Freshman helps Texas crush A&M-Corpus Christi 16-7

If you're not a starter for the Longhorns, opportunities to get in the game can be hard to come by.

Tant Shepard got his chance Tuesday, and he took full advantage of it.

The freshman went 4-for-5 with two doubles and two singles in his college debut - good for three RBI and three runs in the Longhorns' (7-2) 16-7 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (2-6) on Tuesday at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.

"It's a lot of weight off my shoulders," Shepard said. "It was awesome doing good in my first start, because it showed that I can play at a university like this that has so much talent and showed teammates, coaches and fans what I can do."

The freshman from Flower Mound impressed Texas' coaching staff in practice, so Texas coach Augie Garrido stuck him in the lineup as the designated hitter to see what he could do.

Shepard responded by putting on a hitting clinic. Garrido said he would like to get Shepard in the lineup more often.

Another change Garrido made Tuesday worked out for the Longhorns. He moved up Cameron Rupp to clean up the batting order. The freshman catcher continued with his hot-streak at the plate with a 4-for-5 night, getting four RBIs and two runs scored.

"I'm seeing the ball real well," Rupp said. "And when I get my pitch, I'm hitting it."

The bad news for the Longhorns: Their defensive woes continued. They committed three more errors Tuesday, but players and coaches still aren't all that worried.

"It's the easiest thing to fix," Garrido said. "And [right now] it's the thing we practice the least. There isn't time, the way they do these practices, to work on everything. We've put in a lot of time on hitting."

Riley Boening got his second start of the year Tuesday and continued to work his way back from injury. The junior threw four innings and gave up two earned runs.

Garrido was encouraged by the performance.

Right-hander Casey Whitmer picked up the win. He allowed just one hit and struck out two in two innings of relief.

The Longhorns' right-hander recorded 11 strikeouts in his first start against UT-Pan American last week.

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