Tag: LSU Tigers Baseball

Texas A&M sophomore outfielder Jace LaViolette is rumored to choose LSU in transfer portal

“If you’re in the portal your missing out if you don’t want to be a part of the best university in the nation where people come to be great!”

Following the Tuesday evening departure of the entire Texas A&M baseball coaching staff to Austin, eight Aggies have entered the NCAA transfer portal, including superstar sophomore outfielder Jace LaViolette.

“Thank you 12th Man from the bottom of my heart for everything y’all did for us throughout the year,” LaViolette stated Tuesday morning via X. “If you’re in the portal, you’re missing out if you don’t want to be apart of the best university in the nation. This is where people come to be great! Let’s go get it done next year!”

In the since-deleted tweet, LaViolette encouraged others to consider Aggieland in the portal, likely unaware of what was coming hours later.

Prior to the College World Series beginning, LaViolette told Brent Zwerneman of the Houston Chronicle that choosing Texas A&M over LSU was the “best decision of my life.” However, college baseball writer Jake Mckeever proclaimed to “expect Jace to LSU,” via X on Wednesday.

Transferring to College Station from Stanford worked out quite well for junior OF Braden Montgomery, who is going to be a top 10 pick in July’s 2024 MLB draft. Braden’s mom, Gretchen Montgomery Willock, shared an encouraging message on her private X account Wednesday amid the transfer madness.

“Don’t freak out about the transfer portal!! The players have to protect themselves — A&M doesn’t have a coach or staff,” Gretchen stated Wednesday afternoon. “Most will get in the portal but can still stay. They will get NIL!! But nobody has more $ than A&M. Most will come back with a STRONG HIRE! Email the AD!”

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.

‘My question to the fans’: Texas A&M baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle has a query for the 12th Man

“First time we have lost back-to-back games,” he said. “If we do that a month from now, our season is over. Yeah, I reminded them of that.”

As the regular season begins to wind down, the No. 2 Texas A&M baseball team has a home game against Rice and a three-game SEC series at Ole Miss this week.

Aggies coach Jim Schlossnagle began looking ahead Monday during a discussion with TexAgs.

“My question to the fans is: What constitutes a good season? Can you have a brutal regular season, be the 64th team in and win the national championship… Is that the best team in program history? It’s tournament sports. I am not saying I am right and you are wrong or vice versa,” Schlossnagle said. “At the end of the day, we want to get in a regional and do well there. I would love to host. Awesome. Right now, I will take the No. 4 seed in Anchorage with our team healthy. I will take our chances. There will be ups and downs. We could have more downs ahead of us. Who knows?

“First time we have lost back-to-back games. If we do that a month from now, our season is over. Yeah, I reminded them of that… Guess who had a winning record against the teams who played for a national championship last year? Texas A&M. We had the most brutal pitching staff in school history. We had awesome kids. Austin Bost has the most unlucky year that I have ever seen. We were 4-3 against Florida and LSU.

“This upper echelon of college baseball, I am telling you, you just have to survive it and be healthy. We have to get to the point where we get to our regional, and our team is healthy.”

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‘We played bad for 2 days’: Jim Schlossnagle reflects on how No. 2 Texas A&M avoided SEC sweep at LSU

“We played bad for two days. You deserved to get your rear end kicked when you don’t play well. Our guys care too much sometimes,” he said.

The No. 2 Texas A&M baseball team avoided an SEC sweep at reigning national champion LSU this past weekend with a 14-4 victory on Sunday afternoon.

Aggies coach Jim Schlossnagle chatted with TexAgs on Monday and reflected on the series loss.

“We played bad for two days. You deserved to get your rear end kicked when you don’t play well. Our guys care too much sometimes. If you have that level of care, it can snowball, especially in the sport of baseball,” Schlossnagle explained. “I think we have played poorly and pitched poorly before. We just swung the bat enough to cover it up. We had full control of the game with Ryan Prager pitching. He walked two guys. They bunt. They got a little flare that is just out of Ali Camarillo’s reach. Tommy White was up. This was the double play that we wanted, and a bad throw was made.

