After reaching Omaha for two consecutive years, last year’s preseason No. 1 Texas baseball team looks to rebuild after losing some of its most familiar faces.

Texas baseball’s success over the last two seasons could be attributed to the maturity of the team, which now seems to be a luxury of the past as eight Longhorns were taken in the 2022 MLB draft, the most since 2017. Senior outfielder Eric Kennedy, junior outfielder Dylan Campbell and junior infielder Mitchell Daly are the only starting position players that returned to Texas baseball’s lineup in 2023. 

Texas head coach David Pierce, however, is optimistic in his new players’ abilities to mature and step up as the season progresses.

“When you have talent, you’ve got to play them,” Pierce said to Inside Texas. “You’ve got to allow them to make some mistakes, understand them and get them through that. By April or May, then you see guys that really take off.”

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Texas baseball non-conference preview

Losing 82% of home run production and 79% of RBI production from 2022, Texas will count on freshman infielders Jalin Flores and Jared Thomas to chip away at this deficit. 

Slashing .417 over 25 games according to MaxPreps, Flores brings back some of the pop that Texas’ lineup lost. A day one starter at third base, Flores was projected Big 12 Freshman of the Year by D1baseball.com. 

Thomas is a lanky 6-foot-2-inch 185 pound infielder/outfielder that was the highest ranked first baseman out of Texas in the 2022 class and got the starting job during last weekend’s College Baseball Showdown, succeeding Ivan Melendez. He was previously ranked the No. 218 draft prospect in the 2022 MLB Draft by Baseball America, so his decision to forgo pro ball until a later date could be a testament to his commitment to Texas’ program for many years to come. 

“This kid bleeds burnt orange,” Pierce said. “His passion reminds me of the Clemens brothers’ passion for Texas. That’s special.” 

Known for his contact ability, Thomas slashed .484 with an eye-popping 38 RBIs during his junior campaign. He also has the frame to develop power, which can take shape with a college level weight room. 

Aside from the 2022 signing class, Texas landed some huge offensive weapons via the transfer portal this past offseason.

Texas’ most experienced transfer is redshirt junior outfielder Porter Brown from TCU. Brown batted .342 in 2021 with 41 hits, including a two home run 10 RBI game against Kansas en route to earning MVP of the Big 12 tournament. Production dipped in 2022 with an alarmingly high 32.7% strikeout percentage, but Texas hopes to get back the 2021 version of Brown that was a spark in the Horned Frogs lineup. 

Texas also picked up a gritty catcher in junior Garrett Guillemette from USC who will maintain the consistency at the backstop position that Texas had for three years with Silas Ardoin. Guillemette is used to the wear and tear of long seasons behind the plate, playing in 98 of 104 games and starting in 92 during his first two collegiate seasons at USC. Earning All Pac-12 honors as a true freshman, Guillemette slumped a bit last season compared to his 2021 performance but still managed to hit .286 with a career-best 54 hits. Guillemette brings consistent, solid contact to Texas’ lineup and reliability from a defensive standpoint with a .987 career fielding percentage. 

Texas will fight an uphill battle in 2023 for a chance to make the trip back to Omaha. The team’s success will largely depend on those that are putting on the burnt orange and white threads for the first time ever.