Tag Archives: Texas A&M Aggies

Texas sneaks in to the field of 68, joining Houston, Texas Tech, Texas A&M and Baylor in the NCAA men’s tournament

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Five teams from the state of Texas have made the 68-team NCAA men’s basketball tournament field. The biggest surprise was the 15-loss Texas Longhorns, who will play in the Midwest Region in a First Four, or, a round of 68 game, against Xavier (Ohio) on Wednesday night in Dayton, Ohio.

The Longhorns (19-15) are one of a record 14 teams from the Southeastern Conference to make the NCAA field.

Xavier (21-11) is a Big East team based in Cincinnati, Ohio, meaning the Musketeers will only need to travel about 48 miles to the game site at the Dayton Arena. The winner will advance to round of 64 on Friday against Illinois in Milwaukee.

Games involving Texas teams on Thursday will be:

*Big 12 regular season and tournament champion Houston (30-4) against SIU Edwardsville (22-11) at Wichita, Kan., in the Midwest region. The winner would get either Gonzaga or Georgia in the Round of 32;
*Texas Tech (25-8) against the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (27-7), also at Wichita, in the West. The winner would draw either Missouri or Drake in the Round of 32;
*Texas A&M (22-10) against Drake (22-7) at Denver, in the South. The winner would play either Michigan or UC San Diego in the Round of 32.

Games involving Texas teams on Friday will be:

*Baylor (19-14) against Mississippi State (21-12) at Raleigh, N.C. in the East. The winner would advance to play either top-seeded Duke or 16 seeds American or Mount St. Mary’s.

UTSA baseball coach is serving a two-game suspension

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

A UTSA spokesman said in a text that baseball coach Pat Hallmark will serve the second game of a two-game suspension when his team plays on the road tonight at the 14th-ranked Texas A&M Aggies.

The coach was hit with the suspension after his ejection from the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader against the Youngstown State Penguins.

Hallmark served the first game of the suspension on Sunday in the Roadrunners’ victory at home over the Penguins in a weekend series finale.

UTSA swept four games from Youngstown State over the weekend, extending its winning streak to 10 and running its record to 11-3.

The Roadrunners played four games on the road to start the season and went 1-3. Returning home to play their next 10, the Roadrunners won all of them.

The Aggies, ranked No 1 in the preseason, have dropped four straight games, falling to 6-4 and to 14th in the D1 Baseball rankings.

Texas A&M defeated UTSA 6-5 last year in College Station on a bottom of the ninth-inning solo home run by Jackson Appel off Robert Orloski.

The Roadrunners led 5-1 after four innings and couldn’t hold on.

Top-ranked Texas A&M wins, Texas loses on college baseball’s opening day

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The top-ranked Texas A&M Aggies rallied to win in the debut of head coach Michael Earley, downing the North Carolina-based Elon University Phoenix, 4-2, in College Station.

Trailing 2-0, A&M scored three times in the bottom of the sixth on two singles, three walks and a wild pitch by the Elon bullpen. Sophomore Blake Binderup hit a solo home run in the eighth for the Aggies. A&M starter Ryan Prager pitched a one hitter over five scoreless innings.

Meanwhile, the Louisville Cardinals also rallied from a two-run deficit in downing the 19th-ranked Texas Longhorns, 4-3, in 10 innings at Arlington’s Globe Life Field. The Cardinals won it with two outs in the bottom of the 10th when Lucas Moore hit an RBI single off Longhorns reliever Andre Duplantier Jr.

It was the first game at Texas for coach Jim Schlossnagle, who was head coach at A&M last year and led the Aggies to the College World Series finals.

It was also the UT debut of former UTSA standout Ruger Riojas, who was the first relief pitcher out of the bullpen for the Longhorns. Riojas, a junior from Wimberley who won 10 games last year for the Roadrunners, worked 2 and 2/3 innings and struck out four. In a position to earn the save in the bottom of the ninth, he gave up two hits and was charged with two runs that tied the game.

Other results

(6) North Carolina beats Texas Tech, 5-1 and 8-3, at Chapel Hill, N.C.
(20) Dallas Baptist beats North Dakota State, 11-6, at Dallas
(23) TCU beats San Diego, 5-4, in 10 innings, at San Diego
UT Arlington beats UTSA, 5-0, at Arlington
Incarnate Word beats Saint Peter’s N.J., 12-2, at San Antonio
Texas State beats Binghamton, N.Y., 4-1, at San Marcos
Kansas beats Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 8-5, in Corpus Christi
George Mason beats East Carolina, 7-3, in Greenville, N.C.
East Carolina beats George Mason, 4-3, in Greenville, N.C.

