Tag: Stanford Cardinal Baseball

It’s been an up-and-down season for Texas A&M baseball, to put it lightly, but the Aggies’ campaign officially came to a close in a 7-1 loss to Stanford in the NCAA Regional. The latter will move on to the Super Regionals in a matchup versus Texas, while the Maroon and White enter an offseason with clear work ahead of them.

Despite beating this same Stanford team on Saturday night to allow the Aggies a second opportunity to advance out of the regional, Monday night’s performance showed why the Cardinal earned the No. 8 national seed.

In spite of a solid start from Nathan Dettmer, who lasted six innings while striking out eight batters, A&M was unable to capitalize on the opportunity. The Aggies’ offense went ice cold as they went 2-for-20 (.100) with runners on base on Monday night while hitting 7-for-33 (.212) overall with 10 strikeouts.

Outside of a Jace LaViolette homer in the second, the highlight reel of A&M’s offense is pretty sparse.

Monday night’s loss undoubtedly leaves a bitter taste in the mouths of Aggies fans, but kudos must still be given to how A&M competed through the postseason. They won six of their final eight SEC series, went on to play in the SEC title, and came one win away from advancing to a Super Regional.

Still, a disappointing loss leaves plenty of room for questions of what could have been, as well as hot takes from social media.

Here are some of the notable reactions from the Twitter timeline Monday night, and of course there were Longhorns fans arriving in droves to hit send on those tweets:

Wipe the memory of whatever baseball game was on Sunday night, because the true Regional Final between Texas A&M and Stanford goes down tonight, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.

There’s no better context for tonight’s setting other than to say that it’s “do or die” for Aggies baseball, who will face Stanford for the third time in as many nights on Monday. Whoever comes out on top in tonight’s contest, they’ll be rewarded with a best-of-three series against the Texas Longhorns, who advanced out of the Coral Gables Regional over host Miami.

For the Maroon and White, a win tonight would usher in the next chapter of the Lone Star Showdown with a matchup versus the Longhorns in the Super Regionals, effectively reigniting a rivalry that will likely resume once Texas joins the SEC in 2024.

Tonight's regional final has been elevated to ESPN2. https://t.co/cLDKQppFQy

— Texas A&M Baseball (@AggieBaseball) June 5, 2023

Should the Aggies win the Regional Final and advance onward to the Supers, then the question that lies ahead is whether Texas A&M or Texas would host the respective best-of-three series.

While both teams submit bids to host, the NCAA Selection Committee effectively decides the site, and respectively which team, is most deserving.

That presents an interesting conundrum, as the Longhorns took home a share of the Big 12 regular season title, only to flame out quickly by going 0-2 in the conference tournament. The Aggies, as a double-digit seed, embarked on a miraculous run to the SEC title game, eventually falling to Vanderbilt.

While the thought of an Aggies-Longhorns matchup in the supers is entertaining, all that is for naught if A&M doesn’t close things out tonight. Should the Maroon and White’s postseason campaign come to a close in Palo Alto, then expect Coach Schloss and his staff to greatly focus their time and efforts on the recruiting trail this offseason, where bolstering the bullpen remains a clear priority.

The first pitch for the Regional Final is set for 8 p.m. CT tonight on ESPN2.

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The comeback kids’ streak of bouncing back from early deficits ended on Sunday night, as Texas A&M fell 13-5 to Stanford in the NCAA Regional. There’s little time to dwell, however, as the Aggies face a rematch with the Cardinal in a winner-take-all with a Super Regional appearance on the line.

Sunday night’s loss was essentially a tale of two stories, ending on a negative note.

Poor pitching finally proved to be the nail in the coffin for the Maroon and White, as they allowed one of the best-hitting teams in the country to get hot at the worst time. Coupled with the fact that A&M couldn’t get their bats going, it was a recipe for disaster at Klein Field at Sunken Diamond.

Stanford’s 13 runs came on 16 hits as the Aggies walked six batters, but poor starting pitching essentially dug A&M a hole too vast to climb out of.

Troy Wansing earned the loss after giving up five runs on three hits and three walks. His three relievers provided little insurance, as Chris Cortez gave up three runs on eight hits and a walk across 4.1 IP. Will Johnston recorded just one out while giving up four runs on three hits, one walk, and a wild pitch. Josh Stewart allowed one run on two hits, one walk, and a wild pitch in 1.2 IP.

A&M’s offense, unfortunately, went cold and was unable to propel them back into contention. Overall, the Aggies hit .250 (4 of 16) with runners on base, while Max Kauger, Hunter Haas, and Jack Moss went a combined 1 of 11 with two walks while recording three strikeouts Sunday.

Here are the notable Twitter reactions to the Aggies’ loss on Sunday night, and of course, a few Texas Longhorns fans were quick to chime in:

Texas A&M baseball once again climbed out of an early deficit to fend off top-seeded Stanford in an 8-5 win Saturday night. The Aggies have started 2-0 in an NCAA Regional for the first time in program history, and with one more victory can advance onto the Super Regional, where an enticing rivalry matchup could await them.

After Stanford jumped out to an early 4-1 lead by the fourth inning, the Maroon and White leaned on their bullpen and the heroics of Hunter Haas to storm back for the lead. Haas logged two hits against Stanford’s Drew Dowd, generating five RBIs that helped seal the victory for the Aggies.

Trailing 4-2 in the sixth inning, the Aggies evened the score off a two-RBI double from Haas that scored Minnich and Kaufer. With the game still tied in the eighth, Haas connected for a bases-clearing double that scored Austin Bost, left fielder Ryan Targac and Minnich to give A&M a 7-4 lead they would never relinquish.

The Maroon and White also overcame a rough start from the mound, as starter Justin Lamkin lasted only 1.2 innings, allowing three runs on two hits and four walks. The strike zone was tight in this game, but Lamkin’s tough outing was a factor in the Aggies’ hole early on.

Nonetheless, A&M turned to their three relievers in Aschenbeck (one unearned run on five hits and one walk in 2.2 innings), Brandyn Garcia (2.2 IP with just one walk), and Matt Dillard (one run on two hits, with one walk and a hit by a pitch in 1.1 IP) to keep the Cardinal in check, with the exception being one run in the ninth.

Here are the best social media reactions following Saturday’s victory over Stanford: