AUSTIN (KXAN) — There’s plenty of offensive pop returning to the Texas lineup this spring, but first-year head coach Jim Schlossnagle said they must get their pitching in order to set the Longhorns up for success.
Speaking before the first day of official practice Friday, Schlossnagle said it won’t take long for the position players to get ready for the season opener Feb. 14 against Louisville at Globe Life Field in Arlington. The pitchers, however, need time to build up arm strength. They’ve been at it for about 12 weeks with new pitching coach Max Weiner, Schlossnagle said, and he is determined to make this a better year on the mound for Texas than last year was.
“Everything is about having the pitching ready and figuring that out,” he said. “In two weeks, everyone will be tired of looking at each other and ready to play somebody else.”
Statistically, the Longhorns had one of their worst pitching years in the past decade . The staff had a 4.91 ERA — the highest it has been in 10 seasons — walks were up and strikeouts were down from previous years and nobody emerged as a go-to arm to shut an opponent down. The team has some returning arms that Schlossnagle hopes to lean on, but he said left-hander Jared Spencer, a transfer from Indiana State, will be a key piece.
“He’s going to be part of it,” Schlossnagle said. “He’s only had nine starts in his career, so that’s a big jump to potentially pitching on the weekends in the SEC, but he’s capable of that.”
Spencer was the Sycamores’ closer in 2023 before making nine starts in 18 appearances last year. He threw 53 innings with 72 strikeouts and 33 walks, fitting what the Longhorns need to improve over last season. He was an all-Missouri Valley Conference reliever in 2023.
Luke Harrison, another left-hander, should also factor into the rotation, but after those two, Schlossnagle said it’s a wide-open competition for pitchers to get the ball to start a game.
“We don’t stretch guys out in the fall to throw more than two innings, so nobody on this campus, since we’ve been here, has thrown more than that,” he said. “We’ll have to see who can handle that up to 60-70 pitches.”
The pitching staff could get a boost when Ace Whitehead returns to full strength. The senior from Lampasas had 10 starts last season with a 4.16 ERA but needed offseason surgery to alleviate thoracic outlet syndrome. That’s when blood vessels and nerves in the neck and shoulders become compressed, which can lead to numbness, weakness and pain. Schlossnagle said Whitehead won’t be ready for a while, however.
“We’re still trying to get some answers on him,” Schlossnagle said. “He’s got a lot of things to work through health-wise to be able to help us. He’ll be part of us, I’m not just not sure what it’s going to look like at the moment.”
Max Grubbs is another returner who could see starting time on the mound but he’s also worked through injury issues. Schlossnagle said Grubbs is “throwing pretty well.” He didn’t pitch at all during the fall due to shoulder problems, so Schlossnagle has yet to see Grubbs throw off a mound in a game-like situation.
“He’s such a competitor and he throws strikes, which any coach values, so I would imagine he’d be part of it too, but he’s behind the other guys,” Schlossnagle said.
Belyeu, Flores named preseason all-Americans
Juniors Max Belyeu and Jalin Flores helped carry the Longhorns through last season into the NCAA tournament, and they’ll be expected to do it again this year. D1Baseball.com named the duo third-team preseason all-Americans, Belyeu in the outfield and Flores at shortstop. Both hit 18 home runs last year to lead the team. Belyeu was named the Big 12 player of the year and Flores was a consensus All-American.
“I just need to have good at-bats and pass the baton,” Belyeu said. “We’re an extremely hungry group and we’re not trying to put too much pressure on ourselves.”
Texas is entering its first season in the Southeastern Conference, and having coached in the conference with Texas A&M, Schlossnagle said it’s “the big leagues of college baseball.” Belyeu realizes this season is going to be different, but he said the team tries not to think about that too much.
“We’re just going to play whoever is supposed to play us and give it our best,” Belyeu said.
Texas begins the season at Shriners Children’s College Showdown in Arlington, facing Ole Miss and Oklahoma State along with Louisville. The team’s home opener is Feb. 18 against Houston and the first home series is Feb. 21-23 against Dartmouth.
The Longhorns are ranked No. 14 in Baseball America’s preseason poll and No. 19 by D1Baseball.com.
