Texas baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle telegraphed his priorities when he answered a question from a reporter about his team’s chase for an SEC championship back on April 16. 

“I would love to win the conference championship,” he said. “That’s awesome, but it doesn’t get you to Omaha. It puts you in a regional. Might get you a good seed. But you got to get into a regional, and then you see what happens.” 

Here’s what happened: The Longhorns were twice beaten by UTSA, their southern neighbors with a fraction of Texas’ financial muscle ‒ a factor that matters more than ever in the NIL era of college athletics. 

Texas’ 7-4 defeat in Sunday night’s regional final proved particularly comprehensive. 

UTSA righthander Gunnar Brown, who carried a 7.85 ERA into the most important start of his life, muffled the Longhorns’ offense through five innings, allowing one run as he scattered six hits and two walks. 

Conversely, the Roadrunners immediately pounced on experimental Texas starter Hudson Hamilton for two runs in the first inning, then tagged Ethan Walker and Max Grubbs for five runs in the third to assert firm control of the game. 

LIVE COVERAGE: Texas baseball vs UTSA game score: Replay, highlights as Longhorns’ 2025 season ends

After Kimble Schuessler struck out to conclude Texas’ season, the Longhorns (44-14) curled over their dugout railing, shoulder-to-shoulder as they watched the Roadrunners (47-14) dogpile on their home turf. The joy of the SEC title they clinched less than a month ago seemed a world away.

Can that achievement outweigh this disappointment in the long run? Can this season be considered a success after Schlossnagle built his campaign around positioning his team to achieve NCAA Tournament glory?

“On one hand, we’re not going to be in Omaha, so we didn’t get the most out of our team,” Schlossnagle said. “But I feel like compared to where we started, where we are today, this program is in really good shape, headed in the right direction. I feel confident that our coaching staff, given the situation, got the most out of our team.

“I understand the standard. I get it. But you can have a good season and not end up in Omaha. That’s part of it. It’s tournament baseball.”

In their first season in the SEC, the Longhorns didn’t just win the best baseball conference in America ‒ they dominated it, claiming 22 conference victories to place themselves two games above Arkansas for the title. In doing so, they became the first team to win the league by multiple games since Tennessee did in 2022. 

That Volunteers team also missed out on the College World Series, suffering an upset loss to Notre Dame in the super-regional round. 

GALVAN: How Rylan Galvan turned embarrassment into excellence, became Texas baseball star

“I mean, we won the SEC regular season,” Texas third baseman Casey Borba said. “That’s something to be proud about. Definitely not the greatest thing we could have done this year. We could have done way more. But it just didn’t go our way.”

The Longhorns spent almost their entire season overachieving. Schlossnagle’s coaching peers picked Texas to finish eighth in the SEC ‒ and that was before the Longhorns lost ace Jared Spencer for the year and went without star outfielder Max Belyeu for half the season. 

As Texas’ environment adjusted to all the winning, expectations shifted. Schlossnagle spent all season talking about reaching the 15 conference win threshold, enough to just about guarantee his team a place in the postseason. The Longhorns cleared that low bar with 14 SEC games to spare. Their own success forced them to shoot higher.

And that left them in a position to be toppled.

They end their season as a fallen giant, struck down by a UTSA team playing in just its fourth regional since 1992. 

“When you go 44-14 in our league, it doesn’t make it a bad season,” Schlossnagle said. “Just not the right ending.”

Reach Texas Insider David Eckert via email at deckert@gannett.com. Follow the American-Statesman on Facebook and X for more. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Access all of our best content with this tremendous offer.

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STARKVILLE

– One of college baseball’s most tradition-rich programs is turning to one of the sport’s most decorated leaders to guide its next chapter.

Brian O’Connor, a 2024 Hall of Fame inductee and the all-time winningest coach at Virginia, has been named the 19th head baseball coach in Mississippi State history. A proven winner with 917 career victories, seven College World Series appearances and a national title, O’Connor brings a championship résumé and national credibility to Starkville.

