Scenes at Auburn last night. Another ninth-inning thriller in the top five series, but that one goes the way of Texas, narrowly cashing for us. The Horns nearly melted away a 6-0 lead, only for Thomas Burns to escape a mess of his own making with two outs in the bottom of the ninth up one run. Series is even with a huge rubber match on deck for Sunday.
The Sunday card is a little slim in terms strong and bettable lines. But given what we have seen this weekend, I feel like we should do something a little rare; write up the same series on consecutive days.
Texas Longhorns (-140) @ Auburn Tigers (+110) | Total: N/A
A top five series that is drenched in drama. One of these programs will have a monster series win under their belt by day's end. THIS is College Baseball.
I was hyper-critical of the Texas bullpen on Saturday's write up, mainly because of one guy. The thing is they have a ton of tremendously talented arms in the pen, but it's been a little shaky this weekend. Probably the main reason why they're having some trouble closing out games in the last frame is because their automatic closer from 2025 is successfully making a stellar stride into the weekend rotation as the Sunday guy.
One of the main players I highlighted on Texas in the preseason, Dylan Volantis, was so money as the closer last season. He had 12 saves, a 1.94 ERA, and 74 K's, 12 BB's in 51 innings. It was like watching prime Mariano Rivera come in the ninth to slam the door shut. Obviously his addition to the rotation is huge, as a Sunday starter no less, since he could realistically be a Friday ace on 90% of teams in college baseball. However, that void in the closer role still leaves Texas working out its kinks.
Speaking of that Volantis leap, he's been lights out so far. His 1.53 ERA leads the team, accompanied by a stellar 40:8 K:BB ratio in 29.1 IP. Volantis on the mound is becoming as mythical as the city named after him in Game of Thrones. We're looking at not only a legit top arm in next year's draft, but possibly a top five pick. Coming off a six-inning-one-run gem with 11 punchies against Ole Miss, the Horns will be asking Volantis to deliver against a very good Auburn lineup.
That Tigers lineup continues to fight and hit from top to bottom. With a couple potential first-rounders over the next couple years in Chris Rembert (.356 avg, .987 OPS, 2 HR) and Chase Fralick (.369 avg, 1.130 OPS, 5 HR), it's Bristol Carter (.407 avg, 1.062 OPS, 16 SB) pacing the Auburn offense. Of course, they have several other key contributors like Brandon McCraine (.388 avg, .989 OPS), and Bub Terrell (.326 avg, .987 OPS, 2 HR) to name a couple. For Volantis to succeed again, he'll just need to keep doing what he's doing. Keep the free passes to a minimum and mix that 91-94 MPH heater with his parachute 80 MPH 1-7 curveball.
Auburn will be sending Alex Petrovic to the mound to counter. Thus far, he's been strong with his 2.02 ERA and 31:5 K:BB ratio in 26.2 IP. On Saturday, I highlighted Jackson Sanders' success this season, but added the caveat that the Texas lineup would be the best he's faced this year, which proved true. For Petrovic, he saw a talented Louisville lineup earlier in the year, allowing three earned over five frames. But the same thing applies, Texas is a step up. With the toughest test, can he handle them?
Texas put up a seven spot on Saturday from several sources. As usual, standout Seton Hall transfer, Aiden Robbins, left the yard. That gives him nine tanks to go along with a .375 average. Casey Borba (.329 avg, 7 HR, 1.091 OPS), Temo Beccera (.304 avg, 5 HR), and Anthony Pack (.303 avg, 4 HR, .962 OPS) have all played key parts this season. We still haven't seen the consistency from two of their best players Ethan Mendoza (.281 avg, 5 HR) and Adrian Rodriguez (.278 avg, 0 HR). I would think those two turn it around sooner than later. Can't forget about Notre Dame transfer, Carson Tinney (.275 avg, 6 HR), who feels like he really hasn't clicked yet either.
Clearly, it's a huge series for both teams. But what handicappers like myself almost always look for is the pitching advantage. And Texas appears to have a a sizeable advantage in this one. Volantis is different. With him on the mound, the Horns would probably only need four or five runs to get it done.
Give me Texas for the win.
Pick: Texas ML -140 (DK)
