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Dylan Volantis, Carson Tinney, Aiden Robbins earn semifinalist nods for national player of the year honors

by: Justin Nash05/14/26

The Texas Longhorns in 2026 have enjoyed a great season on the baseball diamond, and that production is being recognized by multiple national player of the year awards. Let’s dive into the Longhorns that have been announced as semifinalists for the Dick Howser Trophy and the Golden Spikes Award, and take a look at some of the other awards that are soon to be announced.

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Dick Howser Trophy

Starting with the Dick Howser Trophy from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, which is given to the top player based on two rounds of national voting by NCBWA members since 1987. The Texas Longhorns are one of four schools to hold three of the 48 semifinalists for the trophy.

•Aiden Robbins – .355 Avg / 1.153 OPS / 30 XBH / 52 RBI
•Carson Tinney – .305 Avg / 1.112 OPS / 26 XBH / 44 RBI
•Dylan Volantis – 2.13 ERA / .198 Opp Avg. / 67.2 IP / 94 Ks

The winner will be unveiled on MLB Network in a special national presentation at 9:30 a.m. (CDT) prior to the Friday, June 12, news conference in Omaha at 10 a.m. (CDT).

Golden Spikes Award

The Golden Spikes Award is arguably the most prestigious honor, with many comparing it to the Heisman Trophy in college football. Again multiple Longhorns are on the shortlist of top schools, being one of four programs to hold two of the 25 semifinalist players on the list. Both Robbins and Volantis are on the shortlist for the prestigious honor in 2026, with this being Volantis’ second time as a semifinalist.

You could say three Longhorns if you include a member of the high school recruiting class. Texas has a commit on the list with Grady Emerson having a fantastic senior high school season. It is safe to assume Texas will not see him in the burnt orange and white with the draft likely calling his name.

Buster Posey Award

When the semifinalists for the Buster Posey Award are announced on Monday, there is a good chance that Tinney will find himself on that list for a second year in a row. He was a finalist in 2025 along with Longhorn Rylan Galvan and eventual winner Caden Bodine of Coastal Carolina. Tinney was of of 50 catchers to make the midseason award watchlist.

The finalists for the award will be announced on June 1st. The award winner will be announced after June 5th.

SEC Freshman of the Year

There has been no semifinalist list for Freshman of the Year released by the SEC, but it is safe to assume the Longhorns would have two players on that list. Both Anthony Pack Jr. and Sam Cozart have been fantastic in their freshman roles as Texas Longhorns.

The Freshman of the Year Award will be announced on May 18th the day before the conference tournament in Hoover, Ala. along with the All-SEC teams announcements.

The recruiting results from the high school ranks and the portal that Jim Schlossnagle, Nolan Cain, and this Texas staff have put forward has been dominant, and the success in the first two SEC seasons has relied heavily on these players.

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