How Texas Baseball's Will Gasparino Has Built Path While Living Up to Family Name

Texas Longhorns baseball center fielder Will Gasparino isn't familiar with the term "sophomore slump."

After a freshman season where he averaged .252 in batting, recording 38 hits and 47 total RBI across 58 contests, Gasparino improved tremendously in the offseason and is now reaping the reward.

The California native now leads the team in RBI with 42 in addition to 39 hits and a .289 batting average in just 34 games so far this season. He's currently tied in first for the most home runs as well, notching 11 alongside junior catcher Rylan Galvan. His 11 doubles are a third-best and he stands as one of three players on the entire roster to record at least one triple.

Texas outfielder Will Gasparino (8) leads off first base during the Longhorns' game against Houston Christian, April 8, 2025 at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin. | Mikala Compton/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In the Longhorns' most recent matchup against the UTRGV Vaqueros on Tuesday night, Gasparino helped Texas to a 11-4 win by batting in four runners, including a two-RBI single in the second to extend an early lead.

But Gasparino's consistency at the plate hasn't always come so easy, as seen during his first year, but what lied underneath the surface was a struggle to find an approach to the game that worked for him.

"He's evolving as a young player, and it took a while, between him and [Tulowitzki], for there to be enough trust put in between the two of those guys to where Will finally committed to one plan," head coach Jim Schlossnagle said during post game interviews on Tuesday.

Assistant coach Troy Tulowitzki, who joined the Texas staff in 2020, was a crucial reason why multiple Longhorn veterans, such as Gasparino and junior short stop Jalin Flores, decided to stay after the hiring of Schlossnagle back in June. His extensive resume includes having played for the Colorado Rockies, Toronto Blue Jays, and New York Yankees across a 14-year career, making him an undeniable mentor.

"[Tulowitzki] was a pretty big factor for sure. He played 10 plus years in the big leagues, really good hitter, one of the best shortstops in the game, he just knows a lot about baseball," Gasparino said. "He knows a lot, he's going to develop you, and he's been through the game, he knows the ins-and-outs."

However, Tulowitzki and Schlossnagle aren't the only confidants that Gasparino has been lucky enough to work with. Gasparino's name itself carries a lot of weight in the baseball world, as his father Billy Gasparino played college baseball at Oklahoma State and now serves as the Vice President of Baseball Operations for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Schlossnagle said that having so many different perspectives can be beneficial for Gasparino, but watching him follow his own path has been something special in itself.

"All these guys have different people in their ear, especially Will," Schlossnagle said. "A guy like Will has access to other people when he goes home, and none of that's bad, it's just you've got to pick something. Part of being a young player is you eventually [realize] hey man, it's your career. You need to choose. And he finally chose something, an approach, a setup that allows him to see the ball deeper and make better decisions."

Just like how Billy made it to the College World Series with the Cowboys, Schlossnagle said he hopes to put Will in position to make the trip to Omaha at the end of the season.

"We've got to get Will there," Schlossnagle said. "If Will goes, I get to go, so let's do it."

The team can't get too ahead of itself, as there's still a lot of SEC baseball to be played. The No. 1 Longhorns will face off against the No. 8 Auburn Tigers this weekend at home starting on Thursday at 7 p.m. CT, where Gasparino's skillset will be much needed if Texas wants to claim its sixth conference series win.