Jim Schlossnagle had the luxury of inheriting a solid nucleus in his first season at the helm of Texas baseball. That nucleus led the way for a lineup that helped Texas win the SEC regular season in their inaugural season.
The lineup in 2026 will feature a few more new faces with the departures of Jalin Flores, Rylan Galvan, Max Belyeu and Kimble Schuessler, but the Longhorns will be welcoming back several of their best hitters from last season and also brought in one of the best portal classes in the SEC.
The Returners
The 2025 Primer noted the breakout star of last fall was Adrian Rodriguez. The Flower Mound native lived up to the hype, hitting .313 with 7 homers and 15 stolen bases as a freshman despite playing the back half of the season with a hand injury. Rodriguez registered starts at 3B, 2B, LF and DH last year, but will make the transition to SS in 2026.
Rodriguez will be joined in the infield by 2B Ethan Mendoza, who hit a team-leading .333 last year, and 1B Casey Borba (.278, 12 homers). Mendoza added over 15 pounds in the offseason and will look to drive the ball more in 2026. Borba settled in as the everyday third baseman last season but will make the move across the diamond to first base, a position he played in 2024.
The notable returnee for Texas in the outfield is two-sport star Jonah Williams (.327, 10 RBI’s). Williams burst onto the scene late in the 2025 and is line to potentially be the opening day CF in 2026. Schlossnagle noted last week they are taking things slow with Williams as he makes the transition over from football, but he should be full-go by the time mid-February rolls around.
Senior Jayden Duplantier served as the Swiss Army Knife for Texas last year and has the ability to play almost any position on the field outside of catcher and first base. Duplantier made 10 starts last year and only hit .163, but his versatility is impactful and provides depth in several key areas.
The Newcomers
Schlossnagle and staff hit the transfer portal hard in an effort to replace a lot of leadership and production that was departing from the 2025 squad. The portal haul was headlined by catcher Carson Tinney and outfielder Aiden Robbins. Tinney was widely considered the top catcher in the portal after hitting .348 with 17 home runs for Notre Dame as a sophomore. Schlossnagle noted there has been an effort throughout the fall and early spring for Tinney to cut down on his swing and miss. Robbins hit a ridiculous .422 at Seton Hall last year and added 20 stolen bases. He saw time in CF throughout the fall and could also be an option for RF.
While Tinney and Robbins stole the headlines, the Longhorns also plucked several other starters out of the portal. Temo Becerra, who started 115 games over 3 years at Stanford, is an option at third base after spending last year playing SS. Becerra is a career .314 hitter at the college level. Another option at third base is Wichita State transfer Josh Livingston. Livingston crushed a team-leading 15 home runs for the Shockers while seeing time at 3B, DH, 1B and 2B.
The portal class on the position player side was rounded out by INF Callum Early, OF Dariyan Pendergrass and OF Ashton Larson. Early will provide middle infield depth and hit .295 as a true freshman at Liberty in an injury shortened 2025. Pendergrass was a late addition to the team during the fall, but brings a wealth of experience and stole 43 bases at College of Charleston last year. Larson is one of the most intriguing transfers the Longhorns added. After a very strong true freshman season at LSU in 2024 (40 starts while hitting .298), Larson saw his playing time shrink as a sophomore while battling injury. If Texas gets anywhere close to his true freshman form, Larson could be a major contributor in 2026.
Texas added 4 position players out of the high school ranks in the 2025 class. The most notable is OF Anthony Pack out of California. Pack could carve out a role in the outfield as a freshman and is a left handed bat Schlossnagle could want to throw into the fire early in the season.
Projected Lineup
C- Carson Tinney
1B- Casey Borba
2B- Ethan Mendoza
SS- Adrian Rodriguez
3B- Temo Becerra/Josh Livingston
OF- Aiden Robbins, Jonah Williams, Ashton Larson/Anthony Pack