College baseball: No. 1 Texas A&M opens today under first-year coach Michael Earley

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The Texas A&M Aggies open a baseball season with national title hopes tonight, playing at home against Elon College of North Carolina.

The top-ranked Aggies will enter the new year led by a first-year coach, Michael Earley, who was promoted from his assistant’s post to take over for Jim Schlossnagle.

Schlossnagle sparked outrage in Aggieland last summer as he left College Station to take the head coaching job in Austin. He made the move within days after leading A&M to the finals of the Men’s College World Series.

Initially, Earley was expected to join his former boss on the UT staff, but A&M coaxed him to come back to College Station as the Aggies head coach.

Now he leads a team headlined by outfielder Jace LaViolette, infielder Gavin Grahovac, Penn transfer and infielder Wyatt Henseler and pitcher Ryan Prager, who is expected to start on the mound for the Aggies tonight.

Four teams from the state are ranked in the Top 25 of the D1 Baseball poll, including A&M at No. 1, Texas (19th), Dallas Baptist (20th) and TCU (23rd).

Tonight, the Longhorns open under Schlossnagle in Arlington, at Globe Life Field, against the Louisville Cardinals. The Patriots host North Dakota State and the Horned Frogs start on the road against the University of San Diego.

Locally, the UTSA Roadrunners open today in Arlington against the UT Arlington Mavericks. Also, the Incarnate Word Cardinals play host to Saint Peter’s (N.J.), and the San Marcos-based Texas State Bobcats host Binghamton (N.Y.)

Editor’s note: Please see The JB Replay’s list of athletes from San Antonio-area high schools on NCAA Division I baseball rosters. The list, an annual research project of this news outlet, is likely not inclusive of all San Antonio area players. It will be updated when new information comes to light.

UTSA

Jordan Ballin, freshman infielder from Boerne Champion High School
Josh Vaughn, junior infielder from Clark High School
Whitt Joyce, sophomore catcher from Lytle, Medina Valley High School
Ryan Jester, redshirt freshman pitcher from Bracken Christian

Texas State

Cole Tabor, junior infielder from Reagan, transfer from Temple JC
Ryne Farber, sophomore infielder from Johnson High School
Matthew Tippie, senior pitcher from Wimberley, Angelina College
Rocco Garza-Gongora, junior outfielder-infielder from Laredo Alexander, Oklahoma
Jackson Teer, redshirt senior pitcher from Johnson
Carson Laws, junior pitcher from Clark High School, Midland College
Rashawn Galloway, junior catcher from Boerne High School
Zachary Gingrich, freshman outfielder from Smithson Valley High School
Tyler Walton, freshman pitcher from San Antonio Johnson High School
Kutter Webb, freshman infielder from San Marcos High School

Virginia

Will Broderick, freshman catcher/outfielder from Alamo Heights

Vanderbilt

Tristan Bristow, freshman pitcher from Harlan High School

Texas

Jalin Flores, junior infielder from Brandeis High School
Ruger Riojas, junior pitcher from Wimberley High School and UTSA

Baylor

Andrew Petrowski, redshirt senior from Clark High School and San Jacinto College
Brytton Clements, freshman infielder from Laredo Alexander

TCU

Anthony Silva, junior infielder from Clark High School
Cohen Feser, redshirt junior pitcher from Reagan High School
Mason Bixby, sophomore pitcher from Johnson High School
Jacob Silva, freshman catcher from Clark High School

Incarnate Word

Isaiah Zavala, grad student pitcher from Southwest High School
EJ Garcia, sophomore pitcher from New Braunfels Canyon
AJ Herrera, freshman catcher from Central Catholic
Rey Mendoza, grad student outfielder from Eagle Pass
Julio Riggs, grad student infielder from Boerne High School

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

Chad Pantuso, freshman utility player from Johnson High School
Chance Reisdorph, senior catcher from New Braunfels Canyon High School
Zach Garcia, senior pitcher from New Braunfels High School
Alberto Santos IV, freshman pitcher from San Marcos High School

UT Rio Grande Valley

Austin Stracener, redshirt junior infielder from New Braunfels Canyon; Texas A&M, Baylor and Texas State
Evan Janner, sophomore outfielder from New Braunfels Canyon
Francisco Hernandez, redshirt senior pitcher from Laredo Alexander
Arturo Garcia, freshman pitcher from Laredo United South High School
Emir Encalada, junior pitcher from Laredo Alexander High School

