COLLEGE STATION — Throughout this baseball season, Texas junior Kimble Schuessler has used Dolly Parton's "9 to 5" as his walk-up song.

Now, why is Schuessler accompanied to the plate by a song that is 20 years older than he is? Schuessler explained Friday that "before the season I was kind of struggling to pick a song, and I went to talk to (Texas director of operations) Carli Todd. She's the best, and she kind of played it for me. I didn't really know what to think about it at first, but I started getting hits, so I started liking it a little bit more."

Ironically, Schuessler wasn't working 9 to 5 at Blue Bell Park on Friday. His shift actually started at the end of a traditional workday. But after the first pitch of a regional game against Louisiana was thrown at 5:06 p.m., Schuessler started getting hits. What a way to make a living, indeed.

With the chorus of his walk-up song blaring ahead of each of his six plate appearances, Schuessler went 3-for-4 with two walks and three runs scored. That offensive effort helped lead Texas to a 12-5 win over the Ragin' Cajuns.

After beating Louisiana in an NCAA Tournament opener for the second straight season, UT advanced to a showdown with Texas A&M, the team with which Schuessler started his collegiate career. But more on that in a second.

As for Friday, Schuessler provided UT with its first hit on a second-inning double. He doubled again in the fourth and later bunted his way on base. He is now hitting .337 as UT's designated hitter and part-time catcher.

"He's got really comfortable in the (No. 5 spot in the lineup), and I think when he's disciplined, he's as good as anybody," UT coach David Pierce said. "But really, it's about his work. He outworks anybody on our team. Every day he's at the stadium at 8:30."

Friday was Schuessler's first game at Blue Bell Park since he made a few appearances in a Texas A&M uniform in 2021. Schuessler transferred to Texas ahead of the 2022 season, but he was injured during UT's nonconference trip to College Station in 2023.

Schuessler grew up in Llano as an A&M fan, and he joked earlier this season that he initially received some grief from family and friends when he transferred to Texas. On Friday, he downplayed his departure from College Station and the upcoming reunion.

"I know I went here, but I don't really have any hard feelings for these guys," Schuessler said. "It's just another game tomorrow. We know it's a rivalry, but we've been playing this sport since we've been 7, 8 years old, so we try to keep it really simple and look at it as that and just come out and play our brand of baseball because we know if we do that, we'll be in a good spot against anybody in the country."

Schuessler was responsible for three of UT's 15 hits and two of the Longhorns' 10 walks Friday. The biggest swing belonged to Jalin Flores, who hit a fifth-inning grand slam that caused ESPN2 announcer Roy Philpott to exclaim, "My God, here comes Texas."

Ahead of Friday, Louisiana (40-19) boasted a 4.32 ERA that ranked 18th nationally. The Ragin' Cajuns had allowed double-digit runs in just nine of their previous 48 games. But they needed six pitchers to get through Friday night.

"They had great intent tonight," Louisiana coach Matt Deggs said of the Longhorns. "Everything they did was with intent and looking to do damage. Very impressed by them tonight."

Texas (36-22) now moves on to its 382nd all-time showdown with Texas A&M. The Longhorns own a 245-131-5 lead in this in-state rivalry series, but Texas A&M currently has bragging rights since it recorded a 9-2 win in Austin nearly three months ago. The Aggies also beat UT at the 2022 College World Series in the last meeting between these two teams in the NCAA Tournament.

Texas A&M (45-13) is the No. 3 national seed in this year's tournament. The Aggies opened their postseason run with an 8-0 win over Grambling on Friday.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Longhorns baseball team beats Louisiana to set up Texas A&M showdown