Tag: 2024 NCAA College Baseball Tournament

Reviewing Schlossnagle quotes with hindsight after he reportedly left Aggies for Longhorns

“I think it’s pretty selfish of you to ask that question, to be honest,” he said Monday. “That’s unfair to talk about something like that.”

Coach Jim Schlossnagle spoke to the media in Omaha, Nebraska on Monday night after No. 3 Texas A&M lost 6-5 to No. 1 Tennessee in Game 3 of the College World Series finals.

The last question that Schlossnagle answered was in regard to the Longhorns‘ head coach vacancy, which he reportedly took Tuesday afternoon.

“I think it’s pretty selfish of you to ask me that question, to be honest with you,” Schlossnagle said postgame to Richard Zane of TexAgs. “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. That hasn’t changed in my mind.

“That’s unfair to talk about something like that, it’d be like you asking Montgomery if he’s going to sign in the draft. I understand you have to ask the question.

“But I gave up a big part of my life to come take this job and poured every ounce of my soul into this job. I have given this job every single ounce I could possibly give it.

“Write that!

As an Aggieland outsider who resides in Northern California, Schlossnagle’s response was an immediate red flag. Anytime someone gets defensive like that, especially in response to someone else doing their job effectively, that’s a bad sign.

The second red flag was when he mentioned that he had “given this job every single ounce I could.” It sounded like Schlossnagle had nothing left to give at Texas A&M and had reached the peak of how far he could take the program.

Coaches and athletes departing for another opportunity is a common occurrence in college, professional, even high school sports. Schlossnagle should’ve and could’ve exited much more gracefully.

Instead of pulling on the 12th Man’s heartstrings throughout the CWS, then blatantly dissembling when asked directly, Schlossnagle should’ve just pleaded the fifth. It would’ve been cowardly, however, that tactic is used constantly in sports press conferences, so why not?

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on X: @Shaun_Holkko.

Best photos from Game 3 of the College World Series finals between Texas A&M and Tennessee

Check out the best photos that were taken last night by USA TODAY Sports photographers Steven Branscombe, Brianna Paciorka and Dylan Widger.

Despite reaching the College World Series finals for the first time in program history and decisively winning Game 1, the Texas A&M baseball team fell just short against SEC rival Tennessee on Monday night.

The top seed Volunteers (60-13) defeated the No. 3 Aggies (53-15) by a final score of 6-5 in the decisive national title game at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska.

Texas A&M prevailed in the CWS finals opener 9-5 on Saturday night. Tennessee evened the series with a 4-1 victory Sunday afternoon.

The Volunteers are the first No. 1 seed to win the CWS championship in 25 years since Miami won it all in 1999. Tennessee is the fifth consecutive SEC squad to win the national title, dating back to 2019.

Dylan Dreiling earned NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player. The Volunteers sophomore outfielder racked up 3 home runs, 11 runs batted in and 13 hits.

Check out the best photos that were taken last night by USA TODAY Sports photographers Steven Branscombe, Brianna Paciorka and Dylan Widger.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on Twitter: @Shaun_Holkko.

Jim Schlossnagle is reportedly leaving Texas A&M to become Texas Longhorns head coach

According to Chip Brown of 247Sports, Jim Schlossnagle is departing Aggieland with his coaching staff to become the new Longhorns coach.

Well, they often say, “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire,” and that certainly looks to be the case when it comes to Texas A&M baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle, who is reportedly leaving College Station.

According to Chip Brown of 247Sports, Schlossnagle is departing from Aggieland to become the new Texas Longhorns coach. Per Brown’s report, Schlossnagle intends to take his coaching staff with him to Austin.

Less than 24 hours ago, the No. 3 Aggies lost the College World Series finals to No. 1 Tennessee. Postgame, Schlossnagle was asked about his future.

“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. That hasn’t changed in my mind,” Schlossnagle proclaimed Monday night. “I have poured every ounce of my soul into this job. I have given this job every single ounce I could possibly give it.”

If the Horns247 report is true, Schlossnagle clearly dissembled through his teeth and pulled on the 12th Man’s heartstrings in the process.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on X: @Shaun_Holkko.

Vols are first top seed in 25 years to earn baseball national title with win vs. Texas A&M

Despite reaching the College World Series finals for the first time in program history, the Aggies fell just short vs. Tennessee on Monday.

Despite reaching the College World Series finals for the first time in program history and decisively winning Game 1, the Texas A&M baseball team fell just short against SEC rival Tennessee on Monday night.

The top seed Volunteers (60-13) defeated the No. 3 Aggies (53-15) by a final score of 6-5 in the decisive national title game at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska.

Texas A&M prevailed in the CWS finals opener 9-5 on Saturday night. Tennessee evened the series with a 4-1 victory Sunday afternoon.

The Volunteers are the first No. 1 seed to win the CWS championship in 25 years since Miami won it all in 1999. Tennessee is the fifth consecutive SEC squad to win the national title, dating back to 2019.

