“We’re such a tight knit group that none of us wanted to leave and miss out on the camaraderie that we’ve built in the last year,” he said.
A group of Texas A&M baseball players were present Tuesday afternoon as Michael Earley was introduced as the program’s new head coach.
One of those guys was junior right-handed pitcher Josh Stewart, who spoke to KBTX sports reporter Nicole Griffith and shared his thoughts on the hiring.
“We were in the locker room after we had that meeting with the athletic director and General Welsh. It was like, ‘I don’t want to leave,’ and there were some guys like, ‘If you don’t leave, I’m not going to leave.’ So we’re such a tight knit group that none of us wanted to leave and none of us wanted to miss out on the camaraderie that we’ve built in the last year,” Stewart recalled. “We were all texting and we just thought it would be a really good sign to be here and support him because a lot of us were sending messages and calls.
“Like athletic director Trev said, that Jace called him a bunch. So we figured it would be a good show to come here and support him when he’s getting introduced as the new coach.”
Josh’s cousin Kohl Stewart was picked fourth overall in the 2013 MLB draft. He’ll attempt to follow in those footsteps next year after another strong season on the bump at Blue Bell Park.
“We’re such a tight knit group that none of us wanted to leave and none of us wanted to miss out on the camaraderie that we’ve built in the last year.”
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Texas A&M will return another key member of the roster in 2025
It’s been a crazy week for Texas A&M’s baseball program. Former head coach Jim Schlossnagle’s sudden departure to head the Texas Longhorns shocked the fan base to its core, not only due to heated rivalry but also the optics surrounding his departure.
For Aggies athletic director Trev Alberts, finding Schlossnagle’s replacement is the only focus. Plenty of intriguing options have made the media rounds, includingOklahoma head coach Skip Johnson and former A&M hitting coach Michael Earley, who recently followed Schlossnagle to Texas.
However, the current players are dealing with their own emotions in the wake of the coaching change. While nearly a dozen players entered the transfer portal, several young athletes, including reserve first baseman Blake Binderup, announced their return for the 2025 season.
Sitting behind Ted Burton, who will leave the program after one memorable season in Aggieland, Binderup is a native of College Station and an Aggie legacy who stands at 6 feet, 6 inches and 230 pounds. He offers plenty of potential heading into the 2025 season.
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Josh Stewart joins Shane Sdao as Texas A&M pitchers poised to return in 2025
With all the chaos surrounding former Texas A&M head baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle’s shocking departure to join the Texas Longhorns in the same capacity just a day after the Aggies’ College World Series Finals Game 3 loss to Tennessee, there’s actually some positive news!
Joining starting sophomore pitcher Shane Sdao, junior right-hander Josh Stewart, who quickly became one of the more reliable arms in the Aggies’ bullpen, sent a message on Instagram to the 12th man regarding his immediate playing future in 2025:
“An Aggies does not lie, cheat, or steal or tolerate those who do
Thank god for Aggie baseball.”
While this isn’t an official return announcement, it’s safe to say that Stewart isn’t following Schlossnagle to Texas, a place he started his collegiate career during the 2022 season.
A lifelong Aggie fan, Stewart is coming off an impressive junior campaign, finishing with a 2-2 record with 39 strikeouts and a 4.26 ERA. Stewart struck out 12 batters during the College World Series while allowing just six hits.
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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.”
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Jim Schlossnagle will go with sophomore lefty Justin Lamkin in Game 3 of the College World Series Finals
Texas A&M (53-13) was on the cusp of winning its first national championship in program history, but due to late home runs from the resilient Tennessee Volunteers (59-12), the Aggies fell 4-1. They will again play for the title in a deciding Game 3 on Monday night.
Entering the game, head coach Jim Schlossnagle knew that after Saturday’s 9-5 victory, A&M’s pitching rotation would have to depend on several young arms out of the bullpen. Senior Chris Cortez may have pitched his last four innings as an Aggie, keeping the Volunteers in check with seven strikeouts and zero runs allowed.
However, after 99 pitches, the veteran made his way to the bench with another standing ovation. His exit led to freshman Kaeden Wilson taking the mound, which led to Tennessee taking the lead. Even though Wilson was impressive for the most part, two fat pitches led to four Volunteer runs, and Brock Perry and Weston Moss finished the final two frames.
