Chris Cortez – Syndication Server

Texas A&M baseball remains No. 1 in the newest USA TODAY Coaches Poll

Texas A&M see no change in the rankings as they stay No. 1 after a 3-1 week and another Top 25 SEC series win

Texas A&M (38-6, 15-6 SEC) holds the title of King of the Mountain as they tally another midweek win coupled with a Top 25 SEC series win on Georgia. They started the week by outlasting a competitive Houston team in a 13-11 win. Then, after beating Georgia in game one, they had an epic comeback victory in game two to seal another SEC series in their favor.

The Aggie continues to look like the team to beat in a three-game series, and so far, the only team to do it has been the Florida Gators in the opening SEC series. Since that series, they haven’t dropped another once since climbing their way to the top spot.

Here are the complete Week 11 rankings.

Rank	Team	Record	PTS	1st	Prev	Chg	Hi/Lo
1	Texas A&M	38-6	772	29	1	–	1/10
2	Arkansas	37-7	739	1	2	–	1/5
3	Tennessee	37-7	717	1	3	–	3/8
4	Clemson	34-9	662	0	4	–	2/11
5	East Carolina	35-8	643	0	7	+2	5/16
6	Florida State	34-9	602	0	9	+3	6/NR
7	Oregon State	33-10	572	0	10	+3	2/10
8	Kentucky	33-9	555	0	5	-3	5/NR
9	Duke	30-14	474	0	6	-3	6/14
10	Virginia	33-12	468	0	12	+2	8/15
10	UC Irvine	32-8	468	0	13	+3	10/NR
12	North Carolina	33-11	425	0	14	+2	7/17
13	Vanderbilt	31-13	383	0	8	-5	3/14
14	South Carolina	29-14	306	0	21	+7	14/NR
15	Wake Forest	27-16	292	0	11	-4	1/22
16	Oklahoma State	30-14	286	0	22	+6	16/NR
17	Alabama	28-16	217	0	18	+1	10/18
18	Georgia	31-12	211	0	17	-1	17/NR
19	Louisiana	33-13	199	0	16	-3	15/NR
20	North Carolina State	25-16	169	0	23	+3	14/NR
21	Mississippi State	29-15	166	0	NR	+7	21/NR
22	Indiana State	31-9	139	0	25	+3	22/NR
23	Oklahoma	26-16	114	0	18	-5	18/NR
24	Arizona	26-16	107	0	20	-4	20/NR
25	Dallas Baptist	31-11	90	0	NR	+1	8/NR

Schools Dropped Out

No. 15 Coastal Carolina; No. 24 Oregon;

Others Receiving Votes

Oregon 60; UC Santa Barbara 44; Utah 40; Virginia Tech 28; West Virginia 26; Troy 13; Louisiana Tech 13; Coastal Carolina 13; Nebraska 12; Georgia Tech 11; Lamar 10; Northeastern 9; UNCW 7; Charleston 6; San Diego 3; Texas Tech 2; Kansas 2;

Texas A&M will face Tarleton on Tuesday, April 30, at 6:00 p.m. CST, where the game will air on SEC Network+.

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Texas A&M baseball remains the top dog in the new USA TODAY Coaches Poll

Texas A&M was two runs shy of the sweep over Alabama last weekend, but they keep the top spot after a 3-1 week.

Texas A&M (35-5, 13-5 SEC) is an offensive juggernaut and did something that’s hard to do in SEC play, and that’s going on the road and win a series against a top-25 conference opponent. The Aggie baseball team started the week run-ruling Air Force 15-5 in a tune-up before they headed to Tuscaloosa to face Alabama which just knocked off the No. 1 team the weekend before.

Alabama showed why they are a dangerous team to face putting some pressure on the Aggies in the first two games, but the firepower of the Maroon and White was just too much to overcome. They outscored the Tide 28-14 through those two games to claim their fifth straight conference series win.

There was no doubt after Saturday afternoon that A&M would stay the No.1 team in the country. Even though Alabama did take game three in a 10-9 win the Aggies racked up 52 runs through four games with one run-rule victory during that span. Things are still looking good for A&M, but there is a lot of base left to be played and this sport can be very unforgiving at times.

Here are the complete Week 10 rankings.

