Tag: 2024 NCAA College Baseball Tournament

No. 3 Texas A&M advances to first College World Series finals after second win vs. Florida

Texas A&M got one step closer to its first national championship in program history on Wednesday evening with a 5-0 victory against Florida.

The Texas A&M baseball team got one step closer to its first national championship on Wednesday evening by clinching the first College World Series finals appearance in program history.

The No. 3 Aggies (52-13) shutout SEC rival Florida (36-30) by a final score of 6-0 in the CWS semifinals at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska. The matchup was a rematch of the opening round, which Texas A&M won 3-2 into the early hours of Father’s Day following a four-hour rain delay.

The shutout was the Aggies’ 12th on the year, the most in Division I. Texas A&M is 8-0 in the NCAA Tournament and the first team since Vanderbilt in 2015 to reach the finals unbeaten.

With a 5-1 victory versus No. 2 Kentucky on Monday, the Aggies advanced to the penultimate round. The Gators earned a second shot at Texas A&M after a 15-4 win against the Wildcats on Wednesday afternoon.

Florida freshman right-handed pitcher Liam Peterson walked 4-of-5 Aggies to begin the game, leading to 2 Texas A&M runs in the top of the first inning without a hit. Peterson walked home the first runner, then freshman outfielder Caden Sorrell crushed a sacrifice fly to center field.

The Aggies added on in the fifth with an RBI double to left center field from freshman third baseman Gavin Grahovac. Sorrell belted a 2-run homer to right center in the sixth to increase the advantage to 5-0.

Texas A&M junior shortstop Ali Camarillo led off the ninth frame with a triple to right field. Sophomore second baseman Kaeden Kent brought him home with an RBI knock to right.

Sophomore LHP Justin Lamkin tossed another gem. He earned the dub by pitching 5.0 scoreless innings and allowing 3 hits and 1 walk with 9 strikeouts on 70 pitches. Lamkin set a new franchise record with the most Ks ever in a CWS contest.

Junior RHP Josh Stewart pitched the next 2.0 shutout frames, giving up 1 hit with 4 punchouts on 30 pitches. Senior LHP Evan Aschenbeck closed it out over the final 2.0 scoreless innings, allowing 2 walks with 1 strikeout on 29 pitches.

The Aggies face top seeed Tennessee in the CWS finals opener. The SEC matchup is the eighth in championship history between two teams from the same conference and sixth from the SEC. First pitch on Saturday is at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN.

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Texas A&M DH Hayden Schott declines ‘king of vibes’ moniker after Kentucky win at CWS

“I wasn’t commanding the vibes in there. The fact that Braden is in there, he’s the loudest one and just had surgery, it’s so cool to see.”

The No. 3 Texas A&M baseball team beat SEC foe, No. 2 Kentucky, by a final score of 5-1 on Monday night at Charles Schwab Field to advance to the semifinals of the College World Series.

Graduate student designated hitter Hayden Schott led the way going 3-for-5 with 2 runs batted in and 1 run scored.

“I would not say that I was commanding the vibes in there. The fact that Braden is in there, he’s the loudest one and just had surgery, it’s so dang cool to see. Our team is so selfless,” Schott recalled. “That’s the beauty of playoff baseball is just playing for each other. I definitely would not say that I was the king of vibes in there, Braden did a great job. You have guys like Hank Bard in there doing a great job so it takes a village, man.”

Next up for the Aggies (51-13) is a rematch with SEC rival Florida (36-29), who they beat 3-2 in the opening round on Saturday evening. With a win tonight, Texas A&M clinches a berth in the CWS finals. First pitch Wednesday is at 6 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN+.

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‘Ball comes a little faster,’ Texas A&M 2B Kaeden Kent explains shifting positions at CWS

“Making the shift over to third is not as bad as I think it seems,” he said. “It’s nothing different except the ball comes a little faster.”

The No. 3 Texas A&M baseball team beat SEC foe, No. 2 Kentucky, by a final score of 5-1 on Monday night at Charles Schwab Field to advance to the semifinals of the College World Series.

Sophomore Kaeden Kent started at second base, then shifted to third after freshman Gavin Grahovac replaced sophomore right fielder Jace LaViolette, who suffered a right hamstring injury.

