Jim Schlossnagle Looks to Continue Success in Second Year with Texas Baseball
The Texas Longhorns, led by head coach Jim Schlossnagle, had an impressive 2025 season despite falling in the round of 64 in the regional they were hosting on their home field. For Schlossnagle, it was his first season with the Longhorns. The SEC is a difficult conference to build traction in, especially as a first-year coach. However, the Longhorns dominated the SEC for much of this past season, even claiming the title as best in the country back in April. Schlossnagle is proving to be the leader that could take this team to Omaha in the coming years, leading the Longhorns to the postseason and a total of 44 wins in 2025. Hosting a regional wasn’t enough for him, though. Schlossnagle is looking ahead and has made strong moves that should allow the Longhorns to be even more successful next season.
Earlier this month, Ashton Larson, a six-foot-two outfielder from LSU, announced that he’d be transferring to Texas. With two years of SEC baseball and a national championship under his belt, Larson is a huge move for Schlossnagle and the Longhorns. Offensively, Larson recorded a .256 batting average through 34 games played in the 2025 season. Strong, consistent offense and attentive outfielders are on brand for SEC ball, making Larson a quality pick.
To add depth to his bullpen, Schlossnagle grabbed Haiden Leffew, a lefty who entered the portal from Wake Forest. Like Larson, Leffew is heading to the Longhorns for his junior season. In his career with Wake Forest, he recorded nearly one strikeout for each inning pitched. However, the pitching team is going to have to work to develop Leffew into a pitcher who can handle pitching against SEC bats. While the ACC is a dominant baseball conference as well, the level of competition just isn’t quite the same.
In the infield, Schlossnagle picked up a shortstop from Stanford. Temo Becerra will play his last NCAA-eligible year with the Longhorns. With Stanford this past year, he started in all but one game, batting .330, scoring 11 total runs, and recording 37 RBIs. In 40 of his 52 games, the six-foot-two incoming graduate student hit safely. Someone consistent at the plate is exactly what the Longhorns need to keep up with the pitching staff of many of their in-conference opponents. Schlossnagle and the rest of the Longhorns’ coaching staff know that the 2025 season was just the beginning of a strong era of Texas baseball. With the right work and recruits, this team is looking like it could find itself back at the top of the D1 Baseball Top 25 next season.
