Graduate transfer outfielder Mike Antico lifted Texas to a 3-1 victory over Brigham Young University on Wednesday with a clutch two-run RBI single in the eighth inning, one of the first highlight moments in a Texas uniform for the Big 12 preseason newcomer of the year.  “I think (Antico is) just touching the surface,” head coach David Pierce said. “I was really proud of him after his first at-bat striking out and then coming back and having a pretty good night.”  The win marked Texas’s first on the young season and opened a four-game series that will run until Saturday. Although the Longhorns continued to struggle at the plate and saw Pierce ejected from the contest after getting into a verbal argument with the third base umpire, redshirt freshman pitcher Pete Hansen led a strong pitching attack for Texas. Hansen threw 50 pitches over three innings before being relieved in the fourth inning by redshirt sophomore Drew Shifflet. Redshirt junior infielder Cam Williams had another big night for the Longhorns going two-for-three batting. Williams hit his second home run of the season in the third inning, giving Texas a 1-0 lead.   The Longhorns were lucky to get on the board as BYU pitcher Easton Walker was in control throughout the game. Walker pitched nearly eight innings, only giving up one run and three hits as he tallied four strikeouts. “I really liked Easton Walker,” Pierce said. “He had such a competitive mindset, he attacked the strike zone, and he threw two to three pitches for strikes throughout the night. You’ve got (to) tip your hat to him … I’m just fortunate we won the game.” Texas pitchers held seven Cougar runners on base while only giving up three hits on the night. BYU’s only run of the game came from junior infielder Austin Deming’s eighth inning solo home run, which tied the game at 1-1. Texas capitalized off of the Cougars’ pitching change in the eighth inning as BYU freshman pitcher Boston Mabeus struggled with his control. Mabeus allowed runners to advance to second and third base, and with one out, Antico managed to get on base, bringing home the two runners while lifting the Longhorns to a 3-1 lead and ultimately, a victory. “I didn’t have to hit too hard,” Antico said. “I knew exactly what I had to do and I executed it. That was it.” The No. 19 Longhorns now hold a 1-3 record after losing every game at the State Farm College Baseball Showdown over the past weekend. Although Texas struggled in Arlington to open the season, Antico believes he and his teammates are starting to learn from their mistakes and get better. “You get the first one out of the way, now we can go,” Antico said. “We got that first one (and) time to roll now. We had a tough weekend (and) to comeback was a good feeling.” 

exas is one step closer to requiring the use of a national database which uses fingerprints, DNA and dental records to solve missing and unidentified persons cases. Ten states have passed laws mandating law enforcement and medical examiners to enter case details to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System or NamUs. But not Texas even though it's based in Fort Worth. Now two Texas families and a newly elected lawmaker are determined to help others looking for loved ones.

The defensive identity for the Texas women’s basketball team has been a work in progress this season, but the light turned on in its 61-52 victory against Kansas on Wednesday.   Despite shooting a measly 38% from the field, Texas never trailed the Jayhawks because of a relentless defensive effort. The list of good things the defense did tonight is extensive, but what tops it is the full-court press. The Longhorns made getting to the basket awfully hard for Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse. “The last few games our defense has improved, but today especially,” said Audrey Warren, junior guard and forward. “I think as we go on and the way we practice, it’s going to continue to incline.”  The first quarter set the tone for the rest of the game. A restrictive effort, which held Kansas to just five points in the first quarter after two high-scoring games against its previous opponents, propelled the defensive chemistry. “I thought we were really special tonight for most of the game defensively,” head coach Vic Schaefer said. “That’s a team (Kansas) that just scored 98 and 82 in their previous two games.”   Kansas didn’t let its foot off the gas when it was knocking down shots, but the Texas pressure proved too much to handle. The Longhorns forced 11 turnovers and held the Jayhawk’s leading scorer, sophomore guard Holly Kersgieter, to just three points in the first half of play.  Despite standing at just 5-foot-7-inches, freshman guard Ashley Chevalier grabbed seven rebounds and drew three charges on the night. Chevalier’s man-to-man technique made it tough for Kansas to get out of their half of the court.  “She played 28 minutes, and I couldn’t get her off the floor,” Schaefer said. “Defensively, she’s always solid, the kid’s smart. For her size, she’ll stick her nose in there and take a charge running in front of a freight train.”   Chevalier’s contributions were especially pivotal for the Longhorns with sophomore guard Celeste Taylor in foul trouble.  Texas, lacking its second-leading scorer in Taylor for much of the night, was boosted by Warren’s shot creating. Warren recorded her first double-double of her career, finishing with 12 points and ten rebounds.  “She’s always going to go on the floor and do what she has to do and go hard,” Chevalier said. “It’s fun to play with someone like that.”  The effort shown tonight by the defense is a testament to the growth Texas has seen this season, but allowing 22 points in the fourth quarter showed where the defense still needs to improve to finish the season on a high note.  “I think our defensive improvement is evident at this point, but you can see in the fourth quarter we had a lapse and it just shows even more progress is necessary,” Chevalier said. “A game like today is really important for us, not just for the improvements that we saw, but how much more improvement we need to have.” 

One Austin City Council member is honoring KXAN's Jim Spencer with a proclamation officially designating Feb. 25 as "Jim Spencer Day" in the City of Austin.