Texas Longhorns' Star Dylan Volantis Earns Another All-American Honor

Opponents facing the Texas Longhorns in 2025 knew building a lead early against either the starting pitcher was imperative. If they didn't, well, it did not tend to end well for them when Texas headed into the late innings with a lead. That meant it was time for freshman phenom Dylan Volantis to do his thing.

After that, it was more often than not game over for the team in the dugout across from the Longhorns. Featuring a solid mix of pitches, including a devastating curveball, the southpaw hurler routinely made hitters that stepped in the box to face him look like they were back in little league.

His dominance earned him a multitude of honors, and on Thursday he added another as he was named a D1Baseball First Team All-American. This accolade joins a long list of accomplishments, including a spot on both the SEC All-Freshman Team and a First Team All-SEC nod, SEC Freshman of the Year, a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award, multiple Freshman All-American selections and a spot on the First Team ABCA All-Region.

Dylan Volantis continues to pile up the accolades following a strong freshman season

To truly illustrate how good Volantis was in 2025, one need only look at his save numbers. Trusted with the closer role in his first collegiate campaign, he took the job and ran with it to the tune of a remarkable 12 saves. That's not all. Of his 12 saves, 11 came during conference play and set a new single-season SEC freshman record.

Those numbers alone are enough to inspire awe and warrant his placement on multiple All-SEC and All-American teams. However, that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to illustrating what made him not just one of the best pitchers in the conference as a freshman, but one of the premier arms in all of college baseball.

First and foremost, he led the Longhorns with 23 appearances, of which 22 were in relief. He limited the number of hits opponents recorded against him and held them to a sensational .185 average. This allowed the freshman to sport a 4-1 record while leading the team with a 1.94 ERA and 74 strikeouts against only 12 walks.

In terms of freshman seasons, it is hard to beat the one Volantis put together. Fortunately for the Longhorns he is set to return in 2026 and will undoubtedly be the crown jewel of the pitching staff, whether maintains his role as the closer or is given a chance to be in the starting rotation.