While the Longhorns will have quite a bit of turnover on the mound, Jim Schlossnagle does have the luxury of welcoming back 3 of the top 4 hitters from the 2024 squad, in addition to several other regular starters and bench pieces. Texas also hit the transfer portal for several difference makers who figure to be fixtures in the everyday lineup.
The Returners
The decision by SS Jalin Flores to bypass the MLB Draft and return for his junior season was perhaps the most significant story of the offseason. Flores hit .340 with 18 homers a season ago and will compete for All-American honors in 2025. RF Max Belyeu (.329, 18 home runs) also returns after being named the 2024 Big 12 Player of the Year. Flores and Belyeu will steal the headlines, but the Longhorns also retained one of the most improved players in the program, Kimble Schuessler. Schuessler, who hit .343 with 10 home runs in 2024, spent much of last year splitting catching and DH duties with Rylan Galvan (.287, 8 home runs). In 2025, expect to see the Llano native at first base, with Galvan getting the bulk of the innings at catcher.
Sophomore CF Will Gasparino arrived on the 40 Acres last season as one of the highest-ranked players to ever make it to campus. Gasparino delivered a solid freshman campaign, hitting .252 with 12 home runs, but will look to take another step forward in 2025 and cut down on the number of strikeouts (76 in 210 at-bats).
INF Casey Borba (.256, 4 home runs) and OF Tommy Farmer (.200, 3 RBI’s) combined for 23 starts last year as freshmen and could be in line for bigger roles as sophomores. Borba plays both corner infield spots and will be in the mix for DH duties. Farmer, considered one of the fastest players in the program and a great defender, can play all three outfield positions.
The Newcomers
Ten new position players joined the program, but two transfers and one freshman stand out as impact players from day 1.
ULM transfer Easton Winfield, who hit .332 with 10 home runs and 18 stolen bases as a freshman for the Warhawks, will slide into the everyday lineup in LF. Arizona State transfer Ethan Mendoza will open the year as the starter at second base after hitting .315 as a freshman for the Sun Devils.
The story of the fall and early spring has been the emergence of freshman infielder Adrian Rodriguez. Texas flipped Rodriguez late in the recruiting cycle from Texas A&M and the switch-hitter will likely be the starting third baseman in the season opener. The Flower Mound native hit .430 as a senior for the Jaguars and has not stopped hitting since arriving on campus.
Sticking in the infield, junior college transfer Jaquae Stewart and freshman Cole Chamberlain will be two additional names to watch. Stewart profiles at first base or DH and is coming off a 15-home run season at junior college powerhouse Northwest Florida State. Chamberlain came to Texas as a catcher but could also see time at first base. The California native showed off a sweet left-handed swing in the Alumni game, swatting a home run in his first at-bat.
Projected Starters
C- Rylan Galvan, 1B- Kimble Schuessler, 2B- Ethan Mendoza, SS Jalin Flores, 3B Adrian Rodriguez, LF Easton Winfield, CF Will Gasparino, RF Max Belyeu, DH- Casey Borba/Cole Chamberlain/Jaquae Stewart
