'Thought about it' – Texas coach Jim Schlossnagle explains the decision that cost the Longhorns the game against the Tennessee Vols
Texas Longhorns head baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle had a tough decision in front of him in the 12th inning against the Tennessee Vols on Thursday evening in Hoover. With the game tied at five, Tennessee had runners on second and third with one out and infielder Gavin Kilen at the plate. Earlier in the game, […]
Texas Longhorns head baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle had a tough decision in front of him in the 12th inning against the Tennessee Vols on Thursday evening in Hoover.
With the game tied at five, Tennessee had runners on second and third with one out and infielder Gavin Kilen at the plate.
Earlier in the game, in the 9th inning, Kilen hit a solo home run to temporarily give the Vols a 5-4 lead (Texas would tie the game in the bottom of the 9th). After
With the count at 2-0, there were some folks who questioned if Texas should walk Kilen to set up the double play. Instead, the Longhorns pitched to Kilen and he hit a long double to the gap, giving Tennessee a 7-5 lead.
The Vols held Texas scoreless in the bottom of the 12th to get the win in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals matchup.
After the game, Schlossnagle was asked by reporters if he considered walking Kilen.
Schlossnagle admitted that he considered it, but he knew that a good hitter in Vols first baseman Andrew Fischer was on deck (Fischer struck out after Kilen's double).
"Yeah, thought of it, thought about it," said Schlossnagle when asked about the idea of walking Kilen. "Got a lot of respect for Fischer. Hindsight, Kilen, great bat-to-ball skills, and of course Fischer strikes out, so that made me look worse. Just [decided to] take our shot there. (Dylan) Volantis is our guy, and we've seen him get out the really good lefties before. But give it to Gavin, he had the two big swings of the day for sure."
There's no doubt that it was a tough spot for Schlossnagle. There really isn't a right answer in that situation. At 2-0, I thought the Longhorns might put Kilen on base, just because that's an ideal hitter's count, and there would've been a force play at home (plus the double play would be in order). But Fischer could've easily made Texas pay with the bases loaded had Schlossnagle walked Kilen.
