A year ago, the Texas Longhorns were preparing to host the Rice Owls to open a 2022 season with outsized expectations even for a baseball program that fans like to refer to as the University of Texas at Omaha — it was national championship or bust.
And despite an 11-0 start and a No. 1 ranking early in the season, the Longhorns weren’t able to capitalize on those expectations in the face of a daunting schedule, the devastating injury to starting pitcher Tanner Witt, and a bullpen that started imploding in early March and never recovered.