The Texas baseball team will host its annual alumni game Saturday at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, a scrimmage between this year’s team and a squad of both former and current Longhorns.Â
Admission is free and before the 2 p.m. first pitch, fans can watch batting practice, play catch in the Disch-Falk outfield and get autographs from Texas baseball and softball players. The Longhorns open the season Feb. 13.
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UT alumni players usually do not pitch in the alumni game.
Toronto prospect Kacy Clemens pumps up his dad and former Boston pitcher, Roger Clemens, as they take the field during Texas’ alumni game on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019, in Austin, Texas. [NICK WAGNER/AMERICAN-STATESMAN]
Austin American-Statesman
Now, about that word “annual.”
UT ALUMNI GAME
When/where:Â 2 p.m. Saturday at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
Admission:Free
Although records show that Texas welcomed back former players for competitive reunions as far back as the early 1900s, this iteration of the alumni game dates back to 1984. That’s when former Texas coach Cliff Gustafson came up with a way to put on a fundraiser while merging UT’s past and present. Pitcher Burt Hooton, shortstops Keith Moreland and Spike Owen and pitcher Calvin Schiraldi were among the former Longhorns who suited up for the first alumni team. Pitcher Roger Clemens, who was eight months removed from his complete-game triumph in the College World Series’ decisive game and three months away from his MLB debut, struck out two batters.
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MORE:Â Where the Texas Longhorns and Texas A&M Aggies baseball teams rank
The alumni recorded a 6-0 win in that inaugural scrimmage against the current players. The game was played in front of 5,000 fans at Disch-Falk, and around $10,000 was raised for the baseball program.
“It ought to be an annual event,” Moreland told the American-Statesman afterward.
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Tres Barrera signs baseball cards for Josh Council at the annual Texas Longhorns baseball alumni game at UFCU Disch-Falk Field on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025.
Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman
As Moreland wished, the alumni game has become a yearly tradition since 1984. Weather has forced Texas to cancel a handful of alumni games over the years, but the annual event was intentionally omitted from the schedule in just 2008 and 2021.
The alumni team’s roster this year is set to feature Tres Barrera (Nationals), Max Belyeu (Rockies), Dylan Campbell (Phillies), Trey Faltine (Reds), Jalin Flores (Cardinals), Rylan Galvan (White Sox), David Hamilton (Red Sox), Doug Hodo III (Orioles), Skyler Messinger (Rockies), Hoby Milner (Cubs), Jack O’Dowd (Rockies), Jared Southard (Angels), Jared Spencer (Blue Jays), Tristan Stevens (Marlins), Travis Sthele (Nationals), Jared Thomas (Rockies) and Tanner Witt (Mets). Hamilton and Milner were the only players in that group who appeared in the major leagues last year.
Longhorns have high hopes for freshman Brett Crossland
During its first news conference of the season Jan. 23, Texas sent out head coach Jim Schlossnagle and four players to speak to reporters. One name was mentioned during each session. Infielder Ethan Mendoza and outfielder Aiden Robbins both listed Brett Crossland as a young pitcher who was standing out. And sophomore pitcher Dylan Volantis described Crossland as a pitcher whose “stuff’s nasty, confident guy. You totally see him being (in) one of the biggest roles.”
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When Casey Borba was told of a few of his teammate’s praise of Crossland, the infielder replied that “Brett’s 6-foot-8, 290 pounds, whatever he is. He’s a giant as a freshman. He’s unreal, too. I don’t think it’s surprising that he’s going to have a good year, because I just know he’s going to have a good year.”
OK, so Borba was a little off in his measurements. Crossland, a freshman right-hander out of Phoenix, is listed at 6-5, 255 on the roster. He was rated by MLB.com as a top-100 prospect in the 2025 draft cycle, but he opted to bypass the draft and go to school. The MaxPreps Arizona player of the year had originally committed to Texas in 2023 when former UT coach David Pierce was leading the program.Â
“He’s a heck of a pitcher,” Schlossnagle said. “He’s got a great arm. He’s got a huge upside. He’s really gotten better under (pitching coach Max Weiner). He’s a great guy. He brings a lot of fun to the clubhouse and the dugout and the bullpen, especially for a young guy, but he’s not afraid.”
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Crew members remove damaged panels from the batter’s eye at UFCU Disch-Falk Field after they were damaged by heavy wind in a storm, May 16, 2024 ahead of the Texas Longhorns’ game against the Kanas Jayhawks.
Sara Diggins/American-Statesman
UFCU Disch-Falk Field had offseason tweaks
Eagle-eyed observers this weekend may notice some minor renovations at Disch-Falk, which is entering its 51st season as UT’s home stadium. For starters, 50-foot foul poles were added at each end of the field and work was done in both bullpens. Texas also added a Yeti Yard-like fan section below the scoreboard in right field. (Official details have not yet been released about that new addition to the ballpark.)
MORE: Jim Schlossnagle wants to make changes to UFCU Disch-Falk Field. Here’s why
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Finally, Texas redid its batter’s eye in centerfield. After raising the batter’s eye — which cuts out the area’s natural and man-made background and makes it easier for batters and catchers to track a white baseball  — to 28 feet ahead of the 2021 season, Texas added another four feet this time around.
In each of the past two seasons, the batter’s eye collapsed during a springtime storm. The last instance occurred in the days leading up to the 2025 NCAA regional, but Texas was able to construct a makeshift replacement in time for that week’s six games.