The No. 1 ranked Longhorns are gearing up to host a No. 7 ranked Auburn squad for another highly anticipated SEC series.
The Tigers come into tonight's matchup red hot, as they have won fived games in a row, with four of those being ranked opponents (then ranked No. 20 Georgia Tech last Tuesday, followed by a sweep of a Top 10 LSU squad over the weekend.)
Yesterday Texas Head Coach Jim Schlossnagle met with the media and dropped the news that second baseman Ethan Mendoza is considered day to day after sustaining a shoulder injury over the weekend versus Kentucky.
While Schlossnagle didn't get into many specifics, I'm told that Mendoza essentially "separated his shoulder" for lack of a better term.
Schloss did mention that Mendoza would most likely be available as a hitter before seeing action defensively.
As of this morning, the team remains hopeful that will be the case, but it will depend on how he feels before each game.
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As for backing up Mendoza on the field, that is still up in the air.
"It probably will depend on who is pitching for Auburn," said a source.
The two most likely options are either freshman Adrian Rodriguez or junior Jayden Duplantier.
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Many of you have asked if Rodriguez would eventually return to third base. I'm told that Casey Borba will remain there for the foreseeable future.
When it comes to the hot corner, the staff feels Borba has the edge defensively over A-Rod.
Couple that with the fact that Borba has been one of the Horns most productive hitters (Casey actually sees more pitches per plate appearance than any other player in the SEC) and you can see why that plan shouldn't change.
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Things continue to look good for an eventual Max Belyeu return. While no definite timetable has been given, he's progressing well when it comes to his recovery. I've used the term cautiously optimistic a ton and that's how the staff still feels.
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I'll close with a recruiting note.
Texas seems to be done recruiting the high school ranks for awhile. Their '26 class is pretty full (maybe too full) and they're obviously in no hurry to add anymore pieces to the puzzle from that aspect.
However, I am told that they will be extremely active in the portal, which opens Monday, June 2. I fully expect the Horns to be very aggressive on that front.