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Texas’ Dylan Volantis (Photo by Eddie Kelly)
The 2026 college baseball season is almost here. As such, we’re breaking down every preseason Top 25 team in greater detail. Check out Texas’ 2026 season preview below.
Quick Hits
Last Season: 44-14 (22-8 SEC); Eliminated in Austin Regional
Final 2025 Ranking: No. 18
Coach (Record at school): Jim Schlossnagle (44-14, 2nd season)
College Baseball Top 25 Skinny
Texas altered the balance of the sport with the most jarring coaching move of the 2024 offseason, prying Jim Schlossnagle from Texas A&M and immediately validating the hire with an SEC regular-season title. The transition was seamless on the surface, a roster recalibrated quickly under one of the game’s most accomplished active coaches. Yet the season ended with a jolt. Despite hosting, the Longhorns were eliminated in the regional round by UTSA, a result that cut sharply against the authority they had established over the spring.
That tension now frames 2026. Much of the core from that team returns, and the infrastructure around it remains intact. Schlossnagle’s track record suggests sustained contention is not theoretical, and Texas enters the year positioned to test whether last June’s abrupt ending was an anomaly rather than a signal.
Texas Baseball Strengths
Texas’ foundation is its pitching staff, which gained rare continuity when juniors Luke Harrison, Ruger Riojas and Max Grubbs opted to return despite draft interest. Their decision gave the Longhorns one of the country’s most experienced and proven collections of arms. The group grows deeper with the return of sophomore lefty Dylan Volantis, Baseball America’s 2025 Freshman of the Year, who transitions from the closer role into the rotation alongside Harrison and Riojas. Junior righthander Thomas Burns returns to a bullpen that also includes sophomore Jason Flores, who made a notable leap under pitching coach Max Weiner this offseason. The staff combines experience, swing-and-miss ability and defined roles, a mix that rarely exists at this scale.
On the position side, Texas returns a strong middle-infield foundation in Adrian Rodriguez and Ethan Mendoza. The Longhorns also added offensive upside through the portal, highlighted by catcher Carson Tinney, whose exit velocity data stood out throughout the offseason, and Seton Hall outfielder Aiden Robbins, who hit .422 and brings a tool set that has drawn significant draft attention.
Texas Baseball Weaknesses
The most immediate question is positional. Rodriguez shifts to shortstop after splitting time across second base, third base and left field as a freshman, placing him at one of the roster’s most demanding defensive spots. There is also the broader postseason question. Texas’ pitching depth and experience should support sustained regular-season success, but the group must translate that advantage into tournament resilience after last year’s early exit. Offensively, portal additions will need to convert raw tools and past production into consistent impact against SEC pitching.
Texas Baseball Player To Know
Volantis authored a historic freshman season, posting a 1.94 ERA with 74 strikeouts and 12 walks across 51 innings while converting 12 saves. Against SEC competition, he was dominant, recording a 1.59 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and a .160 opponent average while setting the conference freshman saves record. He now moves into a starting role, a shift that could redefine the shape of Texas’ staff.
Texas Baseball 2026 Projected Lineup, Rotation
PosPlayerYearAVGOBPSLGABHRRBINote/previous schoolCCarson TinneyJr..348.498.7531581753Notre Dame1BJosh LivingstonG-Sr..284.403.5552111548Wichita State2BEthan MendozaJr..333.437.4762255353BCasey BorbaJr..278.410.5741621247SSAdrian RodriguezSo..313.410.516182723OFAiden RobbinsJr..422.537.652204638Seton HallOFAshton LarsonJr..256.423.48739212LSUOFJonah WilliamsSo..327.383.38255010DHTemo BecerraR-Sr..330.384.427185137StanfordPosYearGSIPERAWHIPSO%BB%SPLuke HarrisonG-Sr.1570.23.061.2322.97.6SPDylan VolantisSo.151.01.940.8837.66.1SPRuger RiojasSr.1069.05.611.2920.77.0RPJason FloresSo.532.12.781.0219.67.2RPThomas BurnsJr.026.23.711.2435.114.0RPMax GrubbsSr.157.02.841.1226.26.0