No. 24 Texas Longhorns Take Home Several Big 12 End of Season Honors

The Longhorns claimed a plethora of conference honors, including Big 12 Player of the Year.

Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA

There has been no shortage of elite ballplayers to don the burnt orange and white for the Texas Longhorns. In recent years some of those notable names include Kody Clemens and Ivan Melendez, both of which claimed Big 12 Player of the Year. Following the 2024 season, another Longhorn added his name to that list.

Outfielder Max Belyeu took home the award, giving Texas its fifth winner of the award and second in its last three seasons. One look at the stats and it is evident that Belyeu was far and away the deserving winner of this illustrious honor. Flashing elite defense in the outfield, whether in right or left, he was equally as impressive at the plate.

Texas Longhorns outfielder Max Belyeu (44) runs for first in the second inning. / Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA

He launched an impressive 17 home runs, 11 of which happened during conference play. Overall he put together a .341/.444/.703 slash line with the aforementioned 17 home runs and 49 runs driven in. While he took home Big 12 Player of the Year, he was far from the only Longhorn honored by the Big 12.

Alongside his Player of the Year award, Belyeu earned a First Team All-Big 12 nod alongside Jared Thomas, Jalin Flores, and Gage Boehm. None of these selections will come as a surprise to anyone who watched the Longhorns over the course of the season.

Thomas and Flores held down the top two spots in the lineup for a majority of the season, leading one of the best offenses in the Big 12. They were the team's top hitters, with Thomas slashing .363/.449/.650 to go with 14 home runs and 44 RBI. Flores, on the other hand, slashed .348/.406/.674 with 17 homers of his own and a team-high 50 RBI.

As for Boehm, he was a shutdown closer and the best reliever out of the bullpen for the Longhorns. Sporting a 5-2 record, the right-hander tallied eight saves as well with a sparkling 2.91 ERA. His combination of pitches kept hitters off-balance, helping him rack up 48 strikeouts to just 13 walks.

Elsewhere on the All-Big 12 Teams, Peyton Powell was the lone Longhorn representative on the Second Team. Holding down the hot corner with elite defense, the third baseman paired that with one of the most consistent bats. The senior was as steady as they come at the plate, finishing with a .329/.416/.514 slash line, and third on the team with 71 hits.

Moving down to the honorable mentions, Texas had five players on the list. Thomas earned the utility spot due to his playing both first base and in the outfield. Joining him was a pair of pitchers Max Grubbs and Ace Whitehead, as well as Rylan Galvan and Will Gasparino.

Whitehead and Grubbs were pivotal pieces of the Longhorns' stellar finish to the season, added to the rotation at the midway point and offering much-needed stability. The duo posted a combined record of 9-5, with a 4.07 and 3.41 ERA respectively.

Shifting back to Galvan and Gasparino, the tandem offered plenty of pop in the bottom half of Texas' lineup as well as outstanding defense at their respective positions. Galvan sported a .276/.372/.506 slash line with eight home runs, while Gasparino recorded a slash line of .251/.300/.513 with 12 long balls. Gasparino was also named to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team.

9️⃣ Horns on the All-Big 12 Teams 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/EeyZJbMYck

— Texas Baseball (@TexasBaseball) May 20, 2024

Altogether, the Longhorns walked away from the 2024 regular season one of the most decorated squads in the conference. Now, though, they turn their attention to the Big 12 Tournament and postseason play.