Mississippi State will formally introduce Coach O’Connor at a public welcome event set for 7 p.m. CT on Thursday at Dudy Noble Field. Fans, supporters, letterwinners and media are invited to attend as the Diamond Dawgs officially usher in a new era. Additional details will be announced in the coming days.

O’CONNOR AT A GLANCE

• Career record: 917-388-2 (.702)
• 2015 College World Series champion
• Seven College World Series appearances
• 18 NCAA Tournament appearances
• Nine Super Regional appearances 
• Five-time ACC Coach of the Year
• Three-time National Coach of the Year
• 102 MLB Draft picks coached
• 31 MLB players developed

QUOTABLE: ATHLETICS DIRECTOR ZAC SELMON
“Brian O’Connor is one of the most respected and accomplished coaches in college baseball. He’s a national champion, a Hall of Famer, and a proven leader with a track record of building a championship-caliber program. Mississippi State is built to win at the highest level, and Coach O’Connor knows what that takes. From elite player development to consistent success on the national stage, his résumé speaks for itself. He understands the standard here and embraces the opportunity to elevate it even further. This is a defining moment for Mississippi State Baseball and a powerful step forward for our program, our players and our fans.”

QUOTABLE: HEAD BASEBALL COACH BRIAN O’CONNOR

“Mississippi State represents everything I love about college baseball — tradition, passion and a relentless pursuit of excellence. I’ve coached against this program and followed it closely for years. The atmosphere at Dudy Noble Field is nationally recognized as the best in the sport. I’m incredibly honored and grateful for the opportunity to lead a program with this kind of legacy and fan base. Mississippi State has set the standard in college baseball, and I can’t wait to get to work, build relationships and compete for championships in Starkville.”

QUOTABLE: PRESIDENT DR. MARK E. KEENUM

“At Mississippi State, we have a long tradition of success in baseball. The “M over S,” the Maroon and White, and hosting postseason in Starkville is woven into the very fabric of who we are and what we expect of our baseball program. Brian O’Connor is an elite level coach that aligns perfectly with our elite level program. His past certainly speaks for itself, but his clear understanding of the evolution and future of college baseball is clear. We are in the pursuit of championships. I am thrilled for Coach O’Connor, our student-athletes and Bulldogs everywhere as this is a historic day for Mississippi State.”

A CHAMPIONSHIP PEDIGREE

O’Connor took over the Virginia program in 2004 and quickly elevated it into a national power. In 22 seasons, he led the Cavaliers to:

• 14 straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 2004 to 2017
• Seven trips to the College World Series, including a national title in 2015 and runner-up finish in 2014
• 66 NCAA Tournament wins, tied for the fourth most in the nation from 2009 to 2024 
• Seven College World Series appearances, the second most of any program nationally since 2009
• Two ACC regular-season championships
• Two ACC Tournament titles
• Five 50-win seasons and 13 seasons with at least 40 victories

O’Connor’s seven College World Series appearances are also the third most among active NCAA head coaches. Virginia had made just three NCAA appearances before his arrival. He also became the second-fastest coach in ACC history to reach 500 career wins.

TRACK RECORD OF PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

O’Connor has built a steady pipeline of professional talent while developing high-character players prepared to succeed beyond college baseball.

•    102 MLB Draft selections (93 players), including 14 first-round selections

•    31 players reached the major leagues, including Ryan Zimmerman, Sean Doolittle and Chris Taylor

•    At least one first-round pick in five consecutive drafts from 2014 to 2018

•    Seven seasons with multiple top-two-round draft picks

•    Notable major leaguers coached include Danny Hultzen, Pavin Smith, Adam Haseley, Jake McCarthy and Andrew Abbott

Since 2004 under O’Connor, 97 Virginia players earned All-ACC honors, which is the second most among ACC programs during that span. Cavaliers also received 42 All-America honors and 25 Freshman All-America selections. O’Connor also developed three ACC Players of the Year. 

SUSTAINED EXCELLENCE

• Second among active Division I coaches in career winning percentage (.702)
• Earned his 900th win on March 29, 2024
• One of eight active Division I coaches with a national championship
• Named ACC Coach of the Decade for 2010 to 2019 by D1Baseball
• Inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2024
• One of 20 individuals to both play in and coach at the College World Series

Virginia teams under O’Connor also excelled in the classroom and were regularly honored by the NCAA for academic progress and graduation success.

