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Texas Baseball's Wake Up Call in the SEC

by:RT Young•03/22/25
Rylan Galvan
Rylan Galvan (SARA DIGGINS/AMERICAN-STATESMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK)

I hope this post ages worse than a gallon of whole milk spoiling as it bakes in the sun on top of a roasting blacktop surface. And if Texas baseball wins the next two games against LSU and takes its inaugural SEC series in Austin, I’ll gladly eat crow like it’s been slathered in butter and fried.

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But last night’s 8-2 loss to LSU at Disch-Falk Field felt like a welcome-to-the-SEC moment for Texas on the diamond. I had flashbacks to the 2021 football game in Arkansas when Steve Sarkisian’s young program was exposed by the Razorbacks in the trenches.

That loss, though embarrassing, paved the way for the type of program building in player recruitment and NIL that Sark needed to compete in the SEC. Though I don’t think Jim Schlossnagle’s young squad has as far to go as Sark’s team once did, there was still a clear difference when watching the Tigers on Friday night.

First, it all came together at once for LSU. After catcher Luis Hernandez’s 4th inning home run, the back breaking was on. Great teams step on their opponents’ throats in a collective effort of hitting, fielding, and timely pitching. But their team speed was unbelievable. If there’s one area Texas is clearly lacking this year, it’s on the defensive end. Though Casey Borba had two key early stops at third base that resulted in outs, I couldn’t help but marvel at the tractor beam that was LSU’s infield. Shortstop Steven Milam charged the ball and engulfed it with a speed I’ve rarely seen in baseball. LSU’s bats seemed to make contact with almost every pitch from Jared Spencer and Andre Duplantier. And where Texas struggled to move runners off first base, LSU consistently got a runner on, then to second, then to third.

It was a tough loss to swallow after a great start to the Longhorns’ season under Schloss. Because of Texas baseball’s rich history, Longhorn fans are quick to dream. But after last night, those reveries might be stalled for a while.

At a Texas One Fund event in the fall, the new skipper was quick to point out what a dogfight SEC baseball is. He reminded those in attendance that the 2022 national champion Ole Miss Rebels were the last team into the field of 64. He mentioned how multiple times in recent years, teams that made it to Omaha looked dead in the water during SEC play. It was a laying of expectations but also a call to action for fans. 

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Maybe last night was just one game, a blip. It’s baseball, after all. But maybe, like the loss to Arkansas in football was Sark’s bat signal, this series will have a similar effect for Schloss. The head coach is fully aware of how brutal baseball in this conference can be. Now Longhorn fans are starting to understand it too. Teams like LSU and Tennessee aren’t the exception. They’re the bar everyone else is trying to reach. And Texas baseball still has a ways to go to get there.

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