With everything on the line, Schlossnagle announced that sophomore lefty Justin Lamkin is ready to go and will start on Monday night in the biggest game in Texas A&M baseball history.
Lamkin’s last two appearances have been nothing short of exceptional, recording 15 strikeouts and allowing four hits in two wins over Florida to make it to the finals. Also available Monday, reliever Josh Stewart and closer Evan Aschenbeck will also be ready to go.
It will be Texas A&M lefty Justin Lamkin on the mound tomorrow, head coach Jim Schlossnagle said. Also noted it was an extra day of rest for Josh Stewart and Evan Aschenbeck.
Texas A&M and Tennessee will attempt to win their first national championship in program history on Monday evening. The first pitch of Game 3 is at 6 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN+.
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“We really played well. Had some really good at-bats against some really good pitchers. Tennessee has got a great, diverse pitching staff.”
Coach Jim Schlossnagle reached the College World Series five times in 17 years at TCU without winning it all but he’s one win away from doing so during his second appearance in three seasons at Texas A&M.
“Great ball game, certainly I thought we really played well for the most part, we got timely hits. Had some really good at-bats against some really good pitchers. Tennessee has got a great, diverse pitching staff,” Schlossnagle said Saturday night. “I thought Prager threw some things, Stewie was awesome, Evan was Evan and Kaeden Kent just continues to play outstanding the back half of the season. It’s one win, we can’t make it anything more than that. Still got a ball game and a series to win, just like the regular season.”
The No. 3 Aggies (53-13) will attempt to win their first national championship in program history on Sunday at 1 p.m. versus No. 1 Tennessee (58-13) on ABC and ESPN+.
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During the first College World Series finals game in program history, the Texas A&M baseball team came out hot, scoring seven runs in the first three innings.
During the first College World Series finals game in program history, the Texas A&M baseball team came out hot, scoring seven runs in the first three innings.
The No. 3 Aggies (53-13) jumped out to a 9-2 lead versus top seed Tennessee (58-13) and won the matchup of SEC squads by a final score of 9-5 to win Game 1 of the CWS finals. Texas A&M tallied 2 runs in the first frame, 5 in the third and 2 in the seventh. The Volunteers scored once in the second and third, respectively, and 3 in the seventh.
Two Aggies freshmen got the party started in the top of the first. Third baseman Gavin Grahovac belted an oppo taco with a solo home run to right field to begin the contest. It was his 23rd of the season, which set a new franchise record for a freshman, and his fifth leadoff jack of the year.
Senior catcher Jackson Appel doubled down the left field line, then freshman outfielder Caden Sorrell singled into center and plated Appel.
Superstar sophomore OF Jace LaViolette drew a walk to start the fifth inning and Appel hit an infield single. Graduate student designated hitter Hayden Schott singled up the middle to score LaViolette. Sorrell singled to right to score Schott and make the score 4-0.
Senior first baseman Ted Burton plated a run next after making it to first on a fielder’s choice. Burton scored on an error by junior 3B Billy Amick, who allowed junior shortstop Ali Camarillo to reach base safely. Then sophomore second baseman Kaeden Kent singled to right center field to score Camarillo and Sorell, increasing the advantage to 7-1.
Kent blasted a 2-run bomb to right field in the top of the seventh to make the score 9-2. Despite Tennessee tallying 3 runs in the bottom half of the frame and putting runners on the corners in the ninth, Texas A&M earned a 9-5 victory to begin the CWS finals.
Sophomore left-handed pitcher Ryan Prager got the start on the mound and tossed 4.0 innings and allowed 8 hits and 2 runs with 6 strikeouts on 81 pitches. Junior RHP Josh Stewart earned the win in relief of Prager. He pitched 2.1 frames and gave up 3 walks, 2 runs and 1 hit with 4 Ks on 56 pitches.
Junior RHP Brad Rudis tossed 2 pitches and allowed a solo shot to junior DH Hunter Ensley. Then the “Stopper of the Year,” senior LHP Evan Aschenbeck, closed the game, pitching 2.2 scoreless innings and giving up 2 hits with a staggering 7 punch outs on 46 pitches.
