Power pitcher Chris Cortez is not in the weekend rotation but has found a home has a midweek starter. Along with that, position coaches Jim Schlossnagle and Max Wiener have called upon Cortez for some relief work on the weekend.
In 11 appearances he has a 5-1 record with three saves and a 2.32 ERA. In a noticeable improvement, he already has 47 strikeouts to 14 walks and batters are averaging .221 against him to this point in the season. Removing himself from the transfer portal and trusting the new pitching coach seems to have been the right move.
The SEC recognized the junior’s production after the big week by naming him SEC co-Pitcher of the Week. Below is the release excerpt from the SEC officials:
Texas A&M’s Chris Cortez went 2-0 on the week, totaling 8.1 scoreless innings and punching out a league-best 15 batters. In Tuesday’s win over UTSA, Cortez struck out seven over four scoreless frames as the Aggies completed the comeback against the Roadrunners. On Sunday, Cortez calmed the early surge from No. 5 Vanderbilt and delivered 4.1 scoreless innings to go along with a career-high tying eight punchouts.
⚾️ WK9| SEC Baseball Weekly Awards
CO-PITCHER: Chris Cortez
@AggieBaseballx #SECBSB pic.twitter.com/rbON0B94gX
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) April 15, 2024
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.