The Texas Longhorns baseball program is one of the most decorated in college sports, but no single person owns it the way a billionaire owns an NFL franchise.
Texas baseball is a college athletics program. It belongs to a public university, not a private investor group.
This article breaks down exactly who governs the Longhorns, from the state Board of Regents down to the head coach who runs the dugout every spring.
Along the way you will see why this program, with the most College World Series trips in NCAA history and six national titles, is treated as a crown jewel inside one of the wealthiest athletic departments in the country.
So who really calls the shots at UFCU Disch‑Falk Field, and how does that structure compare to the pro sports ownership model most fans already know? Keep reading.
Table of Contents
Who Owns The Texas Longhorns Baseball Program At A Glance
Before diving into the details, here is a quick snapshot of who governs Texas Longhorns baseball, who coaches it, and where the team plays.
| Program | Texas Longhorns Baseball |
| Governing Institution | University of Texas at Austin (public university) |
| Athletic Director | Chris Del Conte |
| Head Coach | Jim Schlossnagle |
| Conference | Southeastern Conference (SEC) |
| Founded | 1894 |
| Home Stadium | UFCU Disch‑Falk Field |
| Ownership Type | Public University Athletic Department / Board of Regents |
How The Texas Longhorns Baseball Chain Of Command Works
Because Texas is a public university, authority flows down from a state governing board rather than a single owner writing checks from a private office.
Head Baseball Coach
Every scholarship offer, coaching hire, and stadium upgrade for Longhorns baseball ultimately traces back up this same chain to the Board of Regents, the body that legally oversees the entire University of Texas System.
The University Of Texas System And Board Of Regents Explained
The University of Texas at Austin is the flagship campus of the University of Texas System, a network of academic and health institutions created by the Texas Constitution.
The system is overseen by a nine member Board of Regents, appointed by the Governor of Texas and confirmed by the state Senate. The Board sets broad policy, approves major budgets, and holds ultimate legal authority over UT Austin, including its athletic department.
Day to day baseball decisions never reach the Regents directly. Instead, the Board delegates operational control to the UT Austin president, who in turn relies on the athletics department to run each individual sport, including baseball.
This is the core reason nobody can point to a single owner of Texas Longhorns baseball the way you could name an owner of the Texas Rangers. The program is public property, managed on behalf of the state and the university community.
Chris Del Conte The Athletic Director Behind Longhorns Athletics
Chris Del Conte holds the title of Vice President and Director of Athletics at Texas, according to the official University of Texas Athletics staff directory.
He oversees every varsity sport at Texas, baseball included, and reports directly to the university president. Del Conte joined Texas in December 2017 and has since presided over the move from the Big 12 to the SEC, a wave of facility upgrades, and the arrival of new revenue sharing rules across college athletics.
His office approves the baseball budget, signs off on coaching contracts, and represents Texas baseball within the SEC and NCAA governance structure. In that sense, Del Conte is the closest thing the program has to a chief executive, even though he answers to the university president and, ultimately, the Board of Regents.
Jim Schlossnagle Leads The Texas Longhorns Baseball Program
Jim Schlossnagle was hired as Texas head baseball coach on June 25, 2024, becoming the 14th head coach in the program’s history.
Before arriving in Austin, Schlossnagle built a long track record at TCU and Texas A&M, entering the Longhorns job with more than 1,000 career wins as a head coach. He was later inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
In his first season leading the Longhorns in 2025, Texas went 44 and 14 and won the SEC regular season title in its very first year in the conference, an immediate signal that the coaching transition had paid off.
Schlossnagle does not own the program either. He is an employee of the university, hired by the athletic director and accountable to him for wins, player development, and compliance with NCAA and SEC rules.
A Timeline Of Texas Longhorns Baseball History And Championships
Texas baseball has been playing varsity games since 1894, and the program has produced one of the strongest championship records in NCAA history.
Texas fields its first varsity baseball team at the University of Texas at Austin.
Texas wins its first College World Series championship.
Texas repeats as national champion, its second title in two years.
Texas adds another College World Series crown under longtime coach Cliff Gustafson.
Augie Garrido leads Texas to a national championship, the program’s fifth overall.
Texas claims its most recent College World Series championship.
Texas leaves the Big 12 after the 2024 season and joins the Southeastern Conference. Jim Schlossnagle is hired as head coach the same year.
Texas wins the SEC regular season title in its debut season, finishing 44 and 14 under Schlossnagle.
Across its history, Texas holds the record for the most College World Series appearances of any program in NCAA competition, per Wikipedia’s overview of Texas Longhorns baseball, which is one reason the program carries such weight inside the athletic department.
Why Texas Longhorns Baseball Plays In The SEC Instead Of The Big 12
For decades, Texas competed in the Southwest Conference and later the Big 12, which it helped found in 1996.
