The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Alabama
No. 4 Baseball preview: No. 11 Alabama
04.16.2026 | Baseball
Longhorns face top-20 SEC foe for fourth time in last five weeks
#11 ALABAMA vs. #2 TEXAS
April 17-19, 2026
Where: UFCU Disch-Falk Field
Time: Friday at 6:30 p.m.; Saturday at 2 p.m.; Sunday at 1 p.m.
Stream/TV: SEC Network+
Radio: AM-1300 The Zone / 103.1 FM
Live stats: texas.statbroadcast.com
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
FRIDAY – Alabama RHP Tyler Fay (6-2, 3.79 ERA) vs. Texas LHP Dylan Volantis (4-0, 2.01 ERA)
SATURDAY – Alabama LHP Zane Adams (4-2, 4.13 ERA) vs. Texas RHP Ruger Riojas (5-1, 3.40 ERA)
SUNDAY – Alabama RHP Myles Upchurch (4-2, 3.50 ERA) vs. Texas LHP Luke Harrison (4-1, 4.33 ERA)
THE MATCHUP — For the fourth time in the last five weeks, No. 4 Texas faces a top-20 opponent in Southeastern Conference action. The Longhorns welcome the 11th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide to UFCU Disch-Falk Field, as the two sides square off for the first time as conference foes. Texas boasts an 11-1 advantage over Alabama in the all-time series, winning six straight matchups. Despite playing on only 12 occasions, the Longhorns and Crimson Tide share a rich head-to-head history. Texas and Alabama first met in 1899, the Longhorns' fifth season of competition. After a second three-game set in Tuscaloosa five years later, Texas hosted Alabama at Clark Field in 1922. Following a 61-year hiatus, the two sides met twice in the 1983 College World Series. The Longhorns rallied to defeat the Crimson Tide, 6-4, in a 10-inning contest on June 8 before clinching their fourth national title with a 4-3 victory on June 11. Nearly 40 years later, Texas swept a non-conference series against Alabama in 2022.
STRONG START — The 2026 Longhorns are one of four Texas teams to begin 28-7 or better over the past 21 years, alongside the 2005, 2010 and 2025 squads. 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. As of April 16, the Longhorns have posted the country's sixth-best WHIP (1.18) and ninth-best ERA (3.57). Heading into the weekend, Texas has averaged 8.5 runs per game. The Longhorns' .942 OPS ranks 15th nationally. Meanwhile, Texas' .981 fielding percentage is 17th-best in all of Division I Baseball.
THE EYES OF TEXAS ARE UPON YOU — The Longhorns are slotted at No. 4 by all five major outlets, which marks the highest ranking of any SEC program. Texas sports the No. 2 RPI and No. 7 SOS nationally, according to Warren Nolan. Midway through SEC play, the Longhorns are tied for second place, trailing only Georgia by 1 1/2 games.
IT JUST MEANS MORE — 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 33 SEC series wins stack up ahead of Dan Van Horn (29), Kevin O'Sullivan (27), Tony Vitello (27) and Jay Johnson (26). With Schlossnagle at the helm 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.
OWN THE DISCH — Since UFCU Disch-Falk Field opened in 1975, Texas has gone 1,681-429-3 (.796) at home thanks in large part to Longhorn Nation. Texas has averaged 7,240 fans per game at home, the fifth-highest mark in the country, highlighted by the second-largest regular season crowd with 0f 8,059 against No. 8 Oklahoma on March 28. Across the three-game series vs. the Sooners, the Longhorns welcomed 23,407 fans to UFCU Disch-Falk Field, the third-highest recorded attendance for a three-game set in the ballpark's history.
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 saluted J. Brent Cox on March 14 and recognized 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 will feature Dustin Majewski on May 16.
