Casey Borba, Tommy Farmer stayed the course and are reaping the benefits in 2025

When Texas baseball head coach Jim Schlossnagle took over as the skipper in Austin, he inherited a mismatched group of batters, many who probably felt like they had more left in the tank before they left Austin for the pros.

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Fans were sad to see Jared Thomas, Peyton Powell and Porter Brown go, but Schlossnagle returned five of the team’s core eight batters, including the best two in conference play last year: Max Belyeu and Jalin Flores. With rising sophomore second baseman Dee Kennedy being the only true rotational player leaving via the transfer portal, Schlossnagle succeeded in bringing back almost every starter he could.

But there were still two players from that 2024 team who had flown under the radar in terms of key retentions in Austin. Two L.A. boys, Tommy Farmer IV and Casey Borba, had made the tough decisions to stay in Austin, even with so many factors against them. Farmer and Borba had just a touch over 100 combined at-bats in their true freshman seasons, and Texas was bringing in an entirely new staff that would likely favor the previous starters or new additions. Farmer especially had every right to return back home to play for a school like UCLA or USC, given that he had had just 20 ABs in ’24 and was sure to trail Belyeu and starting centerfielder Will Gasparino in the lineup.

However, the two stayed the course, working throughout the offseason to earn important roles even as underclassmen. Schlossnagle had made it clear early on for the players that spots were going to be up for grabs in 2025. Texas had brought in transfer outfielder Easton Winfield and freshman third baseman Adrian Rodriguez, but it was expected that Farmer and Winfield, and Borba and Rodriguez would enter a fierce competition for their respective positions, with a third player taking over the long-term DH spot.

“I think it all has to do with the culture we have in the clubhouse,” Borba said. “I mean we’re a tight brotherhood. Everyone’s rooting for each other, no one’s praying on anyone’s downfall, obviously. And, you know, whatever we can do to help the Horns win, we’re gonna do.”

As the 2025 season began, it became clear that Farmer had earned his coach’s trust. A speedy outfielder with a plus glove and bat, Farmer’s diverse skillset brought him quickly into the starting lineup, starting throughout the outfield in both of Texas’ first two series. Farmer has now started 11 of the team’s first 14 games, appearing as a pinch runner or defensive substitution in the other three.

Borba’s path was filled with a few more bumps and bruises along the way. Borba only started in one of Texas’ first seven games, with Schloss taking a chance on him to be able to field the second base position. Borba looked uncomfortable, and by the start of the Las Vegas Classic he had taken just five ABs and recorded one hit.

But Borba wasn’t fazed by his lack of playing time. Between defensive woes from Rodriguez and Winfield’s struggling bat, Borba was given the chance to start at third base against Illinois and Texas A&M – Corpus Christi. Borba made the most of it, tallying four hits (two for extra bases) and four runs with three RBI, forcing Schlossnagle to take notice of the smooth-swinging righty. By the end of this past weekend’s Santa Clara series, Borba had made his fifth start of the season and held the following stats.: .318 BA, 1.158 OPS and 5 XBHs in just 22 at-bats on the season.

“I feel great. I mean, we put so much work in during practice and before the games that we talk a lot about trusting your work, trusting in the process, and then going out and just competing when you get on the field,” Borba said. “So, I think that doing all the work that we’ve done has helped a ton with that.”

As said earlier, Farmer and Borba have each taken advantage of some of the woes of their fellow position group teammates. Rodriguez has been one of the best hitters on the team, but his five errors are by far the most on the Longhorns. DH seems like the right spot for the switch-hitting freshman. Winfield, on the other hand, has hit his way out of a regular spot in the order, holding just a .407 OPS in 27 ABs, 14 of which ended in a strikeout. Borba at third and Farmer and left should be the plan heading into this weekend’s first SEC matchup against Mississippi State.

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Farmer and Borba are two of the most valuable players on this team but are far from household names for the more casual Texas baseball fan. Schlossnagle seems to have found a core of nine guys for his starting lineup, and the emergence of these stellar underclassmen has given a layer to this team that many thought it lacked heading into the season: depth from the positions not already filled by returning mainstays.