Pitching coach Max Weiner did wonders in his first season on the 40 Acres, improving the team ERA by over a full run despite injuries to several key pitchers. Texas will now enter the 2026 season with one of the best pitching staffs in the country after welcoming back several key arms from last season, adding a few key pieces through the portal and signing an elite high school class.
The Returners
The turnaround of LHP Luke Harrison was one of the biggest storylines of last season. After missing the entire 2023 season due to Tommy John surgery and a very rocky 2024 season, Harrison settled in as the #2 starter in 2025 and made 15 starts, finishing the season with a 3.07 ERA and a team leading 70.2 innings. Schlossnagle said they have not settled on who exactly will be a starting pitcher to begin the season, but he added the only known at this point is one of the spots will belong to Harrison.
LHP Dylan Volantis had one of the most impressive freshman seasons in program history, recording 12 saves and finishing the year with a ridiculous 1.94 ERA. The 2025 SEC Freshman of Year made just 1 start last year, but is being stretched out a starter leading up to this season and could settle into the Friday night role.
The swiss army knives of the 2025 team were righties Ruger Riojas (5.61 ERA in 69 innings) and Max Grubbs (2.84 ERA in 57 innings). Both bypassed the opportunity to be drafted and will look to fill similar roles in 2026. There is a chance both could be asked to come out of the bullpen to help bridge the gap between the starters and hard-throwing righty Thomas Burns, who is one of the favorite to be the closer. Burns, who can run his fastball up to 100 MPH, recorded 4 saves a season ago and held hitters to a .185 batting average.
RHP Jason Flores started 5 games last year as a true freshman, including several in SEC play. The control was iffy at times (14 hit batters in 32.1 innings) but Flores reportedly had an outstanding fall and can run his fastball into the upper 90’s. Schlossnagle compared Flores last year to former Texas A&M righty Chris Cortes, who was a second round draft pick.
LHP Kade Bing and RHP Hudson Hamilton combined to throw only 6 innings in SEC play last year, but both proved to be reliable strike throwers who could be counted on in 2026. Another reliable strike thrower who could be in line for increased role in 2026 is sidearm lefty Ethan Walker. Walker came on strong late in the 2025 season, starting the only SEC tournament game Texas played as well as the opening game of the NCAA tournament.
A couple of wildcards on the Texas pitching staff are righties Cody Howard and Connor McCreery. Howard is entering his fourth year in the program and has shown flashes of good stuff, including a fastball that can reach the mid 90’s. McCreery pitched only 1 inning in 2025 after transferring in from South Carolina, but was one of the top bullpen arms for the Gamecocks in 2024.
The Newcomers
Texas added only two pitchers from the transfer portal, both experienced lefties. Former Western Kentucky closer Cal Higgins (6 career saves) could be the to-go left handed arm in the bullpen late in games. Haiden Leffew, previously at Wake Forest, also arrived at Texas will bullpen experience but was viewed as a potential starter as well. Leffew recorded 59 strikeouts in 34.1 innings in 2025.
One of the storylines of the 2026 season will be who emerges for a star-studded freshman class of arms. The headliners are RHP Michael Winter, RHP Sam Cozart and RHP Brett Crossland. All 3 turned down the opportunity to start their professional careers and will be immediate impact arms. Cozart was viewed as one of the premiere strike throwers in his class and Crossland can run his fastball into the upper 90’s.
Schlossnagle loves left handed pitching, so there is a very good chance freshman lefty Jack McKernan will carve out a role on the staff early in his career out of the bullpen.
Other freshman arms to note for this season and the future are RHP Brody Walls, RHP Kaleb Rogers, RHP Cooper Rummel, RHP Jack Paris and RHP Grady Westphal.
