman paired a sinking fastball from a sky-high arm angle with a wipeout curveball that befuddled one of college baseball's best lineups across two outings. But the traits that stood out to his catcher, Rylan Galvan, are mental.
"It's crazy," said Galvan, who slugged a walk-off homer to secure a series sweep on Sunday. "I've never seen a freshman like that coming in and just the moment not being too big for him in any situation so far. He's not perfect. It would be unfair to say that you expect him to go out there and be perfect."
But he's been about as close as it gets.
Volantis lowered his season era to 0.95 with four scoreless innings of relief on Sunday, striking out eight Bulldogs in the process. In his last 26⅓ innings of work, he has surrendered one earned run.
That sparkling performance put the finishing touches on a spectacular weekend for the Texas pitching staff.
The Georgia lineup began the series as college baseball's second-most-prolific bunch, having plated 327 runs in 31 games. That comes out to an average of about 10.5 runs per game. In three games against the Longhorns (26-4, 11-1 SEC), the Bulldogs (29-5, 8-4) totaled eight runs combined.
The Texas staff struck out 38 Bulldogs over the weekend, 15 of which came in the combined gem from Volantis and Ruger Riojas in a 4-3 win on Sunday. Georgia stars Robbie Burnett and Ryland Zaborowski ‒ both in the top five nationally entering the weekend with 15 and 14 home runs, respectively ‒ combined to go 3-for-21 with one extra-base hit in the series.
"The lineup doesn't really matter," Volantis said. "A very good team, very good hitters, well-known, but just going in there and just filling up the zone no matter who was hitting."
GALVAN: Texas baseball beats Georgia behind Rylan Galvan's walk-off, secures series sweep: Recap
Volantis was not the only Texas pitcher to dominate. Ace Jared Spencer pitched into the eighth and allowed just two hits as he struck out 11 Bulldogs in a 5-1 Longhorn victory on Friday. Max Grubbs was equally untouchable in relief, tossing 3⅓ scoreless innings in a 7-4 Saturday win for Texas.
Others had to battle. Luke Harrison overcame some sloppy defense behind him and a difficult start to pitch into the sixth inning on Saturday, striking out nine. Likewise, Riojas issued four free passes in the third inning on Sunday, but reclaimed a game that threatened to get away from him. He completed six innings and gave up three runs despite fighting uncharacteristic control issues.
"It takes courage to throw the ball in the strikezone," Texas coach Jim Schlossnagle said. "...(Pitching coach Max Weiner) challenged the itchers that the team that dominates the middle part of the strike zone is going to have the best weekend."
FLORES: How Jalin Flores' mindset helped Texas baseball take SEC series from Georgia
The Texas staff exits the weekend with a 3.04 ERA ‒ an improvement of nearly two full runs from last season's 4.91 mark.
Playing alongside a lineup depleted by injuries to Max Belyeu and Adrian Rodriguez this weekend, the pitching staff proved itself capable of silencing even the best lineups the SEC can offer.
"It was amazing to see them grinding, knowing who they're going up against," Galvan said. "When whoever stepped in that box, it didn't really matter. They had a plan that was just going to go, 'I'm going to go at you with my best stuff and dominate the zone.' At the end of the day, strikes win."
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: How the Texas baseball pitching staff made a statement against Georgia
Continue reading...
The 6-foot-6 freshman paired a sinking fastball from a sky-high arm angle with a wipeout curveball that befuddled one of college baseball's best lineups across two outings. But the traits that stood out to his catcher, Rylan Galvan, are mental.
"It's crazy," said Galvan, who slugged a walk-off homer to secure a series sweep on Sunday. "I've never seen a freshman like that coming in and just the moment not being too big for him in any situation so far. He's not perfect. It would be unfair to say that you expect him to go out there and be perfect."
But he's been about as close as it gets.
Volantis lowered his season era to 0.95 with four scoreless innings of relief on Sunday, striking out eight Bulldogs in the process. In his last 26⅓ innings of work, he has surrendered one earned run.
That sparkling performance put the finishing touches on a spectacular weekend for the Texas pitching staff.
The Georgia lineup began the series as college baseball's second-most-prolific bunch, having plated 327 runs in 31 games. That comes out to an average of about 10.5 runs per game. In three games against the Longhorns (26-4, 11-1 SEC), the Bulldogs (29-5, 8-4) totaled eight runs combined.
The Texas staff struck out 38 Bulldogs over the weekend, 15 of which came in the combined gem from Volantis and Ruger Riojas in a 4-3 win on Sunday. Georgia stars Robbie Burnett and Ryland Zaborowski ‒ both in the top five nationally entering the weekend with 15 and 14 home runs, respectively ‒ combined to go 3-for-21 with one extra-base hit in the series.
"The lineup doesn't really matter," Volantis said. "A very good team, very good hitters, well-known, but just going in there and just filling up the zone no matter who was hitting."
GALVAN: Texas baseball beats Georgia behind Rylan Galvan's walk-off, secures series sweep: Recap
Volantis was not the only Texas pitcher to dominate. Ace Jared Spencer pitched into the eighth and allowed just two hits as he struck out 11 Bulldogs in a 5-1 Longhorn victory on Friday. Max Grubbs was equally untouchable in relief, tossing 3⅓ scoreless innings in a 7-4 Saturday win for Texas.
Others had to battle. Luke Harrison overcame some sloppy defense behind him and a difficult start to pitch into the sixth inning on Saturday, striking out nine. Likewise, Riojas issued four free passes in the third inning on Sunday, but reclaimed a game that threatened to get away from him. He completed six innings and gave up three runs despite fighting uncharacteristic control issues.
"It takes courage to throw the ball in the strikezone," Texas coach Jim Schlossnagle said. "...(Pitching coach Max Weiner) challenged the itchers that the team that dominates the middle part of the strike zone is going to have the best weekend."
FLORES: How Jalin Flores' mindset helped Texas baseball take SEC series from Georgia
The Texas staff exits the weekend with a 3.04 ERA ‒ an improvement of nearly two full runs from last season's 4.91 mark.
Playing alongside a lineup depleted by injuries to Max Belyeu and Adrian Rodriguez this weekend, the pitching staff proved itself capable of silencing even the best lineups the SEC can offer.
"It was amazing to see them grinding, knowing who they're going up against," Galvan said. "When whoever stepped in that box, it didn't really matter. They had a plan that was just going to go, 'I'm going to go at you with my best stuff and dominate the zone.' At the end of the day, strikes win."
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: How the Texas baseball pitching staff made a statement against Georgia
Continue reading...
