SEC champions, regional wreckage, and portal revamp shapes debut year under Schlossnagle.
After ending the season in the Austin Regional against the UTSA Roadrunners, head coach Jim Schlossnagle caps his debut season with the Texas Longhorns winning the Southeastern Conference regular season title and finishing in NCAA D1 baseball Top 25 ranked No. 17.
Departures: Center fielder Will Gasparino enters the portal after underwhelming season. Left-handed pitcher Ace Whitehead and third baseman/outfielder Sam Richardson also left the Forty Acres, joining nine teammates in the transfer portal post-regional. Right fielder Max Belyeu is poised for MLB Draft.
Additions: Former Notre Dame catcher Carson Tinney smashed with .348/.498/.753 with 17 home runs in 2025, adding veteran firepower. Stanford Temo Becerra batted .330 with 37 RBIs and Seton Hall outfielder Aiden Robbins from Seton Hall slugged a .438 AVG with 33 RBIs, plus six other portal pickups.
Texas’ pitching staff has a fortified bullpen and rotation, though the Longhorns must convert regular-season success into postseason reliability. Along with maintaining lineup consistency, integrating transfers like Becerra and Tinney will be key to sustaining run production for both midweek and weekend series games. Lastly, mental resilience and overcoming the UTSA setback will test leadership and depth as they pursue SEC tournament and College World Series runs.
SEC teams in the final top 25 included No. 1 LSU, the national champions, No. 3 Arkansas, No. 11 Auburn, No. 12 Tennessee, No. 17 Texas, No. 18 Vanderbilt, No. 19 Georgia, and No. 21 Ole Miss. Florida and Alabama dropped out of the final top 25.
Texas proved it belongs among elite programs throughout the season, but the real measure comes in June when the road to Omaha begins. With a revamped roster for championship pedigree, the Longhorns should be and need to be hungry to climb back up the rankings and write a new chapter in the quest for Omaha.