The Aggies scored 1 run in the third inning and 2 in each of the eighth and ninth. The Volunteers tallied 1 in the first, two in the third and 3 in the seventh.

Junior second baseman Christian Moore made a statement with a solo home run in the bottom of the first frame Monday. Freshman third baseman Gavin Grahovac tied the game with an RBI single to left field in the top of the third.

Sophomore outfielder Dylan Dreiling reclaimed the advantage with a sacrifice fly to right center field. Freshman shortstop Dylan Curley added on with an RBI single to left field, making the score 3-1.

Dreiling destroyed a 2-run homer to right field in the seventh inning. He earned NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player after racking up 3 HR, 11 runs batted in and 13 hits. Sophomore OF Kavares Tears tallied an RBI double to center and increased the advantage to 6-1.

Graduate student designated hitter Hayden Schott trimmed the deficit with an RBI single up the middle, followed by an RBI double from freshman OF Caden Sorrell to score Schott.

Texas A&M wouldn’t go down without a fight as Grahovac led off the ninth frame with a double down the left field line. Senior catcher Jackson Appel connected on an RBI single to left and plated Grahovac. Appel later scored on a wild pitch. Senior first baseman Ted Burton struck out swinging to end the season.

Sophomore left-handed pitcher Justin Lamkin tossed the first 2.2 innings and allowed 5 hits, 3 runs and 2 walks with 2 strikeouts on 60 pitches. Junior RHP Josh Stewart pitched 2.1 scoreless frames, giving up 2 hits with 1 K on 28 pitches. Senior LHP Evan Aschenbeck tossed the final 3.0 innings, allowing 6 hits and 3 runs with 3 punch outs on 46 pitches.

Appel and Schott went out swinging in their final game after transferring, going 3-for-5 with 1 RBI, respectively. Grahovac went 2-for-5 with 1 RBI and 1 run scored. Sorrell, senior OF Travis Chestnut, junior SS Ali Camarillo and sophomores, 2B Kaeden Kent and OF Jace LaViolette, each recorded a single.

After the heartbreaking loss, Aggies head coach Jim Schlossnagle squashed any and all rumors about him potentially filling the Longhorns‘ vacancy in Austin.

“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. That hasn’t changed in my mind,” Schlossnagle proclaimed. “I have poured every ounce of my soul into this job. I have given this job every single ounce I could possibly give it.”

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on Twitter: @Shaun_Holkko.

Texas A&M RHP Chris Cortez tossed another relief gem vs. Tennessee at College World Series

“I’m super proud of Zane,” he said. “It’s not the easiest thing to go out there with the championship game. He went out and did his thing.”

After a tough appearance Wednesday against Florida, Texas A&M junior right-handed pitcher Chris Cortez returned to his normal form of being a stone cold reliever during a 4-1 loss against top seed Tennessee.

Cortez pitched 4.1 scoreless innings, giving up 5 walks and 2 hits with 7 Ks on 99 pitches. He took over for senior RHP Zane Badmaev, who opened the contest and recorded the first three outs, allowing 2 hits with 2 Ks on 20 pitches.

“I’m super proud of Zane. It’s not the easiest thing to go out there with the championship game. He’s an older guy. I’ve always had a hard time starting. He went out there and did his thing,” Cortez explained. “I feel good, I just got a little dehydrated at the end. I just wanted to compete, I didn’t really care about my feelings. I would’ve kept throwing but coach is looking out for me.”

The No. 3 Aggies will attempt to win their first national championship in program history on Monday evening. First pitch of Game 3 is at 6 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN+.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on Twitter: @Shaun_Holkko.

Coach Schlossnagle reacts to Texas A&M’s loss vs. Tennessee in College World Series finals

“Close ballgame, just what you’d expect with these two teams. To think you’d roll right through it in two games, that would’ve been nice.”

The Texas A&M baseball team gave up two-run homers in back-to-back innings during a 4-1 loss against top seed Tennessee on Sunday afternoon at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska.

After the game, Aggies coach Jim Schlossnagle shared his reaction with the media.

“I guess the difference in the game was two, two out homers. They got the big swings at the right time,” Schlossnagle recalled. “I thought we battled back. (Aaron) Combs obviously settled down the game really well for them I thought Chris (Cortez) battled. I was proud of Kaiden Wilson, two pitches just got him. (Dylan) Dreiling was on the fastball and he hung a breaking ball to the catcher.

“Close ballgame, just exactly what you’d expect with these two teams. To think you’d roll right through it in two games, that would’ve been nice. We get to play the last college baseball game of the season and that’s awesome.”

No. 3 Texas A&M will attempt to win its first national championship in program history on Monday evening. First pitch of Game 3 is at 6 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN+.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on X: @Shaun_Holkko.

Texas A&M OF Jace LaViolette proves he is ‘one of the best players in the nation’ vs. Vols

“Coach pulled me over and talked about my body language, told me that I’m ‘one of the best players in the nation,’ I need to act like it.”

In Game 2 of the College World Series finals versus top seed Tennessee, the Texas A&M baseball team took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning with a solo home run to right field by Jace LaViolette,

The superstar sophomore outfielder hit the 50th homer of his collegiate career during the 4-1 loss on Sunday afternoon at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska.

