The first season under head coach Jim Schlossnagle has been all Texas fans could hope for, and more. Following their series win over Kentucky, their 5th in the SEC, the Longhorns earned the No. 1 ranking in college baseball for the first time since 2022. It is nothing short of amazing to be ranked the top team nationally, in what amounts to a transition year from David Pierce to the Jim Schlossnagle era. Texas baseball fans have extremely high expectations, and the 2025 team has exceeded them. That being said, there is still work to be done.
Coaching Matters
In the previous two seasons, there were frustrations with the number of walks allowed by the Texas pitching staff. Schlossnagle brought pitching coach Max Weiner over from Texas A&M, and Weiner has shown why he is regarded as one of the best pitching coaches in college baseball. This season, the Longhorns’ pitching staff has struck out 326 and walked just 120 batters in 311.2 innings pitched. That is impressive stuff. Should the pitching keep those numbers up, they will be a tough out when postseason play hits.
It is not exclusively about pitch placement, either, as Texas currently has the best ERA in the SEC and second-best in the nation (2.97). Texas is not doing this against just anyone, either. The SEC is by far the best conference in college baseball, as it has four of the top five teams in the country and six of the top nine. The transformation of the pitching staff under Schlossnagle and his staff has been amazing.
The 2025 Texas Baseball Team Wins in Multiple Fashions
The 2025 Texas Baseball team does something you only see with great teams. They can win a pitcher’s duel or a high-scoring, late-inning close game, too. Not every great team can win both ways. In fact, many of them rely more on either pitching or hitting. The balance of this Longhorns’ team is what separates them from the recent Texas teams, even those that reached Omaha. If you recall, the 2022 Texas team that was ranked #1 to start the year, relied heavily on offense. They hit more home runs than any Texas team to date. Ultimately, it did not matter in Omaha, as they lacked the pitching and went 0-2.
When playing in Omaha, which plays bigger than most college parks, teams cannot rely solely on home runs. Texas hits for power well, and luckily for them, they play in a bigger park compared to other teams. Should they make it to Omaha this year, the fence distance will not be a big adjustment. The ‘Horns are more than just a power-hitting team, however, batting .287 as a team with a near .400 on-base percentage. Texas has some improving to do as a team, like anyone this time of year, but they have as good of a chance as anyone to make a College World Series appearance.
