Notes on every Texas baseball offensive transfer and their roles in 2026

With the most recent addition of Wake Forest LHP Haiden Leffew, Texas baseball has continued to rise in 64Analytics’ top transfer portal rankings, possessing one of the 10 best portal classes in the nation after a slow start to June.

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Texas has been extremely active in both portal additions and subtractions. The Longhorns, between likely losses to the draft, players aging out, and transfers, will have to replace six offensive starters, a weekend starter, and multiple depth pieces in the bullpen and reserve batters. Thankfully for fans, Texas’ 10 transfers have addressed needs on both sides of the ball, specifically when it comes to starting-level bats that can make an immediate impact in the SEC.

The Longhorns have added seven hitters to their lineup this offseason, with at least five expected to start for the Longhorns in 2026.

UTIL Josh Livingston

The first transfer of the process for Texas, Livingston signed on June 4 as a flexible infielder with the hopes of potentially replacing Kimble Schuessler at first base. Livingston had a .958 OPS and 15 homers last season for the Shockers while playing 26 games at first base and 37 at second.

The lefty bat has power to all parts of the field, showing the ability to hit home runs to the opposite field thanks to a powerful leg kick and strong hands. Livingston’s 6’0, 215-pound frame makes him an ideal candidate to be a first baseman for Texas, as second base will be filled by Ethan Mendoza for the coming year. At this current moment, IT expects Livingston to be the first bat off the bench for Texas, with an opportunity to make a big impact in case of injury.

OF Jack Moroknek

Moroknek has been tearing it up for a pretty mediocre Butler team for multiple years, one of multiple additions that head coach Jim Schlossnagle added who was the best hitter on their team in 2025. Moroknek’s numbers were gaudy this past year: 81 hits, 18 homers, and a 1.145 OPS playing in the Big East.

Moroknek was almost exclusively a right fielder in 2025, and that’s where IT expects him to stick for 2026. Moroknek has game-breaking power despite an odd stance and load step that brings him further out of the batter’s box, with a swing that often leads to lots of fly balls and gap shots. He profiles as an upper-half-of-the-lineup lefty bat who can be an everyday starter for the Longhorns.

UTIL Kaleb Freeman

It’s rare to find a hitter with the versatility that Freeman possesses. Outside of being a switch hitter, Freeman has played multiple college games at 1B, 3B, and LF, as well as 15 or more games at RF, 2B, or C. Freeman will be a Swiss Army knife for Schlossnagle. He can hit in any spot of the order and play six different positions on the field. He may be the team’s backup catcher while starting at another position.

Freeman will likely hold down the starting 1B spot for Texas. Originally seen as the place Livingston was going to play, Texas must have Freeman (an All-American) in the order, and OF, 3B, and C are too concentrated with talent thanks to the portal and returning players like Casey Borba, Adrian Rodriguez, and Jonah Williams. Freeman, as our own Nash Talks Texas would say, is a true dirtbag ball player. Donning the No. 99, Freeman loves an accessory and eye black, along with the most obnoxious mullet and shades combo you’ll see on a baseball field.

But this article isn’t about fashion. Freeman has fast hands to round out a solid approach at the plate, walking more than he struck out last year on the road to a 1.236 OPS for Georgia State. One could argue this was Texas’ best addition from the portal, and his defensive versatility all but ensures he’s contributing in some fashion every weekend.

OF Aiden Robbins

Robbins was an on-base machine in his time at Seton Hall, notching a .537 OBP on his way to 86 hits and 44 walks last season. Like Freeman, Robbins has a fantastic approach to the plate, walking much more than he strikes out. If not for Mendoza, Robbins would likely be Texas’ leadoff hitter next year. He still may be anyway.

Robbins’ level swing often allows him to hit the ball hard, but more likely up the middle or into gaps than over a fence. His 20 SBs and 10 appearances at the position in 2024 make him a likely candidate to start in centerfield for this team. With the transfers of Will Gasparino, last year’s starter, and backup CF Tommy Farmer IV, Texas has a hole at that spot in the roster. Robbins is more likely than Moroknek to fill that role, but either could be the team’s DH while Jonah Williams or Easton Winfield secures that spot.

SS Temo Becerra

Becerra is one of the less flashy additions of this group, but he filled a direct need for the Longhorns. With Jalin Flores likely off to the MLB Draft and major shortstop transfers looking elsewhere in the portal, Texas needed a veteran SS to fill that role in ’26.

Becerra had been a key player for Stanford in each of the last three seasons and is fresh off his best year at the plate. Becerra isn’t going to add a lot of pop to this order, nor is he a crazy base-stealing threat, but he doesn’t strike out much and adds an experienced glove to the mix. Becerra seems like an ideal candidate to go through the Schlossnagle system, leaning into a two-strike hitting approach and potentially alleviating a lot of the wiggle in his bat pre-swing. Becerra will likely start at shortstop and assume the ninth spot in the order.

C Carson Tinney

Here’s the big one for Texas. All offseason, we’ve been talking about Texas making a big addition to the order, and Tinney is exactly that. It’s hard to argue there was any catcher better than Texas’ Rylan Galvan last year, but Tinney may just be an even more exciting catcher prospect.

Tinney had a disgusting 1.251 OPS and 17 homers in the ACC this year with Notre Dame and is one of three finalists for the Buster Posey Award (alongside Galvan), given to the best catcher in the nation. Tinney is one of the five best players to transfer this cycle, and Texas has not only added a potential 2-3 spot bat but also an elite fielder behind the dish. He should be a first-rounder in 2026.

C Andrew Ermis

There’s not a ton on Ermis, as he’s spent the last two years at JUCO Temple College. Ermis had solid numbers, getting on base and hitting for power at decent clips, but this is a depth addition through and through.

Ermis was added because Texas lacked a true backup catcher after the departure of Cole Chamberlain to the portal. After Tinney, it was either Freeman or true freshman Presley Courville, who split time between catching and the infield. Ermis has two years of experience behind the dish and will have another two years of eligibility at Texas, but you likely won’t see much of him in 2025 thanks to Tinney.

[Order THE LONGHORN ALPHABET: Your little Longhorns can know about famous plays like Roll Left!]

Texas has brought in a haul this transfer cycle, likely finding five starting bats and another two important depth pieces. IT believes that Texas has added what they need in the portal offensively, but never say never. The Longhorns still might not like the CF spot, especially given that Williams will be playing football into 2026, and there’s no immediate backup to Becerra. But even if this was it for the Longhorns, Texas looks to be in a much better spot offensively heading into 2026 than it was in 2025, an important note to make about a team that won the SEC regular season last year. Reason to be confident in these Texas bats is at its highest in years.