Wichita State

Camden Johnson, sophomore infielder from Boerne High School

Tarleton State

Jack Burcham, senior pitcher from Reagan High School
Ryan Beaird, senior pitcher from Reagan High School, UTSA

Duke

Edward Hart, junior pitcher from Alamo Heights High School

Lamar

Coleson Abel, junior pitcher from Kerrville Tivy, Lubbock Christian
Aiden Baumann, junior outfielder from New Braunfels High School, UTSA

Houston

David Stich, redshirt junior pitcher from Boerne, San Antonio Cornerston Christian

Sam Houston State

Connor Zaruba, sophomore pitcher from Yoakum High School; McLennan College

Stephen F. Austin

Dylan Hummel, junior infielder from Madison High School and Coastal Bend Community College

San Antonio’s Sahara Jones boosts Texas A&M to victory, 55-51 over UTSA

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

San Antonio’s Sahara Jones scored five of her team-high 16 points in the last four minutes Thursday to lead the Texas A&M Aggies in their 55-51 victory over the UTSA Roadrunners.

In the Aggies’ second game of the season and the Roadrunners’ season opener, Jones, an A&M graduate senior from Veterans Memorial High School, hit five of 10 shots from the field and also played a solid floor game.

She had six rebounds, two assists and a steal for the Aggies, who won their first game of the season and improved to 1-1. In crunch time, Jones scored five of her points in the final 3:41 when the outcome of a tense struggle was hanging in the balance.

Jordyn Jenkins led UTSA with 18 points and 11 rebounds. But UTSA didn’t get too many other players involved as A&M did a good job defensively on the other scoring threats. In the end, the Aggies held the Roadrunners to 33.9 percent shooting from the field

UTSA had a particularly tough day behind the 3-point arc, hitting only 3 of 16 from long distance. For the Roadrunners, it was a heartbreaker that played out in front of 5,000 school kids in College Station, at Texas A&M’s Reed Arena.

Trailing by four points at intermission after a defensive struggle, the Roadrunners caught a spark in the third period. They opened the quarter with an 11-0 run. When Sidney Love hit a pull-up jumper with 5:56 left, UTSA held a 33-26 lead.

At that point, it looked like the Roadrunners might be able to beat a power conference opponent for the first time in 14 years.

But after having a three-seconds call go against UTSA, A&M guard Janae Kent hit a three to spark a 14-5 run to the end of the period. Jones scored seven points in the run for the Aggies, who took a 40-38 lead into the fourth quarter.

UTSA kept battling, and had multiple opportunities down the stretch. Two free throws by Jordyn Jenkins gave the Roadrunners a 44-42 lead with 5:34 remaining.

From there, A&M started to make all the big plays, with guard Taliyah Parker burying a three, lifting the Aggies into a one-point lead. They would not relinquish the lead the rest of the way.

The Roadrunners had a chance going into the final three and a half minutes but couldn’t pull it off. Jenkins grabbed an offensive rebound off a free-throw miss and put it back to tie the game. Her bucket knotted the score 48-48 with 3:23 remaining.

On the other end, Jones hit a driving layup for A&M.

UTSA responded by setting up in the offense but couldn’t get a good shot, with Idara Udo missing from the perimeter. Parker, in turn, responded with a couple of free throws as the Aggies pushed the lead to four.

UTSA had perhaps its last breath of life when Siena Guttadauro drilled a three off an assist from Jenkins. As Guttadauro’s shot hit the bottom of the net, A&M’s lead had been trimmed to 52-51 with 1:53 remaining.

Once again, however, Jones answered for the Aggies

Her driving layup boosted A&M into a 54-51 lead. The Roadrunners, who missed a couple of free throws that could have made it a one-point game with 15 seconds left, never got any closer.

For the Aggies, who play in the Southeastern Conference, one of four power conferences in NCAA Division I, it was a bounce-back win after losing at home Monday to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. UTSA, picked to finish fifth in the American Athletic Conference, will return home to play UT Rio Grande Valley on Saturday.

Records

UTSA 0-1
Texas A&M 1-1

Coming up

UT Rio Grande Valley at UTSA, Saturday, 2 p.m.