“You have to give credit to the team we faced. Gage Jump and Luke Holman are two of the best starters we will see all year. The numbers don’t accurately reflect those to guys. Griffin Herring is awesome. We knew going into the weekend their left-handed pitching would be an issue for us.

“I thought Chris Cortez gave us a shot of life. We had Caden Sorrell’s triple. That got everyone fired up and then the Gavin Grahovac homer. Baseball can eat you up. You can feel the greatest for a while. A couple of negative things happen, and you have to be careful not to let it steamroll… Thought it was great when we battled back. We needed it. Three to four innings in on Sunday, it was not a good feeling in the dugout.

“I don’t like postgame talks or speeches, but that was mine on Saturday night. ‘Just chill out.’ The game ended, and we had one of the best pitchers in the country hanging his body over the front rail of the dugout like the season was over.

“We will not be perfect. They are human beings. We have to find ways to overcome it. There will be days we do. Those two days, we didn’t.”

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Scott Clause/USA TODAY

Texas A&M avoids the sweep with a 14-4 victory in Game 3 over LSU

Texas A&M rallies in the top of the fifth to take a lead and hold to win game three over LSU

Texas A&M (40-8, 16-8 SEC) had a rough weekend in Baton Rouge but salvaged the series with a big fifth-inning rally for an important 10-run win over LSU (31-18, 9-15 SEC).

Over the past three games, including the third game of the Georgia series, the Aggies have been grappling with strikeouts, a recurring issue this season. However, as the game of baseball often proves, streaks happen. On Sunday, the Aggies found their rhythm, putting 14 runs on the board despite Jace LaViolette and Braden Montgomery going 1 for 10. This unpredictability is what makes baseball such a fascinating sport.

After falling 3-0 early, the Aggies stormed back, and freshman Caden Sorrell got the ball rolling by triple to center field in the top of the fifth. Travis Chestnut’s single brought Sorrell home to cut the lead, and Gavin Grahovac homered a few batters later to take a 4-3 lead. Jackson Appel got in on the home run party with a two-run shot and a bases-loaded walk followed by a few singles capped off a nine-run inning.

Notably, Kaeden Kent and LaViolette contributed five runs with their impressive home runs in the top of the ninth, leading the team to a commanding 14-3 lead. Let’s not forget the stellar performance of Chris Cortez, who put in the work, earning the win while allowing only one hit and striking out six.

Despite losing their No. 1 ranking, the Aggies’ performance in game three was a testament to the offensive and defensive prowess in 4.1 innings we’ve appreciated over the past few months. Texas A&M will return to Blue Bell Park to face Rice on Tuesday, May 7, at 6:00 p.m. CT. The game will air on SEC Network+.

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No. 1 Texas A&M baseball team blows early 3-run lead to lose another SEC game at LSU

First pitch was delayed due to lightning and the Aggies’ (39-8) bats came out with thunder, scoring 3 runs in the top of the first inning.

Following a 32-minute weather delay on Saturday night in the Bayou, the Texas A&M baseball team attempted to tie its three-game SEC series at reigning national champion LSU.

With 11,751 fans in attendance, the first pitch at Alex Box Field was pushed back due to lightning in Baton Rouge. The Aggies‘ (39-8, 15-8 SEC) bats came out with some thunder, scoring 3 runs in the top of the first inning.

However, Texas A&M allowed 5 unanswered runs to the Tigers (31-17, 9-14) and ultimately lost 6-4 for the second straight evening. The Aggies scored their other run in the ninth frame. LSU tallied 3 in the third, 1 in the seventh and 2 in the eighth.

Freshmen, third baseman Gavin Grahovac & outfielder Caden Sorrell, sophomore OF Jace LaViolette, junior shortstop Ali Camarillo and senior pinch hitter Ted Burton each contributed a hit. Camarillo, LaViolette, Sorrell and senior catcher Jackson Appel respectively recorded 1 run batted in.