That changed when Texas and Oklahoma announced plans to join the Southeastern Conference, a move that officially took effect for all sports, including baseball, starting with the 2024 to 2025 athletic year. The decision was driven mainly by football media rights value, but every sport, baseball included, moved along with it.
The Board of Regents and university leadership approved the conference switch, since realignment decisions of that scale require sign off well above the athletic director’s desk. Del Conte then managed the actual transition for every team, including baseball.
The early results suggest the move fit the baseball program well. Texas immediately won the SEC regular season title in its first year of competition in the conference, beating out several traditional SEC baseball powers.
How Texas Longhorns Baseball Is Funded
Texas Longhorns baseball does not rely on a single wealthy owner. Instead, it draws funding from several sources managed by the athletic department.
- Ticket sales and concessions at UFCU Disch‑Falk Field
- Media rights payments distributed through the SEC
- Donations from boosters and the Longhorn Foundation
- Licensing and sponsorship revenue tied to the Texas brand
- A share of the broader Texas Athletics budget, one of the largest in the country
Texas Athletics reported spending around 376 million dollars in fiscal year 2025, according to reporting from Sportico’s coverage of college athletic department spending, a total that ranked among the highest of any athletic department in the nation.
Baseball is only one line item inside that budget, but a program with six national titles and a passionate donor base tends to receive strong support relative to most college baseball programs nationwide.
Is Texas Doing A Good Job Running The Longhorns Baseball Program: Is The Investment Really Worth It
Judged purely on results, Texas leadership has a strong case. The program owns six national titles, the most College World Series trips of any school, and an SEC regular season title in its very first year in the conference under a newly hired coach.
Hiring Jim Schlossnagle, a coach with more than 1,000 career wins and a Hall of Fame resume, also suggests the athletic department is willing to spend to secure proven leadership rather than take chances on unproven names.
Supporters argue the massive athletic budget, and the willingness to fund upgrades at UFCU Disch‑Falk Field, keep Texas baseball competitive with SEC programs that have historically outspent Big 12 rivals on baseball facilities and staffing.
Critics point to a different set of concerns. Texas Athletics reported spending near the top of the entire country in fiscal year 2025, and some boosters and columnists have questioned whether that level of spending is sustainable once new athlete revenue sharing payments are factored in across every sport, not just football and basketball.
There is also the question of resource balance. Baseball is a relatively low revenue sport compared to football, so even inside a wealthy department, baseball must compete internally for facility dollars, staff salaries, and now direct athlete payments.
On balance, the results on the field, an SEC title in year one and a Hall of Fame coach at the helm, support the argument that the investment in Longhorns baseball is paying off so far, even as the broader spending debate around Texas Athletics continues.
Could The Texas Longhorns Baseball Program Leave The SEC In 2026
A move out of the SEC in 2026 is extremely unlikely. Texas only just completed a high profile realignment into the conference, and conference membership commitments of this scale are not reversed within a year or two.
The far more relevant story heading into 2026 is not conference realignment, it is money. The House v NCAA settlement, approved by a federal judge in 2025, allows schools to share revenue directly with athletes for the first time, with a per school cap that started near 20.5 million dollars for the 2025 to 2026 academic year and is set to climb in future years.
Texas, as one of the wealthiest athletic departments in the country, is frequently cited in NIL and revenue sharing coverage as a program built to absorb these new costs better than most rivals. That financial muscle, not a return to the Big 12, is the real driver of how competitive Longhorns baseball can stay against other SEC programs in the years ahead.
For a program with the most College World Series appearances in NCAA history, staying inside a conference built around this new revenue sharing era, rather than leaving it, looks like the clear priority for university leadership.
Frequently Asked Questions About Texas Longhorns Baseball Ownership
Who owns the Texas Longhorns baseball program
Nobody owns it privately. It is part of the athletic department at the University of Texas at Austin, a public university governed by the University of Texas System Board of Regents.
Who is the Texas Longhorns baseball head coach
Jim Schlossnagle has been the head coach since June 2024. He is an employee of the university, not an owner, and he reports to athletic director Chris Del Conte.
How is Texas Longhorns baseball funded
Funding comes from ticket sales, SEC media rights, booster donations, licensing revenue, and a share of the broader Texas Athletics budget, one of the largest in the country according to Sportico’s fiscal year 2025 reporting.
Is Texas Longhorns baseball part of the SEC or the Big 12
Texas moved from the Big 12 to the SEC starting with the 2024 to 2025 athletic year and won the SEC regular season title in baseball during its very first season in the conference.
For more on how ownership and governance works across other major sports organizations, see our breakdowns of who owns the Houston Astros and who owns the NFL.
I am Jack Neel, a mechanical engineer, researcher, and writer. I created this website to share my knowledge about different brands and products with you. I research the manufacturers behind the brands and provide you with the information you need to make smart buying decisions.