Diagnosing the Disch: Consistency is key at the catcher position

With under 10 days left until the Texas baseball season opener, Inside Texas will be getting you caught up on everything you might’ve missed after the completion of the 2024 season. Many of you saw the big news of the offseason: moving on from David Pierce and hiring Jim Schlossnagle, a monumental switch-up that shocked the state of Texas thanks to the relationship between the former Texas A&M coach and UT athletic director Chris Del Conte.

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Schlossnagle has already done a lot in Austin to curate his first-year team to be Omaha caliber, even given the haste of his hiring and lack of time to work in the transfer portal. Schlossnagle’s Texas baseball team has many familiar faces, but the roster turnover is evident. Twenty-two of the Longhorn’s 40 players from the 2024 roster have departed the team, including four starting position players, two starting pitchers, and stud closer Gage Boehm, who unfortunately was not given the Diego Pavia JUCO treatment when he asked the NCAA for additional eligibility.

That brings us to the first position of note for the 2025 Texas baseball roster: catcher.

Schlossnagle’s A&M team was loaded at catcher last season. The Aggies featured first-team All-SEC stud Jackson Appel, who’s now a part of the Chicago White Sox system. Texas’ talent behind the dish may not be quite on the level of Appel last year, but the position is arguably the deepest on this Longhorn team in 2025.

The major behind the dish news this offseason has mostly come from a player leaving the position. Kimble Schuessler was a breakout star in 2024 for Texas, playing most of his games either at catcher or DH. With the loss of Jared Thomas to the MLB Draft, Schlossnagle plans to move Schuessler to first base, a less demanding position defensively.

With Schuessler moving to first base, the tools of ignorance are now in the hands of Rylan Galvan. Entering his third year in the program, Galvan is akin to a seasoned vet at this point. Pierce trusted the Sinton product early, allowing him to start 22 games in his true freshman season, most at DH. By the end of 2024, Galvan started over 70 career games, serving as the main catcher for almost the entirety of Big 12 play. Pierce chose Galvan’s defense over Schuessler’s bat, and that seems to be the same choice for Schloss.

Galvan was a great hitter in 2024, ranking fifth on the team in OPS, and fourth among returners. Galvan struggled to get the ball out of the park, but his 14 doubles grouped him with four other hitters in the 14-15 range. It’s hard to argue that any player on this team has better gap power save for Jalin Flores.

Galvan will be a steady bat, likely hitting in the five-hole in the lineup, but worries do come when looking at his defense behind the dish. He committed an error in the alumni game, and his defense was one of the main reasons he was not a member of the All-Big 12 second team last season. He and Texas Tech’s Kevin Bazzell had very similar offensive stats, but Bazzell’s defense not only earned him the award but earned a selection in the third round of the MLB Draft.

Galvan is the starter, but the position is naturally a rotational one given the strain on a player’s knees day in and day out. Galvan’s backup has been made very obvious this season, as sophomore Oliver Service was the alumni team’s catcher this Saturday. Service has garnered a ton of offseason hype, apparently being one of the team’s most productive hitters in fall ball. Service hails from Detroit and saw a bit of playing time last year, and IT would wager that his overall ceiling may be higher than Galvan’s. Service’s arm and ability to get out of his stance in the spring game was notable, and if his bat is as good as advertised, it’s worth keeping tabs on his future in burnt orange.

IT doesn’t expect Galvan and Service to start every game like Galvan and Schuessler did last season. While Galvan and Scheussler each spent time DHing in 2024, Casey Borba and Tommy Farmer are the most likely guys to earn that spot in ’25 while the vets stick to the field. This means that Service will see playing time in 2025 when Galvan needs off days. If Galvan were to get injured, there is a world where Schuessler also plays behind the dish, but I’d assume Schlossnagle would prefer he completely focus on first base.

The other name to watch out for is Cole Chamberlain. Chamberlain was the catcher Schlossnagle brought in with the 2025 class and he has already shown out, hitting a bomb to kick off the 2025 team’s scoring in Saturday’s alumni exhibition. Chamberlain looks the part and has already shown his pop, but IT expects he’ll take a bit more of a back seat to the elder Service. If Chamberlain were to see time, it would likely be at DH against weaker opponents, where he won’t need to focus as much on his defense as a true freshman in the SEC.

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The catcher spot is in a fantastic position for the 2025 season despite justifiable questions about the position. Galvan is one of Texas’ four best returning hitters, and Service and Chamberlain give hope for a strong long-term floor at the position in the future. If Galvan plays well enough, it could be his final season in Austin, but IT sees him as a four-year starter in Austin. If there’s any spot in the order not to be worried about in 2025, it’s at catcher.