What Preseason Polls Mean for Texas Baseball's Expectations

The buzz around the “Disch” is only growing as college baseball season inches ever so closer to first pitch on Friday.

Texas baseball enters year two of the Jim Schlossnagle era with sky-high expectations to produce on the field and see a return of the storied program to the College World Series in Omaha for the first time in four years.

The preseason polls have lofty expectations for the program heading into the 2026 season. All five major college baseball polls have the Longhorns ranked in the top 10, with D1Baseball, USA Today, and the NCBWA placing Texas at No. 3. But what about the latest poll?

Perfect Game Ranks Texas at No. 8

Texas Baseball — Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Perfect Game and Baseball America slot Texas just a few notches down from the other three at No. 8 in the country.

This is the highest ranking the Longhorns have opened a season with since 2022, when Texas started the season at No. 1 in a clean sweep across all five major polls. The 2022 season also coincided with the last time the program reached the College World Series.

It's safe to say that expectations are high for the Longhorns, something they will have to navigate throughout the season as other teams put a target on their back.

Last season, the Longhorns opened the Schlossnagle era at No. 19, but reached a high of No. 1, following a series victory over then No. 5 Georgia last April.

The Southeastern Conference, college baseball’s most competitive, had the bulk of its teams fall inside the NCBWA’s top-30 poll with 12. Texas is one of five SEC teams to land in the polls' top 10.

Unlike last season, the Longhorns will have a brutal conference road schedule awaiting them. Texas will travel to No. 8 Auburn, No. 26 Texas A&M, No. 18 Vanderbilt, and No. 15 Tennessee this season.

Only two ranked series come to Austin this year: No. 6 Mississippi State and the conference opener against No. 28 Ole Miss.

Texas avoids series against No. 5 Arkansas, No. 13 Georgia, No. 16 Florida, No. 21 Kentucky, and, of course, the defending national champions, No. 1 LSU. The Longhorns faced all of these teams last season, three of them being played at home.

Another notable match-up is against No. 7 Coastal Carolina, the national runners-up, in the Bruce Bolt College Classic. The opening game in Houston against the Chanticleers is the Longhorns' only ranked opponent in non-conference play.

The defending regular-season SEC champions will have an uphill battle in 2026. Texas will have to learn to thrive on the road against stiff competition and win as many conference games at home to keep pace in a very competitive race.

The Longhorns open up the season at home for a three-game series against the UC Davis Aggies this Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT at UFCU Disch-Faulk Field in Austin, Texas.