Texas pitcher Ruger Riojas earned SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week after a historic shutout vs. Oklahoma, adding to a dominant 2026 season for the Longhorns ace.
Texas baseball keeps piling up reasons to believe this team can make a serious postseason run, and Ruger Riojas is a huge part of it.
The Longhorns right-hander was named SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week after delivering one of the most dominant outings of the college baseball season in Texas’ statement series against Oklahoma.
Ruger Riojas was electric against the Sooners, working seven shutout innings while striking out eight and picking up his fifth win of the year.
The outing wasn’t just another strong start; it also put him in rare company in program history, making him the first Texas pitcher since Pete Hansen in 2022 to record a complete-game shutout.
The Wimberley High School product has been overpowering hitters all season.
Through 39.2 innings, Riojas owns a 1.59 ERA with 64 strikeouts, both numbers that underline just how difficult he’s been to solve. Opponents are batting only .193 against him, which tells the story just as well as the strikeout totals do.
This is already the second time Riojas has earned SEC Pitcher of the Week honors, another sign that his latest performance wasn’t a fluke. Week after week, he’s looked like one of the premier arms in college baseball and one of the biggest rising names to watch ahead of the 2026 MLB Draft.
Texas has now collected four SEC weekly honors this season, with Dylan Volantis, Temo Becerra, and Sam Cozart also earning recognition.
But right now, Riojas is setting the tone. If he keeps pitching like this, Texas won’t just stay in the SEC title conversation. The Longhorns will be a real threat deep into June.
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