The series finale at Skip Bertman Field is Sunday at 1 p.m.

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4-run sixth inning leads LSU baseball team past No. 1 Texas A&M in SEC series opener

The Aggies have been on the winning end more often than not, but when they have lost, it’s typically been bad frame that has been the cause.

With only seven defeats in 46 games, the Texas A&M baseball team has been on the winning end more often than not, but when they have lost, it’s typically been one bad inning that has been the cause.

The Aggies (39-7, 15-7 SEC) lost by a final score of 6-4 against LSU (30-17, 8-14) at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge on Friday night.

The reigning national champions have struggled in conference play this season following the departure of several players to the 2023 MLB Draft. However, it took just one frame for the Tigers to prevail in the SEC series opener.

Texas A&M scored 1 run in each of the first two innings and LSU tied the game with 2 in the third. The Aggies reclaimed the advantage with 1 in the fourth frame but that was short-lived.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Tigers tallied 4 runs to seize the lead for good. Texas A&M added 1 in the eighth but ultimately fell short, despite recording 4 more hits, 11-7.

Game 2 on Saturday evening begins at 6:30 p.m. CST.

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Texas A&M baseball’s pitching rotation vs. LSU has been announced

Texas A&M HC Jim Schlossnagle has announced Texas A&M’s pitching rotation vs. LSU

Texas A&M (39-6, 15-6 SEC) remains undefeated in mid-week games after defeating Tarleton State 10-6 on Tuesday night. Former Michigan second baseman Ted Burton hit his fifth home run in the last four games. In contrast, Jace LaViolette hit his 23rd home run on the season.

Within the victory, the Aggies have now crossed the 100-homerun mark for only the 2nd time in program history, a testament to head coach Jim Schlossnagle and his impressive coaching staff’s work last offseason to both acquire and develop talent at the plate.

The Aggies are in second place in the SEC West standings, just a conference win below the Arkansas Razorbacks. Both programs are tied with 39 wins on the year. This weekend, the Aggies will travel to Baton Rouge to take on the LSU Tigers, who have now won two consecutive conference series while simultaneously climbing up the standings to fifth place in the West.

On Thursday, Schlossnagle released the starting pitching rotation for the series, but for a second straight weekend, the Game 3 starter is “to be determined.”

  • Game 1 (Friday): Ryan Prager (10-1, 80 SO, 2.59 ERA)
  • Game 2 (Saturday): Justin Lamkin (8-4, 59 SO, 4.47 ERA)
  • Game 3 (Sunday): TBD

Note: Jim Schlossnagle noted that Tanner Jones (9-1, 34 SO, 6.75 ERA) will likely start Game 3 if called upon.

Game 1 of No. 1-ranked Texas A&M vs. LSU will air on ESPN2/SEC Network on Friday, May 3.

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Unbeaten Texas A&M moves up 3 spots, yet still trails 2 SEC teams, in week 4 D1 Baseball rankings

The Aggies are one of two remaining undefeated teams in college baseball following a wild extra innings win on Sunday against Rhode Island.

The Texas A&M baseball team is one of two remaining undefeated teams in college baseball following a wild extra innings win on Sunday against Rhode Island, leading to elevation in D1 Baseball’s week four rankings.

The Aggies (16-0) and Florida State (14-0) are the pair of unbeaten teams left in the nation. The Seminoles are not ranked in D1 Baseball‘s latest list but Texas A&M certainly is. After another undefeated week, the Aggies have risen from No. 7 to No. 4.

However, Texas A&M is the third-best team in the SEC according to D1 Baseball. Arkansas (13-2) and LSU (14-2) each moved up one slot to No. 1 & No. 2, respectively, this past week. Oregon State (15-1) leaped three spots, just like the Aggies, from No. 6 to No. 3.

Texas A&M concludes a five-game homestand at Blue Bell Park on Tuesday at 6 p.m. against Sam Houston (11-5). The Aggies then hit the road for their first SEC series of the season this weekend, a three-game set at No. 8 Florida (10-5), who dropped four spots in this week’s rankings.

