The No. 3 Texas Longhorns are configured the way head coach Jim Schlossnagle prefers — set after an eight-game homestand at UFCU Disch-Falk Field to open the 2026 season before heading to Houston for the BRUCE BOLT College Classic at Daikin Park for three games starting Friday.
Still undefeated, Schlossnagle expects the Longhorns to face some adversity this weekend, even more than the self-imposed adversity of playing from behind in several games to start the season.
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“Everyone has a plan until you get hit, so I’m sure we’ll take some hits this weekend, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the guys handle different environments,” Schlossnagle said Thursday.
Last year, when the Longhorns visited Globe Life Field to open the Shiners Children’s College Showdown season, Texas bounced back from an extra-inning loss to Louisville on Friday with wins over Ole Miss and No. 17 Oklahoma State.
“There’s the season opener, the new coach, and then you’re in a championship stadium against great teams, so there was a lot of racing heart rate last year. Two things you always deal with in competitive sports are adrenaline and adversity,” Schlossnagle said.
Now the coaching staff knows each other better, there is more talent on the team thanks to highly ranked high school players and talented additions from the NCAA transfer portal, and the Horns have built a lasting culture within the program. They also played these eight games to start the season instead of starting in a classic.
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“It’s definitely nice to have games under your belt at all times because experience counts,” Schlossnagle said.
So while the Texas head coach has some concerns about his team playing on grass for the first time this season, which he believes will lead to an adjustment period going into the weekend, something he’s used to seeing from the Longhorns when he coached at other programs.
“It will be something that will be interesting to see how it plays out,” Schlossnagle said.
To help prepare his infielders, Schlossnagle took them to Dell Diamond on Wednesday to work on their fielding on a natural surface.
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When Texas opens the classic against No. 9 Coastal Carolina on Friday, the Horns won’t have to face ace Cameron Flukey, who is projected as a top-10 prospect in this year’s MLB draft, has a stress fracture in his ribs that is expected to keep him out for two months. Also missing is left-hander Hayden Johnson, a key part of the Chanticleers bullpen last season who earned preseason All-Sun Belt recognition. Another preseason All-Sun Belt pitcher, right-hander Ryan Lynch, has yet to make his first appearance for Coastal this season due to injury.
Sophomore right-hander Luke Jones (0-0, 2.35 ERA) is expected to start in place of Flukey, who allowed two runs on five hits in 3.1 innings last Friday in a win over VCU.
“We’re preparing for the guy we’re going to face right now and he’s got some outstanding skills as well. I don’t think there’s another pitcher in the country similar to Flukey. So it’s definitely going to be different, but we’re still facing a great team and we still have to play the game,” Schlossnagle said.
Coastal Carolina is coming off a national title series appearance last year in Kevin Schnall’s first season after taking over from Hall of Famer Gary Gilmore, under whom Schnall served as associate head coach for nine seasons and an assistant for two seasons before three years as an assistant at UCF.
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Pitcher Jacob Morrison and catcher Caden Bodine, stars of the 2025 team, were both selected early in last year’s MLB draft, but in the outfield Dean Mihos is back for his senior season and batting a team-leading .424, and newcomer Rex Watson, a transfer from San Diego, is hitting .381. Both have on-base percentages of .500. Designated hitter Trace Mazon is the only other Coastal hitter hitting above .300 at .371.
As a team, the Chanticleers haven’t hit particularly well thus far with a .260 batting average, seven home runs and a .402 slugging percentage through eight games. On the mound, Coastal Carolina has been much better with a 3.80 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 71 innings while holding opponents to a .216 batting average.
Texas resumes its Big 12 rivalry with Baylor for the 376th time on Saturday after not playing last season for the first time since 1919 (excluding pandemic and World War II). Left-hander Ethan Calder (0-0, 0.00 ERA), a Lake Travis product, will take the mound for the Bears.
Picked to finish 11th in the 14-team Big 12, Baylor enters the weekend 5-3 on the season with five home wins, including a 14-4 midweek victory over Texas State. However, at the Round Rock Classic at Dell Diamond last weekend, fourth-year head coach Mitch Thompson’s team lost to two ranked teams in Oregon and Southern Miss while dropping Saturday’s game against Purdue.
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Preseason All-Big 12 selection Travis Sanders, the team’s shortstop, leads the Bears with a .448 batting average and first baseman Tyce Armstrong is hitting .323 with four home runs, three of which were grand slams in the season opener against New Mexico State, only the second time in college baseball history that a player has accomplished that feat in a single game.
Baylor’s staff has been solid with a 4.02 ERA and 1.41 WHIP with opponents hitting .274 against them.
In the weekend finale, the Horns face the Buckeyes and right-hander Pierce Herrenbruck (1-0, 2.70 ERA). After a weekend sweep against Saint Louis in Florida, Ohio State lost two games to Louisiana Tech in the Grind City Classic before winning two against host Memphis.
The Buckeyes are batting .242 as a team, led by center fielder Miles Vandenheuvel at .391 and designated hitter Mason Eckelman at .346. Outfielder Noah Furcht is hitting .364. Although Ohio State was not picked to finish in the top six of the Big Ten, the pitching staff was a force with a 3.77 ERA and 1.50 WHIP with opponents batting .232.
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First pitch for Texas is scheduled for 7 p.m. Central Friday and Saturday, times which will likely be delayed, and 2 p.m. Central Sunday. All three games will be streamed on Astros.com and the Astros YouTube channel.