Rank	Team	Record	PTS	1st	Prev	Chg	Hi/Lo
1	Texas A&M	35-5	772	29	1	–	1/10
2	Arkansas	34-6	735	1	2	–	1/5
3	Tennessee	33-7	716	1	3	–	3/8
4	Clemson	32-7	674	0	6	+2	2/11
5	Kentucky	32-7	637	0	5	–	5/NR
6	Duke	29-11	593	0	8	+2	6/14
7	East Carolina	31-8	581	0	10	+3	7/16
8	Vanderbilt	29-11	513	0	12	+4	3/14
9	Florida State	31-8	503	0	7	-2	7/NR
10	Oregon State	30-9	497	0	4	-6	2/10
11	Wake Forest	26-13	449	0	13	+2	1/22
12	Virginia	30-11	426	0	8	-4	8/15
13	UC Irvine	28-8	372	0	16	+3	13/NR
14	North Carolina	30-10	371	0	11	-3	7/17
15	Coastal Carolina	27-12	330	0	20	+5	15/21
16	Louisiana	31-11	222	0	15	-1	15/NR
17	Georgia	29-10	189	0	23	+6	17/NR
18	Oklahoma	24-14	160	0	NR	+10	18/NR
18	Alabama	25-15	160	0	14	-4	10/18
20	Arizona	24-14	158	0	NR	+6	20/NR
21	South Carolina	27-13	146	0	21	–	14/NR
22	Oklahoma State	26-14	133	0	17	-5	17/NR
23	North Carolina State	22-15	127	0	NR	+8	14/NR
24	Oregon	27-12	122	0	18	-6	18/NR
25	Indiana State	29-8	121	0	25	–	25/NR

Schools Dropped Out

No. 19 Dallas Baptist; No. 22 Virginia Tech; No. 24 West Virginia;

Others Receiving Votes

Dallas Baptist 94; Virginia Tech 64; Mississippi State 45; Texas Tech 40; UC Santa Barbara 25; West Virginia 20; Nebraska 18; UNCW 16; Utah 11; UCF 9; Georgia Tech 8; Lamar 5; Louisiana Tech 4; UTSA 3; Creighton 2; Western Kentucky 1; Troy 1; San Diego 1; Illinois 1;

Texas A&M will face Houston on Tuesday, April 23, at 6:00 p.m. CST, where the game will air on SEC Network+.

No. 1 Texas A&M baseball team mounts comeback vs. No. 14 Alabama to begin SEC series

After weather delayed the beginning of a three-game SEC series Thursday in Tuscaloosa, the Aggies displayed resilience on Friday afternoon.

After weather delayed the beginning of a three-game SEC series Thursday in Tuscaloosa, Texas A&M baseball displayed resilience and why its the best team in the nation on Friday afternoon.

The No. 1 Aggies (34-4, 12-4 SEC) scored 10 unanswered runs to beat No. 14 Alabama (24-14, 6-10) by a final score of 10-5 in the first game of a doubleheader. The Crimson Tide tallied 3 runs in the third inning and 2 in the fourth. Texas A&M responded with 6 in the fifth, 3 in the sixth and 1 in the seventh.

Junior right-handed pitcher Chris Cortez (6-1) continued his brilliance on the mound and picked up the victory, while having fun along the way. Sophomore left-hander Shane Sdao picked up his second save.

Redshirt sophomore LHP Ryan Prager started on the bump and pitched the first 3.0 frames, allowing 7 hits, 4 runs and 2 walks with 1 strikeout on 66 pitches. Cortez tossed the next 2.1 innings and gave up 2 hits, 1 run and 2 walks with 2 Ks on 43 pitches. Sdao pitched the final 3.2 scoreless frames and allowed 3 hits with 5 punch outs on 50 pitches.

Forty-five minutes later, the SEC rivals resumed play for the second half of the doubleheader.

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NCBWA names Texas A&M RHP Chris Cortez as one of the Howser Trophy National Players of the Week

Texas A&M junior pitcher Chris Cortez was named the NCBWA Pitcher of the Week after a going 2-0 on the week

Texas A&M pitcher Chris Cortez earn his second player of the week honor with The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) naming their Howser Trophy National Players of the Week.

Cortez was named the pitcher of the week after a solid week of work in the midweek game and his relief appearance in game three against Vanderbilt.

The NCBWA recognized the junior’s production after the big week by naming him one of the Howser Trophy National Players of the Week. Below is the release excerpt from their website:

“Cortez, who earned his first career weekly honor, was brilliant in relief for Texas A&M as the junior tossed 8.1 scoreless innings, struck out a league-best 15 batters and logged a 2-0 record. In Tuesday’s win over UTSA, the Las Vegas, Nevada, native struck out seven over four scoreless frames as the Aggies completed the comeback. On Sunday, the junior calmed the early surge from No. 6 Vanderbilt and delivered 4.1 scoreless innings to go along with a career-high tying eight strikeouts. Cortez also only allowed three hits and two walks in his two appearances.

