Moderators Jeff Howe Posted 16 hours ago Moderators Posted 16 hours ago AUSTIN, Texas — No moment has been too big for Anthony Pack Jr. throughout his exceptional freshman season on the Forty Acres. The opening game of the NCAA Tournament’s Austin Regional on Friday was no different for Pack, who hit three home runs in a 19-1 rout of Holy Cross at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. “I just went out there like every other game,” said Pack, who roughed up the Crusaders’ pitching staff to the tune of a 3-for-3 day, with four runs scored and five RBI. “I don't think anything changed. A lot of preparation, a lot of hitting with Tulo (assistant coach Troy Tulowitzki), but I think it just came from the preparation.” No Longhorn had ever recorded a three-home run game in the NCAA Tournament until Pack hit his eighth, ninth and 10th dingers of the season. Pack, who now has 70 hits and 50 RBI in 53 games, helped Texas (41-13) score in every inning of its dismantling of Holy Cross (25-29). Aiden Robbins, who slugged his 20th and 21st home runs of the season en route to the Longhorns matching their largest margin of victory ever in a postseason game, knows that what Pack is doing far exceeds what’s expected from a freshman. “He's confident and he knows his ability to just go out there and play free,” Robbins said of Pack, the SEC Freshman of the Year, who led the league in hitting (.400) and on-base percentage (.511) during conference play. “He displays that every time he steps on the field.” Pack’s three bombs tied a single-game school record (the last time it happened was in 2024, when Max Belyeu went deep three times against Baylor) and accounted for half of the Longhorns’ six home runs. Jayden Duplantier’s sixth-inning grand slam capped the slugfest, tying the program record for most home runs in a game. The 19 runs the Longhorns scored were the most a Texas team has tallied in an NCAA Tournament game since 2005. Pack got the scoring started in the first inning, with a 417-foot, two-out solo blast. After Robbins (2-for-5, three runs scored and three RBI) and Carson Tinney (3-for-4, four runs scored) were retired by Jaden Wywoda, Pack pulled a 1-0 pitch over the right-field wall, executing a critical at-bat that set the tone for the team’s historic day at the plate. “We have a lot of respect for their starting pitcher,” Jim Schlossnagle said of Wywoda, who threw 105 pitches in 4.2 innings after throwing 196 pitches over three days in last week’s Patriot League Tournament. “If he gets out of that inning clean, a senior pitcher like that can really get some confidence and get going. Anthony, obviously, had a good swing in that inning and a really good day. “After that, a lot of good things went our way.” Texas now gets to reap the benefits of hosting a regional as a top-8 national seed. While Tarleton State and UC Santa Barbara are duking it out in the nightcap at Disch-Falk Field, the Longhorns will be off their feet, trying to maximize the full 24 hours they've been allotted between Friday’s romp and Saturday’s winner’s bracket game at 6 p.m. “It's not an advantage unless the players take advantage of it,” Schlossnagle said. “That's what we just had a quick conversation about, so these guys need to get out of here and get off their feet and hydrate — like, really hydrate.” Schlossnagle’s postgame comment to “really hydrate” was said directly to Pack, who was lifted for Duplantier in the sixth inning. Pack said his muscles get tight when he gets excited, which can lead to cramps. Although Pack said he must do a better job of “controlling my energy a little bit,” the first SEC freshman to hit .400 since Jake Mangum hit .408 for Mississippi State in 2016 wants to do what he can to make sure nothing interrupts his historic campaign. “I can't cramp,” Pack said. “I've got to do better with my hydration and do better.” Adequately hydrated or not, Pack set the tone for what Texas hopes is a deep, prosperous postseason. View full news story 2 1 Quote
Moderators CJ Vogel Posted 16 hours ago Moderators Posted 16 hours ago What a special performance from a special talent. 5 Quote
SuperDave0805 Posted 16 hours ago Posted 16 hours ago Pack the best Texas freshman season since...... 2 Quote
Moderators Jeff Howe Posted 16 hours ago Author Moderators Posted 16 hours ago 1 minute ago, SuperDave0805 said: Pack the best Texas freshman season since...... Drew Stubbs 7 1 Quote