First pitch Friday at Condron Family Ballpark is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

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Texas A&M Baseball learned it’s two permanent opponents for 2025 and beyond

Texas & LSU are named as the Aggie Baseball’s permanent opponents starting during the 2025 season.

The SEC announced the permanent opponents for each SEC team starting in 2025. The committee got this one right, and I have no complaints about watching Texas A&M face long-time rival and soon-to-be conference mates again, the Texas Longhorns. LSU also became a bitter rival shortly after arriving in the SEC, which has grown across the Aggie athletics.

LSU and Texas always field really good teams, making each meeting a possible SEC Title Game Preview.

Below you can see the permanent opponents for the remainder of the SEC.

Alabama: Auburn, Tennessee

Arkansas: Ole Miss, Missouri

Auburn: Alabama, Georgia

Florida: Georgia, South Carolina

Georgia: Florida, Auburn

Kentucky: South Carolina, Vanderbilt

LSU: Mississippi State, Texas A&M

Ole Miss: Mississippi State, Arkansas

Mississippi State: Ole Miss, LSU

Missouri: Oklahoma, Arkansas

Oklahoma: Missouri, Texas

South Carolina: Kentucky, Florida

Tennessee: Vanderbilt, Alabama

Texas: Texas A&M, Oklahoma

Vanderbilt: Tennessee, Kentucky

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Texas A&M is on the verge of being the first double-digit seed to win the SEC Tournament

After defeating Arkansas 5-4 on Saturday afternoon, 10-seed Texas A&M is headed to the SEC Championship game for the first time since 2016.

Texas A&M is by far one of the hottest baseball teams in the country since entering the SEC Tournament earlier this week, winning four out of their last five games against Tennessee (3-0), South Carolina (5-0), LSU (5-4), and finally defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks in a semifinal rematch 5-4 on Saturday afternoon to return to the SEC Championship for the first time since 2016.

Offensively, Jack Moss, Hunter Haas, Trevor Werner, Jace LaViolette, Jordan Thompson, and Ryan Targac have all delivered in all five games this week. Still, the story that will continue into the NCAA Tournament has been the incredible turnaround from the Aggies’ pitching staff.

Not only is this an impressive feat in the toughest conference in the country, but The Aggies also entered the tournament as a 10-seed after ending the regular season with an uninspiring 32-23 (14-16 SEC) record, hoping to net at least one victory to solidify a place in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Well, head coach Jim Schlossnagle and his squad had other plans, led by a pitching rotation that saw exemplary performances from the starters and the bullpen after posting a 5.49 ERA during the regular season.

Against Tennessee, sophomore Troy Wansing struck out seven in 8 IP, followed by a 7.0 IP, 9 K performance from freshman Justin Lamkin against South Carolina. At the same time, veteran southpaw Will Johnston lasted six innings against LSU with 7 Ks, leading to Evan Aschenbeck’s gutsy four-strikeout closing performance to send the Tigers home.

On Saturday, Sam Houston State transfer and longtime Texas A&M fan Matt Dillard started against Arkansas in the Semifinal round. As Schlossnagle hoped to get a couple of innings out of the veteran, Dillard last four solid innings with six strikeouts and only allowing two hits on the day. After freshman Shane Sdao’s 2.2 IP, 5 K performance, the Aggies led 5-1 heading into the Top of the ninth as pitcher Brandyn Garcia’s attempt to close out the game instead led to 3 Arkansas runs, leading to what many would describe as a “storybook moment” when, yes, Troy Wansing entered the game with a man on second and one out.

After striking out Jace Bohrofen, Wansing would face Arkansas outfielder Jared Wagner, who stood at the plate with a comeback on his mind and a 2-2 count. In one more magical moment, Wansing got him swinging to send Arkansas home while vaulting the Maroon and White to Sunday’s title game.

The Aggies will face Vanderbilt in the SEC Championship game on Sunday, May 27, at 2:00 pm CT. on ESPN2.

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