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Sam Cozart earns second SEC Freshman of the Week honors

by: Justin Nash04/20/26

Sam Cozart is having a fantastic season, and he has now become the first Longhorn to earn two SEC weekly honors in the 2026 campaign. His last SEC honor came on March 9 after a fantastic start against Houston Christian. This time he has earned the freshman of the week honor as a reliever in conference play.

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Cozart’s first appearance on the weekend was on Friday, relieving Dylan Volantis on the mound. Cozart entered the game in the 7th inning, facing 10 Alabama batters as part of his fifth save on the season. Of the 10 batters faced, Cozart retired nine of them. Five were retired via strike out and only one batter reached base. His 3.0 innings pitched were dominant, he did not allow a single hit.

There was reasonable doubt that his Friday outing might have made another weekend appearance untenable, but those doubts were quickly set aside when he appeared on Saturday against the Crimson Tide.

He entered the Saturday game in the 9th inning, closing out what would be the series clinching 3-1 victory. His final strikeout was the 19th of the game, tying a program record for strikeouts in a nine inning game.

Of 13 batters faced on the weekend only one became baserunner and that was from a walk. Cozart struck out eight hitters across 4.0 hitless innings, notching a couple of saves as a result.

SEC players of the week, via press release

Co-Player of the Week
Tristan Bissetta, Ole Miss
Ole Miss’ Tristan Bissetta hit a home run in each game the Rebels played last week, leading the team to a win over No. 22 Southern Miss and a series win over Tennessee. The senior hit .500 with four home runs, three doubles, 10 RBI, and seven runs scored. He slugged 1.333 with an OPS of 1.883 and launched a 424-foot grand slam on Saturday to help Ole Miss clinch the series.

Co-Player of the Week
Daniel Jackson, Georgia
Georgia’s Daniel Jackson finished the weekend with four home runs, including three on Saturday, to help the Bulldogs win a road series at No. 14 Arkansas, their first in Fayetteville since 2008. In the rubber game, Jackson tied a school record with his three home runs as the Bulldogs set a school and SEC record with nine homers in a league contest as part of a 26-14 victory. He also homered in the series opener on Thursday.

Co-Pitcher of the Week
Duke Stone, Mississippi State
Mississippi State’s Duke Stone showcased the best start of his career in the Bulldogs’ series-clinching shutout at South Carolina this past Saturday. Stone set new career highs with 12 strikeouts across 101 pitches in six scoreless innings. The right-handed sophomore improved to 6-1 on the year while lowering his ERA to 3.78 with 70 strikeouts and only 18 walks across 47 2/3 innings.

Co-Pitcher of the Week
Cade Townsend, Ole Miss
Ole Miss’ Cade Townsend put together his third-consecutive quality start on Saturday against Tennessee, locking down the series win for the Rebels. Townsend took a no-hit bid into the sixth inning and would leave the game after six shutout innings. He allowed just four baserunners while striking out seven. The Rebels have now won each of his last three starts.

Co-Freshman of the Week
Sam Cozart, Texas
Texas’ Sam Cozart secured a pair of saves in the No. 4 Longhorns’ series win over No. 11 Alabama. Cozart retired 12 of the 13 batters he faced across four hitless frames, striking out eight. In the series opener, the 6-foot-6, 260-pound right-hander set down the final nine hitters in an efficient 39-pitch effort. The next day, Cozart punched out the side in the ninth to seal a 3-1 victory. The freshman’s final strikeout bumped the Longhorns’ total to 19 on the afternoon, matching their most in a nine-inning game in program history.

Co-Freshman of the Week
Mason McCraine, Auburn
Auburn’s Mason McCraine had five hits, including three home runs, and 7 RBI over the weekend to help the Tigers to a series win at No. 7 Florida, their first in Gainesville since 2013. Hitting out of the leadoff spot for the first time this season, McCraine homered twice on Friday, including the go-ahead home run in the fourth inning and a solo home run in the sixth inning. He then homered and drove in three runs for the second straight day in the series-clinching finale on Saturday. He also hit a two-out RBI single to cut Auburn’s deficit to one in the fifth inning.

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