Notable

The Roadrunners had a chance but fell short, extending their losing streak against power conference programs to 24 games. Coach Karen Aston, in her fourth season, is now 0-8 against teams from the NCAA Division I conferences that generate the most revenue. UTSA hasn’t won a game against a power program since Dec. 16, 2010, when they beat the Big 12’s Kansas State Wildcats, 72-55, at home in the Convocation Center.

Quotable

“I thought we played hard,” Aston said on the team’s radio broadcast. “I don’t think it was that we didn’t play hard or didn’t want to win. So I’m disappointed. I’m disappointed for the kids. But they just executed some things better down the stretch than we did.”

Speaking to UTSA radio voice Neal Raphael, Aston continued: “(They) got to the free-throw line more than we did. It hurt us in the first half. Got out-rebounded. That’s not normal for our team. Free throws ended up being a little bit closer, but we just didn’t shoot the ball great today.

“They were just a little bit, I don’t want to say tougher … But in some moments, they were just a little bit tougher at getting where they wanted to get on the floor than we were.”

Aston acknowledged that A&M’s defense made it difficult for players other than Jenkins to find a rhythm.

“For sure, and we’ll find that,” she said. “You know, it’s a new team. New chemistry … A lot of players are playing different roles on the team. We’ve got to be able to establish those and figure out who we can count on in different moments. That’s going to take some time, I think.”

The Aggies out-rebounded the Roadrunners, 40-37. Offensive rebounds were tied, 15-15. But it seemed that the Aggies made the most of opportunities at critical times.

For instance, when A&M’s Sole’ Williams misfired on a jumper with a little less than five minutes remaining, Parker snared the offensive board. The play led to 6-foot-5 center Lauren Ware’s put back for a two-point A&M lead.

“I just thought they did a better job down the stretch,” Aston said.

Individuals

UTSA — Jenkins, the team’s starting power forward, scored 18 points on seven of 15 shooting. Guard Sidney Love added 10 points and Siena Guttadauro eight. Idara Udo, Cheyenne Rowe and 6-foot-4 newcomer Nyayongah Gony all had tough nights offensively. Combined, they were 1 for 12 from the floor and scored three points. Point guard Nina De Leon Negron had four points and one assist. Playing 20 minutes, De Leon Negron suffered an injury late in the third quarter. She was lifted with a minute remaining in the third and didn’t play in the fourth.

Texas A&M – Jones scored 16 points on five of 10 shooting, including one of three from long distance. She made five of eight at the line. Returning all SEC second-team player Aicha Coulibaly was held to eight points on three of nine shooting, but she had seven rebounds and two blocked shots. Forward Jada Malone had six points and six boards, while center Lauren Ware had five points, seven rebounds, four assists and three blocks.

College World Series-finalist Texas A&M names Michael Earley as head baseball coach

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Michael Earley has been named the head baseball coach at Texas A&M to cap a wild six days since an Aggies rally fell short in the national title game.

Last Monday night, the Aggies lost to the Tennessee Volunteers 6-5 in Omaha to end their best season. By Tuesday, the head coach who led team to the brink of their first title accepted a job to become the head coach of the rival Texas Longhorns.

Jim Schlossnagle was introduced as head coach of the Longhorns in Austin last Wednesday. On the same day, the Longhorns announced that three Aggies assistants — including Earley — would also make the move to Texas.

All that changed over the last few days as the Aggies pursued Earley, an Indiana native, who had built a reputation as a hitting coach at both Arizona State and Texas A&M.

At Arizona State, Earley was credited with helping slugger Spencer Torkelson become a No. 1 overall pick in the Major League Baseball draft.

At A&M, Earley served as the hitting coach for the Aggies for the past three seasons, helping the squad to two College World Series appearances. In his tenure, he developed Texas A&M into one of the most powerful and potent offenses in the Southeastern Conference.

This season, the Aggies were led by sluggers Jace LaViolette, Braden Montgomery and Gavin Grahovac, and they set program records for home runs with 136 and walks with a nation-leading 422. In the last three seasons, the Aggies have belted 306 homers, 704 extra-base hits and have reached base on 1,178 walks.

“Michael is a very talented coach and recruiter, but what stood out to me was his character and the relationships he has built with his current and former players,” Texas A&M athletic director Trev Alberts said in a release.

Earley was an All-Big Ten player at Indiana University. In 2010, he batted .352 with 13 home runs and was the only player in the conference to reach double-digits in home runs and stolen bases.

He was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 29th round of the 2010 MLB Draft and played six seasons in the White Sox organization, reaching the Triple-A level with the Charlotte Knights. He completed his professional career with the Southern Illinois Miners in the independent Frontier League in 2015.

