Texas Longhorns Pitcher Wins Second SEC Freshman of the Week Award
Since his arrival in Austin with the Texas Longhorns, freshman pitcher Dylan Volantis has humbly adjusted to seeing less time on the mound from when he performed as Westlake High School’s reliable starter.
And now he’ll also have to adjust to being one of the most impressive first-years in the SEC.
Volantis tabbed SEC Freshman of the Week honors on Monday for the second time in the last three weeks following his win and save against then-No. 3 Georgia over the weekend.
On Friday, Volantis helped the Longhorns to a 5-1 win over the Bulldogs to open the series, notching the last four outs over just eight pitches and recording his seventh save of the season. The California native then came back around on Sunday and pitched through the final four innings, allowing just one hit and capturing a career-high eight strikeouts to give Texas a 4-3 victory and the series sweep.
The last time Volantis garnered SEC Freshman of the Week honors was after facing then-No. 2 LSU, where he also pitched in two matchups against the Tigers. Despite Georgia possessing the fourth-best overall batting average and leading hitter in the conference heading into the weekend, Volantis said playing against the Bulldogs twice was nothing he couldn’t handle.
“The lineup doesn’t really matter,” Volantis said during Sunday’s post game press conference. “They’re a very good team, very good hitters, well known, but just going in there and filling the zone, no matter who’s hitting, it just works. I felt great today, being able to pitch twice in one weekend, [I’ve] definitely adapted to that. I went out there feeling amazing.”
Volantis joined the Longhorns at a crucial point for the program, with it being their first year in the SEC and debuting head coach Jim Schlossnagle and pitching coach Max Weiner. Volantis initially almost didn’t land in Austin, but flipped from the University of Southern California, and he has since quickly proven to be a key contributor to Texas’ successful rebrand.
“The coaches definitely, right off the bat, created such a good bond and community for us and a foundation, and we live by that. And it’s definitely been working since day one,” Volantis said. “It’s so special to be a part of this. All the guys on the team are family to me. What an opportunity to be able to join a team like this and just compete, just giving it your all, and it’s just definitely one of a kind, for sure.”
The Longhorns look to play Houston Christian on Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. CT at UFCU Disch-Falk Field as they look to get a midweek win before hitting the road to play Kentucky
