Stats (7 G): 5-0, 1.59 ERA, 39.2 IP, 7 BB, 64 K
Just Baseball has talked plenty about Riojas this season, but to fully grasp his rise to stardom, it’s important to remember the role he played for Texas in 2025 and the role many expected him to play this spring.
The Wimberley, Texas native transferred to Austin last season after two great years at UTSA. He was a dynamo out of the bullpen for the Roadrunners, and that’s where he began for the Longhorns, too. An injury to last year’s ace, Jared Spencer, called for Riojas to make the move into the weekend rotation.
He made 10 total starts, and the transition went smoothly at first. He held eventual College World Series champs LSU to two runs over 5.2 innings. He dusted Mizzou on the road to the tune of seven scoreless with 10 strikeouts. He held Texas A&M scoreless over 5.2 IP in late April — which turned out to be his final good start of the year.
Riojas got sick toward the end of the year, and it took a toll on the right-hander. The flu, then bronchitis, resulted in him losing 20-plus pounds. In his last three starts against SEC teams, Riojas totaled just 7.1 IP and allowed 18 earned runs.
So, the focus this offseason was to get back into shape. He did that, but heading into 2026, it was still unknown where Riojas would fall amidst Texas’ loaded pitching group. Some assumed a high-leverage bullpen role was likely.
Veteran left-hander Luke Harrison and sophomore phenom Dylan Volantis each seemed like shoo-ins to nab a spot in the weekend rotation. There were plenty of other candidates for what was presumed to be the Sunday spot.
Instead, head coach Jim Schlossnagle surprisingly announced that it would be Riojas taking the ball on opening day against UC Davis. Seven weekends later, it’s easy to see why he earned that spot.
Through seven starts, Riojas has been nothing short of outstanding in the Friday role. He’s completed five innings in all but one outing and has allowed more than one earned run just once. Riojas is averaging over nine strikeouts per start. Opposing batters are hitting .193 and going down on strikes against the righty 41 percent of the time.
On Thursday night, he authored a seven-inning complete game shutout against rival Oklahoma, striking out eight while throwing a season-high 105 pitches. The week prior, he excelled in his first true road outing of the year, holding a top-five Auburn team to one run in 6.1 IP.
https://twitter.com/TexasBaseball/status/2037350314269888572?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Riojas’ fastball has gone from solid to great thanks to an uptick in velocity. He’s now able to pump high-90s on a regular basis, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his arsenal. He attacks hitters from multiple arm slots, and that leads to an eclectic pitch mix.
Four-seamers become sinkers, cutters become sliders and splitters become changeups. It’s a deep bag, and he’s got terrific control over essentially everything. His seven walks on the year confirm that.
Riojas also boasts the personality of a Friday-night starter in the SEC. He’s going out to the mound to make the opposing team suffer for as long as possible, and he won’t be hiding any emotion, either.
He often bounces his way back to the dugout with his tongue out, either celebrating a strikeout or barking at himself for missing a spot or letting the rare at-bat get away from him. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the hair and mustache combo, too.
Pitching coach Max Weiner clearly knew what he had in Riojas coming into this season. Now we all know.
