With unseasonably warm weather forecast for Austin, the No. 3 Texas Longhorns open the 2026 season, the second under head coach Jim Schlossnagle, with a weekend series against the UC-Davis Aggies at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, the first time the two programs have played.
UC-Davis is led by fifth-year head coach Tommy Nicholson, a standout infielder at Texas who helped lead the Longhorns to the College World Series before he was selected in the 11th round of the 2000 MLB Draft before spending six seasons
in the minor leagues. Nicholson returned to the Forty Acres as a volunteer assistant before also serving as a recruiting coordinator under legendary head coach Augie Garrido.
Nicholson also coached at Sacramento State and Stanford before taking over at UC-Davis in 2021. It’s a tough job — the program’s 29-27 record in 2024 was the only third winning record posted by the Aggies since moving from Division II to Division I for the 2006 season, and the first time above .500 since 2015.
So it’s not entirely surprising that UC-Davis is picked to finish eighth in the 11-team Big West this season without any players on the preseason coaches’ team.
The Aggies struggled at the plate last season, hitting .256 as a team, but do return three of the team’s four leading hitters — outfielder Braydon Wooldridge, outfielder Tyler Howard, and infielder/catcher Ryan Lee.
On the mound, the top starter for UC-Davis, but right-hander Noel Valdez is back and set to start on Friday after posting a 7-3 record and a 3.72 ERA last season and leading the Aggies in wins and with 82.1 innings pitched. Valdez was successful attacking the strike zone, recording a 3.25 strikeout-to-walk ratio with the help of a four-pitch mix. Out of the bullpen, Mason Lerma was a second-team All-Big West selection who paced the conference with 28 appearances and posted a 1.01 ERA.
As with any weekend non-conference series against an overmatched opponent, the focus for Texas will be on itself as Schlossnagle and his staff evaluate the starting rotation and get innings for a talented group of freshman pitchers while establishing the starting lineup and batting order.
The starting lineup will feature sophomore Adrian Rodriguez making his debut at shortstop despite working his way back from hand surgery and sophomore Jonah Williams making his first start in right field, which Schlossnagle believes is the toughest outfield position to play of any stadium he’s ever coached in. The sun won’t be a challenge with a late start time on Friday and rain forecast for Saturday, but it could impact Williams if he’s still in right field on Sunday.
“Jonah has played well out there,” Schlossnagle said on Wednesday.
As for the lineup, Schlossnagle doesn’t have it set yet, but he does expect junior second baseman Ethan Mendoza, junior outfielder Aiden Robbins, catcher Carson Tinney, and Rodriguez to be at the top of it.
“You also want have some depth in the lineup. I like lineup balance, so I’m constantly going back and forth. And I think you find it out over time about what is the best combination for the team?” Schlossnagle said.
But Williams is also under consideration at the top of the lineup, and not just because of his speed and contact ability.
“When Jonah’s going well, he brings a mentality that’s so cool. It kind of sets a tone. So, I’m not sure we’re ready to go there yet, but when he’s healthy and in the right space, he brings something to the table that not many of our players bring,” Schlossnagle said.
“It’s definitely the swag and different things, but he’s so much more than that. Like if you watch him on social media or you know him in the batter’s box, that’s your perception. The perception is not reality. Like he is one million percent about the team from the second he gets here.
“He goes through his moods, too, like anybody, like we all do. But it’s about the team, and when he doesn’t do well, he’s going to show it kind of emotionally. But it’s not selfish, like because I didn’t do well. It’s selfish because he feels like he let the team down. And, honestly, we have to talk him back from that a little bit.
“So he’s truly trying to win, pitch to pitch. If you hear him in the dugout, he’s always behind his teammates. He’s not afraid to call somebody out, regardless of your age, and he’s not afraid to be called out.
“I called it competitive intelligence last year. He has that, and he’s truly all about the team. When he’s in the building, we’re a different team. It’s refreshing to me to see him every day. I think the world of him.”
With Williams starting in right field, expect Robbins to play center with one of junior Ashton Larson and freshman Anthony Pack Jr. playing in left.
Across the rest of the infield, junior Casey Borba is in line to start at first base, Mendoza is locked in at second base, and senior Temo Becerra and senior Josh Livingston could platoon at third base with Livingston the likely starter at designated hitter if he isn’t playing in the field. Behind the plate, the expectations are high for Tinney, the Notre Dame transfer who finished as a finalist for the Buster Posey Award last year as the nation’s best catcher.
One point of emphasis for Texas is striking out less this season.
“We were a team that we’d hit some homers, but, man, by the end of the year, we just didn’t put a whole lot of pressure on the other team. When you’re not putting the ball in play, you’re not hitting homers, you don’t steal a lot of bases, and we don’t bunt that much, well, then it’s a pretty easy team to play defense against, right?” Schlossnagle said.
The goal is about 100 fewer strikeouts in 2026, which equates to roughly two per game.
“We’re just trying to control the strike zone. When we do swing, do some damage. So get on base, have a good selection percentage, but then also compete a little bit better with two strikes than we did last year,” Schlossnagle said.
The starting rotation features senior right-hander Ruger Riojas on Friday, redshirt senior left-hander Luke Harrison on Saturday, and sophomore left-hander Dylan Volantis on Sunday, giving the Longhorns experience on the front end and upside on the back end.
“He’s earned it,” Schlossnagle said of Riojas. “It’s more a statement about him than really anybody else. The other guys have pitched well, too. But right now, that’s what we’re going to start with.”
Sophomore right-hander Jason Flores and freshman right-hander Sam Cozart are also in the mix for the weekend rotation, which could evolve as SEC play approaches.
“As we get closer to conference play, then we’ll see how everybody’s pitching, see what the health situation is of everyone, and then see what’s best for the team moving forward into SEC play,” Schlossnagle said.
Cozart is one of five freshman pitchers who have separated from the rest of the class as Weiner added depth and stuff to the pitching staff, which will look markedly different than 2025 even with the returns of Riojas, Harrison, and senior right-hander Max Grubbs.
First pitch is at 6:30 p.m. Central on Friday, 2 p.m. Central on Saturday, and noon Central on Sunday. All three games air on SEC Network+.