“I just felt like (Aaron Combs) was executing pitches whenever he needed to,” LaViolette said. “Obviously, they have a really good pitching staff. I mean, you give a lot of credit to them. I just feel like if we make a few better swings and balls land, it’s a different game, but that’s baseball and it happens so credit to them.

“There’s ebbs and flows, you try not to ride the highs and lows and I feel like I have been riding that low too much. Coach pulled me over and talked about my body language, he just told me that I’m ‘one of the best players in the nation’ and I need to act like it. I feel like that’s one of the things that changed today.”

The No. 3 Aggies will attempt to win their first national championship in program history on Monday evening. First pitch of Game 3 is at 6 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN+.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on X: @Shaun_Holkko.

Best photos from Game 2 of the CWS finals between No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 1 Tennessee

Before tomorrow’s contest, check out the best photos from Game 2 taken by USA TODAY Sports photographers Steven Branscombe and Dylan Widger.

After scoring nine runs on Saturday night to begin the College World Series finals, the Texas A&M baseball team was nearly shutout by SEC rival Tennessee on Sunday afternoon, forcing a final matchup Monday evening for the national title.

The top seed Volunteers (59-13) defeated the No. 3 Aggies (53-14) by a final score of 4-1 to win Game 2 and even the championship series. Tennessee hit two 2-run home runs in the seventh and eighth innings to survive another day. Superstar sophomore outfielder Jace LaViolette hit a solo homer in the bottom of the first frame.

The Aggies and Volunteers will respectively attempt to win their first national title in program history on Monday night. First pitch of Game 3 is at 6 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN+.

Before tomorrow evening’s winner take all championship contest, check out the best photos from Game 2 at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska taken by USA TODAY Sports photographers Steven Branscombe and Dylan Widger.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on Twitter: @Shaun_Holkko.

No. 1 Tennessee defeats No. 3 Texas A&M to force third game of College World Series finals

After scoring nine runs Saturday to begin the College World Series finals, the Aggies were nearly shutout by Tennessee on Sunday afternoon.

After scoring nine runs Saturday to begin the College World Series finals, the Texas A&M baseball team was nearly shutout by SEC rival Tennessee on Sunday, forcing a winner take all final matchup Monday for the national title.

The No. 3 Aggies (53-14) took an early 1-0 lead in Game 2 versus No. 1 Tennessee (59-13) in the bottom of the first inning with a solo home run to right field by sophomore outfielder Jace LaViolette, the 50th of his collegiate career. Texas A&M held that narrow advantage in a pitchers’ duel until the top of the seventh frame.

Senior right-handed pitcher Zane Badmaev opened the contest and recorded the first three outs, allowing 2 hits with 2 strikeouts on 20 pitches. After a tough appearance Wednesday against Florida, junior RHP Chris Cortez returned to his normal form of being a stone cold reliever.

Cortez pitched 4.1 scoreless innings and gave up 5 walks and 2 hits with 7 Ks on 99 pitches. He exited the matchup with two Volunteers on base and what appeared to be a hand injury. However, it was likely just due to fatigue as he nearly eclipsed the century mark in tosses.

Freshman lefty Kaiden Wilson took over for Cortez and threw well but two pitches ultimately made the difference Sunday afternoon. In the seventh frame, sophomore OF Dylan Dreiling destroyed a 2-run bomb to right field. Then in the eighth, senior catcher Cal Stark crushed a 2-run jack to left.

Wilson pitched 2.1 innings and allowed 4 runs, 3 hits and 1 walk with 2 punch outs on 41 pitches. Senior RHP Brock Peery recorded an out on 6 pitches. Freshman RHP Weston Moss pitched the final frame and tallied 1 strikeout on 15 pitches.

The Aggies threatened with runners on the corners in the bottom of the ninth but were unable to plate a run. Senior Ryan Targac took the last at-bat as a pinch hitter, blasting a pitch to the warning track in right field and nearly tying the game.

Texas A&M and Tennessee will respectively attempt to win its first national championship in program history on Monday evening. First pitch of Game 3 is at 6 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN+.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on Twitter: @Shaun_Holkko.

Best photos from Texas A&M’s Game one CWS Finals win over Tennessee

View some of the best photos from Texas A&M’s victory over Tennessee on Saturday night.

Texas A&M is officially one win away from claiming their first-ever National title on the diamond. The Aggies grabbed a lead early and never looked back as they went on to beat the Tennessee Volunteers 9-5 in a game with 25 total hits and 18 runners left on base.

If you would’ve told a casual fan that A&M would hold one of the top offenses under 5 runs for most of the game, they probably wouldn’t believe you. However, during the College World Series, they only allowed three runs through three games.

The job is not done yet though, and the Aggies have an opportunity to push their post season record to 10-0 and bring the gold home to Aggieland. Below, you can see some of the best photos from the victory over Tennessee.

Contact/Follow @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on X: @whosnextsports1.