SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (Interstat) — The Texas Longhorns (42-13) visit UC Santa Barbara (39-19) on Sunday in a clash of two of the nation’s hottest pitching staffs and a potential NCAA tournament regional preview.

First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.

Texas sends left-hander Dylan Volantis to the mound. The sophomore has been erratic but electric of late. In a 16-2 win at Tarleton State on Saturday, he allowed one earned run on no hits over 6.2 innings with seven strikeouts. However, in a 1-8 loss to Arkansas on May 22, he lasted just two innings, allowing no hits but walking four. Volantis also posted 11 strikeouts in a 6-3 win over Missouri on May 14 and gave up three earned runs at Tennessee on May 8. For the season, he carries a 3.41 ERA with 98 strikeouts in 68.2 innings.

The Longhorns offense exploded for 16 runs Saturday. Right fielder Aiden Robbins went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs, and catcher Carson Tinney was 2-for-2 with a homer and two RBIs. Texas has won three of its last four, including a 19-1 rout of Holy Cross on Friday.

UC Santa Barbara counters with right-hander Jackson Flora, who has been dominant through his past three starts. On Saturday at Holy Cross, he allowed one earned run on no hits over 7.2 innings with nine strikeouts in a 15-1 win. He threw seven innings of one-run ball against Cal State Fullerton on May 21, and on May 14 he fired a nine-inning, two-hit shutout against UC Riverside with 12 strikeouts. Flora is 9-2 with a 1.87 ERA and 118 strikeouts in 91 innings.

The Gauchos (39-19) are 4-6 in their last 10. In their shellacking of Holy Cross, catcher Nate Vargas went 1-for-5 with a grand slam and five RBIs, and third baseman Xavier Esquer was 4-for-5 with three RBIs. UCSB dropped two of three to Cal Poly in its most recent home series before Saturday’s road win.

Both teams are jockeying for postseason positioning. Texas’s 42 wins are second-most in the Big 12, while UCSB is seeking its first 40-win season since 2019.

The game features two of the nation’s top strikeout artists: Volantis and Flora have combined for 216 strikeouts this season.

The Gauchos hold a 2-1 all-time edge in the series. The last meeting was a 5-4 Texas win in 2023.