Sports

Texas Baseball Players Draw Ire Of Viewers With Cringy Antics During Blowout Win

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iStockphoto / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images


The Texas baseball team beat Oregon in Game 1 of the Austin Super Regional on Saturday to get to within a game of the College World Series.

For many, that victory was overshadowed by poor sportsmanship. The Longhorns‘ antics rubbed viewers the wrong way.

A negative response to the excessive behavior surfaced on social media. Is the reaction warranted or overblown?

Texas baseball beat Oregon convincingly.

The Longhorns won their super regional opener handily, 11-3. They controlled the contest from the jump.

Texas got out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. That advantage ballooned to 7-0 by the fifth. While Oregon would cut into the deficit in the top of the sixth, it never got to within striking distance. It was a blowout.

With the win, Texas is a step closer to Omaha. One more victory will secure a College World Series bid. They might have a target on their back should the season continue into the next round.

The Longhorns triggered viewers.

Throughout the postseason, we’ve seen multiple players ejected for taunting. Many of those instances have come after home runs. Some have involved pitchers being over-animated after strikeouts.

Neither was the case for Texas. Both came in relatively low-leverage moments during their most recent contest.

The first involved infielder Adrian Rodriguez. During a third inning at-bat, he took a pitch well outside the strike zone. He proceeded to stare down the pitcher from the batter’s box while gesturing to the mound.

Rodriguez would strike out on the next pitch.

An inning later, a similar scenario played out. Teammate Carson Tinney stared back at the opposing pitcher after fouling a pitch to the backstop. He, too, would strike out one pitch later.

The batter reactions were excessive, though not ejection worthy. Viewers weren’t fond of the behavior they deemed unnecessary.

“Is this just how the whole team is?” one poster wrote on X. “A look at me (mentality).”

“This is cringe,” said another follower. “Act like you’ve been there before.”

Texas baseball fans chalked it up to confidence. Many noted that Rodriguez has done this throughout the year, no matter the pitcher, opponent, or situation. It is part of his routine at the dish.

It’s worked well, too, as he’s batting .304 with 33 runs driven in. He had a career night vs. Oregon on Saturday with five RBIs on 2-for-3 hitting.

Celebrations in college baseball have been a point of emphasis in the postseason. Umpires are doing what they can to avoid confrontation. Anything viewed as unsportsmanlike conduct will be punished.

The officiating crew did not believe this crossed the line. I would agree with that restraint. Nevertheless, the Longhorns won’t win over any opposing fanbases should the antics continue.