Jeff Howe

M3: Texas 1, Tennessee 0

A 6-4-3 double play helps Walker get through the third facing the minimum.

End of 2: Texas 1, Tennessee 0

Doyle struck out Mendoza, stranding two Longhorns in the second.

Borba got ahead in the count, 3-1, but he struck out looking for the second out of the inning.

Doyle is already closing in on 40 pitches through 1.1 innings.

Jalin Flores led off the inning by grounding out to third. After a single by Tommy Farmer and a steal of second, along with a walk drawn by Gasparino, Texas has two on with one out.

M2: Texas 1, Tennessee 0

Six up, six down for Walker through two.

End of 1: Texas 1, Tennessee 0

After a strikeout by Galvan, Schuessler drives Mendoza in with a single to center. Texas has the early lead, 1-0.

Mendoza drew a walk and then advanced to second on a deep fly ball by Belyeu. Texas has a runner in scoring position with one out in the bottom of the first.

M1: Texas 0, Tennessee 0

Walker retires the Vols in an impressive first inning.

Ethan Walker with two punch outs to open his first career starts.

The Longhorns and the Vols get going at the top of the hour. Ethan Walker gets the ball for the Longhorns. He'll go against Tennessee ace Liam Doyle, the SEC Pitcher of the Year.

I also don’t know if I’ve ever seen Texas play better defense in a big game the way they came through time and again against A&M. PK’s unit answered the bell every time.

The SEC Championship is the rare Texas loss where I appreciated the brand of football being played. Those two teams beat the hell out of each other in Atlanta. The win over Florida was good to watch because Quinn and the offense were pretty much flawless. I also enjoyed the UTSA game because it was the first time we got to see Arch take meaningful snaps.

He was CDC's guy. I don't think a loss in the regional, even one to Texas, would've changed his mind. Since every other hire he's made has been a home run (Mike White, Vic Schaefer, etc.), I think CDC earned the benefit of the doubt. If you believe a coach is right for your program, it would be incredibly shortsighted to change course based on one weekend.

Two things on this topic: 1. If A&M had still come out of the regional and reached the last game in Omaha, a regional loss to Texas wouldn't have mattered. I don't think Texas had the pitching depth to win another game against the Aggies, let alone in a regional final in which the winner would advance to the Supers. 2. Coach Pierce had to go. The internal message had gotten stale, and it was time for both parties to go their separate ways. Texas, in particular, needed a new voice in the clubhouse.

The Fisher Cup

Congratulations to former Longhorn football players Desmond Jackson and Peter Jinkens for their new assistant coaching gigs at Royse City. Jackson will coach the defensive line and Jinkens will be the linebackers coach.

Texas ends the regular season with a 42-11 overall record and a 22-8 mark in SEC play.

FINAL: Texas 9, Oklahoma 1

Nine up, nine down for Burns. Game over. Series over. Texas wins.