Jalin Flores, Jared Thomas could be the next true freshmen infielders to start for David Pierce
The 2022 Texas Longhorns baseball team featured one of the best corner infield tandems in the nation. Ivan Melendez manned first base for David Pierce’s club last year, breaking several school records on his way to becoming the program’s first ever Golden Spikes winner. Opposite him at third base was Kansas transfer Skyler Messinger, whose surge in Big 12 play helped Texas reach Omaha for the third time in Pierce’s five full seasons at the helm of the Horns.
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Both Melendez and Messinger have moved on to the next level, with Melendez picked by the Arizona Diamondbacks with the No. 43 selection and Messinger drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 19th round in the 2022 draft.
That leaves openings at two of the most important positions on the diamond, and Pierce may elect to start a pair of heralded true freshmen at both spots. San Antonio Brandeis product Jalin Flores is a strong contender to start at the hot corner for the Longhorns, while Waxahachie lefty Jared Thomas is vying to succeed Melendez as UT’s first baseman.
On January 27, the first day of in-season practices for the baseball program, Pierce was asked how much he felt comfortable putting on the freshmen duo’s plate.
“A lot,” he replied.
Pierce continued: “You know they’re going to have some setbacks early. How they deal with those adversities is going to be critical, because mentally, if they can overcome that, by April you’ll start really seeing their talents come out.”
Pierce is no stranger to starting true freshmen in the infield. During his first campaign as Texas head coach in 2017, the speedy David Hamilton started 62 of 63 games at shortstop for the Longhorns. Trey Faltine started all 17 games at shortstop in 2020 before the season was canceled due to COVID-19, and he remained the starter for the next two seasons. In 2021, Faltine was joined in the middle infield by true freshman Mitchell Daly. He too has been a mainstay in the lineup since his first game as a Horn.
All three of those players were integral parts of College World Series teams, but all three played in the middle infield. Pierce hasn’t had a first-year freshman earn corner a infield spot yet at Texas, but that could change ahead of the 2023 campaign with Flores and Thomas.
Flores finished as Five Tool Baseball’s No. 3 player in the state of Texas, while Thomas was the top-ranked first baseman in Texas according to his UT bio. Per MaxPreps, Flores hit .417 during his senior year for the Broncos with 35 hits in 96 plate appearances. He added 28 RBI, five doubles, eight triples, and seven homers. He slashed .417/.490/.916, easily his best marks as a prep player.
Thomas, one of the top prospects in the nation per Baseball America, threw two no-hitters during the Indians’ 2022 playoff run and chose to go the college route during the summer following his final high school season.
At a program like Texas that has recruited well under Pierce, there’s no shortage of candidates along with Flores and Thomas for the corner infield spots. But Pierce believes the natural ability possessed by the two first-year players can shine through the inexperience.
“When you have talent, you’ve got to play them,” Pierce said. “You’ve got to allow them to make some mistakes, understand it, and get them through that. By April, May, then you see guys that really take off.”
Both Flores and Thomas will have the benefit of playing in what is likely to be an experienced infield. The ongoing catcher competition involves several players with multiple years of college baseball experience like Kimble Schuessler, Peyton Powell, and Garret Guillemette along with eye-raising freshman Rylan Galvan. The middle infield will likely have the veteran Daly at one of the two spots, with transfers Tanner Carlson and Jack O’Dowd vying for time at the other position with younger players like Cade O’Hara and Jayden Duplantier.
Support from players who have been in the program for some time will make the college baseball adjustment process an easier one for both Flores and Thomas.
But at some point, Pierce will rely on their talent to carry them. It could be as soon as the beginning of the 2023 season.
