Texas vs Florida baseball: Longhorns' SEC title hopes stall after 'disappointing' loss

The Texas baseball team wasn't able to clear any space in its trophy case this weekend.

Wasted opportunities on offense and self-inflicted wounds on defense doomed Texas in a 4-1 loss to Florida at UFCU Disch-Falk Field on Sunday afternoon. The three-run loss secured a series win for the Gators and prevented the Longhorns from clinching a share of the SEC championship.

Instead of celebrating, UT turns its attention to a three-game series at Oklahoma that begins on Thursday and closes out the regular season. Texas (40-10, 20-7) will travel to Norman with a two-game lead in the SEC standings.

"This is my most disappointing loss of the season," Texas coach Jim Schlossnagle said. "Senior Day, at home, got a chance to play for a championship. Tip your cap to (Florida starting pitcher Aidan) King."

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Florida (34-19, 13-14) slowly built its lead as runs scored in the second, third, sixth and seventh innings gave the Gators a 4-0 advantage. Brody Donay homered during that stretch, but two free passes and a two-out error led to Florida's other three runs.

Those four runs gave Florida more than enough separation on the scoreboard as Texas was unable to get its offense going against King and reliever Jake Clemente. The Longhorns were two-hit over the seven innings pitched by King, a freshman right-hander who registered a career-high nine strikeouts. Texas loaded the bases in the eighth and put two runners aboard in the final frame, but those late offensive opportunities with Clemente on the mound resulted in just one run.

Texas was limited to eight runs over the course of its series loss to Florida, and five of those runs were scored in Saturday's sixth inning. Four of UT's six lowest-scoring games this season have been recorded over the course of its last six conference games.

"I think we can be better. I think we can be more competitive," Schlossnagle said of the offensive struggles.

Oklahoma dropped to 32-17 on the season after getting swept by Kentucky this weekend. While both teams played in the Big 12 last year, Texas won a series at L. Dale Mitchell Park in Norman, Okla.

Texas is looking to claim the best-ever debut for a SEC baseball team. Excluding the title that Georgia won during the conference's inaugural season in 1933, no SEC baseball team has ever won a championship in its first season in the league:

∙ Arkansas (1992): 10-13, third in SEC Western Division

∙ South Carolina (1992): 13-11, second in SEC Eastern Division

∙ Texas A&M (2013): 13-16, sixth in SEC Western Division

∙ Missouri (2013): 10-20, fifth in SEC Eastern Division

∙ Texas (2025): 20-7, currently in first place

∙ Oklahoma (2025): 13-14, currently in 10th place

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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: SEC championship in reach, but Texas drops finale of Florida series