Skip to main content
texas logo

Texas Baseball Preview: No. 8 Longhorns host No. 2 LSU for highly anticipated top 10 matchup

by:EvanVieth•about 12 hours
Jim Schlossnagle
Jim Schlossnagle (Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

When the schedule for Texas baseball first dropped in December, this weekend’s series with the LSU Tigers was highlighted with a big red circle by fans of the Longhorns, Tigers, and college baseball.

[Join Inside Texas TODAY for just ONE DOLLAR!]

Outside of the expectedly rowdy Texas A&M series a month from now, no three-game set will hold more importance for Texas, or gain a higher viewership, than this weekend’s matchup against the Bayou Bengals. And for good reason.

LSU is the No. 2 team in the nation and previously was No. 1 after the collapse of the Aggies. Outside of a random Saturday loss to Omaha, the Tigers have been perfect. Wins against Dallas Baptist and a sweep of the Frisco College Baseball Classic headline a schedule in which the Tigers have outscored their opponents 228-78 (an average score of 10-4).

And unfortunately for the Longhorns, the Tigers are catching Texas coming off its most turbulent spot to date. Texas had previously been on a 17-game win streak before UTSA came into town on Tuesday. In upset fashion, the Roadrunners took Texas to 12 innings and handed Schlossnagle his second loss as the skipper in Austin while highlighting some exploitable weaknesses.

This LSU team is one of the most talented in college baseball. Four of the top 70 prospects on MLB.com’s top prospect list for the 2025 draft are Tigers, and the trio of Kade Anderson, Chase Shores and Connor Ware make up the respective Friday, Saturday, and main long-reliever roles for LSU.

Probably for the first time this year, Texas will face waves of true MLB-level talent. LSU’s infield features a top-five second baseman in the sport, a top-five first baseman, and D1Baseball’s No. 6 shortstop in the country. Freshman outfielder Derek Curiel boasts a 1.210 OPS and was named the 2025 SEC Preseason Freshman of the Year by D1Baseball.

The talent of this lineup and pitching staff are absurd, and Texas will have its hands full coming into this matchup. The upside, however, will be the crowd at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. Texas is hosting its first SEC series at home, and it couldn’t have come up against a bigger name or program in the sport.

Additionally, Texas’ bats have been on fire as of late, with hitters like Rylan Galvan and Casey Borba each hitting bombs against Mississippi State on their way to a combined eight RBI weekend.

Expectations for the weekend will vary. Three wins are always preferred, but a realistic view says that avoiding a sweep would be enough to temper any major worries about this team. As is usual in college baseball, the Friday game is the most important for either side, with LHP Jared Spencer set to face off against the nasty Anderson.

[Order THE LONGHORN ALPHABET today! Teach your little ones the A to Z’s of Texas Football!]

First pitch is Friday at 7 p.m. at the Disch with lineups still to be determined.

You may also like