Where Texas Lands Across Major College Baseball Polls

The No. 3 Texas Longhorns couldn't have scripted a better start to the 2026 college baseball season. After their run-rule victory over UTRGV on Tuesday night, head coach Jim Schlossnagle and the Longhorns moved to a perfect 8-0 on the season.

With many expecting Texas to end its season in Omaha, the Longhorns were ranked the No. 3 team in the country. After sweeping both UC Davis and Michigan State in the first two weekends of the regular season, Schlossnagle's program has firmly held its place near the top of the national college baseball polls.

D1Baseball, NCBWA, USA Today, Baseball America, and Perfect Game all have the Longhorns inside the top six programs in the country. D1Baseball, NCBWA, and USA Today have Texas as the No. 3-ranked team in the country.

Texas Has Taken Care of Business Early

May 22, 2025; Hoover, AL, USA; Texas infielder Ethan Mendoza (5) is greeted in the dugout after scoring the first run in the game with Tennessee in the third round of the SEC Baseball Tournament at the Hoover Met. | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It's clear that the Longhorns haven't necessarily run through a gauntlet yet this season. Their early slate hasn't featured the kind of premier, top-25 opponents they'll see later in the spring. Longhorn Nation is well aware that things won't always be smooth sailing with Texas in a conference like the SEC.

That being said, it's a good sign that the Longhorns have been able to take care of teams they are more talented than. Through just eight games now, Texas has achieved three run-rule wins, with their most dominant performance coming against a talented UTRGV team. Against the Vaqueros, the Longhorns recorded 15 hits in their shutout 14-0 win.

While Longhorns' lineup has been impressive to start the season, it's the program's pitching staff that truly makes them an Omaha contender. Through eight games, the Texas pitching staff has allowed just 13 total runs.

The weekend rotation consisting of Luke Harrison, Ruger Riojas, and—most notably—Dylan Volantis, has taken college baseball by storm with all three starters holding an ERA under 2.00. Volantis, who has taken over the Sunday-starter role, has yet to allow a run this season.

Add in the quality starts that Texas has gotten in the midweek, and a bullpen that looks noticeably better than a season ago, and the pitching staff as a whole suddenly feels built for the long college baseball season. Sam Cozart, the freshman right-hander from High Point, North Carolina, also seems to have the tools to pitch at an All-SEC level for the Longhorns this season.

While things look to be going well for the Longhorns, they'll face some more talented ballclubs this coming weekend. Not only will the Longhorns face off against Coastal Carolina on Friday, but they will also matchup against Baylor and Ohio State — two teams that have been known to pull off major upsets in recent years.