Tag: Tennessee Volunteers Baseball

Reviewing Schlossnagle quotes with hindsight after he reportedly left Aggies for Longhorns

“I think it’s pretty selfish of you to ask that question, to be honest,” he said Monday. “That’s unfair to talk about something like that.”

Coach Jim Schlossnagle spoke to the media in Omaha, Nebraska on Monday night after No. 3 Texas A&M lost 6-5 to No. 1 Tennessee in Game 3 of the College World Series finals.

The last question that Schlossnagle answered was in regard to the Longhorns‘ head coach vacancy, which he reportedly took Tuesday afternoon.

“I think it’s pretty selfish of you to ask me that question, to be honest with you,” Schlossnagle said postgame to Richard Zane of TexAgs. “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.

“That’s unfair to talk about something like that, it’d be like you asking Montgomery if he’s going to sign in the draft. I understand you have to ask the question.

“But I gave up a big part of my life to come take this job and poured every ounce of my soul into this job. I have given this job every single ounce I could possibly give it.

“Write that!

As an Aggieland outsider who resides in Northern California, Schlossnagle’s response was an immediate red flag. Anytime someone gets defensive like that, especially in response to someone else doing their job effectively, that’s a bad sign.

The second red flag was when he mentioned that he had “given this job every single ounce I could.” It sounded like Schlossnagle had nothing left to give at Texas A&M and had reached the peak of how far he could take the program.

Coaches and athletes departing for another opportunity is a common occurrence in college, professional, even high school sports. Schlossnagle should’ve and could’ve exited much more gracefully.

Instead of pulling on the 12th Man’s heartstrings throughout the CWS, then blatantly dissembling when asked directly, Schlossnagle should’ve just pleaded the fifth. It would’ve been cowardly, however, that tactic is used constantly in sports press conferences, so why not?

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Best photos from Game 3 of the College World Series finals between Texas A&M and Tennessee

Check out the best photos that were taken last night by USA TODAY Sports photographers Steven Branscombe, Brianna Paciorka and Dylan Widger.

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.

Dylan Dreiling earned NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player. The Volunteers sophomore outfielder racked up 3 home runs, 11 runs batted in and 13 hits.

Check out the best photos that were taken last night by USA TODAY Sports photographers Steven Branscombe, Brianna Paciorka and Dylan Widger.

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Texas A&M RHP Chris Cortez tossed another relief gem vs. Tennessee at College World Series

“I’m super proud of Zane,” he said. “It’s not the easiest thing to go out there with the championship game. He went out and did his thing.”

After a tough appearance Wednesday against Florida, Texas A&M junior right-handed pitcher Chris Cortez returned to his normal form of being a stone cold reliever during a 4-1 loss against top seed Tennessee.

Cortez pitched 4.1 scoreless innings, giving up 5 walks and 2 hits with 7 Ks on 99 pitches. He took over for senior RHP Zane Badmaev, who opened the contest and recorded the first three outs, allowing 2 hits with 2 Ks on 20 pitches.

“I’m super proud of Zane. It’s not the easiest thing to go out there with the championship game. He’s an older guy. I’ve always had a hard time starting. He went out there and did his thing,” Cortez explained. “I feel good, I just got a little dehydrated at the end. I just wanted to compete, I didn’t really care about my feelings. I would’ve kept throwing but coach is looking out for me.”

The No. 3 Aggies will attempt to win their first national championship in program history on Monday evening. First pitch of Game 3 is at 6 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN+.

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Best photos from Game 2 of the CWS finals between No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 1 Tennessee

Before tomorrow’s contest, check out the best photos from Game 2 taken by USA TODAY Sports photographers Steven Branscombe and Dylan Widger.

After scoring nine runs on Saturday night to begin the College World Series finals, the Texas A&M baseball team was nearly shutout by SEC rival Tennessee on Sunday afternoon, forcing a final matchup Monday evening for the national title.

The top seed Volunteers (59-13) defeated the No. 3 Aggies (53-14) by a final score of 4-1 to win Game 2 and even the championship series. Tennessee hit two 2-run home runs in the seventh and eighth innings to survive another day. Superstar sophomore outfielder Jace LaViolette hit a solo homer in the bottom of the first frame.

The Aggies and Volunteers will respectively attempt to win their first national title in program history on Monday night. First pitch of Game 3 is at 6 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN+.

Before tomorrow evening’s winner take all championship contest, check out the best photos from Game 2 at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska taken by USA TODAY Sports photographers Steven Branscombe and Dylan Widger.

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No. 1 Tennessee defeats No. 3 Texas A&M to force third game of College World Series finals

After scoring nine runs Saturday to begin the College World Series finals, the Aggies were nearly shutout by Tennessee on Sunday afternoon.

After scoring nine runs Saturday to begin the College World Series finals, the Texas A&M baseball team was nearly shutout by SEC rival Tennessee on Sunday, forcing a winner take all final matchup Monday for the national title.

The No. 3 Aggies (53-14) took an early 1-0 lead in Game 2 versus No. 1 Tennessee (59-13) in the bottom of the first inning with a solo home run to right field by sophomore outfielder Jace LaViolette, the 50th of his collegiate career. Texas A&M held that narrow advantage in a pitchers’ duel until the top of the seventh frame.

Senior right-handed pitcher Zane Badmaev opened the contest and recorded the first three outs, allowing 2 hits with 2 strikeouts on 20 pitches. After a tough appearance Wednesday against Florida, junior RHP Chris Cortez returned to his normal form of being a stone cold reliever.

