The Keys to Texas Longhorns Baseball Winning the College World Series

For the first time in four years, the Texas Longhorns return to the Men’s College World Series field in search of the program's sixth national championship.

The Longhorns enter the final stand in bracket two, arguably the hardest side in Omaha, consisting of Alabama, Oklahoma, and the SEC regular season and tournament champion, Georgia.

While regular-season success does not matter in the grand scheme at this stage of the season, Texas was able to face Alabama and Oklahoma, claiming both series with a 6-1 record. The Longhorns did not face the Bulldogs and will meet in the first game on Saturday.

It won’t be a cakewalk to the finals for Texas, but with one of the most well-rounded teams remaining, it's not out of the realm of possibility.

The Road To Omaha Is Not For the Weak

Texas baseball — Texas junior outfielder Aiden Robbins chants after hitting a double in the fifth inning against Mississippi State on May 2, 2026, at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin, Texas. | Noah McCord, The Reflector

1 - Figure Out Georgia Early

Many pundits have pointed out the fact that the Omaha field should be reseeded after the conclusion of the Super Regionals. The conversation once again rose when Texas and Georgia, two powerhouses and favorites to win it all, will face off in the first round of the tournament.

The Longhorns have proven to rise to the occasion and have shut down some of the best hitting teams in the nation. But the Bulldogs are a team that ranks nationally at No. 4 for batting average and No. 3 in overall hits, due to Foley Field being a hitter-friendly ballpark.

The best hitting team Texas has faced this season was fellow SEC conference member, Auburn, closing out the season at 628 hits. In their regular season meeting in March, the Longhorns' pitching staff held the Tigers to just 23 hits, one of the lowest in a three-game conference series this year.

Dylan Volantis, the Longhorns' ace, will get the start to open up their run in Omaha, and will need to pitch a perfect game to keep the Bulldogs from gaining too much early traction. If he struggles, it can mess up the bullpen for the rest of the tournament.

2 - Ethan Mendoza Must Return To The Infield

The Longhorns' second basemen have not seen the field in defensive action since their last road trip to Tennessee in late May, when he injured his shoulder while diving for a ground ball. Since then, he’s been active in the designated hitter role, garnering seven hits since the start of the postseason.

With him out of the lineup defensively, Texas has had to pivot, moving Casey Borba to third base and Temo Beccera to second.

Although he has not thrown any errors at second base, Beccera has lacked the defensive presence that came with Mendoza up the middle infield. In the Super Regional against Oregon, there were a couple of moments when the Longhorns missed out on converting double plays that could’ve ended innings early.

Now that Mendoza is looking healthier, Texas needs to return the infield to its natural look ahead of a tough Omaha field.

3 - Use Pitchers Wisely

As great as the Longhorns' hitting has been in the postseason, with almost every starter coming up with timely hits, especially Adrian Rodriguez in the Super Regional, the pitching staff is the lifeblood of this team’s run.

Texas has the best pitching staff on its side of the bracket, but at times can certainly be exposed for its weakness. The bullpen arm can be rattled easily if opposing teams can find early success on their appearances.

In this time of the year, the bullpen shrinks significantly and in the Super Regional, Texas only used five different arms, one of them being Luke Harrison, one of the starters this season. Harrison is unlikely to come out of the pen as he did in the first two rounds if the Longhorns can go as deep as they can.

The starters — Volantis, Harrison and Ruger Riojas — must be as efficient as possible for deep starts, and the bullpen must not get rattled during their appearances.

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