(Photo: USA Today)
The final puzzle pieces appear to be falling into the place for Rodney Terry as he attempts to finalize his roster for the upcoming season. Terry received some exciting news Wednesday evening when F Dillon Mitchell opted to withdraw from the NBA Draft and return to Texas for his sophomore year. Mitchell started every game for Texas this past season, averaging 4.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. The 6'8 athletic freak from Florida has spent much of the offseason working on his offensive game, including putting on a good shooting performance at the NBA combine.
The return of Mitchell gives the Texas frontcourt another key member. The Longhorns picked up commitments from Virginia C Kadin Shedrick and UTEP F Ze'Rik Onyema in addition to the return of C Dylan Disu and F Alex Anamekwe.

Texas Longhorns infielder Cade O'Hara (14) and Peyton Powell (15) celebrate a home run by Powell during the game against San Jos State at UFCU Disch-Falk Field on Friday, May 12, 2023 in Austin.  Photo: Aaron E. Martinez / American-Statesman / USA TODAY
Texas had a rough showing at the Big 12 tournament in Arlington going 0-2 vs Kansas and Kansas State respectively. For some reason the Longhorns seem to really struggle at Globe Life Stadium, finished 0-5 in Arlington. That isn’t a sign to how this season ends however...  Texas went 0-3 in Arlington to start the 2021 season and ended up in Omaha just one game away from the championship series. A lot of things went wrong last week but it’s time to look forward to the Miami Regional.
The Bats Need to Reemerge
The offense had been surging going into the Big 12 Tournament but it came to a stop. It doesn’t take a genius to know in order to win games, you need your offense to deliver. That is especially the case with Texas as they can’t count on much pitching beyond Lucas Gordon and Lebarron Johnson. Assuming it comes doen to Texas vs Miami in the Regional Final, it may take 6-8 runs to win, especially if Gordon or Johnson aren’t available for the game. The Texas bullpen is a rollercoaster ride most people don’t want to get on, so buckle up and hang on.
Find Tanner Witt a Role
Tanner Witt hasn’t pitched since the series finale vs West Virginia. Witt looked good going his most innings so far but since Texas went 0-2, we didn’t see Witt in Arlington. Witt will be on 2 weeks of rest so that shouldn’t be an issue. Instead of starting him, there may be a better role for him. That role is in the bullpen similar to the role he had as freshman during the 2021 season. Witt would come in as a middle reliever and see how long he could be productive. The Texas bullpen is struggling and got no better with an injury to left-hander David Shaw. Shaw has arguably been the best reliever this season but unfortunately injured his elbow in the Big 12 Tournament. David Pierce didn’t have a timeline but did say Shaw is out for the Regional. Give Witt the ball after the starter is done and see where things go. At this point he certainly can’t be any worse than the other options. Best case scenario is you have found a real weapon in the bullpen which is much-needed to say the least.
Lucas Gordon Having Good Control
Lucas Gordon was the best pitcher in the Big 12 for a reason and he was the one pitcher that Texas could count on all year. The one complaint Texas fans have is Gordon had some starts where his pitch count gets high early. That seems to happen with Gordon in the first and second innings if it occurs during his start. When that happens, Gordon's pitch count will be 40-50 by end of the second which makes it challenging to get anything beyond five innings. That is something that can’t happen as 4-5 innings out of the bullpen is simply too much to ask for this season. An example of this is for some reason Gordon struggled against Kansas more than he did vs anyone else. He took the loss both times he pitched against Kansas and did not throw more than 5 innings in either start. That can’t happen in the Miami Regional or Texas may have a short postseason.