Texas Baseball Heat Check: How hot are the Longhorns heading into their Kentucky road series?

Texas baseball enters a weekend away series in Lexington, Ky. with a 27-4 record, its best start as a program since 2004. After Rylan Galvan delivered the walk-off home run to secure Sunday’s series sweep against Georgia, it felt like Texas was in its best spot since June 12, 2022. That’s when the Longhorns dismantled the East Carolina Pirates on the way to the College World Series (we don’t talk about the two games after that).

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first-ever trip to Lexington, y'all 🤘https://t.co/6hoBNsuLq3#HookEm | @_EthanMendoza pic.twitter.com/S8wwKuhEUF

— Texas Baseball (@TexasBaseball) April 11, 2025

The Longhorns are racking up the wins in a hurry, with only one of their four losses coming in SEC play. Texas is tied with Arkansas atop the Southeastern Conference. If not for some uncharacteristic Tuesday losses, Texas would likely be the No. 1 team in the nation. The Razorbacks hold that distinction for now, with Texas right behind them.

For some of the more casual fans of the team, it can be hard to keep up with who is doing well and what has been the catalyst for Texas’ success this season. We’re doing a heat index for every position on the field before an important series for the Longhorns.

How hot is each position?

Catcher: DKR upper deck seats in Week 1

Few things are as miserable as sitting in the top deck as the fourth quarter hits, now two hours into an uncompetitive game in 100-degree weather. That’s the level of heater Rylan Galvan is on right now. There may not be two catchers in the country swinging the stick better than Galvan at the moment. He’s sporting an absurd 1.441 OPS in conference play and gets on base more than he doesn’t. Galvan has been banged up, yet he’s still playing strong defense behind the plate. And of course, you can’t overlook a walk-off extra innings home run.

First Base: A nice bag of Hot Cheetos

It’s a reliable snack, but can sometimes test your taste buds a little bit. That’s what the Kimble Schuessler experience has been like this year. Schuessler’s power hasn’t been what you’d hoped for this season (just a .319 slugging PCT in SEC play), but he’s getting on base with the best strikeout rate of anyone on the team. A home run in the midweek against Houston Christian may be the start of a big streak for Schuess.

Second Base: A campfire ready to be lit

Ethan Mendoza may have been Texas’ hottest hitter on the team to start the year. A surprising power surge easily lapped his past season total in home runs early in the year, but he’s cooled off some recently. Mendoza went just 2-for-12 against Georgia and wasn’t getting on base in the same fashion we were accustomed to. Thankfully, Mendoza had a great game against HCU and was awesome against Missouri two weeks ago. The logs will heat up soon.

Third Base: A seatbelt on a 100-degree day

One moment you’re turning on the engine and the AC; the next, your hand is subjected to the half a second of scalding pain. That small touch of the 200-degree seatbelt can sneak up on you, just like Casey Borba, who has been easily the most underrated Longhorn so far this season. In conference play, he is second in OPS (1.095), fourth in home runs (three), and fifth in total bases (20), all while being seventh in at-bats. Borba has been great, and don’t forget that Adrian Rodriguez may be returning soon.

Shortstop: Cholula

I like Cholula; it’s consistent, and you know what you’re getting. But when it comes to the spice levels, it’s probably at a 2/10 in terms of hot sauces. Jalin Flores is one of the most familiar faces for Texas; he is one of two players to start every game for the Longhorns and has the most plate appearances, but he hasn’t been lighting the world on fire recently. When he is hitting, just like that iconic wooden cap, he can turn up the heat. His four RBI this past weekend were extremely clutch, but a .188 batting average in conference play is far from ideal from a top-of-the-order hitter.

Left Field: Taco Tuesday in the average American household

Continuing on the trend started by Cholula, the left field position in Texas is about as hot and spicy as my mom’s ground beef and hard shell tacos, and I hail from Washington, D.C. We’d be lucky to see a splash of cayenne on this position group.

Jayden Duplantier looked uncompetitive all series against Georgia, and Easton Winfield has really struggled at the plate. Losing Max Belyeu hurt this position a lot. Thankfully, Winfield has developed a really good eye and is walking a lot. Him getting on base will do the job if he still can’t swing at a high level.

Center Field: Smokey the Cannon’s Insides

Cannons apparently reach 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit when they are firing. Fitting enough for Will Gasparino, his tirade of home runs has kept Smokey active, shooting off the ceremonial blank every time he’s trotted around the bases. After another great game last Friday, Gasparino had knocked in seven home runs in six games. These homers weren’t just wall scrapers either; the giant sophomore has been hitting moonshots every time he connects with the ball. Gasparino is probably second on the list in terms of Texas’ best hitters, just behind Galvan.

Right Field: Hot Ones Hot Sauce

Have any of you done the Hot Ones Hot Sauce challenge? I came in expecting to have my taste buds seared off but instead was met with regular amounts of spice and immeasurable disappointment.

That’s what this Texas RF room feels like. Max Belyeu should be destroying his way through the SEC right now on his way to a potential Player of the Year nod, but instead, his injury may leave him out for the rest of the season. Tommy Farmer IV has been good moving over from left, but it’s just not the same.

Pitching Staff: A plate of fajitas from Matt’s El Rancho

Maybe I’m just craving Mexican food? Either way, when you think about what this Texas pitching staff has done, it’s hard not to compare them to a plate of sizzling hot meats and peppers steaming their way through the restaurant.

Texas’ staff completely neutralized the best hitting team in the country last weekend, holding Georgia to eight runs in three games. No Power Five team has a better ERA, and Texas hasn’t given up more than five runs in a game since the second game of the LSU series. Elite things are coming from Max Weiner’s group.

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Texas starts a three-game set at Kentucky tonight at 5:30 p.m. It will air on SEC Network+.