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What the return of Max Belyeu means for the Texas lineup

by:Evan Vieth•05/15/25
Max Belyeu
Max Belyeu (Tim Heitman-Imagn Images)

Few midseason returns in college baseball this season will have the impact that Max Belyeu potentially brings to Texas baseball.

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Texas’ lone preseason All-SEC First Teamer has spent the last 26 games in the dugout recovering from a thumb injury sustained at the beginning of the Missouri series. At that time, Texas was 21-3 and ranked seventh in the nation. Even in his absence, the Longhorns surged, reaching No. 1 for multiple weeks and winning 13 of 14 SEC games without Belyeu.

However, things have gone sideways as of late, with the team dropping five of its last six games and falling to No. 3 in the rankings. Texas is currently enduring its coldest streak of the Jim Schlossnagle era, making Belyeu’s return even more significant.

Texas has suddenly gone from a team praying for more production near the bottom of the lineup to one with too many bats to fit into the lineup.

Texas entered the season with a fairly standard core lineup:

C: Rylan Galvan
1B: Kimble Schuessler
2B: Ethan Mendoza
3B: Adrian Rodriguez or Casey Borba
SS: Jalin Flores
LF: Tommy Farmer IV or Easton Winfield
CF: Will Gasparino
RF: Max Belyeu
DH: Mostly Winfield, but Belyeu, Borba, and Cole Chamberlain received reps.

Many things have changed, however. Chamberlain was never expected to play much, but Winfield has largely fallen out of favor in Schlossnagle’s lineup. Mendoza has spent most of the last month DHing due to injury, moving Rodriguez to 2B. The emergence of two-sport star Jonah Williams has bolstered the outfield depth, adding another bat to the lineup. Over the past 10 or so games, the lineup has looked like this:

C: Rylan Galvan
1B: Kimble Schuessler
2B: Adrian Rodriguez
3B: Casey Borba
SS: Jalin Flores
LF: Jonah Williams
CF: Will Gasparino
RF: Tommy Farmer IV
DH: Ethan Mendoza

Belyeu must find a spot in this lineup, but determining that exact spot is challenging. Galvan, Schuessler, and Flores are 100% safe, but arguments can be made for any of the six other players to be replaced ahead of tonight’s Oklahoma game and the postseason.

Belyeu will likely step in as a DH for this weekend and the SEC tournament, gradually preparing for when the games really matter in the regionals. This flexibility allows Texas to experiment with various defensive lineups. Mendoza, Rodriguez, and Gasparino seem the safest of this group, as Gasparino provides stellar defense in center, and all three have reliable bats you’d prefer to keep in the order. Even with Mendoza and Rodriguez’s injury history and Gasparino’s rumored effort issues, it’s hard to imagine any of the three not being part of the long-term plan.

This leaves Williams, Borba, and Farmer IV as potential odd men out. Williams has the least experience, being just 17 years old with only 36 ABs this season—nearly 100 fewer than Borba, who himself has fewer than Farmer. However, Williams has been the epitome of consistency, even during Texas’ worst games.

Williams boasts an .888 OPS in the SEC and reached base four times in the Florida series, including a three-RBI double in Texas’ only win of the weekend. His energy, athleticism, and production are hard to replicate, and Texas could use as many lefty bats as possible.

Farmer, meanwhile, is the weakest hitter of this group, making him the easiest to move to the bench. His .672 OPS is the worst of the regulars in SEC play, and he hasn’t produced much in the last two series. While his glove and speed are valuable, they may serve Texas better as a pinch runner or emergency fielder off the bench.

Borba has improved defensively at third base, which has helped keep him in the lineup. However, his overall numbers have declined in the last month. Despite this, he recorded multi-hit games in both of the last two series, and his untapped power potential makes him a compelling option. It’s tough to keep him in the lineup when Belyeu DHs, as Rodriguez then becomes semi-positionless.

Our bet is that Farmer will be the odd man out for most of the games down the stretch. His bat has cooled off, and his strengths align well with late-game replacements. Additionally, Texas could use a stronger right-handed bat on the bench for pinch-hitting opportunities.

Texas faces off against Oklahoma tonight at 6:30, with Kade Bing already announced as the starter. The full lineup has not been published, but here is our projected lineup for tonight and beyond:

  1. 2B: Ethan Mendoza
  2. DH (RF secondary): Max Belyeu
  3. C: Rylan Galvan
  4. SS: Jalin Flores
  5. 1B: Kimble Schuessler
  6. LF (DH secondary): Adrian Rodriguez
  7. CF: Will Gasparino
  8. 3B: Casey Borba
  9. RF (LF secondary): Jonah Williams

Anything can happen, as Williams has limited experience in right field, and either he or Borba could be out instead of Farmer IV. For now, though, this feels like Texas’ strongest lineup from top to bottom. Not bad.

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