The two victories improved Cortez to 5-1 on the year and lowered his ERA to 2.32. The junior also upped his strikeout total to 47 in only 31 innings”

One time for the @NCBWA National Pitcher of the Week 🔥

📰: https://t.co/sddp2cMCsw #GigEm x @ChrisCortezz10 pic.twitter.com/WjsDO67URX

— Texas A&M Baseball (@AggieBaseball) April 16, 2024

‘We play to a standard, not a scoreboard’: Texas A&M RHP Chris Cortez recaps sweep of Vanderbilt

“It’s a luxury that we have guys that go out there and eat up innings. We have a lot more guys in the bullpen who can help the team win.”

Texas A&M junior right-handed pitcher Chris Cortez has been lights out as of late, and his success can be attributed to a new mindset of having fun on a game to game basis.

“The Tuesday game has nothing to do with today. I was happy about Tuesday but I’ve moved on from it. I know the best version of myself is having fun and it all starts in the bullpen. When I’m having fun, that’s when I’m at my best,” Cortez explained to the media on Sunday. “I don’t look at the scoreboard. Like Schloss says, ‘We play to a standard, not a scoreboard.’ We go one pitch at a time and that’s all I was saying. I didn’t know what the score was, what inning we’re in, I was barely paying attention to our hitters. I’m just focused on doing my job.

“I think it’s a luxury that we have guys that can go out there and eat up innings. But if they aren’t having their day, we have a lot more guys in the bullpen who can go out there and help the team win.”

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SEC names Texas A&M RHP Chris Cortez co-Pitcher of the Week

Texas A&M junior pitcher Chris Cortez was named the SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week after a going 2-0 on the week

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

Texas A&M baseball climb to the top spot in the new USA TODAY Coaches Poll

Texas A&M jumps two spots to No. 1 in the country after a dominating week going 4-0 and sweeping No. 6 Vanderbilt

There’s a new sheriff in town for Week 9 and they reside in the great state of Texas. The Texas A&M Aggie baseball team (32-4, 11-4 SEC) has captured the number one spot in the USA TODAY Coaches poll after going 4-0 during the week and sweeping the No. 6 ranked Vanderbilt Commodores impressively. They hit a total of nine home runs over the weekend outscoring Vanderbilt 36-6 for their sweep of a ranked opponent since 2016.

If their weekly resume wasn’t already ready enough the previous two top teams both lost their series over the weekend. Arkansas dropped two out of three to Alabama and Clemson did the same to NC State.

After those developments it was all but written in stone that A&M would be the new No. 1 team in the country when the polls dropped. There is still a lot of baseball left to be played, but this solidified what a lot of experts have been saying about Jim Schlossnalge’s Aggies.

Here are the complete Week 9 rankings.

Rank	Team	Record	PTS	1st	Prev	Chg	Hi/Lo
1	Texas A&M	32-4	764	22	3	+2	1/10
2	Arkansas	30-5	738	7	1	-1	1/5
3	Tennessee	30-6	703	1	4	+1	3/8
4	Oregon State	29-5	656	0	5	+1	2/7
5	Kentucky	30-5	628	1	8	+3	5/NR
6	Clemson	29-6	627	0	2	-4	2/11
7	Florida State	30-5	577	0	9	+2	7/NR
8	Virginia	28-8	528	0	10	+2	8/15
8	Duke	26-10	528	0	7	-1	7/14
10	East Carolina	27-8	505	0	11	+1	10/16
11	North Carolina	29-7	491	0	12	+1	7/17
12	Vanderbilt	26-10	432	0	6	-6	3/14
13	Wake Forest	24-11	369	0	15	+2	1/22
14	Alabama	24-12	307	0	17	+3	10/18
15	Louisiana	28-9	267	0	24	+9	15/NR
16	UC Irvine	25-7	264	0	14	-2	14/NR
17	Oklahoma State	25-11	258	0	25	+8	17/NR
18	Oregon	25-10	235	0	22	+4	18/NR
19	Dallas Baptist	26-8	184	0	13	-6	8/NR
20	Coastal Carolina	24-11	183	0	20	–	15/21
21	South Carolina	25-11	172	0	NR	+5	14/NR
22	Virginia Tech	23-10	115	0	16	-6	15/NR
23	Georgia	27-9	93	0	NR	+6	23/NR
24	West Virginia	22-13	81	0	NR	+13	24/NR
25	Indiana State	27-7	77	0	NR	+2	25/NR