“My at-bat to score a couple runs, the guy was throwing a slider-cutter thing and a heater. I got a hold of one of his cutters, he left it a little too much over the plate. I pulled it foul, then he threw me a heater that was too much over the plate and I was able to handle it,” Kent recalled. “Making the shift over to third is not as bad as I think it seems. I take ground balls there, second base, shortstop. It’s nothing different except the ball comes a little faster. I was able to make a play.”

Next up for the Aggies (51-13) is a rematch with SEC rival Florida (36-29), who they beat 3-2 in the opening round on Saturday evening. With a win tonight, Texas A&M clinches a berth in the College World Series finals. First pitch Wednesday is at 6 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN+.

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‘Left a little sour taste,’ Aggies LHP Ryan Prager recalls College World Series memories

“Just super grateful to be back. Last time we were here, there left a little sour taste in my mouth. We just enjoy being around each other.”

Ryan Prager put No. 3 Texas A&M on his back and nearly tossed a no-hitter on Monday night during a 5-1 victory versus No. 2 Kentucky.

The sophomore left-handed pitcher recorded 20 outs before the first Wildcat tallied a hit. He (9-1) earned the win by pitching 6.2 scoreless innings and allowing 2 hits and 1 walk with 4 strikeouts on 95 pitches.

“Just super grateful to be back. Last time we were here, there left a little sour taste in my mouth,” Prager recalled. “To be able to come back out with this group of guys and do what we did, it was a testament to who this team is. We’ve shown that we can do it in a variety of different ways.

“To be honest, we just enjoy being around each other. The more days we can be around each other, we’re truly grateful for.”

Next up for the Aggies (51-13) is a rematch with SEC rival Florida (36-29), who they beat 3-2 in the opening round on Saturday night. With a win tonight, Texas A&M clinches a berth in the College World Series finals. First pitch Wednesday is at 6 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN+.

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Texas A&M coach Jim Schlossnagle recaps win vs. No. 2 Kentucky at College World Series

“I thought it was a great ball game with tough conditions to hit. Ryan was obviously outstanding. Mason was outstanding for them, he said.

The No. 3 Texas A&M baseball team beat SEC foe, No. 2 Kentucky, by a final score of 5-1 on Monday night at Charles Schwab Field to advance to the semifinals of the College World Series.

After the game, coach Jim Schlossnagle spoke to the media.

“I thought it was a great ball game with tough conditions to hit. Ryan was obviously outstanding. Mason was outstanding for them,” Schlossnagle said. “We just happened to get Appel’s big hit to break it open a little bit and get us into scoring position. Then both Hayden and Kaeden did an awesome job of staying on the baseball, using the whole field to hit and keeping it low. It was a really tough night to hit.”

Next up for Texas A&M (51-13) is a rematch with conference rival Florida (36-29), who they beat 3-2 in the opening round on Saturday. With a win tonight, the Aggies clinch a berth in the CWS finals. First pitch Wednesday is at 6 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN+.

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Texas A&M will face Florida in the College World Series Semifinals

The stage is set for the College World Semifinals and Texas A&M now knows who stands in their way on the road to the Championship round

After going 2-0 to start the College World Series Texas A&M (51-13) earned a day’s rest while they waited for the outcome of the Florida vs Kentucky game.

As usual, it wouldn’t be an Aggie postseason without a little bit of drama. Instead of knowing their opponent Tuesday night a rain delay moved the game to Wednesday morning.

That’s where the drama ended Florida left no doubt that they wanted that spot in the Semifinals beating Kentucky 15-4. So that means the Aggies are one victory over the Gators away from advancing to the CWS for the first time in program history.

The Aggies will see a very familiar face on the mound on Wednesday night as the Gators have decided to start Freshman RHP Liam Peterson. He didn’t have his best outing this past Saturday when we gave up three runs in under 2.5 innings of work, but he will get his chance at redemption.

Texas A&M will play Florida on Wednesday, June 19, at 6:00 p.m. CT. The game will air on ESPN and be available for streaming on ESPN+.

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Best photos from Texas A&M’s 5-1 win over Kentucky at the College World Series

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

Texas A&M continues to roll on in Omaha beating Kentucky 5-1 on Monday night. This win will allow the Aggies to get some rest as they nurse a few minor injuries to Hayden Schott and Jace LaViolette.

