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Former Texas Longhorns Outfielder Announces Transfer Destination

Originally posted on Texas Longhorns on SI
By Connor Zimmerlee | Last updated Jun 22, 2025 12:40 PM ET

With the rise of prominence in the transfer portal throughout college athletics, players deciding a fresh start is what's best for them has become a common occurrence. For the Texas Longhorns, this has been seen plenty this offseason -- both in the form of players making their way to The Forty Acres and players opting for a change of scenery in 2026.

Among those deciding to seek a new beginning next season was outfielder Tommy Farmer IV. The former Longhorn put his name in the portal on June 5. After just over two weeks he made his decision as to where he would be playing next season, opting to return to his home state of California and suit up for the UC Irvine Anteaters.

The Anteaters were one of the best stories in college baseball this year. They were dominant throughout the regular season and powered their way to a sensational 43-17 record, including a dazzling 24-6 showing in conference play. In Farmer, they are getting a player with an elite glove in the outfield and a bat that showed its potential down the stretch.

Initially the starting left fielder for the Longhorns in 2025, Farmer was shifted over to right when Max Belyeu was sidelined. Despite a new position, the outfielder did not miss a beat and played spectacular defense for the Longhorns.

While he started out slow at the plate, Farmer did start to heat up as the season wound down. His .249/.371/.339 slash line doesn't jump off the page as remarkable but it slowly improved as time went on. And while he only launched one home run, it was a big one, as it put Texas ahead 2-0 late against the Texas A&M Aggies in the series opener and would be the winning run in what was a 2-1 victory.

Of course, you don't want to lose key contributors from a team that just won the SEC in its first season. Fortunately for the Longhorns, though, Jim Schlossnagle and his staff have been hard at work in the portal themselves and have landed several key additions to account for the loss of Farmer and others.

This article first appeared on Texas Longhorns on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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