Texas baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle framed his decision to start freshman Dylan Volantis against Santa Clara on Sunday as an act of experimentation. The test tube sprouted brilliance. Volantis pitched 5 ⅓ innings and allowed just one run in his first career start,

As a sluggish start for the Texas Longhorns left them with a one-run lead through five innings, a poised defensive performance kept the Santa Clara Broncos at bay in Sunday’s 6-1 win. The victory completed the Longhorns’ second home series sweep and propelled Texas to its best start of the season since 2005 as the team sits at 13-1.

Spencer racked up eight strikeouts in his fourth start of the season, holding Santa Clara (7-5) to just two hits and a walk. A converted reliever, Spencer has pitched into at least the fifth inning and held the opposition to one run or fewer in every one of his outings for the Longhorns (11-1). He has whiffed 29 batters in 21 innings of work.