Texas Baseball 'Chasing the National Championship' in 1st Year With Jim Schlossnagle

The Texas Longhorns return less than half of last year's lineup, but the remaining upperclassmen have a shared goal with the incoming transfers and freshmen.

Texas Longhorns infielder Jalin Flores (1) and pitcher Cody Howard (41) celebrate a third out as they leave the field during the game against Cal Poly at UFCU Disch Falk Field on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2024 in Austin. / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

Texas Longhorns baseball is under one month out from debuting a revitalized program under new head coach Jim Schlossnagle as it prepares for a loaded SEC lineup in March.

The team not only said goodbye to former head coach David Pierce, but also a handful of starters who got picked up in the 2024 MLB Draft, most notably its lead hitter and first baseman, Jared Thomas. Out of the 43-player roster, the Longhorns saw 18 return from last year, while the rest of the majority came in as freshmen or highly-touted transfers.

But among the fresh faces stand some key veterans that are eager to not only bring Texas to the College World Series, but do so through leadership and team culture.

Texas outfielder Max Belyeu (44) smiles after catching a hit in the outfield as the Longhorns play Texas State at UFCU Disch–Falk Field on Wednesday, April 10, 2024. / Mikala Compton/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

"We're chasing the national championship, and that's what's on the line right now," junior shortstop Jalin Flores said during the team's first practice on Friday. "We know there's a lot on our plate. Going into a new conference doesn't really mean anything because at the end of the day, we're all playing ball. So I think the more selfless we can be, the more comfortable we can be on the field as a unit. I think we're going to play tremendous baseball."

Flores was Draft eligible following last season, but decided to return to the Forty Acres, a decision he said was rooted in his love for the university and desire to guide his younger teammates toward success.

The D1 Baseball Preseason All-American selection recorded a team-high 22 doubles and 56 RBI and was tied for most home runs with 18 last season.

Fellow junior Max Belyeu, who tied Flores for most homers, is also hot off a breakout sophomore year, one that garnered him Big 12 Player of the Year honors. The outfielder led the team in slugging percentage at .667 and came second in RBI with 53.

Following the addition of Schlossnagle, Belyeu was one of the first to announce his return to Texas, and said that hitting the transfer portal was never in his sights. Similar to Flores, Belyeu said he wants to make his new teammates feel ingrained in the culture by being an example.

"I just want to give it all I got to my teammates and compete to the highest level I can every game, and that's really all I can ask," Belyeu said. "I can just control the things that I can control, like being a good teammate, being a good leader, and I think everything else will just take care of itself."

Despite starting his collegiate baseball career with the Texas A&M Aggies, graduate student and catcher Kimble Schuessler now enters his fourth year with the Longhorns and said he feels honored sporting the burnt orange on his jersey.

Surrounded by those who were there when he transferred in, Schuessler said he hopes they can instill the same Longhorn pride that brought them back to Austin into the new generation.

"I think the core guys that we have around here that have been around for a while, like me, Jalin [Flores], Max [Belyeu], Andre [Duplantier], Luke Harrison, Ace Whitehead, those guys, we've been around, and we know what it's like to wear this uniform every day and we know the tradition that this place has," Schuessler said. "That's just what we kind of preach to the new guys and even the coaches, like, hey, everyone wants to be wearing this, and it's really special that we are the guys that get to wear it. So we, we take a lot of responsibility in that."

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