“My family and I couldn’t be more excited for this opportunity,” said Earley, who thanked administrators for the opportunity.

“For putting your trust in me,” he said. “Being a part of this university and this program are a dream come true. I will not let you down. See you in Omaha!”

Next season, the Longhorns will join the Aggies in the SEC. The two bell-weather programs in the state will reunite as conference rivals for the first time since a decades-old rivalry developed in the Southwest Conference and the Big 12.

The Aggies fled the Big 12 and started play in the SEC in all sports in the 2012-13 academic year.

Schlossnagle leaves Texas A&M baseball to coach at the University of Texas

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Less than 24 hours after Jim Schlossnagle implied that he would continue to coach a Texas A&M Aggies program that reached the Men’s College World Series championship game, he was announced on Tuesday night as baseball coach of the University of Texas Longhorns, the Aggies’ traditional in-state rival.

“What a home run hire,” Texas president Jay Hartzell said in a statement. “Coach Schlossnagle is the best in the business, his long list of accomplishments is incredible, and his track record of building great programs is well documented.

“We are the premier baseball program in the country with legendary coaches, our six national championships and record 38 College World Series appearances, so it’s certainly fitting that we hired a coach of his caliber to lead us.”

Schlossnagle has spent the last three seasons coaching the Aggies, taking them to unprecedented heights. The former longtime coach of the TCU Horned Frogs led A&M to the MCWS in 2022 and again last week. The 2022 team went 2-2 in Omaha.

This time, the Aggies were loaded with talent, and even with injuries to a couple of key players, they made a spirited run to the finals against the top-seeded Tennessee Volunteers. No. 3 A&M finished 53-15 on the season, 9-2 in the NCAA tournament and 4-2 in the MCWS.

On Monday, in Austin, as the MCWS in Omaha was preparing for the championship showdown, Texas officials acknowledged that they had parted ways with eight-year coach David Pierce. By Monday night, Tennessee held off A&M 6-5 in an emotional winner-take-all contest.

In postgame interviews, a question to Schlossnagle about his “future in Aggieland” sparked an emotional response.

The question went like this: “With respect to the difficult outcome tonight, with the rumors circulating today about a specific job opening, what do you have to say about your future in Aggieland?”

“Yeah, I mean, I think it’s pretty selfish of you to ask that question, to be honest with you,” Schlossnagle responded. “But … I left my family to be the coach at Texas A&M. I took the job at Texas A&M to never take another job again, and that hasn’t changed in my mind. That’s unfair to talk about something like that.

“That’d be like you asking (Braden) Montgomery if he’s going to sign in the (Major League Baseball) draft. But, I understand you got to ask the question. But, I gave up a big part of my life to come take this job, and I’ve poured every ounce of my soul in this job. And I’ve given this job every single ounce I could possibly give it. So, write that.”

In a statement from Schlossnagle published Tuesday night by ESPN reporter Dave Wilson, he thanked Texas A&M administrators and the fans “for an incredible experience during my time at Texas A&M.”

“Although I know many will be upset with my decision, I chose to make a change to join a longtime friend to continue my career as a college baseball coach,” the coach said. “The run to the (national title) game was truly a remarkable one this year, and I will savor the memories and true friendships I have made there for a lifetime.”

In Austin, Schlossnagle will be reunited with Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte, who was athletic director at TCU when Schlossnagle coached the Horned Frogs.

Schlossnagle’s key staffers at A&M will follow him to Texas, including assistants Nolan Cain, Michael Earley and Max Weiner.

Tennessee holds off Texas A&M, 6-5, to win the Men’s College World Series

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Dylan Dreiling homered for the third straight game to spark a three-run seventh inning, and the top-seeded Tennessee Volunteers held on at the end to win the Men’s College World Series with a 6-5 victory Monday night over the No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies.

With the win, Tennessee rebounded from a championship series-opening loss to A&M and claimed victories on consecutive days in Omaha, Neb., to put an end to the so-called “Curse of the No. 1 seed.” They became the first top-seeded team to win the NCAA baseball tournament since 1999, when the Miami Hurricanes won the title.

For the Vols, it was a sweet victory, one that yielded their first national title. On the flip side, it was a brutal loss for the Aggies, who were also looking to win the championship for the first time, only to fall painfully short on the last day of the season.

