Report: Texas Baseball SS Jalin Flores Returning for 2025 Season

The Longhorns got big news on Monday afternoon with Jalin Flores coming back for another season.

Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA

Since he was hired to take over the Texas Longhorns, coach Jim Schlossnagle has been hard at work with his staff bolstering the roster. Sporting an aggressive approach on the recruiting front, he and his staff have landed elite players both from the transfer portal and in the high school ranks.

That, paired with a plethora of key players from the 2024 squad announcing their decision to return, painted a pretty picture of what 2025 could look like. However, there were still two key members of last year's team that had announced their decision in shortstop Jalin Flores and outfielder Jared Thomas.

Texas Longhorns infielder Jalin Flores (1) celebrates as he runs home after hitting a home run in the fourth inning of the Longhorns' game against the UT Arlington Mavericks at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. Rodriguez is acting head coach while David Pierce is suspended. / Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA

The latter heard his name called in the second round of the MLB Draft, when the Colorado Rockies selected Thomas with the No. 42 overall pick. As for Flores, however, the Longhorns entered day two of the draft on Monday waiting to see if he would come back for another season.

It was then announced per D1Baseball's Kendall Rogers and Flores himself on Instagram, that Flores would indeed return in 2025, a huge win for Schlossnagle and his staff. Flores was instrumental in the Longhorns' offensive success last season, as well as an elite fielder at shortstop.

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After a rough season at the plate as a freshman, the sophomore came back and put together a stellar campaign. He finished with an impressive .340/.408/.656 slash line, and tied Max Belyeu for the team lead in home runs with 18 while pacing the Longhorns with 56 RBIs.

That, paired with a stellar glove at shortstop, made him one of the best names left on the board before withdrawing from the draft and returning to Austin. Flores' return is a massive move in the right direction for Texas heading into the SEC in 2025, as his steady bat in the middle of the lineup and sure hands in the field will again lockdown the shortstop spot.