Schools Dropped Out

No. 18 Florida; No. 19 UCF; No. 21 Nebraska; No. 23 Mississippi State;

Others Receiving Votes

Arizona 64; Nebraska 40; Oklahoma 27; Mississippi State 23; Florida 22; North Carolina State 21; Lamar 19; Texas Tech 14; Northeastern 13; UC Santa Barbara 11; UCF 10; Campbell 10; Utah 9; Creighton 7; Georgetown 2; Georgia Tech 1;

Texas A&M will face Air Force on Tuesday, April 16, at 4:00 p.m. CT, where the game will air on SEC Network+.

‘Don’t let the game play you’: Texas A&M junior pitcher Chris Cortez was lights out in UTSA win

“You play the game, you don’t let it play you,” he stated. “I think I’ve been doing that my entire career and not really enjoying the game.”

The No. 3 Texas A&M baseball team’s evasion of an upset loss on Tuesday night versus UT San Antonio is largely being credited to senior catcher Jackson Appel, deservingly so after he crushed 3 home runs.

However, just as much credit should be shown to junior right-handed pitcher Chris Cortez, who was absolutely dealing against the Roadrunners. He earned the victory after tossing the final 4.0 innings on the mound.

“I think it’s just me having fun. I’ve grown up a lot this year through the help of Max Wiener, myself and my teammates. You play the game, you don’t let the game play you,” Cortez proclaimed afterwards. “I think I’ve been doing that my entire career and not really enjoying the game. Now I just go out there and I have fun, good or bad. It gives me a lot of clarity and freedom to go out there and just be who I am.”

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‘Brutal baseball’: Texas A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle recaps walk-off win vs. UTSA

“We played about as brutal baseball that you can possibly play that I ever remember an A&M team playing, which was out of character for us.”

The No. 3 Texas A&M baseball team barely avoided an upset loss against in-state rival, UT San Antonio, on Tuesday night at Blue Bell Park.

After the game, head coach Jim Schlossnagle provided his summary of the contest, including senior catcher Jackson Appel’s 3-home run performance.

“We got (Appel) in that spot because he puts the ball in play. We’re thinking that Grahovac, LaViolette and Montgomery are going to be on base a lot,” Schlossnagle explained. “It’s not necessarily about his power but he did a good job of staying on top of the baseball. There was a weird wind, I couldn’t tell if the flag was blowing across the field a little bit east. I thought Grahovac’s ball had a chance and the balls hit to center and right field.

“We played about as brutal baseball that you can possibly play, that I ever remember an A&M team playing, either one I’ve coached or seen play, which was out of character for us. But I’m really proud of our team for staying in the fight.

“Zane got us some decent outs. Peery got us four outs. Cortez was obviously electric. If we just knew 8-of-10 times that we would get that for the rest of the season, we’re an infinitely better team.”

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Jackson Appel’s homer hat trick leads No. 3 Texas A&M baseball team to walk-off win vs. UTSA

All 3 of his homers were of the oppo-taco variety, each belted to the left of Olsen Field. The 2-time All-Ivy League selection went 3-for-4.

Thanks to 3 home runs from senior catcher Jackson Appel, the Texas A&M baseball team avoided a midweek upset loss at home versus the University of Texas at San Antonio.

The No. 3 Aggies (29-4) walked off with a narrow 6-5 victory against the Roadrunners (19-14) on Tuesday night at Blue Bell Park in College Station. Texas A&M scored once in the third, eighth and ninth innings, respectively, and 3 in the fifth.

All 3 of Appel’s homers were of the oppo-taco variety, each belted to the left of Olsen Field. The two-time All-Ivy League selection went 3-for-4 with 4 runs batted in, 3 runs scored and 1 walk.

OLSEN MAGIC 🪄
TEAM ON HIS BACK 🎒
AGGIES WIN 👍#GigEm x @jacksonappel1 pic.twitter.com/JzXLTLECXr

— Texas A&M Baseball (@AggieBaseball) April 10, 2024

Junior right-handed pitcher Chris Cortez (4-1) pitched the final 4.0 innings to earn the win. He allowed 2 hits and 1 walk with 7 strikeouts on 54 pitches.

The Aggies will now gear up for arguably their toughest SEC home series of the season thus far with three games this weekend versus No. 6 Vanderbilt. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 6 p.m. CST.

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.