 "Photo: Paul Chouy/The Daily Texan")
 "Photo: Paul Chouy/The Daily Texan")
 "Photo: Paul Chouy/The Daily Texan")
OMAHA, Neb. — There is something magical about the run Texas is on.
Since the postseason started for the Longhorns three weeks ago at the NCAA Austin regional, Texas has played some bizarre games. There is nothing routine about these Longhorns.
For Texas, the comeback against Arizona State joins the growing list of extraordinary games this postseason .
And for coach Augie Garrido, who is familiar with this stage, there is only one way to ride.
“With a seat belt,” Garrido said. “Click or ticket. Just go along for the ride, like going to the rodeo and riding a bull, just trying to stay on for eight seconds.”
The opponent may change, but the scenario is pretty much the same.
“There hasn’t been an easy game in the last eight we’ve played,” Garrido said. “They have all demanded different things, none of them have been the same. We have been taking the jabs, taking the blows and then we punch our way back and not get out of the game mentally."
May 29: Green carries Texas with magic on mound and at plate
In the first game of the NCAA tournament, Texas’ offense suffered a huge setback when leading hitter Brandon Belt was beaned — leaving the game with a mild concussion and a gash in his ear.
Because Preston Clark, who started the game as the designated hitter, was moved to first base to replace Belt, Texas pitcher Cole Green was forced to bat.
With two strikes against him in his first career at-bat, Texas pitcher Cole Green smacked a single into left field, equaling the number of hits he had given up to the Army Black Knights on the mound at the time.
“If it hadn’t been for the magic of Cole Green, this game could have been very different,” Garrido said. “Practicing is very overrated to Cole. He just walks up with two strikes and gets a hit; there is nothing to it.”
Green combined a stellar pitching performance – one run, four hits and six strikeouts in seven innings -- with masterful hitting and a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt to give Texas, the No. 1 overall seed, a 3-1 win in the NCAA regional at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
“I thought we might get the DH back, but when coach told me I had to hit, I was focused,” Green said. “I was prepared to put down a bunt with a runner on base or get to swing it if there was nobody on. Things went my way.”
May 30-31: Wood dominates in 25-inning marathon, an NCAA record
In a performance that will be firmly ingrained in Longhorn lore and Cooperstown, senior closer Austin Wood carried Texas for 13 innings of what became the longest game in the history of college baseball, a 3-2, 25-inning win over Boston College.
After seven hours and three minutes of baseball, Texas finally had the historic win. Wood racked up 14 strikeouts in 13 shutout innings of relief, pitching 12 and 1/3 innings without giving up a hit.
“That is the best pitching performance by an individual pitcher in the 41 years that I’ve coached,” Garrido said.
Wood couldn’t explain how he did it.
“I can’t really believe I went 13 innings, but that’s what they asked me to do and I tried to do my best,” Wood said.
His fourteenth strikeout is the highlight of the legendary performance, blowing the pitch past the Eagle hitter for his most dramatic strikeout out the night — ensuring his 169-pitch effort would not end in defeat.
Austin Wood simply wouldn’t let the Longhorns lose.
May 31: Walk-off grand slam caps huge comeback in regional win
Down four runs in the bottom of the ninth, it looked like Army would force Texas into a do-or-die game for the regional championship.
But again, in the same day Texas captured the 25-inning game, the Longhorns’ magic struck.
First, Texas shortstop Brandon Loy missed a walk-off grand slam by inches — clearing the bases with a line drive off the wall to tie the game at 10.
Senior designated hitter Preston Clark finished the job three batters later, cranking a walk-off grand slam just inside the left-field foul pole, good enough for a 14-10 win sending Texas to the Super Regional.
“It was a dramatic win, after last night’s dramatic win. These are magical things that I talk about,” Garrido said. “There is something spiritual about baseball. Before you can believe, you have to experience it. And the last two days this team has experienced some amazing stuff."
June 6: Record seven sacrifices push Texas past TCU in Game 1
TCU hit home runs. Texas bunted. But when it was all added up, small ball went further than a couple long balls.
In the end, Garrido won again. While the Horned Frogs scored on the long ball, racking up four runs on three homers, the Longhorns thrived off of Garrido’s classic small-ball style, racking up an NCAA record seven sacrifice bunts in a 10-4 win in the first game of the Austin Super Regional.
“We got the lead-off guy on of course ,” Garrido said. “And then, we bunted them over. Over and over and over and over and over.”
June 8: Horns’ power pushes them past Horned Frogs in Super Regional
After dropping a game to hard-hitting TCU, which bested Texas pitchers by way of the home run, the Longhorns much-maligned power-hitting showed up to secure their ticket to Omaha.
After a leadoff single followed by a sacrifice bunt, Texas had a surprising power outburst of their own.
First, Brandon Belt tripled off the wall in dead center to drive in a run. Then, after a fielder’s choice scored Belt, Kevin Keyes turned on an inside pitch and blasted a laser over the TCU bullpen in left field.
“This game is a bitch,” Garrido said. “Any time you don’t think you have something, that is exactly what wins you the game.”
Texas would lead 3-0 after the first and never looked back, dropping TCU 5-2.
June 14: Texas walks past Southern Miss in thrilling 7-6 victory
After blowing three leads with uncharacteristically bad pitching and defensive mistakes, Texas was able to come up with a win in its first College World Series game.
With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth, freshman Brandon Loy drew a walk-off walk to give Texas a 7-6 win over Southern Miss. It was the second bases-loaded walk Loy drew in two innings, the third for Texas.
Before Loy could swing his way into history, Texas coach Augie Garrido walked out to talk to Loy. He told him he was going to take a pitch.
And keep taking.
June 16: Horns hammer Sun Devils in stunning comeback
With Texas down 6-0 and the Sun Devils’ ace Mike Leake — who was 16-1 with a 1.36 ERA heading into Tuesday’s game — on the mound, the Longhorns were on a collision course with the losers’ bracket.
Then the magic struck again. Cameron Rupp hit a three-run home run, and Texas didn’t stop there, rallying to tie the game at six in the fourth inning. Another Rupp homer and a few more insurance runs combined with amazing pitching from freshman Taylor Jungmann secured Texas’ 10-6 win.
