Texas baseball’s roster begins taking shape following 2022 departures
July 28, 2022
Editor’s note: This article first appeared in the July 26, 2022 flip book.
The Texas baseball team entered the 2022 season with a loaded roster and a No. 1 ranking, but since the season’s end, the Longhorns have lost multiple coaches and almost half of their players.
Despite concerns with the bullpen, Texas still earned a second-straight appearance at the College World Series in June. But after going winless in Omaha and being eliminated by rival Texas A&M, head coach David Pierce began making changes. After pitching coach Sean Allen was dismissed and Troy Tulowitzki left the program, several players entered the transfer portal. Texas lost around 15 players combined to the draft and the portal.
With mostly veteran players left on the roster, all but a few were MLB draft eligible. Six of Texas’ key position players were drafted along with redshirt sophomore pitchers Pete Hansen and Jared Southard. This leaves Texas with holes in all positions, except for second base and one outfield spot where sophomores Mitchell Daly and Dylan Campbell will likely start next season.
Without a full coaching staff, players from other schools were slow to commit to Texas when the transfer portal opened. Pierce filled his staff by the first week of July with Steve Rodriguez, former Baylor head coach, and Woody Williams, former San Jacinto College pitching coach. Since then, the Longhorns have begun adding talent from the portal. Here’s a look at some of the newcomers so far:
Pitcher David Shaw
Texas landed its first commit from the portal with left-handed pitcher David Shaw from Rice. The 6-foot-7, 205-pound sophomore from Houston started his collegiate career in the bullpen before moving into Rice’s starting rotation during the last month of the 2022 season. Shaw produced a 2-2 record with a 6.57 ERA in 37 innings, and will be a welcome addition to Texas’ bullpen with that being a notable weak spot in 2022.
Pitcher Heston Tole
Heston Tole, a junior from Arkansas, was the next to commit to Texas. The 6-foot-6, 220-pound right-handed pitcher from Wichita Falls had a 3.77 ERA in 14.1 innings last season for the Razorbacks. Tole will help fill some of Texas’ pitching needs and will likely contend for a starting role.
Catcher Garret Guillemette
Garret Guillemette from USC committed shortly after Tole. The junior will fill a key spot for Texas after redshirt sophomore Silas Ardoin was taken in the fourth round of the MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles. Guillemette is a 6-foot-1, 210-pound righty from Yorba Linda, California, who had a combined average of .299 in his first two seasons at USC with 98 hits, 8 home runs and a .978 fielding percentage last season.
Pitcher Charlie Hurley
Right-handed pitcher Charlie Hurley from Sacramento, California also made a move to Texas from USC. Hurley is a 6-foot-8, 218-pound junior who was a bullpen pitcher in 2021 but moved into the starting rotation in 2022. Last season, he allowed a 4.19 ERA and started in 13 games. He has been projected as a possible Sunday starter but could quickly move to the Saturday role.
Infielder Tanner Carlson
The most recent addition to the Longhorns is 6-foot-1, 190-pound Tanner Carlson from Elk Grove, California. The former Long Beach State infielder played both first and third base during his time there. Last season, he hit .345 while starting 32 games. Carlson will be a redshirt senior and add to the experience level of a young Texas team and help Pierce fill an infield position for the 2023 season.
With the draft now concluded, Texas will likely receive more commits in the coming weeks along with incoming freshman talent, but important positions still need to be filled at shortstop, first base, third base and in the outfield.
