Texas Baseball Lands Arizona State Infielder Ethan Mendoza

The Longhorns stay hot in the transfer portal, landing the former Sun Devil second baseman.

Jay Janner/American-Statesman / USA

No one can deny that Jim Schlossnagle and his staff recognize the importance of utilizing the transfer portal. In his first week in Austin the Texas Longhorns' new coach showed off his willingness to be aggressive when it comes to landing elite players via the portal.

That first week saw him land Penn's Eli Trop, LSU's Aiden Moffett, Louisiana-Monroe's Easton Winfield and Arizona State's Thomas Burns. Combine that with his flipping of multiple elite Texas A&M recruits, and you have immediate success on the recruiting trail for Texas' new staff.

University of Texas baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle speaks at his introductory news conference at the Frank Denius Family University Hall of Fame Wednesday June 26, 2024. / Jay Janner/American-Statesman / USA

They stayed hot on Saturday following the flip of former 2024 Aggie commit Bryce Navarre, with another former Sun Devil in infielder Ethan Mendoza announcing on Twitter that he would be transferring to Texas.

Coming home🤘🏼 #hookem pic.twitter.com/vYFPkBxTR8

— 𝐸𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃 𝒲. 𝑀𝑒𝓃𝒹𝑜𝓏𝒶 (@_EthanMendoza) July 6, 2024

Hailing from Bedford, TX and having attended Southlake Carroll HS (TX), Mendoza makes his return to the Lone Star State with his commitment to the Longhorns. Beyond that, though, he gives them an impact bat in the lineup and fills the hole at second base left following the departure of Dee Kennedy to Kansas State in the portal.

A highly touted recruit coming out of high school, he impressed with a stellar freshman season for the Sun Devils in 2024. Starting in 49 of the 53 games he appeared in, the second baseman posted a phenomenal .315/.367/.443 slash line while launching three home runs and driving in 24 runs.

Mendoza joins a Longhorns' team that has not only been active in the portal, but has seen several key contributors from the 2024 season announce their return for the upcoming campaign. As for Schlossnagle and his staff, this latest portal addition highlights what they're good at.

They recognize areas of need and don't hesitate to address them with portal talent. From the pitchers they've landed to the duo of Winfield and Mendoza, this staff is adding elite players. They're likely not done, either, with plenty of strong players still available to grab in the portal.