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Report: Trio of Texas pitchers returning to school, opting out of MLB Draft

IMG_0985by: Griffin McVeigh07/09/25griffin_mcveigh
Jim Schlossnagle
Jim Schlossnagle (Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

According to D1 Baseball’s Kendall Rogers, a trio of Texas pitchers will be returning to school for the 2026 season. Max Grubbs, Luke Harrison, and Ruger Riojas were all going through the MLB Draft process. Instead of taking their careers to the next level, at least one more year will be spent in Austin under head coach Jim Schlossnagle.

“SCOOP: Some massive news for @TexasBaseball, as I’m told RHP Ruger Riojas, LHP Luke Harrison and RHP Max Grubbs will all opt out of the upcoming #MLBDraft and return to Austin for another season with the #Horns,” Rogers said via X. “Texas should be one of the title favorites in 2026.”

Due to a Jared Spencer injury, these three wound up leading Texas in innings pitched this past season. Harrison led the way with 70.2 innings, closely followed by Riojas’ 69.0 and 57.0 from Grubbs. Even with these three back, there are some decisions Schlossnagle will have to make with the rotation moving forward.

Harrison is likely the candidate for Friday nights after being the Saturday starter this past season for Texas. His numbers, outside of innings pitched, are incredible. Harrison finished with a 3.06 ERA while striking out 72 batters and walking only 24.

Grubbs was mainly used as a bullpen guy this past season, appearing in 22 games and starting one of them. His longest outing came against Florida on May 11, going 4.2 innings and giving up two runs (one earned) on five hits and striking out four. Maybe the possibility of becoming a starter is there.

The one who may have needed to come back the most is Riojas. He did not finish the season on a strong note, giving up 25 earned runs in his final four starts over 14.2 innings. That includes seven against Kansas State in the NCAA Tournament — a game the Texas offense luckily put up 15 runs. Riojas will now get another offseason of work to correct his issues, hoping for a better overall showing next year.

As Rogers mentioned, Texas is going to be a national title contender. Many thought they had a chance in Schlossnagle’s first season but UTSA surprisingly came out of the Austin Regional. A bit of a disappointing postseason run from the Longhorns.

Getting these pitchers back will only boost the odds in 2026. Major news on the 40 Acres to see the return of Grubbs, Harrison, and Riojas.