Longhorns hoping for better results in CWS title series

OMAHA, Neb. – Just about everything came easily for the Texas Longhorns last season – until Cal State Fullerton came along and swept them in the national finals.

This year, the Longhorns believe their bumpy road to Omaha has them better prepared for the championship round of the College World Series.

The Longhorns (54-16) open the best-of-3 championship series today against seventh-seeded Florida (48-21), the first meeting ever between these national powers.

The unseeded Longhorns are playing for the championship for the third time in four years. As the No. 1 seed last year, they rolled through regionals and super regionals. At the CWS, they beat Arkansas 13-2 and Georgia 9-3 and 7-6, before losing 6-4 and 3-2 to Fullerton.

“I was surprised in the championship series that we showed our nerves,” Texas coach Augie Garrido said. “We’ll see whether that happens again.”

The SEC champion Gators have had their hard times this season, too, losing seven of nine games from April 29 to May 11. But they won their regional in three games and swept Florida State in the super regionals to earn a chance at their first national title.