Right-handed pitcher Sam Cozart smiles after ending an inning with a strikeout during Texas’ game against UTRGV on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026.
Texas baseball has steamrolled throughout an eight-game home stand, which means the Longhorns begin the 2026 season with an unblemished record after their midweek outing against the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros, winning once again via the run-rule against Texas’ system school 14-0 on Tuesday night.
The Longhorns were in complete control of the game, scoring in the first four innings. Texas would pour it on in the sixth inning with a six-run period, blowing the game completely out of hand for a third run-rule victory for the Longhorns.
“It’d be awesome if that’s the case because it means we win,” head coach Jim Schlossnagle said on Texas run-rule wins this season becoming a trend. “I feel like we pitched really well and got some timely hits, which scored a bunch of runs with two outs today. So good baseball.”
Schlossnagle made his first major change to his starting pitching rotation, with freshman pitcher Sam Cozart getting his first career start on Tuesday. Cozart made his first appearance as a Longhorn out of the bullpen last week, in which he tossed four innings, surrendered three hits and one earned run while striking out four batters.
And after a promising showing in his first action of the season, the freshman put together another solid four-inning outing, setting the tone early for the ballgame. Cozart strung together four shutout periods with eight strikeouts while giving up just a single hit, which came in the first at-bat of the game.
“I think with everyone, there’s a little bit of emotion, if you’re not (emotional), you’re not human,” Cozart said. “But I think that I was able to use (my emotions) and control them very well and be able to just do my job of living in the strike zone and getting outs.”
The bats came alive for Texas in its explosive 14-run scoring output against UTRGV, with 15 hits on the night. 10 different batters recorded a hit, and nine of those drove in at least one run, with junior outfielder Aiden Robbins being the standout.
The third-year slugger opened the scoring count for the Longhorns with a solo home run to right field, his third of the season, and ended the night going 3-of-3 at the plate with three RBIs, making him the team leader in runs batted in.
“He’s just one of the best hitters in the country,” Schlossnagle said. “Uses the whole field to hit, good luck trying to figure out where you play your defense, but when a guy uses the whole field to hit like that, he’s going to get a lot of hits. Certainly glad he’s on our team.”
The next game for the Longhorns will be outside of the confines of their home field, leaving UFCU Disch-Falk Field for the first time this season to take part in the BRUCE BOLT College Classic down at Daikin Park in Houston, beginning with a clash against Coastal Carolina at 7 p.m. CT on Friday, Feb. 27.