With the first pitch of the 2022 college baseball season less than three weeks away, Texas held its first practice last week with its eyes on the biggest prize
After they finished last season one game short of the championship round of the College World Series, expectations for the Longhorns are to go further and end a 17-year national title drought. Those expectations are shared by many outside the program as Texas starts at No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports preseason coaches poll for the first time since 2010.
There are also plenty of experienced bats and pitchers returning that make the goal realistic despite the loss of six players who signed professional contracts after being selected in the MLB draft.
One of the departures was Mike Antico, who was an eighth-round pick by the St. Louis Cardinals. A graduate transfer this past season, Antico, a solid center fielder, hit .273 and led the nation with 63 walks. Antico’s 41 stolen bases were the most for a Longhorn since 1996.
TOP 25: Complete USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll
Texas coach David Pierce didn’t seem overly concerned about remaking the look of his outfield. Eric Kennedy will remain in left field. Douglas Hodo III will move to center after serving as the team’s primary right fielder in 2021. Austin Todd will then return to right field after receiving a medical redshirt last spring.
This will be Todd’s sixth year at Texas and Kennedy has been his teammate for four of those seasons. Hodo is a redshirt sophomore. Combined, those three outfielders have appeared in 368 games and recorded 1,240 at-bats.
“(This) may be the best outfield I’ve ever had,” Pierce said.
Health issues have plagued Todd in the past and his 2021 season was shortened by a shoulder surgery. In order to preserve Todd’s body, Pierce won’t play him every day.
Pierce said Dylan Campbell and Murphy Stehly have both been working out in right field and are options to back Todd up on the depth chart. Both Campbell and Stehly can play multiple positions in the infield. They will be used as utility players.
The pitching staff loses two mainstay starters, however there’s the makings of a strong rotation. Tristan Stevens returns after wining a team-high 11 games last season. Pete Hansen made 14 starts and went 9-1 with a 1.88 ERA and could shift into the ace role after the departure of Ty Madden.
After making 28 relief appearances last year, Tanner Witt will likely join the weekend rotation. Pierce said that if the Longhorns had their first game last weekend, Witt would be his Sunday starter.
As a freshman, Witt went 5-0 with a 3.16 ERA. At the College World Series, he threw 5 2/3 innings of three-hit relief in an elimination game against Tennessee.
This article originally appeared on Hookem: Texas college baseball picked No. 1 in preseason coaches poll