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Anthony Pack's Trifecta of Homers Propels Texas to a Dominant 19-1 Win to Kick Off the Austin Regional

by: Evan Vieth05/29/26

It took SEC Freshman of the Year Anthony Pack just one game to do something no Longhorn has ever done in Texas NCAA Tournament history.

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The Texas star’s first-year calling card throughout the regular season was a pro-level approach that turned him into one of the toughest outs in the SEC, a .400 batting average in conference play and an on-base percentage over .500, all leading the conference. With just seven homers on the year, his power was more of a treat than an expectation.

But after Texas’ 19-1 win over Holy Cross to begin the Austin Regional, the Pack-Man had solidified himself in the record books of one of the sport’s most historic programs thanks to his surge of power, setting a Longhorn NCAA Tournament record with three home runs in the routing of the Crusaders.

“I think I just went out there like every other game. I don’t think anything changed. A lot of preparation, a lot of hitting with (Troy) Tulowitzki, but I think it just came from the preparation, and nothing really changed. It’s just another game, opening day,” Pack said about his preparation for the game.

Pack began the game with a bang, destroying a 1-0 slider for the first run of the Austin Regional.

107 MPH off the bat and over 415 feet out of the ballpark, Pack was far from done.

Texas would add another in the second on an Ashton Larson single, and Carson Tinney would lead off the third with a double, working a 3-2 count from down 0-2 to set Pack up.

The freshman delivered once again.

This one went opposite field to the Yeti Yard, and Texas was on its way to a route.

Holy Cross starter Jaden Wywoda would make a business decision on Pack’s next plate appearance, throwing an uncompetitive 3-2 pitch for a walk. Temo Becerra’s double would bring both Tinney and Pack in, the second and third RBI of the fourth inning, and the Longhorns were up seven.

But as Aiden Robbins hit the second homer of his game in the top of the fifth, Pack still had a bit left in the tank.

And a tank it was.

A no-doubt shot, and everyone in the stadium knew they had just witnessed something special. Pack became the first Longhorn to hit three homers in a game since Max Belyeu against Baylor in 2024, and the first time in the NCAA Tournament a Texas bat had reached that mark.

Pack, who has dealt with hydration issues and cramps before, limped his way into the dugout after the homer and was taken out before he would get a chance at a fourth. Up 11-0, you really couldn’t blame Texas head coach Jim Schlossnagle.

‘His mentality has been great since he’s been here. The way he walks into the building, the way he interacts with his teammates, all the great players that I’ve coached have a really good combination of confidence and humility. They’re confident, they believe in themselves, they don’t let bad days beat them down, but they also have enough humility to be coached,” Schlossnagle said. “Anthony obviously got stronger and all that stuff, but he also took to the work that Tulo did with them and the changes that they need to make from an offensive standpoint.”

From the way Schlossnagle and Pack joked about his hydration and cramping, there is little reason for concern about Pack going into the rest of the weekend. He said that sometimes when his energy jumps, his muscles tend to tighten and cramp. His emotions and high energy may be the only thing holding him back at this point.

Pack was the catalyst, but this Texas offense had a great day from the biggest stars to the end of the order. Robbins had his pair of bombs, Tinney went 3/4, Larson and Adrian Rodriguez each had three hits, and Jayden Duplantier, who subbed Pack out, would keep the homers coming from the three-spot in the order.

This time, it was a grand slam.

Luke Harrison got the start for Texas today, and he operated like a machine for the Longhorns.

He threw just 50 pitches, allowing only two hits, no walks, with 7 Ks. Thanks to a double play in the second, he saw just one batter over the minimum, and averaged under four pitches per batter.

Harrison was yanked after four innings, not because he wasn’t pitching well, but because Texas had the luxury to save him and potentially have him be an asset out of the bullpen should they play a fourth or fifth game in this regional.

Or maybe even sooner.

“He can pitch tomorrow,” Schlossnagle said. “Yeah, I mean, he did 50 pitches. Yeah, he’s good to go. He threw a ton of strikes. I thought the breaking ball was good. His fastball was maybe just a tick down from last week, or from what it has been, because he normally bumps in 90 threes and fours, but his cutter was good, and he had good breaking balls, and they were swinging, so it’ll be all hands on deck tomorrow, and he’ll certainly be available.”

Cody Howard would get the next for the Horns, maintaining the shutout through two innings. Ethan Walker had an easy seventh, and Hudson Hamilton got through the eighth with some oddities on pickoffs.

Jason Flores, pitching for the first time in nearly four full weeks, allowed the only run of the game for Holy Cross on a bases-loaded single, but would get the ground ball and double play from the next batter. The scoreboard flashed 19-1, the most dominant game from any team in the early regional window.

It would be almost impossible to ask for anything more from the Longhorns today. Harrison conserved his arm in a way that would allow him to throw again later in the regional, and the bats had one of the best days in Disch-Falk Field’s memory.

The Longhorns brought the swagger and energy needed, and though Holy Cross is far from the best opponent they’ll see in the postseason, Texas took care of business and then some.

The blowout win sets the Longhorns up for a winner’s bracket run, as they’ll face the winner of UC Santa Barbara vs Tarleton State, who play later tonight, at 6 P.M. on Saturday.

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