BY THE NUMBERS: HITTING, PITCHING & FIELDING UNDER O’CONNOR

Hitting Excellence

• Virginia ranked top five nationally in batting average three times since 2022, including No. 3 nationally in 2024 (.333) and co-leading the nation in 2023 (.332)
• UVA finished top five in the country in slugging (.567), runs (581), and hits (752) in 2024, while also setting a program record with 116 home runs
• Led the nation in doubles (172) and hits (766) in 2023
• UVA has posted 700+ hits in a season five times, including back-to-back years in 2023 and 2024

Elite Pitching Development

• UVA has ranked top 20 nationally in ERA 12 times under O’Connor, including six top-three finishes
• The 2011 staff led the nation in ERA (2.24); the 2014 team finished No. 2 nationally (2.23)
• From 2021 to 2023, Virginia pitching staffs consistently ranked among the top in the nation: Fourth in ERA (3.81) in 2023; 14th in ERA (3.99) in 2022; 14th in ERA and 4th in strikeouts (687) in 2021
• Multiple Cavalier pitchers have gone on to MLB All-Star status, including Sean Doolittle and Danny Hultzen
• Team USA’s pitching staff posted a 2.06 ERA under O’Connor’s direction in 2018 international competition

Defensive Fundamentals

• O’Connor-built teams are known for their consistency, defensive reliability and precision on the fundamentals
• Entering the 2025 season, UVA owned the best cumulative fielding percentage in the ACC since 2004 (.973)
• The 2014 team set a school record with a .981 fielding percentage (fourth nationally)
• 10 of O’Connor’s teams have ranked among the top 40 nationally in fielding percentage

A NEW ERA IN STARKVILLE
O’Connor takes over a Mississippi State program with a proud history, a championship standard and the most passionate fan base in college baseball. The Bulldogs have made 12 College World Series appearances and captured the program’s first national championship in 2021.

Mississippi State is one of only four programs in NCAA history to reach the College World Series in six consecutive decades. With 40 NCAA Tournament appearances, 12 trips to Omaha, 11 SEC regular-season titles and a national title, the Bulldogs have long stood among the nation’s premier programs.

 

ATHENS, Ga. – Oklahoma State’s season came to an end in the NCAA Athens Regional finals Sunday night at Foley Field as the third-seeded Cowboys dropped a 3-2 contest to No. 2 seed Duke.
 
With the loss, the Cowboys concluded their season with a 30-25 mark, while Duke improved to 40-19. OSU had advanced to the Regional finals for the eighth time in 12 tournament appearances under head coach Josh Holliday by beating No. 7 national seed and host Georgia earlier in the day.
 
Against Duke, OSU took the game’s first lead in the fourth. After Nolan Schubart drew a leadoff walk, Ritchie followed and smashed a pitch over the right field wall for his fifth home run of the Regional and 14^th of the season.
 
That lead held up as Noah Wech dominated the Blue Devils’ lineup. The freshman right-hander, making only his second start of the season, worked six shutout innings and allowed just five hits while striking out five and not issuing a walk.
 
The Cowboys maintained the two-run advantage until the eighth when Duke’s A.J. Gracia homered to left-centerfield; the solo blast came off Ryan Ure and cut the Cowboys’ advantage to one.
 
After Ure gave up a hit and a walk, Mario Pesca came out of the bullpen and struck out Tyler Albright for the second out of the inning. But up next, Sam Harris singled to right-center field and both Duke runners came home to put the Blue Devils up, 3-2.
 
In the ninth, Duke’s Reid Easterly retired the Cowboys in order to secure the win.
 
OSU had three players named to the NCAA Athens Regional All-Tournament Team, with Ritchie, Schubart and Brayden Smith making the list. Ritchie hit .538 with five homers and 10 RBIs in the Cowboys’ four games, while Schubart went 7-for-14 and homered twice.