In a winner-take-all game at Charles Schwab Stadium, the Volunteers entered the bottom of the seventh leading by only two runs when they started to rally against Aggies relief ace Evan Aschenbeck. First, Dreiling hit a two-run homer. Then, after a Hunter Ensley single, Kavares Tears added an RBI double to make it 6-1.

The Tennessee fans at Charles Schwab Stadium were roaring on the play when Ensley scored all the way from first base. With Tears’ blast hitting off the wall in center, Ensley ran hard. He kept going, contorting his body and barely getting around A&M catcher Jackson Appel to score. The Aggies asked for an umpire’s review but the call was upheld.

In a drama-filled ending, A&M scored two runs each in the eighth and ninth innings. But after Tennessee reliever Aaron Combs threw a wild pitch that allowed the Aggies’ second run in the ninth and their fifth in the game to score, he struck out Ted Burton for the last out to nail down the victory.

On Saturday night, in the first game of the championship series, the Aggies jumped out to an early six-run lead and defeated the Vols, 9-5. They led by one run in Game 2 going into the seventh inning but couldn’t hold on, eventually falling in a 4-1 decision. Dreiling, a sophomore from Hays, Kan., homered in each of the three games.

Records

Texas A&M

Overall 53-15
In the NCAA tournament 9-2
In the MCWS 4-2

Tennessee

Overall 60-13
In the NCAA tournament 10-2
In the MCWS 5-1

Notable

In postgame interviews, a question to Texas A&M coach Jim Schlossnagle about his “future in Aggieland” sparked an emotional response. The question came in the wake of developments in Austin earlier in the day that the University of Texas had fired baseball coach David Pierce, and that the Longhorns were looking for a replacement.

The question to Schlossnagle went like this: “With respect to the difficult outcome tonight, with the rumors circulating today about a specific job opening, what do you have to say about your future in Aggieland?”

“Yeah, I mean, I think it’s pretty selfish of you to ask that question, to be honest with you,” Schlossnagle responded. “But … I left my family to be the coach at Texas A&M. I took the job at Texas A&M to never take another job again, and that hasn’t changed in my mind. That’s unfair to talk about something like that.

“That’d be like you asking (Braden) Montgomery if he’s going to sign in the (Major League Baseball) draft. But, I understand you got to ask the question. But, I gave up a big part of my life to come take this job, and I’ve poured every ounce of my soul in this job. And I’ve given this job every single ounce I could possibly give it. So, write that.”

Montgomery, who hit 27 home runs this season to go along with 85 RBI, is projected as a first-round pick in the July draft. He didn’t play in the MCWS after breaking his ankle in the first game of the Super Regional round of the NCAA playoffs. As a result, the Aggies played short-handed in Omaha, without both Montgomery and left-handed starting pitcher Shane Sdao.

A&M players gave it their all to the very end in the final game, with Hayden Schott and Jackson Appel enjoying three-hit games and Gavin Grahovac contributing two. Appel scored twice, while Schott and Grahovac scored once. All three of them, along with Caden Sorrell, contributed one RBI apiece.

In the dizzying ninth, Combs entered to pitch for the Vols, trying to protect a three-run lead. But Grahovac greeted him with a double to left field. After Jace LaViolette struck out, Appel came to bat, and Grahovac took third base on a wild pitch that sailed high, tipping off the catcher’s glove and going back to the screen.

At that point, Appel singled to drive in Grahovac, who scored the first run of the inning and the fourth of the game for the Aggies. Throwing hard, Combs settled down and struck out Schott, with Appel moving to second base. Pitching to Burton, Combs faked a pickoff attempt and was called a balk, allowing Appel to take third base. He scored to make it 6-5 when Combs threw another wild pitch.

Finally, Combs settled down and fanned Burton to end the game.

Tennessee starter Zander Sechrist (6-1) worked 5 and 1/3 innings for the win. He allowed one run on six hits and a walk while striking out seven. Nate Snead pitched 1 and 2/3 innings, followed by Dylan Loy and Kirby Connell before Combs closed in the ninth.

Texas A&M’s Justin Lamkin (3-3) went down as the losing pitcher in an effort that went 2 and 2/3 innings. He gave up three runs on five hits. The former standout at Corpus Christi Calallen just didn’t seem to have as much pop on his pitches as he did in two starts in MCWS bracket play. In relief, Josh Stewart worked 2 and 1/3 scoreless while Aschenbeck yielded six hits in three innings. He was charged with all three runs in the seventh.