Kent went 3-for-5 with a game-high 4 runs batted in. The son of 2000 NL MVP Jeff Kent tallied 14 RBI in the regular season and has already matched that total in the NCAA Tournament, which is tied for second most in the nation.
The Aggies will attempt to win their first national championship in school history on Sunday at 1 p.m. on ABC and ESPN+.
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“It means a lot to me, I grew up a big A&M fan so it’s awesome to be a part of the team that’s able to be the first that’s made the finals.”
Josh Stewart pitched 2.0 shutout innings of relief on Wednesday night during a 5-0 victory versus SEC foe Florida to clinch Texas A&M‘s first appearance in the College World Series finals.
The junior right-handed pitcher gave up 1 hit with 4 strikeouts on 30 pitches. Stewart replaced starter Justin Lamkin, who set a program record for Ks in a CWS contest.
“It means a lot to me, I grew up a big A&M fan so it’s just awesome to be a part of the team that’s able to be the first team that’s made the finals,” Stewart said postgame. “It’s really cool to be a part of!”
The No. 3 Aggies face SEC rival Tennessee in a best of three set. The top seed Volunteers haven’t reached the CWS finals since 1951. First pitch on Saturday is at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN.
The matchup is the eighth in championship history between two teams from the same conference and sixth from the SEC. For the fifth straight season, the baseball national champion is guaranteed to be from the SEC.
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“Great ball game and I thought we played really well. Lamkin was outstanding… Excited to get some rest and to play for a national title!”
Led by head coach Jim Schlossnagle in his third year at Texas A&M, the No. 3 Aggies clinched their first College World Series finals appearance on Wednesday evening with a shutout victory of SEC rival Florida.
“It was a great ball game and I thought we played really, really well. Lamkin was obviously outstanding. The decision was just trying to figure out how long to leave him in there, you know, win the game but still give us a chance over the weekend since we’re down a pitcher,” Schlossnagle explained. “Stewie made big pitches to get us out of a jam. Cortez will be better next time, I have no doubt. Obviously, Grahovac had some big hits. I thought Sorrell’s homer really played a huge part in the game just to give us a little bit of length on the lead.
“Excited to get some rest and get to play for a national title!”
Texas A&M begins the most important best of three set in program history Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. vs. No. 1 Tennessee on ESPN.
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Texas A&M’s team ERA is utterly mind-boggling ahead of facing Tennessee in the College World Series Finals
Texas A&M (52-13) is on its way to the College World Series finals, largely thanks to Justin Lamkin’s outstanding performance. The sophomore’s pitching gem, with 70 pitches in five nearly flawless innings, set a new CWS record with nine strikeouts and allowed just three hits, leading the team to a 6-0 victory over Florida on Wednesday night.
On the offensive front, the Aggies demonstrated their prowess at the plate. Junior Kaeden Kent continued his impressive postseason run with two more hits and an RBI. SEC Freshman of the Year Gavin Grahovac also made his mark with two hits and an RBI, contributing to the team’s total of six hits.
Freshman Caden Sorrell’s 6th inning homer off of star Gators closer Brandon Neely blew the game wide open, scoring two more runs before sending Florida back to Gainesville after a very impressive and admirable run.
However, it was Texas A&M’s elite pitching that sent the program to its first appearance in the title game, going 8-0 since the start of the postseason. Since reaching Omaha, the Aggies have dominated on the mound, allowing an incredible 1.00 ERA in 27 innings paired with 37 strikeouts in three wins over Florida and Kentucky.
First-year pitching coach Max Weiner deserves a lot of credit for turning things around. The Aggies have now set a program record with 680 strikeouts on the year and turned a weakness in 2023 into a predominant strength.
On paper, Tennessee is as good as it gets from an opponent’s standpoint, hitting .311 at the plate with 178 home runs and a 3.87-team ERA on the year. The best teams have made it to the final round, and we’re in for one heck of a finish.
Texas A&M will play Tennessee in Game 1 of the College World Series Finals on Saturday, June 22, at 6:30 p.m. CT. The game will air on ESPN.
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