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Diagnosing the Disch: Kimble Schuessler is a familiar face at an unfamiliar position

by:EvanVieth•about 9 hours
Kimble Schuessler
Kimble Schuessler (Mikala Compton/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK)

In Thursday’s diagnosing article, IT talked about the catcher position for Texas baseball, mostly highlighting rising junior catcher Rylan Galvan as the sole starter for the team.

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This may have come as a surprise for many of our readers who don’t keep up with the ins and outs of Texas baseball’s offseason, as Galvan and senior Kimble Scheussler were the two players who started nearly every game for Texas baseball in 2024.

Schuessler is a fun story for the Longhorns, having originally committed to veteran Texas A&M coach Rob Childress’ Aggie team in 2021. Schuessler barely played in his first year, and when Childress was fired following the season, Schuessler made his way to Austin. Oddly enough, the coach who replaced Childress is a familiar name in the news, Jim Schlossnagle. Now, Schuessler can’t (and wouldn’t want to) dodge Schloss’s expertise, staying for a graduate senior season.

Schuessler has spent nearly his entire career as a catcher or DH, but Schlossnagle has a new plan for him in Austin. Schuessler has spent the offseason working with former Longhorn first basemen Zach Zubia, who now plays for the Marlins Double-A affiliate. Schuessler said this about the transition:

“The relationship with the pitcher is a little different,” Schuessler said. “When you’re catching, you get the ball every single play over there. At first, you may not touch it every play, but there’s a lot of similarities. I think the relationships that I’ve built with the pitchers back there catching has helped me at first base.”

Schuessler didn’t sugarcoat much about the change. It will be a very different playstyle defensively, and though it can often be undervalued in the big leagues, a first baseman who can reel in stray throws and picks is invaluable in the college game. This is amplified even more given concerns of Jalin Flores and Galvan’s throwing accuracy and playing across the corner from true freshman Adrian Rodriguez.

As far as concerns, those end the second you swap your focus from defense to offense. Schuessler is a killer at the plate, being one of only four players on last year’s team to have an OPS over 1.000. This is a hitter who is ready to approach 250 at bats and 20 homers, as he slugged .600 with 10 bombs in just 178 ABs. Schuessler led off the alumni game, a surprise decision from Schlossnagle given his lackluster speed, but only Max Belyeu and draftee Jared Thomas got on base at a higher clip last season. Modern-day analytics actually agree with this type of lineup construction, as long as Belyeu hits around that 2-3 spot.

Behind Schuessler is Jaquae Stewart, a sophomore who spent his first season at Northwest Florida State in the FCSAA conference. Stewart was super productive as a freshman and even won FCSAA tournament MVP, but the step up from small-school Florida baseball to SEC play is a steep one for an underclassman. Stewart will play plenty, and could carve out a role at DH if he becomes more comfortable over the year, but IT expect Schuessler to take most of the first base work in the Shriners Classic and SEC play.

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A few youngsters like Casey Borba and Cole Chamberlain play the position, but both of these players are more likely to see time at the DH spot than starting at first. Scheussler is firmly in control of this spot this year, and is one of five fantastic returning bats on the offense, but the future looks really strong with the three behind him.

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