Texas Baseball Bolsters Roster, Lands Talented Liberty Transfer

When Jim Schlossnagle made his way to Austin last offseason, he and his coaching staff were quick to utilize the transfer portal to add talented players. This aggressive approach proved to be a massive success for the Texas Longhorns in their first season under the new skipper. Thanks to his pursuit of elite players, they saw key contributors Ethan Mendoza and Jared Spencer join the squad.

So far this offseason has been more of the same from Schlossnagle. After a disappointing end to what was a strong campaign in 2025, he wasted no time going fishing for big names out of the portal. Having put together a loaded class of transfers already, the Longhorns secured yet another on Friday with the addition of Liberty's Callum Early.

Early spent his freshman season with the Flames and served as the second baseman. It was an injury shortened season for him, however, as he appeared in only 33 of Liberty's 57 games. Of those appearances 28 saw him in the starting lineup.

The Longhorns continue to pick up talented ballplayers from the transfer portal, with Early the latest addition

However, while he did miss time, the second baseman was productive whenever he graced the diamond. A consistent bat in the lineup, he slashed an impressive .295/.427/.410 while driving in 15 runs. Power was not the name of his game, as he launched only two home runs, but he proved he could get on base consistently with 25 free passes (22 walks and three hit by pitch).

In the field he was equally as impressive and displayed stellar glove work while holding down second base. Staying calm and collected allowed him to play nearly flawless defense, as we was charged with only three errors and sported a strong .972 fielding percentage.

Ultimately, there's no telling how much playing time Early will receive with the Longhorns in 2026. Second base will continue to be held down by Ethan Mendoza. He could be shifted over to shortstop, however that could also be a blocked position due to the addition of Stanford's Temo Becerra from the transfer portal.

What his addition does ensure, though, is the fact that the Longhorns will again have plenty of talented options to come in off the bench when necessary. Not only that, but it highlights how willing Schlossnagle is to utilize the portal to retool the roster in pursuit of a trip to the College World Series.