Jeff Howe

Yes, Texas is looking for multiple outfielders in the portal.

He should benefit from having guys in the lineup who can actually protect him.

The late, great Kenny Sims was the last Longhorn to go No. 1 overall in the NFL draft. Does Arch snap the drought in 2027?

They found Ermis late, so JUCO is an option.

Not surprised. We'll see what the staff does for a backup catcher with Ermis and Presley Courville gone.

He'll be drafted high enough that he'll sign a professional contract. He's not coming back.

This is one of the big portal targets we’ve been talking about for a few days. Arguably the biggest positional need for Texas in the transfer portal has been filled by one of the best catchers available.

Jim Schlossnagle and the Texas baseball program secured a transfer portal commitment from St. Mary’s catcher Ian Armstrong on Saturday. Armstrong’s commitment, which he announced on Instagram, fills one of the Longhorns' most significant roster needs with one of the top prospects available in the portal. After Carson Tinney’s All-American season at (.326/.483/.688 with 22 home runs and 58 RBI) and behind the plate (ABCA Division I Rawlings Gold Glove winner) in 2026, and Rylan Galvan’s an All-American campaign during Schlossnagle’s debut, Texas couldn’t afford to take a significant step back at a position upon which Schlossnagle puts a high value when building his roster. Tinney is expected to be an early-round selection in the 2026 MLB Draft, paving the way for Armstrong, who visited campus late in the week ahead of the current dead period (runs through Monday), to bring his two-way talent to the Forty Acres. As a sophomore for the Gaels, the 6-foot-1-inch Armstrong hit .351 with 16 home runs, 51 RBI and a 1.070 OPS en route to first-team All-West Coast Conference honors. According to D1Baseball and Synergy, Armstrong is fifth in Division I in defensive runs saved and seventh in defensive wins above replacement (1.33, which currently ranks fourth among SEC catchers). Armstrong is the second transfer portal commitment the Longhorns have landed in the current cycle, joining Texas Tech infielder Linkin Garcia. With the futures of Casey Borba and Ethan Mendoza uncertain as the two starters from a team that won 46 games and reached the College World Series await the upcoming draft, Armstrong and Garcia give Schlossnagle two key pieces of the 2027 infield, along with returning postseason standout Adrian Rodriguez. On Texas Football expects up to two more infielders, two outfielders and three pitchers to be what Texas tries to add in the portal. The baseball transfer portal window will close on June 30. As of Saturday, the Longhorns have lost five players to the transfer portal: right-handed pitchers Jadyn Ferguson and Cooper Rummel, catchers Presley Courville and Andrew Ermis (the only catchers other than Tinney on the 2026 roster) and outfielder Will Hill. View full news story

Financial backing for baseball was a legitimate concern under Pierce because some of the folks who would’ve helped put money into the program weren’t willing to do so unless a coaching change was made. Texas doesn’t have the biggest pool of baseball resources in the SEC, but the program isn’t poor. Also, as @Blake Munroe mentioned in his notes this morning, Cain leaving wasn’t strictly a money move.

I haven't heard anything negative in that regard since the Cain news came out.

He's played a big role in putting this roster together, no doubt. But I'm not expecting a mass exodus of talent following him to College Station. The pitchers are at Texas because of Max Weiner and the position players like playing for Schloss and Tulo. Losing Cain stings, but if Weiner left, for instance, I'd be worried about guys on the roster following him.

We've mentioned this in the other portal threads, but so that everyone has it here in the main threads: — Yesterday and today, Texas has hosted St. Mary's catcher Ian Armstrong and Kent State OF/UTIL Sawyer Solitaria. Those visits will wrap up ahead of the weekend dead period. — Oregon OF Angel Laya is a target of interest for the Longhorns. As of now, he's the only one of the Oregon transfers OTF believes is a target for the staff (that could change, but we haven't heard of any interest between Texas and Naulivou Lauaki Jr. and Burke-Lee Mabeus as of now). — The proposed draft rule changes that were leaked as part of the ongoing dialogue related to Major League Baseball's Collective Bargaining Agreement are just that: proposed changes. Nothing has gone into effect that will impact the Texas roster in 2027. — With Texas Tech's Linkin Garcia the only portal addition thus far, here are the positional needs OTF believes the staff will try to address in the portal: pitchers (3), outfielders (2), infielders (2) and catchers (1). — The following Longhorns have entered the transfer portal as of Friday, June 19: RHP Cooper Rummel, OF Will Hill, RHP Jadyn Ferguson and C Presley Courville

Two visitors on campus yesterday. We’re expecting some news soon.

Yes. Both will turn 21 before Aug. 1, 2027.

They're gone. They'll both be early-round picks.

You can say this every year about the MPA counselors, but that's a LOADED group with several potential NFL franchise quarterbacks.

Your take is why I thought it was huge whenever Pendergrass reached base. He's got the kind of speed that can really mess with pitchers in tight spots. The speed element is also why Jonah going down was a huge blow to what the offense could've been this season.

Shoutout to Chuck Johnson and "Big Cat" Alfio Randall!

Also, @PaulieD and others, thanks for the kind words on our baseball coverage. @Blake Munroe and @CJ Vogel deserve their props more so than me because they know the game and see it through a different lens than I do, which really enhances our coverage, IMO. I love Longhorn baseball. I'm looking forward to our coverage growing in 2027.

I think teams had no interest in giving Tinney anything decent to hit. He at least found ways to get on base via walks, but they were very careful with him. After Volchko got Robbins to chase that slider diving away from him, I don't think he saw anything but sliders the rest of the time he was in Omaha. Very few fastballs, IIRC. The big thing about Charles Schwab Field is the configuration. Unlike Rosenblatt, where the wind coming from the south caused a lot of balls to leave the yard, the wind tends to blow in or you get a cross breeze. That can hurt teams that rely on the long ball, even though bat and ball technology have come a long way since the start of the BBCOR era. @TheNightKing had a good post with some good takes. One of the reasons why Skip's OU teams have been good when they've made it to Omaha is that they really can play small when needed. OU typically steals a lot of bases and while they've got some guys who can thump, you'll always see Skip field a team with guys who can play small ball when the conditions aren't ripe for extra-base hits. OU is very versatile offensively.

Agreed. I know the coaches didn't count on Pendergrass becoming an everyday player, but he was far and away a better defensive option than Monsour or Gumbo.

Want me to punch-a-size your face? For free?

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