Texas catcher Carson Tinney is a Buster Posey Award semifinalist after powering the Longhorns with 20 homers and elite defensive work.
Texas baseball catcher Carson Tinney is officially in the hunt for one of college baseball’s biggest individual honors.
The Longhorns slugger was named one of 16 semifinalists for the 2026 Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award, putting him in position to chase program history.
Tinney has been a force for No. 5 Texas all season, bringing thunder at the plate and stability behind it. The junior leads the Longhorns with 20 home runs and a massive 1.168 OPS, giving Texas one of the most dangerous offensive catchers in the country.
Those 20 homers also put him in elite company. Tinney is tied for fourth on Texas’ single-season home run list, matching Jeff Ontiveros’ 2002 mark. That’s not just a hot stretch. That’s Longhorns history.
His full stat line backs up the hype. Tinney is hitting .321 with 54 RBI, ranking second on the team in runs driven in. Among qualified SEC hitters, he sits near the top of several categories, including homers, walks, OPS, slugging percentage and on-base percentage.
But this award isn’t just about mashing baseballs into the night.
Tinney has also handled the grind behind the plate, posting a .996 fielding percentage while guiding one of the nation’s better pitching staffs. Texas ranks third nationally in FIP at 3.27, sixth in WHIP at 1.21 and 15th in ERA at 4.15, and Tinney has been right in the middle of that success.
Now he’s trying to do something no Texas player has ever done: win the Buster Posey/Johnny Bench Award.
The Longhorns have come close before. Rylan Galvan was a finalist last season, and Taylor Teagarden earned finalist recognition in 2005.
Tinney has the bat, the glove and the stage. Now Texas waits to see if its star catcher can finish the job.
Join Our Roundtable Community For Free!
Share your takes, connect with our Roundtable writers, and talk sports with fellow fans. Download the free Roundtable App today and stay closer to the conversation.
