The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
USC Upstate
No. 3 Baseball preview: USC Upstate
03.05.2026 | Baseball
Longhorns set to meet Spartans for first time in program history
USC UPSTATE vs. #3 TEXAS
March 6-8, 2026
Where: UFCU Disch-Falk Field
Time: Friday at 6:30 p.m.; Saturday at 2 p.m.; Sunday at 12 p.m.
Stream/TV: SEC Network+
Radio: The Zone AM-1300/103.1 FM
Live stats: texas.statbroadcast.com
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
FRIDAY – USC Upstate LHP Chris Torres (0-1, 8.25 ERA) vs. Texas RHP Ruger Riojas (3-0, 1.12 ERA)
SATURDAY – USC Upstate RHP Brent Stukes (2-1, 6.28 ERA) vs. Texas LHP Luke Harrison (1-0, 2.77 ERA)
SUNDAY – USC Upstate RHP Max Bianchini (1-1, 7.43 ERA) vs. Texas LHP Dylan Volantis (2-0, 0.48 ERA)
THE MATCHUP — Following its fourth run-rule win of the season, No. 3 Texas hosts USC Upstate for a three-game set at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. The two sides have never squared off on the diamond previously. The Longhorns have only faced one 0ther Big South program, topping Winthrop on March 5, 2002 and March 4, 2007.
STARTING OFF STRONG — Texas is one of the final two remaining unbeaten teams nationally, alongside USC. The Longhorns' 12-0 record marks their best start to a season in 21 years. Through a dozen contests, Texas has outscored its opponents, 109-22. Texas' pitching staff has allowed only 19 earned runs in 100 innings, posting the country's second-best ERA (1.71) and WHIP (0.94). At the plate, Texas ranks 10th in OPS (1.012) and 13th in average (.330) nationally. Meanwhile, the Longhorns' .988 fielding percentage is tied for seventh-best in all of Division I Baseball.
THE EYES OF TEXAS ARE UPON YOU — Heading into fourth weekend of the season, the Longhorns are a consensus top-5 team. Texas checks in as high as No. 3 according to D1Baseball, the NCBWA and USA Today. The Longhorns were also listed fifth by both Baseball America and Perfect Game.
WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS — With a loaded field at the BRUCE BOLT College Classic, the Longhorns downed No. 9 Coastal Carolina, Baylor and Ohio State to claim the tournament title. Texas and UTSA were the lone two programs in the six-team group to win all three of its games, but the Longhorns posted a classic-best plus-17 run differential to earn the crown. Third Baseman Temo Becerra was named the Classic's Most Outstanding Player, finishing 4-for-8 with three homers, seven runs scored, six RBI, 14 total bases and a 2.365 OPS across the weekend. Starting pitcher Ruger Riojas also garnered a spot on the 13-player All-Tournament Team, following his career-high 11-strikeout performance against the Chanticleers.
LIVING LEGEND — With the Longhorns' 5-2 victory over Baylor on Feb. 28, Hall of Famer Jim Schlossnagle became the seventh active head coach with 1,000 Division I wins under his belt. Schlossnagle is also the 70th skipper in NCAA history — regardless of level — to reach the milestone. Across his 25-year head coaching career at UNLV (2002-03), TCU (2004-21), Texas A&M (2022-24) and Texas (2025-present), Schlossnagle has totaled a 1,002-469 (.681) ledger. The two-time National Coach of the Year and nine-time conference honoree has led his team to the College World Series seven times in the last 15 seasons, including a co-nation's best six trips to Omaha in the last 11 campaigns.
VOLANTIS THE PRAYING MANTIS — Left-hander Dylan Volantis made a name for himself in his first year on The Forty Acres, collecting Baseball America National Freshman of the Year distinction. Volantis became just the fourth Longhorn to garner the prestigious honor in program history, joining Greg Swindell (1984), Kirk Dressendorfer (1988) and Brooks Kieschnick (1991). A consensus All-American, the 6-foot-6, 220-pound left-hander led all rookies nationally in WHIP (0.88) and saves (12), while finishing second in ERA (1.94) and B/AVG (.185). Volantis compiled 74 strikeouts and only 12 walks over 51 innings. Among Division I hurlers, he tied for 10th in saves, while his 11 saves in conference action are the most by an SEC freshman ever. In his three outings this year, Volantis has tossed 18 2/3 innings and yielded one earned run. The sophomore matched his career-high with seven innings in each of his first two starts, setting a new career-best nine strikeouts vs. Michigan State. Against UC Davis, Volantis took a no-hitter into the sixth inning. He faced the minimum through five frames and retired 14 of the first 16 batters. On Feb. 16, he was tabbed the SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week.
