If Texas baseball’s hitting during its alumni game continues into the season, it could prove to be an offensive powerhouse.
On Saturday, the Longhorns faced off against former players, walking out of UFCU Disch-Falk Field victorious, 6-3. After the game, head coach Jim Schlossnagle praised the team’s hitting.
“We really work hard on using the entire field to hit. That is what the best hitters do,” Schlossnagle said. “We are trying to get deep in counts, trying to use the whole field and when we do swing, do damage … We can be a team that gets a fair amount of extra-base hits.”
Schlossnagle took over the Longhorns, who averaged a .901 on-base plus slugging number in the 2024 season, falling short compared to his Aggies who averaged a .958 OPS.
In an attempt to raise the hitting standards at Texas, Schlossnagle recruited two freshmen who showed their unique hitting profiles during the alumni game.
Freshman infielder Adrian Rodriguez scored a home run as a left-handed batter during Saturday’s game but is actually able to hit on both sides of the plate as a switch hitter.
Rodriguez is also a capable switch thrower, throwing with his left on first base and his right at shortstop, which he played during his high school career.
“(I started switch-hitting) ever since I was a little kid, like two years old. My dad taught me to switch hit and switch throw,” Rodriguez said. “I don’t really have a natural side. … I don’t think I get more power on one side.”
Alongside Rodriguez, Cole Chamberlain, a left-handed hitter and catcher, also hit a home run during the alumni game.
“Every at-bat I approached, it was slow and early,” Chamberlain said. “I’m not rushing to get my swing off and when I start slow and early, it sets everything else up.”
Schlossnagle praised the two freshmen for their hitting profiles, but also for their maturity off the field.
“Rodriguez and Chamberlain are good looking young players. (Rodriguez) is a switch hitter and (Chamberlain) is a left-handed hitter and that’s really important for our lineup to have those guys in there,” Schlossnagle said. “They’re pretty level-headed kids … and they handled the situation pretty well.”
Outside of the freshmen producing successful at-bats, sophomore outfielder Will Gasparino showed signs of improvement according to Schlossnagle.
“(Gasparino) is controlling his at-bats and he’s not in a hurry to hit … He’s finally found an approach, a stance and a swing path that he likes and is comfortable with,” Schlossnagle said.
The successful at-bats are not only a product of the training the players are putting in but also the culture that veterans and newcomers are building.
“From day one, all the older guys took the younger guys in and made us feel comfortable,” Chamberlain said. “That allowed us younger guys to hit with the older guys a lot. We bonded really quick so I think that is something that will take us far this season.”
