The Texas Longhorns concluded a successful portal visit weekend on Sunday by landing a commitment from Kent State Golden Flash outfielder Sawyer Solitaria in a hotly-contested recruitment over the Georgia Bulldogs, Tennessee Volunteers, and Texas A&M Aggies.
The 6’5, 225-pounder has two seasons of eligibility remaining, but is considered a 2027 MLB Draft prospect and the No. 54 overall player in the portal, according to 64Analytics. In March, D1 Baseball slotted Solitaria as a top-100 prospect in next
year’s draft.
Out of North Olmsted (Ohio) St. Ignatius, Solitaria was ranked as the No. 89 third baseman nationally when he signed with Kent State. In 2025, Solitaria was named the MAC Freshman of the Year while earning first-team All-MAC honors, slashing .308/.402/.478 with eight doubles, one triple, eight home runs, and 62 RBI, adding 10 stolen bases.
As a sophomore, Solitaria was a second-team All-MAC selection after significantly improving his power, batting .296 with a .408 on-base percentage and .558 slugging percentage with 13 doubles, 16 home runs, and 47 RBI. The walk rate also improved for Solitaria as his strikeout rate dropped slightly, an impressive accomplishment considered the boost in his slugging percentage and the increase in rates indicating that the Ohio product was working deeper into counts.
Capable of playing both corner infield positions and both corner outfield positions in addition to starting at designated hitter for most of his freshman season, Solitaria has prototypical physicality for the SEC and enough speed to fit head coach Jim Schlossnagle’s preferred profile. Solitaria’s strength gives him raw power that doesn’t require high-level bat speed to hit home runs.
Solitaria projects as a direct replacement for right fielder Aiden Robbins, leaving one open outfield spot with late-season starter Dariyan Pendergrass exhausting his eligibility as the Texas center fielder, but will have to prove himself defensively after struggling in the field as a freshman before showing improvement in 2026.
