The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Pack Jr. tabbed Baseball America National Freshman of the Year
06.11.2026 | Baseball
Outfielder becomes fifth Longhorn to garner prestigious honor in program history
OMAHA, Neb. — Texas Longhorns outfielder Anthony Pack Jr. was selected as the National Freshman of the Year, Baseball America announced Thursday morning.
Pack Jr. becomes just the fifth Longhorn to earn the prestigious recognition in program history, alongside Greg Swindell (1984), Kirk Dressendorfer (1988), Brooks Kieschnick (1991) and Dylan Volantis (2025).
The Longhorns are only the third program with back-to-back Baseball America Freshman of the Year honorees, as Pack Jr. and Volantis join LSU's Todd Walker and Brett Laxton (1992-93) and Vanderbilt's Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter (2019 and 2021; no award in 2020).
Among Power Four freshmen in 2026, Pack Jr. ranks first in stolen bases (20), second in average (.359), runs (58) and on-base percentage (.485), third in OPS (1.082), and fourth in hits (74), doubles (16) and slugging (.597).
The SEC Freshman of the Year has mounted 11 home runs and 52 RBI, highlighted by the first-ever three-homer postseason game by a Texas player.
Meanwhile, his team-leading 20 stolen bases are the most by a Longhorn freshman since Drew Stubbs swiped 28 bags in 2004.
In league play, Pack Jr. registered the SEC's top batting average (.400) and on-base percentage (.511). He is the first SEC freshman to hit .400 conference action since Mississippi State's Jake Mangum accomplished the feat in 2016.
The 5-foot-10, 190-pound standout also tied for second in hits (44), tied for third in walks (23), tied for fifth in doubles (10) and stolen bases (12), and finished sixth in OPS (1.111).
Earlier in the week, Pack Jr. was named an NCBWA Freshman All-American.
