AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas is in a new conference, but the new coaches still think the Longhorns’ slugger is one of the best players around.
Max Belyeu, last year’s Big 12 Conference player of the year, was tabbed as a preseason first-team all-Southeastern Conference selection in the outfield by a vote of SEC coaches, the conference released Wednesday. Catcher Rylan Galvan was named to the second team.
The first team had four outfielders due to a tie between Belyeu and Georgia’s Tre Phelps. Texas A&M’s Jace LaViolette and South Carolina’s Ethan Petry rounded out outfielders on the top team.
Belyeu slashed .329/.423/.667 last season with 18 home runs and 53 RBIs in a breakout season as a sophomore, earning All-America distinctions from three outlets and a spot on the USA Baseball collegiate national team.
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Like Belyeu, Galvan’s second team selection also came via a tie with Florida’s Luke Heyman. Galvan was an all-Big 12 honorable mention selection last season after slashing .287/.392/.506 with eight home runs and 37 RBIs in 53 games. The junior from Sinton had 50 hits with 14 doubles last season, as well.
Texas A&M and Tennessee led the way with six picks each across the two teams but the Aggies had one more first-team pick than the Vols 4-3. The two met in last year’s Men’s College World Series championships, with the Vols claiming the national title in three games.
Coaches picked the Aggies to win the conference with Tennessee not far behind at No. 2. Arkansas, Louisiana State and Florida rounded out the top five. Texas is projected to finish in the middle of the pack at No. 8 behind Vanderbilt and ahead of Mississippi State.
ESPN networks will air 11 Longhorns games this season
The Worldwide Leader in Sports will air 11 Texas baseball games this spring, seven of them on the SEC Network with three on ESPN2 and the remaining game on ESPNU.
All three games April 25-27 against Texas A&M will be available with the opener on SEC Network and the remaining pair on ESPN2. Here’s the full schedule ESPN released Thursday:
- 1 p.m., March 16, at Mississippi State, SEC Network
- 7 p.m., March 21, vs. LSU, SEC Network
- 1 p.m., March 30, at Missouri, SEC Network
- 11 a.m., April 12, at Kentucky, SEC Network
- 11 a.m., April 13, at Kentucky, SEC Network
- 7 p.m., April 25, vs. Texas A&M, SEC Network
- 3 p.m., April 26, vs. Texas A&M, ESPN2
- 3 p.m., April 27, vs. Texas A&M, ESPN2
- 6 p.m., May 1, at Arkansas, ESPN2
- 7 p.m., May 2, at Arkansas, SEC Network
- 6:30 p.m., May 9, vs. Florida, ESPNU
