After playing for the Arizona State Sun Devils for one season, 5’10, 175-pound forward Ethan Mendoza is returning to the Lone Star State. On Saturday, he made his commitment to Jim Schlossnagle, the new head coach, and the Texas Longhorns.
Mendoza, a Southlake Carroll product, batted.315 with 11 doubles, three home runs, and 24 RBI in 53 games as a starter for the Sun Devils. He was ranked as the No. 2 shortstop and No. 18 overall player in Texas by Prep Baseball and as a top-500 prospect nationally by Perfect Game. Mendoza, a right-handed hitter who could consistently make contact, only struck out 22 times in 203 at-bats in 2023 to record an incredible strikeout percentage of 10.8%. He also didn’t walk much, only drawing 13 free passes in the entire season.
With nine errors and a.945 fielding %, Mendoza, a middle infielder, does need to improve, and assistant coach Troy Tulowizki should start seeing results in these areas this autumn. Mendoza is expected to start at second base for Texas in the upcoming season due to Jack O’Dowd’s ineligibility and Dee Kennedy’s departure via the NCAA transfer portal. However, if Jalin Flores gets a professional contract following this month’s MLB Draft, Mendoza may also play shortstop.
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