As the Texas Longhorns head into year two under pitching coach Max Weiner, they are set to have several freshmen pitchers make a massive difference in 2026. Assistant Nolan Cain deserves some recognition for getting these big time arms on campus, but the development that Weiner brought to last year’s group undoubtedly played a big role in these players turning their nose at the MLB draft to sign with Texas.
Let’s take a look at some of the names fans will likely see make an impact in year one at the Disch.
RHP Michael Winter – No. 34
It’s important to note that just because a player didn’t make an appearance in the alumni game, that doesn’t indicate a lack of impact in the 2026 season. The perfect example of that is Michael Winter. Standing in at 6’5″ and weighing 240 lbs, he is as physically big as his projected impact in his freshman season.
While Brett Crossland and Sam Cozart have gotten a ton of fanfare post-alumni game, Winter just might make the biggest impact of any freshman in 2026. Originally committed to Dartmouth and making it to Texas after some significant MLB interest, he decided to take his talents to the 40 Acres under Weiner’s coaching.
He has starter’s stuff with a 90-93 mph fastball. In his senior season was getting it up to 95 mph. There’s plenty of juice with him on the mound. He also posted an absurd 0.11 ERA in his final season of high school ball with over 62.2 innings pitched and a 7-0 record. While the level of competition is going up as he heads into college, there has been no real indication that he will have a hard time making the adjustment.
Make no mistake, this is a dangerous arm that will make a year one impact.
RHP Brett Crossland – No. 88
Standing at 6’5″ and 255lbs, Crossland is an intimidating presence on the mound with a personality just as intimidating. When he strikes a batter out, you will see some sort of reaction from him on the mound. He’s got some good stuff and he knows it.
Crossland threw three no-hitters in his final high school season on his way to a 2.09 ERA. If there was any question about his pitching translating to the next level, look no further than the alumni game. Facing two of the best hitters the program has produced in the last five seasons, Crossland quickly retired both Dylan Campbell and Skyler Messinger. He threw 2.2 innings in the alumni game, striking out five batters and allowing only one run.
Crossland’s fastball can reach 96 but it dips to 93-94 deeper into his outing. That’s still plenty of juice to get the job done, especially with a strong curveball and a nice slider to pair with it, but it’s something to note as a freshman. Crossland will have a chance at earning a starting role for the Longhorns in 2026.
RHP Sam Cozart – No. 35
Cozart, much like Winter and Crossland, is a intimidating pitcher to look at on the mound. Coming in at 6’6″ and 260lbs, he is the biggest player on the Longhorns’ 2026 roster. He plays a bit calmer than Crossland.
Throwing 4.1 shutout innings in the alumni game, Cozart struck out five across 65 pitches in his start last Saturday. He allowed no hits and walked two. In a world where Weiner demands strikes, Cozart did just that. Cozart also showed the trust he has in the defense to get the job done if the ball gets put into play.
He will sit 91-93 with his fastball and has some nice breaking pitches to go along with it. He is one of the favorites of the freshman class to land a starting gig out of the gate early on in the season.
While names like LHP Jack McKernan and RHP Brody Walls are certainly ones to watch for, they aren’t looking to make as big of an impact as the previous three names. Those two will certainly get some decent looks in 2026, with a chance to make a bigger impact if some key arms ahead of them get injured or aren’t performing in relief . Both McKernan and Walls came in and finished off the final two innings for the Longhorns and the alumni rosters, allowing no runs in the process.
Beyond these five names, additional significant impact from the freshman pitchers is unlikely. Their impact will likely come in future seasons, and the future with the development of these pitchers is looking extremely bright.
Jim Schlossnagle and Weiner clearly like the bigger pitchers, which is a welcomed return to the type of bodies we saw take the mound under Cliff Gustafson and Augie Garrido. With Texas having a deep and storied pitching tradition, these freshmen are looking to bring the Longhorns back to the top of the pitching food chain.
As AM 1300’s Mike Hardge told me “(The Texas pitching staff) finally look like TEXAS pitchers.”