Texas Baseball's Dylan Volantis Named SEC Freshman of the Week

One of the biggest stories for the No. 7 Texas Longhorns through their first 22 games in 2025 has been the rapid ascension under new coach Jim Schlossnagle. A key reason for the amount of early success they've seen has undeniably been the pitching staff, led by pitching coach Max Weiner.

That success translated to their series against the LSU Tigers, which marked Texas' first home conference series in the SEC. Keeping the Tigers in check was going to be a difficult task, as they entered the weekend boasting one of the nation's top offenses.

Fortunately, they were up to the task and helped pave the way for a massive series win for the Longhorns. A key arm in those two wins was freshman Dylan Volantis, who recorded the save in both of the Texas victories.

Texas Longhorns pitcher Dylan Volantis (99) throw a pitch during the annual Texas baseball alumni game at UFCU Disch-Falk Field on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. | Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Dominant on the mound, Volantis was recognized by the conference and named the SEC Freshman of the Week.

proud of you, @DylanVolantis 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/gkmArlBiXp
— Texas Baseball (@TexasBaseball) March 24, 2025

On Saturday he was tasked with getting the last four outs and did so effortlessly, not allowing a single Tiger to reach base and tallying a pair of strikeouts to secure the 11-7 win. Then on Sunday he was even more masterful, tossing 3.1 innings of shutout baseball with five strikeouts in the 6-2 victory.

Those two remarkable performances brought his ERA on the season to a sparkling 1.29 and were his fourth and fifth saves, respectively. He's made eight appearances, including one start, logging 21 innings of work with 23 strikeouts and only four walks

Volantis has proven his ability to get the job done, whether as a starter or a closer tasked with slamming the door shut on an opponent. As the season goes on his continued development and success will be a key factor in the Longhorns' ability to compete for an SEC crown.