Chase Seabolt/For the Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Texas Baseball Stifles Texas Tech's Bats in Fall Ball Win

Originally posted on Texas Longhorns on SI
By Connor Zimmerlee | Last updated Sep 28, 2025 3:00 PM ET

The 2025 season undoubtedly ended in disappointing fashion for the Texas Longhorns. Despite that, however, there was still a lot of positive takeaways from their first season under the direction of Jim Schlossnagle and his staff. Among them was the transformation of the pitching staff into one of the best in the nation.

That resurgence was led by new pitching coach Max Weiner, as his work was instrumental in lowering the team ERA from 4.91 in 2024 to a dazzling 3.71 in 2025. His staff was especially dominant in conference play. Facing some of the game's most potent lineups, they sported a 3.97 ERA and held SEC foes to a .223 averge en route to a regular season conference title.

Now, as they look ahead to the 2026 season, that same level of dominance was on display in their 9-3 win in a 12-inning exhibition contest against the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Saturday afternoon.

It was a strong showing at Dell Diamond for the Longhorns' pitching staff against the Red Raiders

Chase Seabolt/For the Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Several of the Longhorns' talented arms impressed in the contest, with both returning players and new additions showing fans a glimpse of what they'll see next year. Among those returners that took the mound on Saturday were Thomas Burns, Luke Harrison, Ruger Riojas and Max Grubbs.

Burns pitched the second inning and was his usual sharp self, tossing a zero on the board. His fastball sat in the mid 90s and topped out at 98 mph, pairing it with his electric slider and changeup that put plenty of hitters away in 2025. After him was Harrison in the third and while he did give up a pair of runs, he did manage to limit the damage to two to go with an inning-ending strikeout.

As for Riojas and Grubbs, they pitched the fourth and sixth inning, respectively. And, as one would expect, both returning seniors were in mid-season form. Riojas worked around a two out single to put a zero on the board, while Grubbs did what he does best and retired the side in order for a shutout inning of his own.

Joining in on the fun was the transfer duo of Haiden Leffew and Cal Higgins, with both looking like key arms for the Longhorns in 2026. Leffew started the day on the bump for Texas and, like many others, didn't give up a run.

He struck out a pair of batters in his lone inning of work, but did walk the bases loaded which will need to be cleaned up. We then saw Higgins come out of the bullpen in the fifth and inspire plenty of confidence. Allowing one hit on an infield single was his lone blemish, however a pair of strikeouts and a smooth pickoff move saw him get out of the inning unscathed.

Of course, an exhibition game in the middle of the offseason is not the end all be all for Texas. However, it is a strong start to the second season under Weiner and a glimpse at just how good this pitching staff can be.

The Longhorns will be back in action for another fall ball game on Friday, as they return to UFCU-Disch Falk Field for an exhibition contest against the Lamar Cardinals at 6:30 p.m. CT.

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

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