The Longhorns missed on Eric Becker, but quickly landed an experience shortstop to replace Jalin Flores.
As the news emerged on Monday that Virginia Cavaliers star shortstop Eric Becker, a key target of the Texas Longhorns, will withdraw from the NCAA transfer portal to return to Charlottesville, head coach Jim Schlossnagle and his staff landed a commitment from Stanford Cardinal transfer shortstop Temo Becerra.
Becerra, who has one year of eligibility remaining, reportedly visited Austin on Thursday and Friday of last week.
Monday’s news means that Schlossnagle missed on his top target at the position — Becker is considered one of the top players in the portal and a high-level MLB prospect in next year’s draft. It also suggests that junior Jalin Flores will sign when he’s selected in next month’s MLB Draft after struggling to replicate his sophomore success.
When Becerra signed with Stanford as a member of the 2021 recruiting class out of Clovis (Calif.) Buchanan, he was ranked as the No. 112 player in the state and the No. 27 shortstop, according to Perfect Game.
After redshirting during his first season with the Cardinal, the 6’1, 186-pounder became a part-time starter in 2023, appearing in 28 games and starting 11 while hitting .316 with 12 runs scored, four double, two home runs and seven RBI.
As a full-time starter in 2024, Becerra played in 54 games with 53 starts and batted .298 with 27 runs scored, eight doubles, a triple, and 18 RBI.
Becerra continued to improve in 2025, slashing .330/.384/.427 in 51 starts, recording 27 runs scored, 11 doubles, two triples, one home run, and 37 RBI. Much like Ethan Mendoza at Arizona State as a freshman, Becerra is a contact hitter who doesn’t have much pop in his bat — his strikeout rate of 15.1 percent is an elite number, but he also only took 16 walks last season.
So expect the Texas coaching staff to focus on Becerra taking more pitches and working deeper in counts with the hope that improved pitch selection will help unlock a little bit more power and produce more walks in exchange for a higher strikeout rate.
Mendoza’s strikeout rate went from 10.8 percent to 20.9 percent, but he took 23 more walks to bolster his on-base percentage from .367 to .437 and improved his slugging percentage by 33 points.
Expect similar gains at the plate for Becerra in burnt orange and white.
As a defender, Becerra improved his fielding percentage from .897 with 12 errors in 2024 to .935 with 13 errors in 2025 and should benefit from working with Troy Tulowitzki.