Braden Montgomery & Justin Lamkin recap Texas A&M’s first SEC series victory of the season

“It was great getting the love and support from my teammates and all of the 12th Man. It was something that was surreal and really cool.”

Led by 7.1 dominant innings on the mound from sophomore left-handed pitcher Justin Lamkin and 2 home runs from junior outfielder Braden Montgomery, the Texas A&M baseball team earned its first SEC series win this weekend

After the victory versus Mississippi State on Saturday afternoon, both Aggies spoke to the media.

“I think it’s always more impressive to be able to drive to the back side so I would say the first (homer) was my favorite,” Montgomery said. “I was trusting in everything that I’ve built up to this moment. Being able to see and react to what I’m seeing and I got a lot of fastballs. That’s what I enjoy swinging at so it was very fun.”

Lamkin struggled on the bump last weekend at Florida but clearly shook it off prior to Saturday’s start.

“It was great getting the love and support from my teammates and all of the 12th Man. It was something that was surreal and really cool to get to experience that,” Lamkin recalled. “It was not the first time but that (ovation) was extra loud, you could tell.

“I’d say overall fastball command (was the difference). That’s one thing that coach Walsh told me after the outing,” Lamkin explained. “So I took this week to work on that and I think it played out being able to throw the fastball where I want and establish all the plate.”

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‘Star player in star moments’: Jim Schlossnagle speaks to media after Texas A&M’s first SEC series victory

“Today (Lamkin) had that fastball command,” Schlossnagle said. “Then Braden, what more do you need to say? A star player in star moments.”

The Texas A&M baseball team earned its first SEC series victory of the season with a 6-1 win versus Mississippi State at Blue Bell Park.

Following the triumph, head coach Jim Schlossnagle spoke about the impact sophomore left-handed pitcher Justin Lamkin and junior outfielder Braden Montgomery made on Saturday’s game.

“Obviously, awesome days for Lamkin and Braden,” Schlossnagle said. “I’m super proud of Justin, he didn’t have the greatest start to the season and then last week was a little bit better.

“The thing that he did for us all last year is have good fastball command and his offspeed pitches were a little short. This year, his offspeed pitches are much better but his fastball command kind of went away from him. Today he had that fastball command, especially in against those good right-handed hitters like Jordan and the other right-handed guy. Kudos to him, he was awesome and I was trying to ride him as much as I could because I felt like he earned it. Sometimes that helps boost a pitcher’s ego when you do that.

“Then Braden, what more do you need to say? A star player in star moments.”

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Texas A&M softball wins third straight SEC series beating No. 25 Auburn in the first two games

The Aggies are off to their best start since the 2018 season in SEC play

Texas A&M (27-4, 7-1 SEC) defeated No. 25 Auburn (15-8, 2-6 SEC) in the first two games of the series, outscoring the Tigers 8-3.

Head coach Trisha Ford has the Aggies off to the best start in the SEC since the 2018 season. On top of starting 7-1 in league play, all three teams they beat are ranked in the Top 25: No. 22 South Carolina, No. 21 Mississippi State, and No. 25 Auburn.

This squad is also getting the job done differently, with 1-9 of the line all being dangerous from the plate. The Aggies have a great mix of power and speed that allows them to have different offensive strategies that were missing last year.

The defense has also been playing extremely well, with just a few errors on the season, which has been the main reason their four losses have been one-point games. There has yet to be a game this season where a team has blown the Aggies out of the water. They are quick in the infield, and the outfield has shown several times that they all have the capability to throw out runners at home.

Day one:

Texas A&M vs Auburn / Win / 5-1

  • Total offense:  5 hits, 5 runs
  • Pitching: Emiley Kennedy W (14-3): 7.0 innings, 4 Ks, 116 pitches.

Day two:

Texas A&M vs Auburn / Win / 3-2

  • Total offense:  3 hits, 5 runs
  • Pitching: Shaylee Ackerman W (6-1): 7.0 innings, 2 Ks, 96 pitches.

Texas A&M will wrap up the series at Davis Diamond on Sunday, March 24, at 1 p.m. CT.

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No. 6 Texas A&M baseball team earns first SEC series victory with Game 3 win vs. Mississippi State

For the first time in the young 2024 season, the Aggies have earned a three-game conference series victory following a 6-1 win on Sunday.

For the first time in the young 2024 season, the Texas A&M baseball team has earned a three-game conference series victory.

The No. 6 Aggies (21-3, 3-3 SEC) beat Mississippi State (17-8, 3-3) by a final score of 6-1 on Saturday at Blue Bell Park to take two out of three games from the Bulldogs. Texas A&M won 6-3 on Friday but its offense fell flat Friday, losing 5-1. The Aggies scored once in the first, fifth, sixth & seventh, respectively, and 2 in the fourth.

