Texas Longhorns Baseball Has Full Faith in New Pitching Coach Max Weiner

Texas Longhorns baseball is going to look very different this year.

In just three days, the program will officially begin its first tenure under new head coach Jim Schlossnagle and pitching coach Max Weiner, who both left their positions at Texas A&M to help bring a winning culture back to UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin.

Following a 2024 season where former head coach David Pierce nominated himself as Texas’ pitching coach, even the roster’s best arms struggled on the mound. The team ended with a combined ERA of 4.91, while Weiner led his players at A&M to a combined 3.86 ERA, the fourth best in the nation, and solidified a new school record of 715 strikeouts.

Not only did Schlossnagle haul in the pitching coach that helped him bring the Aggies to a third-place finish at the College World Series last year, but he secured some fresh talent out of the transfer portal.

Indiana State transfer and senior pitcher Jared Spencer said that having Weiner on the staff was a momentum shift in terms of deciding to continue his collegiate career at Texas.

“After looking at my options and finding out Max Weiner was the pitching coach, to hearing all the great news about him, I wanted to better myself and put myself in a better place,” Spencer said during a media availability on Tuesday. “Just from the way he coaches, to the ability of teaching players step by step, and that's something that I wanted to continue learning.”

Ruger Riojas, a junior transfer pitcher out of UTSA, said that Weiner has been influential in how the team approaches the game from a mental standpoint. He added that the mental strength and preparation that was practiced in the offseason has already elevated his game, and his three scoreless innings and one strikeout during the Alumni Game told fans everything.

“He's great. I would say his point, to me, was the mental approach of the game, just believing that you're good enough to pitch in the SEC and you know, when it's your time to be on the mound, you're the best pitcher in the world,” Riojas said. “And that's really what he hones in on, [just] being present with yourself in the game, not trying to look too forward, ahead, or in the past, just being yourself in the moment, one pitch at a time.”

Although Weiner spent one lone season with Schlossnagle at Texas A&M, their bond was seemingly enough for both of them to start a new career together.

Redshirt junior pitcher Luke Harrison said that their trust in one another makes him confident about what’s to come.

“He trusts Max Weiner, the pitching coach, a lot, and it's been very cool to see the trust that he has in him and just how much he supports all of his messages and, you know, not getting too many sources of information,” Harrison said. “It's always one stream of consciousness between those two, and I really appreciate that.”

As for Weiner’s path to success for the Longhorns, which will hopefully lead them to a national championship, Harrison said it’s short and sweet.

“We're gonna dominate the zone. We're gonna lead the league in fun. We're gonna play one pitch at a time.”

Texas will kick off the 2025 season in Arlington at the Shriners Children's College Showdown on Friday, Feb. 14 against Louisville.

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