Texas Longhorns Stay Hot, Reenter D1Baseball Top 25

The Longhorns make their long awaited return to the top 25 after a series win over UCF.

Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman /

Expectations will always be high for the Texas Longhorns at the start of every season. Not for no reason, of course. Affectionately dubbed the University of Texas at Omaha by supporters, getting to the College World Series is more than just a goal. It is, like we said, the expectation. That was no different coming into 2024.

They entered the season ranked No. 16 overall and started off strong at 7-1, with an extra innings loss to San Diego in the second game of the season keeping them from 8-0. After that, though, they dropped four straight to SEC opponents and would proceed to ride a rollercoaster of a season up.

Texas Longhorns assistant coach Steve Rodriguez talks to catcher Kimble Schuessler (10) on third base. / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman /

Ultimately, they would eventually drop out of the top 25 after a slew of inconsistent performances. Those performances persisted throughout the season, with the Longhorns dropping midweek games to teams they should've handled such as UTRGV and TAMUCC.

However, the aforementioned loss seemed to spark something in them and give them the jolt they needed to get it together down the final stretch. Following that disappointing performance, they have gone a stellar 10-4. Included in that span are series wins over TCU, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and UCF - with the win over the Knights marking five straight series wins in Big 12 play.

The series win over UCF pushed Texas finally back into the top 25 at for the first time since the middle of March, coming in at No. 25, and sees them in a strong position ahead of the regular season finale against Kansas. Hoping to gain a favorable seed and draw in a regional come the NCAA Tournament, the Longhorns are rolling at the right time.

A series win, or even better yet a sweep, would go a long way towards securing that. For now, though, they are red-hot and clicking on all cylinders. If they can keep this momentum going against Kansas, and the Big 12 Tournament after that, then they will be a tough out when postseason play begins.