Sophomore left-handed pitcher Justin Lamkin (2-0) earned the win by absolutely dominating in the series finale. He tossed 7.1 innings and allowed 2 hits, 1 run & 1 walk with 12 strikeouts on 104 pitches. Senior LHP Evan Aschenbeck pitched the final 1.2 innings and gave up 1 hit with 2 Ks on 19 pitches.

Junior outfielder Braden Montgomery crushed 2 home runs. Freshman OF Caden Sorrell joined him with two extra-base hits, smashing a solo homer and a double.

Texas A&M continues its eight-game homestand at Olsen Field on Tuesday at 6 p.m. against Houston Christian University before hosting Auburn for a three-game set beginning Thursday.

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No. 6 Texas A&M baseball team’s offense stalls in Game 2 loss against Mississippi State

The Aggies suffered their first home loss following a 5-1 defeat. The Bulldogs tallied 5 runs in the fifth, 3 of which came off one swing.

While the Texas A&M men’s and women’s basketball teams respectively battled Nebraska in the NCAA Tournament on Friday, the baseball team dealt with its own version of March Madness as its offense stalled in a loss against Mississippi State.

The No. 6 Aggies (20-3, 2-3) suffered their first home loss of the season following a 5-1 defeat against the Bulldogs (17-7, 3-2) at Blue Bell Park. Mississippi State tallied 5 runs in the fifth frame, with 3 of them coming off one swing from junior first baseman Hunter Hines.

Texas A&M scored its lone run in the second inning on an RBI single by junior shortstop Ali Camarillo, who was the only Aggie to record multiple hits, going 2-for-4. Freshman third baseman Gavin Grahovac has now reached base safely in 12 consecutive contests and has at least 1 hit in 8 straight games.

Junior right-handed pitcher Tanner Jones (1-1) took the loss after pitching the first 4.0 innings and allowing 5 hits, 2 runs, 2 hit by pitch and 1 walk with 2 strikeouts on 72 pitches.

Texas A&M hosts the Bulldogs for a rubber match at Olsen Field on Saturday at 2 p.m. CST.

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Texas A&M underclassmen Gavin Grahovac & Ryan Prager recap Game 1 win vs. Mississippi State

“All these (SEC) guys are big and physical. It’s been fun, we have a great group of guys and are going to continue to compete every day.”

The No. 6 Texas A&M baseball team beat Mississippi State 6-3 on Thursday at Blue Bell Park

Sophomore redshirt left-handed pitcher Ryan Prager bounced back from a tough start last Friday at Florida to start SEC play.

“It’s always good to get to play again. The problem with being a starting pitcher is you have to wait a week,” Prager explained. “I’m just really excited that we got the game in tonight and are starting to stick with our plan. Last week, it’s not like anything went terribly wrong, we just got hit around. That’s going to happen, it just happened to be the first one and it all came together. We just stuck to our plan and saw everything work the first four weeks and again tonight.”

Freshman third baseman Gavin Grahovac has adjusted quickly to playing SEC baseball, crushing two homers to begin the Bulldogs series.

“It’s been fun, man. All these (SEC) guys are big and physical. Everyone throws hard and hits. It’s been fun, we have a great group of guys and are going to continue to compete every day,” Grahovac said. “Both (homers), I’m just happy they got out. Did something for the team, was able to get runs going, so we all played great tonight.”

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Texas A&M baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle reflects on Game 1 victory vs. Mississippi State

“For us to strikeout 12 against a team that makes big, heavy two-strike adjustments, that says a lot about how those guys threw,” he said.

The No. 6 Texas A&M baseball team doubled up Mississippi State on Thursday night to begin a three-game SEC series at Blue Bell Park.

Aggies head coach Jim Schlossnagle spoke to the media afterward about several topics, including the bounce back performance from redshirt sophomore left-handed pitcher Ryan Prager.

“Normally he throws his fastball up and his breaking ball down. Last week he just had a really rough day with his fastball down and his breaking ball up, it was as simple as that. Florida made him pay for it,” Schlossnagle recalled. “For us to strikeout 12 against a team that makes big, heavy two-strike adjustments, that says a lot about how those guys threw. It’s also a response from Ryan, especially in the first inning to strike out four guys. I’m proud of him.”

Freshman third baseman Graham Grahovac hit two homers against the Bulldogs on Thursday.

“He stays on the ball. I think his first college homer was to right field,” Schlossnagle said. “Staying on the ball the other way allows him to handle the breaking balls that are left up, which he hit in the first inning. The lefty (in the fifth) was on the ropes then punched out Targac and started feeling better about his breaking ball. Then he threw (Grahovac) one which he fouled straight back. Then I think he went right back to it and left it up again. Gavin is a heck of a player as we knew when we signed him.”

