The SEC Freshman of The Year Title Race Resides With the Texas Longhorns

It wouldn’t be far fetched if the majority of coaches around the country, especially in the Southeastern Conference, would have hopped to see Sam Cozart and Anthony Pack Jr. elect to play professional baseball out of high school instead of college ball.

The Longhorns’ fountain of youth talent has been a real difference maker in games this season, as Cozart and fellow relief arm Brett Crossland have served as reliable strikeout artists.

Then there is Pack Jr. with his consistent bat that is currently topping the stat sheet for Texas, and in the conference book.

“[Sam Cozart] and [Anthony Pack Jr.], both of them. They're so fun to watch,” Junior catcher Carson Tinney said. “They're younger guys, but the way they play the game is so special, and they're as good as it gets, especially as younger guys.”

Pack Man and the “Grown Man” Try to Make it Two in a Row for the Longhorns

texas baseball, anthony pack jr. — Texas freshman Anthony Pack Jr. walks to first base against the Mississippi State Bulldogs on May 1, 2026, at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin, Texas. | Noah McCord, The Reflector

It’s no secret that Sam Cozart does not look like the typical freshman on campus — he’s listed at 6-foot-6-inches, 260 pounds, wearing size 18 cleats and a lumberjack beard to tie up the look.

Despite being just 19-years-old, his presence on the mound looks more like a veteran MLBer than a player getting adjusted to the best hitters in the country after facing kids from the local high school who failed a math test earlier in the day.

“I feel bad for them,” said starting pitcher Dlyan Volantis about Cozart. “They’ve gotta face this 40-year-old man that’s still in college.”

Mixing up his role throughout the season, getting a few starts in early-season midweeks, and earning his role as the premier closer, Cozart has six wins and eight saves in his true freshman season and an impressive 1.59 ERA.

With the NCAA Tournament start date moving closer, against the Missouri Tigers, Cozart was called upon in back-to-back nights to simulate a regional environment. The freshman pitcher delivered, striking out five and allowing just one hit on 32 pitches.

Filling the role that Volantis, last season’s SEC Freshman of the Year, left as the certified closer to sew things up when the game, Pack Jr. has been making his own case as the conference's best freshman in 2026.

With a midseason order shuffle, Pack Jr. has benefited from being in the three-hole spot. As one of the best hitters since the start of conference play, Pack Jr. is batting .382 against SEC arms with 39 hits and three home runs, driving in 17 RBI.

On the Longhorns roster, Pack Jr. currently tops the lineup with a .352 batting average and stolen bases with 18. Additionally, he ranks third in OPS and fourth in slugging percentage.

Although not the power hitter like Tinney or fellow star Aiden Robbins, Pack Jr. came up with his seventh home run of the season, following Tinney’s grand slam in the fourth inning of Friday’s series clinching victory against Missouri.

“No doubt in my mind… either one of them should be freshman of the year,” Tinney said. “It's been so fun to work with all of them. It’s really cool to watch the development and just be a part of that.”

Much of the Longhorns success has come from its freshmen this season, as Cozart and Pack Jr. have taken the torch among fellow underclassmen. Texas has clinched its second top-four seed in the SEC Tournament and an all but guaranteed place as one of the top-eight national seeds in the NCAA Tournament.

Add us as a preferred source on Google