Texas Baseball Wrapping Up Home Stand Against UTRGV

In their second season under coach Jim Schlossnagle, the No. 3 Texas Longhorns (7-0) are once again starting out of the gate red hot. They're perfect so far, albeit in a small sample size, and have shown their ability to shut down opposing lineups while their own bats put a crooked number on the scoreboard.

Entering a midweek clash against the UTRGV Vaqueros (3-4), the Longhorns do so riding the momentum of a three-game sweep of a strong Michigan State Spartans squad. Pitching was the star of the show and again delivered a stellar set of performances while the bats did what needed to be done to get the sweep.

Now, they face a Vaqueros squad that has the potential to pull an early season upset if they are not careful. They were able to handle business in their first midweek game of 2026 against the Lamar Cardinals and will look to do the same on Tuesday evening.

Texas' home stand comes to an end against the Vaqueros

Texas Longhorns second baseman Ethan Mendoz — Texas infielder Ethan Mendoza (5) is greeted in the dugout after scoring against Tennessee in the SEC Baseball Tournament. | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

How to watch/listen:

Tuesday Feb. 24 - 6:30 p.m. CT SEC Network+/TexasSports.com/Audio

A look at UTRGV's season so far -

The Vaqueros enter this one boasting a potent offense and a pitching staff that has shown flashes but ultimately struggled at times. So far, they've faced the Big 12 three times and taken one game from the Kansas Jayhawks, dropped a midweek clash against the Texas Tech Red Raiders and won their series against a Houston Cougars team that'll be a contender for the conference crown.

UTRGV by the numbers -

Record - 3-4

Runs scored - 50

Runs allowed - 64

Team Avg. - .242

Opponent Avg. - .331

Team ERA - 8.13

Opponent ERA - 6.97

UTRGV wins this game if...

It can follow the blueprint set by the UC Davis Aggies and the Lamar Cardinals. In two of the Longhorns' games against the Aggies and their midweek game against Lamar, they found themselves playing from behind due to slow starts from the offense.

However, those slow starts did not come back to haunt them as they were able to wake up the bats in the middle innings and cruise to victories after that. The Vaqueros are not a team they can afford to do that against. This offense is potent and boasts the potential to put up runs in bunches and in a hurry.

If the Vaqueros can jump on the Texas pitching early and keep the offense in check long enough, they stand a chance at securing one of the biggest upsets this early in the season.

Texas wins this game if...

It can get a solid outing from its starter. Last week against the Cardinals, Jason Flores took the rubber to start the game for the Longhorns and struggled. He orchestrated a quick first inning, but was shaky in the first and ultimately only lasted 1.2 innings while allowing three hits and three runs.

This UTRGV lineup has the potential to do a lot more damage than Lamar's, as it enters sporting a solid .242 average as a team. Any mistakes by the Texas staff in this one will be punished immediately and put the Longhorns in a precarious spot of having to play from behind again early in the campaign.

A strong showing from whoever takes the mound to start for Texas is imperative, otherwise it could be a long night and the potential first loss of the season in Austin.