Senior pitcher Max Grubbs was honest during his first media appearance since the Longhorns’ regional loss to UTSA earlier this year. Simply put, there is still some unfinished business left on the table.
“The night we lost last year kind of left a bad taste in my mouth, and I figured I’ve got one more year of eligibility — I don’t want to go out like that,” Grubbs said. “I want to win a national championship here. So that’s the goal this year.”
Texas has the tools and experience to finish the job and win its first national championship since 2005. Head coach Jim Schlossnagle lightheartedly joked about having a little more time this season to build his roster compared to the previous season, when he arrived at UT late last June.
“Unfortunately, we had more time than we wanted to have. … It did give us time to bring a lot of guys on visits,” Schlossnagle said.
Schlossnagle had his work cut out for him, losing many key pieces from last year’s team to the transfer portal and the MLB draft. A squad with more newcomers than returners, every spot is up for grabs besides second base, which is firmly junior Ethan Mendoza’s.
Shortstop will be an interesting position battle between Stanford transfer redshirt senior Temo Becerra and returning sophomore Adrian Rodriguez, who started in 49 games last season as a freshman.
According to Schlossnagle, Rodriguez came to him at the end of the season wanting to prove to his head coach that he could play shortstop, his position in high school.
“(Rodriguez) and Temo are in a really nice competition, and Adrian has done really well 10 days into team practice,” Schlossnagle said. “I wouldn’t say anybody’s won a job yet, but certainly Temo is going to be in the lineup in some form, and obviously, Adrian is, too, but Adrian’s really looked good at shortstop.”
Junior Casey Borba and Wichita State graduate transfer Josh Livingston are in the conversation for both first and third base. Borba and Livingston have extensive experience in multiple infield positions.
Arguably, the most important question to answer from last year’s team was, “Who is going to replace Buster Posey Award finalist Rylan Galvan as catcher?” Texas managed to pick up the other finalist, Notre Dame’s Carson Tinney.
“I just wanted to find a better fit for me. … I want to play ball in the last calendar day of the collegiate baseball season,” Tinney said. “(Texas) was the best opportunity to do so, and it’s the only visit I took.”
Galvan was an iron man, catching in nearly every game for Texas last season, and Schlossnagle noted he does not want Tinney behind the plate as much. With this in mind, Texas picked up junior catcher Andrew Ermis to balance the workload.
A common denominator that connects Tinney, Livingston and Seton Hall transfer Aiden Robbins is that all three were some of the best hitters at their previous schools. The transfer trio will prove crucial to Texas’ success after the Longhorns struggled at the plate near the end of the season.
Saturday’s 12-inning exhibition against Texas Tech is a chance for both returners and newcomers to clear up any discrepancies the coaching staff may have at the respective position battles.
“Inexpensive experience is what we call it,” Schlossnagle said. “It doesn’t cost you much in terms of win or loss, but it gives you a chance to play somebody else.”
The Longhorns will face the Red Raiders on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at Dell Diamond in Round Rock.
