Feb. 22, 2026, 10:30 a.m. CT

During the first week of the college baseball season, few infielders have been as good as Ethan Mendoza. The Longhorns‘ star has been a hits machine, helping lead Texas to a 4-0 start. While his bat has sparked the Longhorns‘ offense, it has also landed him a spot on Baseball America’s Team of the Week. 

For Mendoza, the honor places him among the nation’s best players. During the regular season, Baseball America recognizes the top performances in the country each week. The honor roll features players at every position, including the top-performing two-way player and four pitchers.

Through the Longhorns’ first four games, the Texas native has recorded a .375 batting average in 16 at-bats. In that stretch, Mendoza has also driven in seven runs while showing some power with two homers. The power surge has been a welcome sign: in 56 games during the 2025 campaign, Mendoza had only five home runs. 

While Mendoza has made headlines with hard contact, he has also shown great plate discipline. The Southlake Carroll High alum has drawn four walks and only struck out twice. Regardless of who has been on the mound, he has put together competitive at-bats. 

After entering the season with high expectations, the Longhorns have shown so far that they will not be easy to beat. That has partly been because of the difference Mendoza has made whenever he is at the plate. As long as he continues to build on his scorching-hot start, there will be more hardware coming to his trophy case over the next few months. 

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