The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Baseball slotted third in USA Today Sports preseason poll
02.03.2026 | Baseball
Texas tabbed consensus preseason top-10 team
AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas baseball team garnered its fourth preseason top-10 ranking Tuesday, landing at No. 3 in the USA Today Sports preseason poll.
The Longhorns were previously ranked third by D1Baseball and eighth by both Baseball America and Perfect Game.
Texas is one of nine programs from the Southeastern Conference listed in the USA Today's top 25, alongside No. 1 LSU, No. 5 Arkansas, No. 6 Mississippi State, No. 9 Auburn, No. 13 Georgia, No. 15 Tennessee, No. 16 Florida and No. 18 Vanderbilt.
The Longhorns head into their second campaign under the direction of Jim Schlossnagle.
Last season, Texas notched its best record in 15 years, posting a 44-14 ledger. The Longhorns became the first team to claim the SEC regular season title in their first campaign since the league's first year in 1933.
Despite being picked eighth in the conference's preseason poll, Texas finished 22-8 in SEC action and won the league by two games.
The Longhorns bring back 16 letterwinners from a year ago, including reigning Baseball America National Freshman of the Year Dylan Volantis.
Overall, Texas returns 76 percent of its innings pitched. Last season, the Longhorns tallied the second-best WHIP (1.18) and the sixth-best ERA (3.71) nationally.
Offensively, Ethan Mendoza and Adrian Rodriguez — Texas' top two leading hitters in 2025 — are back on The Forty Acres.
Meanwhile, the Longhorns add 24 newcomers, highlighted by Baseball America's No. 1 recruiting class.
Texas begins its 2026 slate against UC Davis on Feb. 13. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
