Texas Starting Pitcher and Lineup for Regional Game Against Tarleton State

No. 6 Texas took a thrashing victory over Holy Cross, beating the Crusaders, 19-1, in the first game of the Austin Regional on Friday. The victory allowed the Longhorns to advance to the winners' bracket.

Awaiting them, the Tarleton State Texans took down UC Santa Barbara in the evening game, 7-4, powered by their offense and an impressive pitching showing by Anthony Treto to shock the Gauchos.

For the second consecutive year, the Longhorns will have a midweek matchup in the postseason.

How To Watch

Texas Baseball, Brett Crossland — Texas freshman pitcher Brett Crossland tosses a pitch against the Mississippi State Bulldogs on May 2, 2026, at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin, Texas. | Noah McCord, The Reflector

Who: Texas Longhorns vs. Tarleton State Texans
What: Winners bracket of the Austin Regional
When: Saturday, May 30 at 6 p.m.
Where: UFCU Disch-Falk Field (Austin, Texas)
TV/Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: The Zone AM-1300/103.1 FM

Texas Starting Pitcher

Texas Baseball — Texas sophomore pitcher Dylan Volantis tosses a pitch at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin, Texas. | Texas Athletics

Confirmed by Texas head coach Jim Schlossnagle, the Longhorns will trot out Dylan Volantis for their crucial winners bracket game against the Texans. Like Luke Harrison, Volantis came out of the bullpen in their lone SEC Championship game against Arkansas, tossing for two innings.

The sophomore pitcher has thrown 10 or more strikeouts five times and has tied his career high of 12 twice this season. Through 76.2 innings pitched, Volantis holds a 2.00 ERA and has allowed 52 hits, 17 earned runs, and just two home runs.

The construction of the Texas pitching staff allows Volantis not to make a deep start against Tarleton State. Additionally, the Longhorns did not use any of the premier arms against the Crusaders, with Sam Cozart, Brett Crossland, Haiden Leffew, and Thomas Burns all available to come in relief.

Probable Starting Lineup For Texas

1 - RF Aiden Robbins

2 - C Carson Tinney

3 - LF Anthony Pack Jr.

4 - 2B Temo Beccera

5 - SS Adrian Rodriguez

6 - 3B Casey Borba

7 - 1B Ashton Larson

8 - DH Ethan Mendoza

9 - CF Dairyn Pendergrass

A slight change from the SEC Tournament, the Longhorns found a lot of success with their batting order against the Crusaders. SEC Freshman of the Year rocketed a trio of home runs, leading the Texas hitters.

Aiden Robbins went down 0-2 to open up the game, but found his bat that made him one of the most imposing players in the conference. Robbins ended his first postseason debut with a pair of home runs.

Every Texas starter was able to record a hit — In all, the Longhorns' offense fired 21 hits and struck out just twice against the Crusaders.

Keys To The Game

Texas will need a very characteristic start from its ace, Volantis, to get an early tone established against Tarleton State.

The Texans chipped away early against UC Santa Barbara, gaining enough confidence and momentum at the plate to take control of the game and send the Gauchos to the losers' bracket.

The Longhorns must take care of the Texans' middle of the order — the unit accounted for the majority of the offense last night. Tarleton State catcher Sergio Guerra is hot at the plate and is riding a three-game home run streak.

While no one is expecting the same fury offensively for the Longhorns, the batting order knows what it needs to force the Texans to scramble to the bullpen early. Texas will miss out on facing one of Tarleton State’s best relief pitchers, Anthony Treto, who tossed for 3.1 innings on Friday.

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