Another major win that came out of the game is that Coach Jim Schlossnagle was able to save both his star closers Chris Cortez and Evan Aschenbeck due to the masterful job by the combo of Ryan Prager and Josh Stewart. They held the Wildcats to four hits and a single run scored.

While both teams left a ton of traffic on the bases, a big sixth inning from the Aggies proved to be the difference in the game scoring all six of their wins in that frame. Below are some of the best photos from the win on Tuesday night.

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6+ hitless frames from Prager leads #3 Texas A&M past #2 Kentucky at College World Series

Sophomore LHP Ryan Prager put the Aggies on his back and nearly tossed a no-no, recording 20 outs before the first Wildcat tallied a hit.

Four days into the 2024 College World Series, the Texas A&M baseball team is the only unbeaten squad in the second bracket remaining.

The No. 3 Aggies faced another SEC foe on Monday evening after defeating Florida 3-2 on Saturday night. Texas A&M (51-13) beat No. 2 Kentucky (46-15) by a final score of 5-1 at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska.

Ryan Prager put the Aggies on his back and nearly tossed a no-hitter. The sophomore left-handed pitcher recorded 20 outs on Monday before the first Wildcat tallied a hit. He (9-1) earned the win by pitching 6.2 scoreless innings and allowing 2 hits and 1 walk with 4 strikeouts on 95 pitches.

After there was a pitchers’ duel through five frames, Texas A&M plated all 5 of its runs in the top of the sixth. Graduate student designated hitter Hayden Schott led the way going 3-for-5 with 2 runs batted in and 1 run scored.

Seniors, catcher Jackson Appel and first baseman Ted Burton, and sophomore second baseman Kaeden Kent each recorded 2 hits. Kent contributed 2 RBI and junior shortstop Ali Camarillo had the other.

The Aggies play the winner of Florida versus Kentucky on Wednesday at 6 p.m. on ESPN.

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‘They don’t represent Texas A&M,’ Schlossnagle condemns fans who yelled at Florida dugout

‘Whoever those two guys are, they don’t represent what Texas A&M is all about. Let’s not let those two guys back in the ballpark,” he said.

During the Texas A&M baseball team’s 3-2 victory in the opening round of the College World Series, two morons wearing Maroon and White polos screamed nonsense at the Florida dugout, leading to coach Jim Schlossnagle having to address it postgame.

“First of all, happy Father’s Day to everyone. I want to apologize on behalf of Texas A&M for whatever the heck went on over there in that dugout. Whoever those two guys are, they don’t represent what Texas A&M is all about. Whoever they are, just don’t come back! Let’s not let those two guys back in the ballpark,” Schlossnagle proclaimed. “Other than that, it was a great ballgame. I thought it was a very well-pitched game by both sides. We had chances to stretch the lead and couldn’t put a ball in play. They had chances to score as well. Just a super awesome game. I told Jace that I’m super glad that he’s tall.”

The No. 3 Aggies (50-13) play another SEC foe, No. 2 Kentucky (46-14), on Monday at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN+.

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Texas A&M OF Jace LaViolette ‘got a little scared’ making game-saving play vs. Florida

“Off the bat I got a little scared. I took the total wrong route and then got myself back on the track. The wind knocked it down,” he said.

Texas A&M sophomore outfielder Jace LaViolette sealed a 3-2 win against Florida with a highlight play on Saturday night during the opening round of the College World Series at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska.

In the top of the ninth inning with one out and the go-ahead run at the dish, Gators sophomore second baseman Cade Kurland crushed a pitch to right field where the 6-foot-6 superstar reached above the fence and robbed Kurland of the homer.

“Off the bat, I got a little scared. I took the total wrong route and then got myself back on track, found the wall, I looked up and thought, ‘I have a play on this.’ Luckily I had the wind that knocked it down,” LaViolette told Avarie Howard of Hurddat Sports on the field postgame. “I think on any other day with some help from the wind, it’s probably a homer. But the wind knocked it down and helped me be able to make a play.”

LaViolette drew two walks Saturday to set a new single-season program record for free passes with 59 thus far.

The No. 3 Aggies (50-13) play another SEC foe, No. 2 Kentucky (46-14), on Monday at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN+.

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