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No. 6 Texas A&M baseball team doubles up Mississippi State to take Game 1 of SEC series

After losing their first SEC series of the season last weekend in Florida, the Aggies have gotten their second off to a good start thus far.

After losing its first conference series of the season last weekend in Gainesville, the Texas A&M baseball team has gotten its second of the year off to a good start.

The No. 6 Aggies (20-2, 2-2 SEC) scored 5 runs in the fifth inning on Thursday night at Blue Bell Park to double up Mississippi State (16-7, 2-2) by a final score of 6-3. Texas A&M rallied on Wednesday with 5 runs in the eighth frame to defeat Prairie View A&M.

Gavin Grahovac had himself a career day, smashing two home runs to left field, propelling the Aggies to victory. The freshman third baseman led off the game with a solo shot in the bottom of the first inning to give Texas A&M an early advantage. Then with the game tied 2-2 in the fifth, he crushed a grand slam to reclaim the lead for good.

Junior Braden Montgomery returned to right field on Thursday night after starting on the bump Wednesday. He was the other Aggie with multiple hits, going 2-for-4.

Left-handed pitcher Ryan Prager (5-0) continued to dominate and earned the win. The redshirt sophomore tossed 6.1 innings and allowed 4 hits, 2 unearned runs and 1 walk with 8 strikeouts on 91 pitches. Senior LHP Evan Aschenbeck picked up his third save by pitching the final 1.1 frames.

On what will be an extremely busy Friday for Texas A&M Athletics with both basketball teams competing in March Madness against Nebraska, the baseball team hosts the Bulldogs at 6 p.m. for Game 2 at Olsen Field.

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‘Sundays are hard’: Trisha Ford explains 1-run loss vs. No. 21 Mississippi St. to snap 8-game win streak

“That’s what I talked to the team about,” she said. “Sundays are hard, Sundays we have to figure out how to come out here and grind it out.”

The Texas A&M softball team had its eight-game winning streak snapped on Sunday afternoon with a narrow loss against Mississippi State.

The No. 21 Bulldogs (21-6, 3-3 SEC) avoided the sweep with a 6-5 victory, giving the No. 17 Aggies (25-3, 5-1) their first conference loss of the season. Texas A&M coach Trisha Ford spoke to the media postgame.

“I thought we just didn’t do a great job of executing our gameplan,” Ford explained. “We had a couple of opportunities there. The zone was pretty tight for both teams and we didn’t do a good job of executing and kind of using that to our advantage. That’s just how it goes, they had more fight in us. That’s what I talked to the team about.

‘Sundays are hard, Sundays we have to figure out how to come out here and grind it out.'”

The Aggies had the tying run at third base in the top of the seventh inning but were unable to get the runner home.

“We were in the right part of the lineup for us to do some damage,” Ford recalled. “We just ran out of time.”

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No. 13 Texas A&M takes second straight SEC series beating No. 21 Mississippi State twice on Saturday

The Aggies extend their winning streak to eight and notch their second consecutive SEC series win

No. 13 Texas A&M (25-2, 5-0 SEC) wins the series over No. 21 Mississippi State (20-6, 2-3 SEC), outscoring the Bulldogs 17-5 across two games on Saturday.

The Aggie continue their blazing hot start to the season, sweeping the double-header and extending their win streak to eight with a 5-0 start to SEC play. They have shown themselves to be a complete team from top to bottom. Coach Ford has a squad with a unique blend of speed and power that makes them a dangerous matchup.

Emiley Kennedy has been the Aggies’ ace on the mound and when they need an out, Ford has no issues putting her in the game. So far in SEC play she’s pitched two complete games and two shutouts with 23 strikeouts. Koko Wooley also had a day with some savvy baserunning, leading to three steals and recording three stolen bases.

Day one:

Texas A&M vs Mississippi State / Win / 9-0 (run-rule)

  • Total offense:  9 hits, 9 runs
  • Pitching: Emiley Kennedy W (13-1): 5.0 innings, 7 Ks, 94 pitches.

Texas A&M vs Mississippi State / Win / 8-5

  • Total offense:  10 hits, 8 runs
  • Pitching: Shaylee Ackerman W (5-1): 3.0 innings, 2 Ks, 54 pitches. Emily Leavitt: 2.0 innings, 2 K, 43 pitches. Brooke Vestal: 1.0 innings, 1 Ks, 24 pitches. Emiley Kennedy: 1.0 innings, 1 Ks, 27 pitches.

Texas A&M will wrap up the series when they Mississippi State in game three on March 17 at 11 a.m.

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