Thoughts on Texas baseball one-third of the way through the season

Longtime Inside Texas member Kazooman has been a fixture in the IT community, bringing excellent Longhorn baseball updates. Once a member of the UT baseball team, Kazooman has been a close follower of the program since joining the Wild Bunch in the 1970s. Now 18 games into the season and boasting a 17-1 record, Kazooman offers his thoughts on the 2025 Texas Longhorns.

We are about one-third of the way through the baseball season, so it is time for a little reflection.

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1. Resiliency. The team looked so dejected when singing “The Eyes” after losing the late lead, and then losing the game against Louisville in extra innings to start the season, that it reminded me of when UT lost the semifinal game against Wichita State in the CWS in 1982 – and the 1983 team took that loss to heart, and bounced back to win it all the next year. This team has shown that same level of heart and determination. Since that loss to start the season back on Valentine’s Day, Texas hasn’t lost a game.

EVERY STARTER, and some of the subs, have contributed key hits to win games along the way. It doesn’t matter if you are in a mini-slump – one of your teammates will pick up the slack! Max Belyeu strikes out twice, not seeing the ball well with the sun and shadow combination, and then hits a home run that probably came down somewhere around Birmingham. Kimble Schuessler gets moved down to the nine-hole in the lineup, and then drives a double to right center to drive home the lead run. Casey Borba and Rylan Galvan, hitting in the bottom third of the lineup, get key hits. Adrian Rodriguez was blasting the ball when we were in Vegas. And Ethan Mendoza continues to spray the ball to all fields.

2. Defense. Every team makes errors – these are college kids, after all. But, overall, the defense has improved dramatically. Borba has shown off his arm with strong throws from behind the bag at third. Jalin Flores continues to throw people out from the hole, and has cut way down on his errant throws. Mendoza’s range is outstanding. And Schuessler has been great at first, making defensive stops, scooping up bad throws, and even starting some double plays. Did you see Belyeu’s throw from right, to nab the runner trying to come home yesterday? Tommy Farmer’s diving catch in left? And Will Gasparino has been a gazelle in center, running down everything. Galvan’s defense is much improved over last year – throwing out attempted base stealers, grabbing short bunts, and he has saved us several runs by blocking what would have been a wild pitch from multiple pitchers. Even the pitchers have looked good on defense, starting some 1-6-3 double plays, and covering first on shots to that side of the infield.

3. Pitching. Max Weiner has the guys throwing harder, throwing more strikes, and showing that they are not afraid to attack the zone. ERA is much improved over last year. And the freshmen pitchers have shown they can handle big-time competition. Somebody gets hurt? Next man up. Our starters have shown continuous improvement, and the bullpen has gotten the job done for every game since that opener.

4. Coaching. Jim Schlossnagle has pushed all the right buttons, from making defensive replacements in the outfield to knowing who is hot at the plate and deserving of a start. And he doesn’t hesitate to make a pitching change. Last year, a common lament was, “Well, we left that guy in there one batter too long…” That isn’t happening now. When the coaches see a rhythm problem, loss of control, ball staying too high, whatever – that guy is out of there and a reliever coming in. Every pitcher has bad days, and everybody can get tired – the key is recognizing that problem early, and coaches have been on top of it. Sometimes it is as simple as you don’t want a batter to see a pitcher for the third time, having seen every pitch that guy can throw.

5. The Mendoza factor. I met Ethan’s family when we were in Arlington, and I told them he reminded me a lot of Bill Bates, the All-American second baseman that helped lead UT to the ’83 national championship. Mendoza is the perfect leadoff hitter – taking pitchers deep into the count, able to hit the ball to all fields, and enough power to be able to bomb on occasion. He even clicks his bat against his cleats a lot, like Bates used to do! His range at second is outstanding, he has a strong arm, and, to this point in the season, probably the team’s MVP.

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6. The future. Who knows what the rest of the season will bring? We are in the toughest conference in the country, with a lot of talented teams still to be faced – starting this coming weekend against LSU. Tennessee is undefeated. Florida and Georgia look tough. But this Texas team continues to impress, and I’m hoping to be watching UT baseball into late May, and even June!