ROCKIN' ROBBINS — After being lightly recruited out of high school, Aiden Robbins became one of the most sought-after transfers in the country. As a sophomore at Seton Hall, Robbins totaled the fifth-highest on-base percentage (.537) and the sixth-best average (.422) nationally. The ABCA/Rawlings East All-Region Second Team pick paced the Pirates in average, runs (63), hits (86), doubles (19), total bases (133), walks (44), on-base percentage, slugging (.652), stolen bases (20) and multi-hit games (26). Robbins has opened his tenure in burnt orange by leading the Longhorns with 17 RBI, 37 total bases, a .787 slugging percent and a 1.250 OPS, while also tying for the club lead with a .404 average and four home runs. On Feb. 21 vs. Michigan State, he hit for the cycle, becoming the first Texas player to complete the feat since C.J Hinojosa in 2015.
HE'S A CATCH — Following two standout seasons at Notre Dame, Carson Tinney arrives on The Forty Acres as one of the most prolific power hitters in college baseball. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound backstop paced all Power Four players in WRC+ (179) and wOBA (.535), while also tallying the third-highest OPS (1.251) last season. Tinney, who was one of three finalists for the Buster Posey Award, paced the Irish in 10 offensive categories, highlighted by his .348 average, 17 home runs and 53 RBI. The 2025 consensus All-American was slotted as the third-best catcher in D1Baseball's preseason player rankings. Tinney has reached safely in all 12 games as a Longhorn, mounting a co-team-best four homers and a 1.019 OPS.
HITTERS HIT — A lifelong Longhorn fan, second baseman Ethan Mendoza returned home after one season at Arizona State. A 2025 NCAA Div. 1 Central All-Region Second Team selection, Mendoza produced a team-best .333 average with five homers and 35 RBI as the Longhorns' leadoff man. The second baseman paced Texas in average, hits (75), triples (4) and multi-hit games (25), while tying for the club lead in stolen bases (15). Mendoza homered four times in his first 34 at-bats, after hammering only three blasts in 203 at-bats as a freshman. He was one of four Longhorns to land on the SEC All-Defensive Team. To begin his junior campaign, Mendoza has reached in all 12 games, tying for the team lead with a .404 average.
MUSTACHE YOU A QUESTION — After only making two starts across his first three years at Texas, Luke Harrison became a stalwart for the Longhorns in the rotation. As a freshman in 2022, Harrison made a team-high 32 appearances, registering a 3.06 ERA and two saves. Over the next two seasons, the left-hander would only pitch in 13 games, missing the 2023 campaign due to injury. Last year, Harrison totaled a 5-1 ledger and a 3.06 ERA in 15 starts. Among returning pitchers in the SEC, the 6-foot-2, 220-pound hurler mounted the best ERA (min. 1.0 IP/G) in 2025. In Harrison's 18 starts since the beginning of last season, the Longhorns have gone 15-3.
MR. DO IT ALL — Adrian Rodriguez burst onto the college baseball scene as a freshman in 2025, collecting First Team Freshman All-America honors from Perfect Game. Rodriguez slashed .313/.410/.516 with seven homers and 23 RBI, finishing second on the club in batting. Rodriguez also stole a co-team-best 15 bases. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound switch hitter left the yard in two of his first three career games, highlighted by a go-ahead solo shot against Louisville in the 10th inning on Opening Day. Rodriguez began his rookie campaign with an 11-game on-base streak, notching a .404 average over that stretch. At the Las Vegas Classic, he was the only rookie tabbed to the All-Tournament Team. Rodriguez closed the season with a 25-game on-base streak.
SWISS ARMY KNIFE — Right-hander Ruger Riojas' glove says it perfectly: 'SAY WHEN.' Riojas — who joined the program after two years at UTSA — did a little bit of everything for the Longhorns on the mound in his debut campaign on The Forty. The 6-foot, 195-pound hurler made 18 appearances, including 10 starts. As a reliever, Riojas posted a 4-1 record and a 3.94 ERA over 20 1/3 innings. Meanwhile, across his first six starting nods, the Wimberley, Texas, native produced a 4-0 mark and a 2.39 ERA in 34 innings.
PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE — Throughout his time as a head coach, Jim Schlossnagle's teams have been touted as some of the best offensive units nationally. At the forefront of their approach, Schlossnagle's clubs have been known for working lengthy at-bats. Over the last five full seasons, Schlossnagle's squad has led the country in pitches per plate appearance. In 2025, Texas (4.08) paced the nation in that category, checking in ahead of Jacksonville State (4.04), Oklahoma (4.03), LSU (4.03) and Wake Forest (4.03).
