The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Oklahoma
No. 2 Baseball preview: No. 8 Oklahoma
03.25.2026 | Baseball
Red River rivals square off in top-10 series for first time since 2009
#8 Oklahoma vs. #2 TEXAS
Dates: March 26-28, 2026
Where: UFCU Disch-Falk Field
Time: Thursday at 7 p.m.; Friday at 7 p.m.; Saturday at 4 p.m.
TV: SEC Network
Radio: 103.1 FM
Live stats: texas.statbroadcast.com
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
THURSDAY – Oklahoma RHP LJ Mercurius (5-1, 1.87 ERA) vs. Texas RHP Ruger Riojas (4-0, 1.93 ERA)
FRIDAY – Oklahoma LHP Cameron Johnson (3-1, 3.60 ERA) vs. Texas LHP Luke Harrison (3-0, 2.37 ERA)
SATURDAY – Oklahoma LHP Cord Rager (2-1, 4.97 ERA) vs. Texas LHP Dylan Volantis (3-0, 1.35 ERA)
THE MATCHUP — No. 2 Texas and No. 8 Oklahoma resume the Red River Rivalry, with a three-game set at UFCU Disch-Falk Field (March 26-28). The Longhorns and Sooners first met in 1910 and have played in 41 consecutive seasons, excluding the 2020 campaign due to COVID-19. This week marks the first time the two sides have faced off in a top-10 series since 2009. In the 232 head-to-head contests, Texas boasts a 160-70-2 lead, winning four of the last five meetings. In 2025, the Longhorns clinched their first-ever SEC regular season title by defeating the Sooners, 7-4, in the series opener on May 15. Oklahoma head coach Skip Johnson served as an assistant under legendary skipper Augie Garrido for 10 seasons at Texas. From 2007-2016, the Longhorns compiled a 392-213 (.648) record, reaching the College World Series on three occasions.
IT JUST MEANS MORE — Last year, Texas became the first team to win the SEC in its first season since the league's inaugural campaign in 1933. The Longhorns — who were picked eighth in the conference's preseason poll — won the league by two games. Texas' 22-8 ledger in SEC action marked its best record in conference play since 2010. The Longhorns were the lone team to win eight series in league action. Since Jim Schlossnagle's first campaign in the SEC in 2022, he has won more conference series than any other coach in the league. Over that four-plus year run, Schlossnagle's 31 SEC series wins stack up ahead of Dan Van Horn (28), Tony Vitello (27), Kevin O'Sullivan (25) and Jay Johnson (24).
SCORCHING START — The 2026 Longhorns are one of three Texas teams to begin 20-4 or better over the past 21 years. Last season, the Longhorns notched a 44-14 record, earning the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship. In 2005, Texas finished with a 56-16 ledger, capturing its sixth national championship. Heading into the series, the Longhorns have outscored their opponents, 212-78. As of March 25, Texas has posted the country's third-best ERA (2.72) and seventh-best WHIP (1.12). Meanwhile, the Longhorns' .985 fielding percentage is sixth-best in all of Division I Baseball.
THE EYES OF TEXAS ARE UPON YOU — Texas is ranked No. 2 by all five major outlets, trailing only consensus No. 1 UCLA. In the Southeastern Conference's preseason poll voted on by the league's 16 head coaches, the Longhorns were picked second behind defending national champion LSU. Texas was one of four programs to receive a first-place vote, joining LSU, Mississippi State and Arkansas.
OWN THE DISCH — Since UFCU Disch-Falk Field opened in 1975, Texas has gone 1,675-429-3 (.796) at home thanks in large part to Longhorn Nation. As of March 25, Texas has averaged 7,151 fans per game at home, the fifth-highest mark in the country. In 2025, the Longhorns drew 250,757 fans to UFCU Disch-Falk Field, the sixth-highest attendance nationally. Against Texas A&M, Texas set a new three-game series attendance record at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, with 23,680 tickets sold.
traDISCHion UNLIKE ANY OTHER — The Longhorns will honor their history throughout the 2026 season, as part of the Saturday traDISCHion series at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. For the fifth consecutive campaign, Texas is celebrating past greats on select Saturdays. The Longhorns will salute J. Brent Cox on March 14, before recognizing Adrian Alaniz on March 28. Chance Ruffin is set to be honored on April 18 and Taylor Teagarden is slated to be celebrated on May 2. The final traDISCHion Saturday of 2026 will feature Dustin Majewski on May 16.
