Texas Longhorns Baseball Debuts in Top 10 of Perfect Game Rankings

Expectations for Jim Schlossnagle and the Texas Longhorns are high in Austin ahead of the 2026 college baseball season.

Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With the college baseball season just over a month away, media outlets have started to roll out their preseason rankings. On Thursday morning, Perfect Game officially released their Preseason College Baseball Top-25.

After finishing the 2025 season with a record of 44-14, Perfect Game has the Texas Longhorns inside the top-10 for their first preseason ranking of the year. After hosting, and eventually being eliminated in the Austin Regional last season, it's safe to say that expectations are high in year-two of the Jim Schlossnagle era.

debuting at No. 8 🤘#HookEm | @PerfectGameUSA pic.twitter.com/hbRXgPPNJ0

— Texas Baseball (@TexasBaseball) January 8, 2026

Texas being ranked the No. 8 program in the country doesn't come as a shock to many. While the Longhorns' 2025 season may have ended prematurely, the program has a chance to have one of the deepest pitching staffs in the country.

Even with Texas having questions offensively, there's reason to believe that the program is ready to go much deeper into NCAA Tournament play in 2026.

A Deeper Look at the Perfect Game Preseason Top-25

LSU Baseball celebrates the 2025 College World Series championship with a ceremony at Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. Wednesday, June 25, 2025. | SCOTT CLAUSE / USATODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Longhorns are joined by eight other SEC baseball programs. It's no shock who's at No. 1 in the country as the LSU Tigers are the defending national champions. Also in the top-5 are the Tennessee Volunteers and the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Along with the Longhorns in the next set of teams are Mississippi State and Auburn. The Tigers were another SEC team that many had reaching Omaha during the 2025 season, but a red-hot Coastal Carolina team, who eventually would compete for a College World Series title, eliminated Auburn in their own Super Regional.

Outside of the top-10, Florida, Georgia, and Vanderbilt found themselves in the top-25. One of the most shocking regional results from last year's NCAA Tournament was the Commodores becoming the first ever No. 1 seed to be eliminated in their own regional. The Gators and Bulldogs also didn't make it out of the first round after running into talented squads such as East Carolina and Duke.

2026 Preseason College Baseball Top 25 📈https://t.co/M8pJBw6Qmx pic.twitter.com/k4EuJx1NQU

— Perfect Game USA (@PerfectGameUSA) January 8, 2026

As far as other conferences go, the ACC also dominated the top-25 with six members being included in Perfect Game's preseason rankings. Georgia Tech saw their 2025 season end earlier than expected after getting bounced in the Oxford Regional at the hands of No. 10 Ole Miss. Despite an early exit, the Yellowjackets will feature one of the best offenses in college baseball in the upcoming season.

Other ACC members in the top-25 include the Clemson Tigers, North Carolina Tarheels, Louisville Cardinals, Virginia Cavaliers, Florida State Seminoles, and the N.C. State Wolfpack.

While the Big Ten only holds two of the spots in Perfect Game's top-25, it's a mistake to overlook the UCLA Bruins and Oregon Ducks. The Bruins, featuring one of — if not the best — players in college baseball, Roch Cholowsky, will likely be Omaha favorites by the time the season gets underway. The Ducks on the other hand are looking to take another massive step forward under head coach Mark Wasikowski.

Maybe one of the biggest surprises in Perfect Game's preseason rankings is the lack of representation from the Big 12. The TCU Horned Frogs were the conference's only member in the preseason rankings despite eight teams making the NCAA Tournament last year. The Arizona Wildcats, who made it all the way to Omaha after eliminating an extremely talented North Carolina program, were also left off the top-25.

Outside of the Power Four conferences, it's the Oregon State Beavers, Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, UCSB Gauchos, Southern Miss Golden Eagles, and the East Carolina Pirates filling in the rest of the preseason rankings. After coming up short in Omaha last year, the Beavers will likely be playing well into June with one of the best starting rotations in the sport.