How This Jim Schlossnagle Lineup Move Completely Changed Texas' Offense vs. Alabama

The Texas Longhorns are currently playing in their record 39th Men's College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. Led by head coach Jim Schlossnagle, their 2026 run has been a tale of two different teams as they followed a 7-1 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday with a 14-2 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide today.

Schlossnagle did a good job of motivating and refocusing his squad in between the two games, as their fielding was much improved against Alabama. However, there was one specific tactical adjustment that he made that made all of the difference for Texas' lineup today.

Here is the lineup change Schlossnagle made that revitalized Texas' offense.

Moving Ethan Mendoza to Clean-Up Reenergized Texas' Lineup

Texas Longhorns designated hitter Ethan Mendoza drives in a run with a single against the Georgia Bulldogs during the fifth inning | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

After putting on weight in the offseason, Ethan Mendoza underwent a transformation this season from prototypical leadoff-second baseman to slugging infielder. Following an injury that prevented him from playing the field, Mendoza's transformation culminated in an appearance as the clean-up hitter today against Alabama in the College Baseball World Series.

The change came after the Longhorns, with Mendoza hitting sixth, managed just one run against the Bulldogs in their first game. Today, Mendoza alone was responsible for more offensive production.

He opened the scoring for the Longhorns in his first plate appearance, doubling down the left field line to score the first of three runs in the first inning. He hit another run-scoring single in the second, which was followed by another two runs.

He finished his day 3-4 after Callum Early took over his base-running duties in the sixth inning. While he undoubtedly had more opportunities to put numbers on the board than Saturday's clean-up man, Temo Becerra, it was clear that he brought a different energy to the spot, which spilled over to the rest of the offense.

The move also could not have been better timed, as Becerra, who moved to the six-hole, was the least productive batter for the Longhorns today. The veteran second baseman went 0-4 with three strikeouts, two more than any other Longhorn, and a walk.

That is not to say that Becerra should be worried about his spot in the lineup, just that Schlossnagle made the right call.

While many things went right for the Longhorns' offense today, Mendoza's move to the four-hole made the most of the on-base abilities of Texas' top three and energized the batters behind him.

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