Tennessee pounded out 13 hits, including home runs by Christian Moore and Dylan Dreiling. Moore led off the bottom of the first inning with his 34th of the season. For Dreiling, the homer was his 23rd. Additionally, five players finished with two hits apiece, including Blake Burke, Dreiling, Hunter Ensley, Kavares Tears and Dean Curley.

Kent-led Texas A&M beats No. 1 Tennessee, moves to within one win of a national championship

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

With his famous father watching from the grandstands Saturday night, Kaeden Kent kept his NCAA playoff hot streak alive and helped lift the third-seeded Texas A&M Aggies to within one victory of a national championship.

The son of former Major League Baseball standout Jeff Kent homered and drove in four runs, leading the Aggies to a 9-5 victory over the top-seeded Tennessee Volunteers in the opener of the best-of-three title round at the Men’s College World Series.

The Aggies hit well from the outset in front of a packed house in Omaha, Neb., building leads that grew to 7-1 in the middle of the third and to 9-2 in the middle of the seventh.

Undeterred, the Volunteers kept their poise and made it interesting. Rallying against Texas A&M relievers Josh Stewart and Brad Rudis, the Vols scored three times in the seventh to trim the Aggies’ lead to four.

First, Dylan Dreiling hammered a pitch from Stewart for a two-run homer. Stewart had pitched well to that point, but he would be lifted for Rudis, who immediately gave up a long solo homer to Hunter Ensly. When Ensly’s ball landed several rows deep in the left-field pavilion, Tennessee was back in the game, trailing 9-5.

A&M coach Jim Schlossnagle elected to bring in bullpen ace Evan Aschenbeck, who struck out the only two batters he faced in the seventh to prevent further damage.

Aschenbeck finished the game without allowing a run, escaping a one-out, first-and-third situation in the ninth to keep the Aggies undefeated at 9-0 in the NCAA tournament and 4-0 in the MCWS. The Aggies can clinch their first national title in baseball if they can win again Sunday night. A third game would be played on Monday, if necessary.

“I thought we played really well for the most part,” A&M coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “We got a lot of timely hits. Had some really good at bats against some really good pitchers. Tennessee’s got a great pitching staff. They’re a very diverse pitching staff.

“I thought (A&M starter Ryan) Prager battled through some things and (reliever Josh Stewart) was awesome. Evan was Evan. And Kaeden just continues to play outstanding in the back half of the season. It’s one win. Can’t make it anything more than that.”

Entering their fourth game in the MCWS tournament that started on June 13 at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, the Aggies had not trailed on the scoreboard in any of their previous three outings. Once again, they got the early jump, this time against Vols pitchers Chris Stamos and AJ Causey with a two-run first inning.

Gavin Grahovac opened the game with an opposite-field homer to right. It was his 23rd of the season. Jackson Appel followed with a one-out double down the left field line. A fielding error by shortstop Dean Curley compounded Tennessee’s problems, prompting the Vols to replace Stamos with Causey. After Ted Burton struck out, freshman Caden Sorrell drilled an RBI single up the middle.

In retaliation, the Vols scored one run in the bottom of the second off Aggies starter Ryan Prager but failed to capitalize on a few choice opportunities. Consequently, A&M came to bat in the top of the third, leading 2-1. The Aggies immediately took advantage, scoring five runs on four hits and an infield error. Caden Sorrell, Hayden Schott and Kent contributed with run-scoring singles.

Sorrell and Schott drove in one run apiece while Kent’s two-run single made it a 7-1 ballgame.

After the Vols added a run in the bottom of the third to make it 7-2, their prolific offense went into a lull. Prager, a lefty, worked another inning and gave way to Stewart, a righty, who started to frustrate Tennessee hitters with sliders and sweepers. All told, A&M pitching may have won the game from the fourth through the sixth, keeping Tennessee off the scoreboard in that span.

In the top of the seventh, Kent electrified A&M fans with a long homer to right field. For Kent, who replaced injured star Braden Montgomery in the lineup in the Oregon series, it was his third hit of the night and his fourth RBI. With the outburst, the sophomore from Lake Travis High School in Austin hiked his productivity in the NCAA playoffs to 13 hits and 14 RBI in only seven games.

Kent, a sophomore from Lake Travis High School in Austin, said he thinks his surge can be traced to the support that he gets from teammates and members of his family.

“The support that I get and the people that believe in me,” he said. “The people that have my back and I can count on. People like my parents, or my brother. Like, I can look to the stands, and they can give me the … they can pound their chest, like, ‘You got this.’ That puts a lot of relaxation on my mind.”