Game of the Century Posted 13 hours ago Posted 13 hours ago (edited) Jeff, you’re on the heater today! I was at the game and a couple things struck me. Anthony pack has ice in his veins but this is a game that should never have been played. This wasn’t a game. It was batting practice. Holy Cross has no business being in the NCAA tournament. They are that bad! There’s a reason that every Texas starter had a hit and some people who weren’t starters had hits, including a grand slam. It’s another example of NCAA being a feckless and misguided organization, that rewards conference tournament champions, regardless of how bad they are. Let’s face it. The Crusaders have a losing record for a reason. They’re one of the worst teams Texas has played all year - frankly, not even good enough to schedule for a midweek game. I’m a season ticket holder and I see all the games at home. I was apologizing to Crusader fans for running up the score when it was 16 to nothing in what should have been a run-rule game, but the NCAA doesn’t allow that in “their”!tournament. It was embarrassing for everyone. The fans of both teams were ready for the game to be over. Then there was more Tom foolery. The NCAA required Texas to cover up the national championship banner over the visitor’s bullpen and forbade Texas from playing the Eye of Texas (which we all sang anyway). I guess they’re afraid of acknowledging there is such a thing as a home-field advantage and want to make everybody feel welcome. As Bobby Burton likes to say the NCAA is twiddling its thumbs while Rome burns. We have unbridled free agency, unlicensed agents running the show, unenforced rules, and coaches quitting while their teams are in the playoffs, and the list goes on…… meanwhile the NCAA is focused on making sure that tiny colleges get a participation ribbon. Time to end the madness, and break from the NCAA. Edited 13 hours ago by Game of the Century 6 Quote
Burnt Orange Horn Posted 10 hours ago Posted 10 hours ago 5 hours ago, SuperDave0805 said: Pack the best Texas freshman season since...... Greg Swindell. 1 Quote
Burnt Orange Horn Posted 10 hours ago Posted 10 hours ago 3 hours ago, Game of the Century said: Jeff, you’re on the heater today! I was at the game and a couple things struck me. Anthony pack has ice in his veins but this is a game that should never have been played. This wasn’t a game. It was batting practice. Holy Cross has no business being in the NCAA tournament. They are that bad! There’s a reason that every Texas starter had a hit and some people who weren’t starters had hits, including a grand slam. It’s another example of NCAA being a feckless and misguided organization, that rewards conference tournament champions, regardless of how bad they are. Let’s face it. The Crusaders have a losing record for a reason. They’re one of the worst teams Texas has played all year - frankly, not even good enough to schedule for a midweek game. I’m a season ticket holder and I see all the games at home. I was apologizing to Crusader fans for running up the score when it was 16 to nothing in what should have been a run-rule game, but the NCAA doesn’t allow that in “their”!tournament. It was embarrassing for everyone. The fans of both teams were ready for the game to be over. Then there was more Tom foolery. The NCAA required Texas to cover up the national championship banner over the visitor’s bullpen and forbade Texas from playing the Eye of Texas (which we all sang anyway). I guess they’re afraid of acknowledging there is such a thing as a home-field advantage and want to make everybody feel welcome. As Bobby Burton likes to say the NCAA is twiddling its thumbs while Rome burns. We have unbridled free agency, unlicensed agents running the show, unenforced rules, and coaches quitting while their teams are in the playoffs, and the list goes on…… meanwhile the NCAA is focused on making sure that tiny colleges get a participation ribbon. Time to end the madness, and break from the NCAA. Winning Conference Tournaments gives those teams automatic bids. They must be seeded somewhere. Perhaps you would have preferred playing Tennessee or Georgia?? 🤔 Quote
utx2 Posted 44 minutes ago Posted 44 minutes ago Don’t think he is hating on Holly Cross. Other than their Horns down lol. That worked out well. The NCAA is the culprit. Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.