Ruger Riojas Does It Again, Shuts Down Michigan State

Albeit a very small sample size of just five games, the No. 3 Texas Longhorns pitching rotation has been nothing but elite to open up the 2026 season. It all starts on Friday night with senior pitcher Ruger Riojas setting the tone for the weekend.

Riojas, in his second year with the Longhorns after transferring from UTSA, has opened up the season on fire. In 11 innings of work, the veteran pitcher has struck out 19 batters, allowed six hits, and has just let two runs in.

The Longhorns, with the combination of elite hitting and dominant pitching from Riojas, rode to an 8-1 victory over Michigan State Friday night at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin, Texas

And it seems that he is getting better with each start. Against a productive Michigan State batting order, a squad that found a lot of success against a really good Louisville team last weekend, Riojas had no problem shutting them down.

He ended his day with 10 strikeouts, tying his career high he set against Missouri last season, allowing three hits, and just one walk and run on six innings of action.

“He's a demon man,” Junior second basemen Ethan Mendoza said. “He's crazy off the field and crazy on the field. The energy he brings on the field is what you see all the time. You never see him having a bad day.”

“The Hippie, The Freak, The Demon”

Friday filth 💪#HookEm | @RugerRiojas_19 pic.twitter.com/ZTz7CYpwZX
— Texas Baseball (@TexasBaseball) February 21, 2026

Riojas can be described in a very colorful manner, with Mendoza, first basemen Casey Borba, and head coach Jim Schlossnagle all having their own creative interpretation of the strike-throwing machine.

The Hippie, Freak, or Demon may be just perceptions, but one thing is for sure: Riojas has really come into his own after a tough end to his 2025 campaign following a nasty bout with the flu that evolved into bronchitis.

Despite all of the hardship, Riojas has remained positive throughout everything, and his looseness is evident when he takes the mound.

“I like to be very optimistic, Riojas said. “Whether things are good or bad, I don't like to change as a person and try to stay true to myself throughout everything.”

While it's just two starts into the 2026 season, Riojas has already proved to be a worthy successor to last season’s Friday starter, Jared Spencer, one of the key contributors to last season succuss.

If Riojas can maintain his deep pitching performances, five and six innings respectively, it will prove crucial once the heat of Southeastern Conference play starts up to keep valuable relievers in the bullpen fresh.

In tonight’s victory over the Spartans, the Longhorns were able to tap into the bullpen late, sending out a trio of freshman arms to get work once the game was already in hand.

“We just got to keep him strong,” Schlossnagle said. “It's a long season, but he's in a good space, he’s taking care of his body, and he's always been a great teammate.”

Freshman Michael Winter, Brett Crossland, one of the arms Schlossnagle wanted to see on Tuesday, and Brody Wells all maintained the pace set by Riojas. The trio closed out the game's final three frames for four strikeouts, allowing two hits and denying any runs for a late-game rally by Michigan State.