Texas Baseball Loses Another Key Player To the Transfer Portal

If there were going to be an offseason competition at first base for the Texas Longhorns, any inclination of it has gone by the wayside.

Texas first baseman Ashton Larson will try to find his third home next season, entering the transfer portal for the second time in his college career, per reports from Horns247. Larson was a part of last year's crucial transfer class that brought in Carson Tinney, Aiden Robbins, and Haiden Leffew.

Larson, a LSU transfer, appeared both in the outfield and in the infield during his time at Texas, with the majority of his starts coming at first base during the positional shuffling when the Longhorns were hit with injuries to shortstop Adrian Rodriguez and second baseman Ethan Mendoza.

In his lone season in Austin, Larson was in the bottom of the order, batting .258 for 33 hits, 16 RBI and launched just one home run against Coastal Carolina during the Longhorns' dominant run at the Bruce Bolt College Classic in Houston.

First Base and The Rest of The Infield Going Forward

Veteran infielder Casey Borba announced his return to the Longhorns last week, and while he closed out the year at third base, Borba will be the expected starter at first heading into the 2027 season.

Although it was expected to be Borba’s spot at first base regardless of Larson's intention of staying or leaving, moving him to more of a utility role as a pinch hitter or a first-line bench guy who can play all areas of the field.

The Longhorns will need to find another player for depth, as prospect Easton Autrey has been making waves during the MLB Draft Combine and could forgo the college route depending on how high he goes.

Texas loses dynamic infielder, Temo Beccera, with the exhaustion of his eligibility at the end of the season, leaving third base open.

Borba, while an experienced infielder, especially at third for the past two seasons, will have his spot in the hot corner occupied with the addition of Texas Tech transfer Linkin Garcia next year.

The final hole that the Longhorns will need to address is second base. Two-year starter Ethan Mendoza has yet to officially announce his future and is the only second baseman on the roster heading into 2027.

With the addition of Larson to the portal, the Longhorns staff has lost 10 players while bringing on four names to the roster. It’s a clear sign of how head coach Jim Schlossnagle and Co. trust in their returners and prospects in the pipeline.

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