The 2027 roster continues to take shape for the Texas Longhorns as first baseman Casey Borba announced his return for his senior season on Friday.
Under the NCAA’s new eligibility rules, Borba could also play for the Longhorns in 2028.
Ranked as the No. 153 overall player and the No. 7 third baseman by Perfect Game as a member of the 2023 recruiting class, Borba was considered an MLB prospect out of Santa Ana (Calif.) Orange Lutheran, but opted to honor his commitment to the Longhorns.
As a freshman in 2024, Borba appeared in 34 games and made 20 starts, batting .256 with 13 runs scored, seven doubles, four home runs, and 17 RBI, flashing the power that made him such a highly-rated recruit out of high school.
Borba’s pull-side power continued to show up after Jim Schlossnagle took over the Texas program as the 6’1, 210-pounder started 46 of the 51 games in which he appeared, slashing .278/.410/.574 with 26 runs, 12 homers, and 47 RBI.
During the offseason, Borba opted against playing summer baseball to focus on improving his functional mobility in the field, improving as a third baseman in 2026 while also spending time at first base, but even as his power kept improving — up to 18 home runs — his struggles using the whole field to hit continued to limit his batting average as late-season struggles dropped it to .266 as his walk rate also decreased and his strikeout rate ballooned to 36.5 percent.
With the portal addition of Texas Tech transfer Linkin Garcia, Borba projects as the starting first baseman for the Horns in 2027.