Texas boasts an unblemished record and stifling pitching, with arms like Volantis and Riojas dominating opponents, fueling Omaha dreams.
No. 3 Texas has come out of the gates swinging... literally.
The Longhorns are 8-0 to start the season, including a series sweep over a very talented Michigan State squad.
Texas' success comes down to it playing what head coach Jim Schlossnagle calls "clean baseball."
"To me, clean baseball is throwing strikes. You make the routine play, you handle the ball, you put together competitive at-bats," Schlossnagle said on Thursday.
Yes, the Longhorns lineup is stacked from top to bottom, but the real revelation for this team has been their pitching prowess.
Texas has only allowed 13 runs through its first eight contests, including two shutouts. As always, the dominance starts in the starting rotation.
The Longhorns three weekend series starters, Ruger Riojas, Luke Harrison and Dylan Volantis all have Earned Run Averages below 2 and have combined to allow just four runs.
Riojas, the Friday starter, has gotten himself into some early jams in his two starts, but has quickly rebounded thanks to his ability to strike out batters at a high rate.
Combining his mid to upper 90s fastball with good offspeed pitches, Riojas has recorded 19 strikeouts in just 11 innings.
However, by far the biggest story for Texas this season has been Sunday starter Dylan Volantis.
Volantis earned SEC Freshman of the Year honors last season, coming out of the Longhorns' bullpen. This season, Schlossnagle has given him a starting nod, and he's continued to light the world on fire.
The 6-6, 220-pound lefty has gone seven innings in both of his outings, allowing just six hits and striking out 17 batters. The only run Volantis has given up was scored as an unearned run, meaning his ERA still sits at a perfect 0.
Riojas is proving to be worthy of his Friday role, but you have to wonder how long Schlossnagle can keep Volantis away from it.
Whenever Texas feels it's necessary to pull its starter, it has an extremely reliable bullpen it can call on.
Veterans Max Grubbs and Thomas Burns anchor the pen with WHIP rates of .80 and .82, respectively, but another face is quickly emerging as a trusted arm for Schlossnagle.
Freshman Sam Cozart (who looks like a 30-year-old MLB veteran) has pitched four innings in the Longhorns two midweek contests, allowing just one earned run and striking out 12 batters.
Cozart hasn't pitched on the weekend yet, but if he continues this form, Schlossnagle will have no choice but to give Cozart some more run.
Under Schlossnagle and pitching coach Max Weiner, Texas has revamped its pitching staff into arguably the best in the nation.
And the Longhorns are hoping it can ride that all the way to Omaha.