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Texas Baseball Seeking Spark Following Series Loss Against Florida Gators

Originally posted on Texas Longhorns on SI
By Connor Zimmerlee | Last updated May 11, 2025 8:30 PM ET

For most of the season the Texas Longhorns have appeared to be the best team in college baseball. Aside from a couple of disappointing midweek losses, they were ripping through the competition and looked especially dominant in SEC play.

They won each of their first seven conference series, with five of them resulting in a sweep, and found themselves sitting pretty with a 19-2 record and five-game lead atop the conference. At that point it appeared to be a question not of if they would win the SEC, but rather if they could set the mark for best conference record in their first season as members.

However, that momentum has all but disappeared over the last two weekends. First they hit the road last week for a three-game series against the Arkansas Razorbacks. It was not a good showing in the slightest for the Longhorns, as they looked completely overmatched in all three contests and were swept for the first time this season.

One week later and they hoped the sting of that sweep would get the team going. Then they dropped the opener against the Florida Gators 8-2 for another blowout loss. While they did bounce back and take game two 5-2, the finale was more of the same as they were completely lost at the plate in a 4-1 loss that saw them drop the series.

Suddenly what once appeared to be Texas running away with the conference is the Longhorns clinging to a narrow lead atop the standings. Losing five of their last six, with all five losses looking uncompetitive, prompted a meeting from team leaders following about a need to compete better following Sunday's loss to Florida, per Horns247.

Among those that spoke were Rylan Galvan, Jalin Flores, Kimble Schuessler, Andre Duplantier II and Max Belyeu. If there has at any point this season been a need for this type of meeting then it is certainly now.

Losing games is one thing, that happens in baseball. To lose them in the fashion that they have, though, is an entirely different story. In each of the five losses the Longhorns have looked like a shell of the team that surged to a 19-2 record in SEC play.

Four of the five losses have seen them record double-digit strikeouts and ugly at-bats. Getting men on hasn't made a difference either, as even when they have said runners have been stranded. Ultimately, the offense has been putrid, to be generous, and is scuffling at the absolute worst time.

Fortunately for the Longhorns, the season isn't over and their chance to claim the conference title still exists. They hit the road to take on the Oklahoma Sooners to end the season, with one win clinching a share of the regular season title and two wins clinching it outright.

Whether or not they're able to manage that, though, will depend on if the bats can find the momentum that they had over the first half of the season. One potential cause for hope is the possible return of star Max Belyeu, who has not played since the series opener against the Missouri Tigers.

So, while there is definitely reason to be concerned given the recent stretch of play it is not quite time to hit the panic button yet. All it takes is one or two strong games to get back on track, and they've shown they can do just that more than once this season.

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

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