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By Mallory Mattingly
The Texas Longhorns’ pitching lineup is not only stacked with incredible athletes but also with incredible men of God.
While the Longhorns were eliminated from the 2026 NCAA College World Series by the Georgia Bulldogs on Tuesday, but they still had an incredible season as they were ranked “No. 12 in the nation in team ERA (4.05, third best among CWS teams), No. 4 in strikeouts per nine innings (11.7), and No. 3 in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.45),” according to Sports Spectrum.
Their pitchers helped Texas advance deep into the playoffs this year. Starting pitcher Ruger Riojas secured seven strikeouts, two walks and six hits through six innings on Monday night.
When Riojas was interviewed before Monday’s game, he couldn’t help but talk about all the lessons God taught him this season.
“Without Him, I wouldn’t have life on earth,” he told CBN Sports. “Being able to just be a guiding light of His and live by His example day in and day out, and just be able to use my talents as a light to spread my beliefs. It’s that simple.”
Alongside Rioja is Sam Cozart, who was recently named the Freshman Pitcher of the Year and the Stopper of the Year.
“Jesus is my Savior,” Cozart told CBN Sports as well. “He truly has saved me, and He’s given me the opportunity to see the good in people…He’s allowed me to open up and be more open in my faith.”
He told Sports Spectrum, “Jesus is the one who has given me, honestly, the strength to be able to continue to go out and pitch every single day and do what I do.”
To close out the game on Monday night against Alabama, Texas utilized Cody Howard, “who recorded the last two outs of the contest on a groundout and a strikeout. He too talked about how he incorporates his faith into his baseball gameday routine,” per Sports Spectrum.
“When the national anthem starts, that’s my prayer time before the game,” Howard told Sports Spectrum before the game. “It’s kind of just a moment of silence. And it’s really just cool to represent Him in a place like this.”
Texas, unfortunately, lost to Georgia on Tuesday in a 0-2 shutout.
Yet, the guys on the mound anchored their historic season in a shared devotion to God, proving that true success is measured both by the game you play and what you play it for.
Read Next: Longhorns QB Continues to ‘Lean on Jesus’ Ahead of SEC Championship
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