How Texas’ Missing Bats Finally Showed Up in Series Win Over Mississippi State

For weeks, much of the concern surrounding Texas baseball wasn’t at the top of the lineup, but rather everything behind it.

Aiden Robbins, Anthony Pack Jr. and Carson Tinney have contributed to most of the team’s production. And while that trio’s consistently is obviously a positive, it exposed a pretty glaring issue: Texas wasn’t getting enough from the middle and bottom of the order.

It was strange, to say the least, to see such dismal slumps from the likes of Ethan Mendoza, Casey Borba and Temo Becerra — proven veteran players. But as SEC play intensified, all three hit extended slumps, and the lineup felt far too top-heavy to sustain consistent offense.

But in Texas’ series win over Mississippi State, each looked very different from their previous unproductive selves. And the results spoke for themselves.

A much-needed reset

Texas junior first baseman Casey Borba celebrates a home run against the Texas State Bobcats on Mar. 11, 2026, at Bobcat Ballpark in San Marcos, Texas. | Texas Athletics

Coming into the weekend, all three players had been searching considerably.

Borba, in particular, had endured one of the toughest stretches of his season. After a dominant start, the junior stalled in April, going 7-for-45 over a 13-game span while seeing his confidence dip alongside his production. He had three four-strikeout games, and his struggles became a growing concern for a lineup that needed more than just its top four hitters.

Becerra and Mendoza weren’t far behind.

While Becerra showed flashes earlier in the season, consistency had been elusive, and his offensive impact had tapered off as conference play intensified. Mendoza, meanwhile, had a similar trajectory. After opening the season in the leadoff spot, he was eventually moved down the lineup as his at-bats became more inconsistent.

But this weekend, everything seemingly clicked.

Borba ripped a two-run double during Texas’ nine-run third inning on Sunday’s rubber match that helped stretch the lead. Earlier in the week, he also launched a three-run home run against Sam Houston. It was his first homer of April after hitting nine in March.

On Saturday, he added another, matching his career high with his 12th home run of the season.

"I know he wants to do well for the team, and he's been struggling, but he's been working hard and the game rewarded him tonight," Schlossnagle said after Tuesday's game. "I was really happy to see, like, 1,000 pounds fall off his back."

Becerra and Mendoza followed with strong performances of their own.

In that decisive third inning, Mendoza worked a key walk to reload the bases and Becerra delivered the go-ahead double to give Texas the lead. Beccerra then added another RBI double in the fourth inning, continuing one of his best stretches in weeks.

The redshirt junior finished with a team-best six hits across the weekend — more than he had in his previous eight games combined. Meanwhile Mendoza extended his hitting streak to eight games as he continues to look more comfortable in his adjusted role.

“He's got a history of being awesome. And he never panics,” Schlossnagle said of Mendoza. “I never panic about Ethan Mendoza hitting. So he's continued to work on things and not overthink it.”

On Sunday alone, the trio combined for five hits, four RBIs and three walks. It was an encouraging site following some brutal stretches. But if that kind of all-around production from this weekend is here to stay, the Longhorns could become far more dangerous moving forward.

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