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HOOVER, AL - MAY 22: Outfielder Ashton Larson #44 of the Texas Longhorns on the field before the SEC Baseball Tournament Quarterfinals game between Texas Longhorns and Arkansas Razorbacks on May 22, 2026, at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama.(Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
With the NCAA transfer portal closing on Tuesday, the Texas Longhorns suffered a final departure with the exit of outfielder/first baseman Ashton Larson.
Larson has used three seasons of eligibility, leaving the Forty Acres after one season.
A 6’1, 210-pounder from Overland Park (Kan.) St. Thomas Aquinas, Larson was the No. 78 overall prospect and No. 13 outfielder in the 2023 recruiting class, according to Perfect Game. Selected in the 20th round of that year’s MLB Draft by the Minnesota Twins, Larson opted to honor his commitment to the Tigers.
Larson initially appeared on track to fulfilling his potential in Baton Rouge, playing in 53 games (40 starts) and batting .298 (42-for-141) with nine doubles, three home runs, 16 RBI and 25 runs as a freshman, making 33 appearances in right field, four in left field, and three at designated hitter.
In conference play, Larson was particularly good, batting a team-best .337 (28-for-83) in SEC regular-season games with eight doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI, and 16 runs.
With the Chatham Anglers in the Cape Code League that summer, Larson hit .316 with nine doubles, one home run, and 18 RBI in 31 games.
Battling for playing time in a crowded outfield in 2025, however, Larson took a step back, struggling to get onto the field and produce at the plate, receiving only five starts and hitting .256 in 39 at bats with a strikeout rate of 35.9 percent.
Texas secured a commitment from Larson in mid-July last year after Butler transfer Jack Moroknek, the planned replacement for second-round pick Max Belyeu in right field, was selected by the Washington Nationals in the 11th round and quickly signed.
After sitting out during the fall to fully rehabilitate the torn quadriceps that impacted Larson’s final season in Baton Rouge, injuries forced Larson into the lineup more frequently than expected, including the season-ending shoulder surgery underwent by Jonah Williams and the late-season shoulder injury that kept second baseman Ethan Mendoza from playing in the field.
As a result, Larson made 56 appearances and started 46 games for Texas in left field and at first base, slashing .258/.433/.336 with one home run and 16 RBI. Larson did draw 36 walks compared to 35 strikeouts, but only had eight extra-base hits, in part because of a contact-focused approach and in part because his athleticism never fully returned after his leg injury.
Compounding Larson’s lack of ideal athleticism and physicality was his frequently questionable decision making on the base paths that frustrated head coach Jim Schlossnagle.
So Larson was always a stopgap addition who ultimately failed to live up to his former status as a top prospect and made too many mental mistakes while playing positions at which Anthony Pack Jr. and Casey Borba are expected to start in 2027.
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