ARLINGTON, Texas- The Texas Longhorns have seen great pitching from their starters through the first two games of the 2025 season in the Shriners Children’s College Showdown.
In their first game of the season against Louisville, Indiana State transfer Jared Spencer got the start. He went 5 1/3 innings, threw six strikeouts, walked only one batter, and gave up no earned runs.
Despite the loss in extra innings, it was a pretty good Texas debut for Spencer considering it was only the tenth start of his collegiate career.
The Longhorns’ starting pitching from Luke Harrison in the next game would be enough to get them a blowout win against Ole Miss on Day Two of the showdown. In a 10-0 run-rule victory, the southpaw starter went 6 1/3 innings, which was a career high. He struck out six Ole Miss hitters, gave up just two hits, and allowed no runs.
These results have been blissful news for head coach Jim Schlossnagle due to injuries coming into the season within the Texas pitching staff.
Two big-time arms, Max Grubbs and Ace Whitehead, are both going through injuries that have made them unable to play. Grubbs is suffering from shoulder problems and Whitehead is recovering from surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome.
Despite the injury woes, the Longhorns have made great decisions on their starters to begin this season. When Grubbs and Whitehead get healthy, this pitching staff can become quite the group in Austin.
The final game of the Shriners Children’s College Showdown for the Texas Longhorns will be against the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Sunday, Feb. 16. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST.
WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
Photo Credit: Texas head coach David Pierce pulls pitcher Justin Eckhardt (56) during an NCAA baseball game against Nevada in Austin, Texas. Texas is making its record 37th appearance in the College World Series. Unlike the last time it was in Omaha in 2018, coach Pierce believes this Longhorns team has the makings of a national champion. (AP Photo/Stephen Spillman, April 13, 2021)
