Texas junior outfielder Aiden Robbins has never ended a season batting under .300 in his baseball career.
It’s no wonder that some of the most prolific programs in college baseball hit his phone after he announced his intent to jump into the transfer portal in early June, after batting .422 in his sophomore season at Seton Hall.
“There’s nothing like (Southeastern Conference) baseball and watching on TV … there’s different vibes that you get,” Robbins said. “I just wanted it more as I grew up. I kind of knew that my time came at Seton Hall, like I did all I could do there and it is time to take my talents elsewhere.”
As one of the top hitters in college baseball, Robbins took a tour of the southeast, with all of the notable names in the SEC vying for his services.
He took visits to Georgia, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Tennessee and the defending national champion, LSU, during his limbo period.
“You’re battling with everybody in the SEC,” Nolan Cain, Texas associate head coach, said. “There’s no secrets anymore. Everybody knows about the best players and especially now, with the early recruiting being out.”
Whatever the Texas coaching staff sold him, Robbins bought in on their pitch, committing to the Longhorns on June 18. It probably helped that the Texas outfield heading into the 2026 season was depleted after the departure of the entire outfield by way of the MLB draft and transfer portal.
While Robbins is a great defender, registering zero errors at center field for the Pirates last season, it’s his hitting that makes him so intriguing. Over the summer, Robbins played in the Cape Cod Baseball League, the premier summer ball destination for the country’s best college players.
Robbins showed out in his 26 games for the Harwich Mariners. As the league’s most valuable player, he topped the overall hitting statistics, collecting 31 hits, 14 RBIs and six home runs for a .307 batting average.
“Just a pure hitter, (he) knows how to put the bat on the ball,” hitting coach Troy Tulowitzki said. “(He’s) someone that’s going to help us and really be someone that the younger guys can look up to.”
Coming from Seton Hall, a smaller program in New Jersey, better known for its prowess on the basketball court. Fan support is minimal for baseball, with Robbins describing the stands as mostly filled with family members.
So it’s not surprising that coming to Texas was a bit of a culture shock for Robbins, who is used to the small school experience.
“I’ve never experienced any culture quite like this. … There’s nothing but excellence throughout the entire area of the campus,” Robbins said. “It’s actually insane, just watching everybody walk around campus, somebody could be a gold medal winner or somebody could be a national championship winner.”
While oddsmakers are still crunching the numbers for the 2026 baseball national championship, Texas might be up there — especially with Robbins’ performance in the Longhorns’ fall exhibition game against Texas Tech, leading the team with five RBI’s and going 3-5 at the plate in the victory.
“He’s a very talented player,” head coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “He came in, played all spring, played all summer, all the way through the Cape Cod League playoffs.”
Robbins still has two years of college eligibility left as a draft-eligible junior and landed on Baseball America’s Top 100 prospect list at No. 44. He might just be a one-year rental for Schlossnagle and the Longhorns if he continues to hit like he has his entire career.