In regard to the pitch he hit for the home run, he said the pitcher hung a slider, “and I was able to get it.”

Once again, the Aggies won a game with youthful talent making significant contributions. From Kent. From Grahovac, a freshman from Orange, Calif. From Sorrell, another freshman, from Highland Village and Flower Mound Marcus High School.

“Even though they’re young,” Kent said, “I think we’re past the young phase. Gavin Grahovac is so mature. So is Sorrell. They’ve had so much experience (and) they’re good baseball players.”

Kent considers his teammates to be smart players who put in the work to prepare themselves in between games.

“Baseball is a frustrating game,” he said. “So, the consistency and the time that you put in is not always shown out on the field when you play. The countless hours in the cages sometimes turns into a 0-for-4 when you go out on Tuesday. But, it’s just the repetition, man. You’re stacking days on days. It has a compound effect, and you just got to keep pushing through it.”

Records

Texas A&M

Overall 53-13
In the NCAA tournament 9-0
In the MCWS 4-0

Tennessee

Overall 58-13
In the NCAA tournament 8-2
In the MCWS 3-1

Coming up

MCWS title series continues with Game 2 on Sunday at 1 p.m. A Game 3 would be played on Monday if necessary.

Pitching has carried the Aggies to the brink of their first national title

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

If you believe in curses in baseball and you subscribe to the so-called “Curse of the No. 1 seed” in the NCAA tournament, then you probably think the Texas A&M Aggies are destined to beat the Tennessee Volunteers in a best-of-three series this weekend for the Men’s College World Series title.

But if you have been paying close attention to the Aggies since they arrived in Nebraska for the MCWS, then you should know that third-seeded A&M will have a decent chance of beating top-seeded Tennessee, anyway.

Why is that? Well, for as long as young men have been scuffling around on infield dirt and grass outfields in a game dating back to the 1800s, pitching has always served as the key element to success, and A&M’s staff has been the most effective and efficient in Omaha.

The Aggies have have been nothing less than brilliant on the mound in their three games on Charles Schwab Field at TD Ameritrade Park.

In 27 innings, against Florida, Kentucky and Florida, again, A&M pitching has yielded only 16 hits and three earned runs. The staff has struck out 37 and walked 10.

Never mind that the Aggies are hobbled a bit offensively with some of their biggest sticks either sidelined or limited with injuries. Never mind that they have scored only 14 runs on 23 hits. Or, that they are batting a less-than-prodigious .223 as a team in the MCWS.

The A&M pitching has been so good, it has allowed the offense to relax, measure the man on the mound for the opponent and then capitalize when opportunities present themselves.

With ace Ryan Prager scheduled to start tonight, the Aggies would seem to have as good a chance as anyone to beat a Tennessee team that features several of the best hitters in the college game. Not to mention a hearty pitching staff, as well.

Jim Schlossnagle’s team has won 52 games, but Tony Vitello’s has won 58.

“Tennessee is far and away the best team outside of our team this year,” Schlossnagle said. “Pitching. Defense. (They’re) so physical … It doesn’t surprise me what Tony’s done. Not just with his team but with his entire program as a whole. So I’m looking forward to playing against ’em. That’s what you get in (the Southeastern Conference) and that’s what you get in the College World Series.”

Oddly, the top-seeded Miami Hurricanes won the title in 1999 in the first tournament played with a seeded field. But while the Hurricanes were the first top seed to win the championship, they were also the last.

Notable mishaps involving top seeds in the MCWS finals included losses by Texas in both 2004 and 2009.

Two years ago, top-seeded Tennessee advanced to the Super Regional with a whopping 56 wins, only to get beat at home two out of three by Notre Dame. Last season, Wake Forest emerged as the first No. 1 seed to make it to Omaha since 2018, and the Demon Deacons were eliminated in the semifinals, losing to the Oklahoma Sooners.

Notable mishaps involving top seeds in the MCWS finals included losses by Texas in both 2004 and 2009. To Cal State Fullerton and LSU, respectively. So, because this is college baseball, fans will believe what they’re going to believe. Fans are going to talk about superstitions.

Then again, if the Aggies can take two of three from the Vols for the program’s first national title this weekend, it’s more than likely going to happen as a result of pitching than any sort of curse.

Records

Texas A&M

Overall 52-13
In the NCAA tournament 8-0
In the MCWS 3-0

Tennessee

Overall 58-12
In the NCAA tournament 8-1
In the MCWS 3-0