DOMINATE THE ZONE — Under pitching coach Max Weiner, the Longhorns have adopted the identity of 'Dominate the Zone.' Weiner puts an emphasis on overall strike percentage, winning the 0-0 and 1-1 counts, and maximizing strikeout-to-walk ratio. This year, Texas has thrown 65.3 percent of its pitches for strikes, while totaling a 61.3 percent clip in 0-0 counts and a 59.9 percent mark in 1-1 counts. The Longhorns sport a 3.5 strikeout-to-walk ratio. As of March 5, Texas ranks second nationally in ERA (1.71) and WHIP (0.94).
SEASON TO REMEMBER — Last year, Texas mounted a 44-14 ledger, which marked its best record since 2010. The Longhorns became the first team to win the SEC in their inaugural campaign in the league since 1933. The Longhorns won 38 of their first 43 contests. After an extra-inning defeat on Opening Day, Texas rattled off 17 straight victories from Feb. 15 - March 16. The 17-game winning streak was its longest since the program won 21 in a row in 2010. The Longhorns also posted a 10-game winning streak to cap off a 15-2 month of April. Texas was tabbed the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Division Baseball Championship, hosting for the 38th time in its 64 postseason appearances.
GUESS WHO'S BACK, BACK AGAIN — The Longhorns bring back 16 letterwinners from their SEC Championship club from a year ago, headlined by reigning Baseball America National Freshman of the Year. Overall, Texas returns 76 percent of its innings pitched, including 45 of its 58 starts on the mound. Last season, the Longhorns' pitching staff notched the second-best WHIP (1.18) and the sixth-best ERA (3.71) in the country. Offensively, Ethan Mendoza and Adrian Rodriguez — Texas' top two leading hitters in 2025 — are back on The Forty Acres. Mendoza led the squad with a .333 batting average, while Rodriguez produced a .313 clip.
OWN THE DISCH — Since UFCU Disch-Falk Field opened in 1975, Texas has gone 1,670-427-3 (.796) at home thanks in large part to Longhorn Nation. In 2025, Texas drew 250,757 fans at home, the sixth-highest attendance in the country. Against Texas A&M, the Longhorns set a new three-game series attendance record at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, with 23,680 tickets sold.
PRESEASON PRAISE — Ten Longhorns received preseason distinction, including five preseason All-SEC nods, six preseason All-Americans and eight players on national watch lists. Catcher Carson Tinney and left-handed pitcher Dylan Volantis were both named to the Golden Spikes Award preseason watch list, beginning the process of identifying the top amateur baseball player in the country for the 2026 season. Tinney was also selected as one to watch for the Buster Posey Collegiate National Catcher of the Year Award, with Volantis among the hurlers tabbed to the National Pitcher of the Year Award preseason watch list. Outfielder Aiden Robbins was recognized on the National Player of the Year Award preseason watch list, while rookies Brett Crossland and Michael Winter were spotlighted as Freshman of the Year candidates. Relievers Thomas Burns, Max Grubbs and Cal Higgins comprised Texas' trio on the Stopper of the Year Award watch list.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE — Texas will once again play one of the toughest schedule in the country. The Longhorns are slated to face six teams in D1Baseball's preseason poll. Texas will play 34 home games at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, headlined by marquee series against No. 12 Oklahoma (March 26-28) and No. 4 Mississippi State (May 1-3).
IT JUST MEANS MORE — The 2026 campaign marks the Longhorns' second season in the SEC after 28 years in the Big 12. Thirteen different SEC programs are ranked in the top-25 of the major polls. Last year, a record 13 SEC teams earned NCAA Tournament bids. The SEC has won six consecutive NCAA Championships.
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT OMAHA — The winningest NCAA Division I college baseball program of all time has become very familiar with the restaurants in Omaha, Neb. Texas holds the record for most appearances in the College World Series (38), most individual CWS games won (88), most overall NCAA Tournament games won (260) and most NCAA Tournament appearances (64). The Longhorns have won six national championships, trailing only USC (12) and LSU (8).
HEAR 'EM — In partnership with Learfield IMG College, Texas games will be broadcast on the Longhorn Radio Network, primarily on AM-1300 The Zone. Craig Way handles main play-by-play duties, alongside Roger Wallace and Cameron Parker. Fans will also hear analysis from Longhorn legend and 12-year MLB veteran Keith Moreland.
