Dylan Volantis stars in first tastes of SEC play

Freshman LHP Dylan Volantis isn’t just the next star of the Texas baseball pitching staff. He already is one.

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The 6-foot-6 California product has already made a case for being one of the best underclassmen pitchers in the Southeastern Conference. Volantis pitched twice against LSU, earning two saves in 4.2 innings, his sole base runner coming on a walk in the ninth inning on Sunday. The Tigers, one of the best teams in the nation, struck out in seven of its 15 at-bats against No. 99.

The weekend prior was equally as successful for the lefty, appearing twice against Mississippi State and holding the Bulldogs scoreless. In six innings of SEC play, Volantis has a 0.00 ERA and just a 0.67 WHIP, both the best numbers on the pitching staff.

“That series before (LSU) was definitely the biggest moment for me going in there,” Volantis said about the Mississippi State series. “Especially away, the crazy audience and crowd gets rowdy there.”

Volantis’ journey to Texas was far from a smooth one. Originally a USC commit, Volantis grew up in Thousand Oaks, Calif. where he pitched on varsity for three seasons. His final year saw him win 2024 All-Marmonte League Pitcher of the Year, recording a 0.33 ERA. Absurd stats, a unique arm slot and a fantastic athletic profile made him an obvious top candidate in the 2024 class, earning a top 150 rating in Perfect Game’s prospect rankings.

Volantis had fully signed a letter of intent with the Trojans and was even drafted in the 20th round of the MLB Draft to the Athletics, but the process wasn’t quite right for the lefty. Volantis declined to sign, made his way out from his letter of intent, and searched for a new school over the summer.

A tall task for an 18-year-old, just a few months before needing to enroll in school, he hit the trail, stopping at Wake Forest before making a visit to Austin. After a conversation with head coach Jim Schlossnagle and pitching coach Max Weiner, Volantis knew UT was the place for him.

“In the middle of summer I didn’t really know where I was going to be going,” Volantis said. “But (after) I came here, on that plane ride back, I texted coach Schloss, and I was saying that I’m 100% in and I want to be a part of this team and program and the legacy this program has. I couldn’t miss that opportunity.”

Even though Volantis was a highly rated prospect and a big recruiting flip for Schlossnagle, the experienced coach couldn’t have guessed how impactful the young arm would be this early on.

“I don’t want to say he fell in our lap, but it’s one of those deals where we had more of a need, and his opportunity to pitch was going to be super high,” Schlossnagle said about his recruitment. “We got him, but I had never seen him pitch in person, just on video. Credit for how hard he’s worked. He’s got stronger, gotten bigger, and certainly Max (Weiner) hasdone a great job with him.”

Volantis is one of just five hurlers on the Longhorns with 20 innings pitched on the year, accompanied only by upperclassmen and veterans like Andre Duplantier II. Volantis has arguably been the Longhorns’ best pitcher, but there’s still more to come for the lefty as he integrates more into the culture and works more with Weiner.

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Volantis’ role on the Longhorns will continue to evolve this season, but you’d be hard pressed to find any player with a better chance at being Texas’s Friday starter in 2026 than Dylan Volantis.