Cortez pitched 4.1 scoreless innings and gave up 5 walks and 2 hits with 7 Ks on 99 pitches. He exited the matchup with two Volunteers on base and what appeared to be a hand injury. However, it was likely just due to fatigue as he nearly eclipsed the century mark in tosses.

Freshman lefty Kaiden Wilson took over for Cortez and threw well but two pitches ultimately made the difference Sunday afternoon. In the seventh frame, sophomore OF Dylan Dreiling destroyed a 2-run bomb to right field. Then in the eighth, senior catcher Cal Stark crushed a 2-run jack to left.

Wilson pitched 2.1 innings and allowed 4 runs, 3 hits and 1 walk with 2 punch outs on 41 pitches. Senior RHP Brock Peery recorded an out on 6 pitches. Freshman RHP Weston Moss pitched the final frame and tallied 1 strikeout on 15 pitches.

The Aggies threatened with runners on the corners in the bottom of the ninth but were unable to plate a run. Senior Ryan Targac took the last at-bat as a pinch hitter, blasting a pitch to the warning track in right field and nearly tying the game.

Texas A&M and Tennessee will respectively attempt to win its first national championship in program history on Monday evening. First pitch of Game 3 is at 6 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN+.

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Evan Aschenbeck shut down Tennessee for Texas A&M with 7 Ks to get 8 outs in CWS finals

“Coming in to that opportunity was awesome because the atmosphere was crazy. It’s the College World Series, everything is cool about it.”

After Tennessee tallied three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning on Saturday night during the College World Series finals opener, Texas A&M coach Jim Schlossnagle knew that he needed to call upon one man with a very particular set of skills.

He called upon the “Stopper of the Year” to close the game. Senior LHP Evan Aschenbeck did exactly that, pitching 2.2 scoreless innings and giving up 2 hits with a staggering 7 strikeouts on 46 pitches.

“It’s just something that I’ve been doing all year,” Aschenbeck recalled. “Just trying to give my team the best chance to win, that’s what pitchers are for. Max (Weiner) tells us all the time, ‘If some guy comes in and doesn’t have a good outing, the next guy can’t do that.’ Our job as relief pitchers is to come in and pick up the guy in front of us.

“Coming in to that opportunity was awesome because the atmosphere was crazy. It’s the College World Series, everything is cool about it. It was staying present and going pitch to pitch is what worked for me.”

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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Coach Schlossnagle reflects after Texas A&M defeats top seed Tennessee to start CWS finals

“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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Texas A&M 2B Kaeden Kent’s hot streak continues with 4 RBI vs. Tennessee in CWS finals

Texas A&M sophomore second baseman Kaeden Kent went 3-for-5 with a game-high 4 runs batted in during a 9-5 win versus SEC rival Tennessee to begin the College World Series finals at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska. The son of 2000 NL MVP …

Texas A&M sophomore second baseman Kaeden Kent went 3-for-5 with a game-high 4 runs batted in during a 9-5 win versus SEC rival Tennessee to begin the College World Series finals at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska.

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.

“I think it’s attributed to the support that I get and the people that believe in me, have my back and I can count on. People, like my parents or brother, I can look at them in the stands and they can pound their chest like, ‘You got this!’ That puts a lot of relaxation on my mind to ease down,” Kent explained Saturday night. “That (HR) at-bat, it was a 2-2 slider, I don’t know, he hung a slider and I was able to get it.”

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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Watch Texas A&M’s final hype video that will get you ready for the CWS Finals

Let’s get ready to rumble!

The stage is set for the College World Series Finals, where the mighty Texas A&M (52-13) will go head-to-head with the top-seeded Tennessee Volunteers (58-12). This is a ‘Clash of the Titans’, a battle that has been brewing since the start of the regular season, and now it’s time for the ultimate showdown.

Both programs are coming off impressive victories on Wednesday. The Volunteers defeated Florida State 7-2 behind a late offensive surge, while the Aggies’ dominant pitching performance paved the way for a 6-0 victory over the Florida Gators. Sophomore Justin Lamkin recorded a CWS record nine strikeouts in his best career outing.

As the teams gear up for the most significant weekend in their program history, head coach Jim Schlossnagle, alongside ace pitcher Ryan Prager and DH Hayden Schott, shared their thoughts with the media. The third-year head coach expressed the team’s collective desire to bring home a championship to the 12th Man, underlining the importance of the game.

“It would be awesome. The 12th Man deserves it so much. They’ve been so close and invested so much in athletics.” “I think we’re the first team to be in the national title since the 30s… The 12th Man is so special, and if I talk about it too much, I’ll start crying.”

While Tennessee’s offense heavily relies on home runs, with 178 on the year, no one can deny that Texas A&M’s pitching staff is the hottest group in the country, starting with Ryan Prager in Game 1. With the matchup just hours away, Texas A&M’s media team has released the final “hype” video to prepare Aggie fans for what’s to come.

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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Star Braden Montgomery is ‘on cloud nine’ ahead of Texas A&M’s first CWS finals appearance

“This trip has meant a lot with how close this group is and how we’ve been able to pull it off. I’m just on cloud nine right now,” he said.

Despite suffering a season-ending injury in the first game of the Super Regionals, junior outfielder Braden Montgomery is elated ahead of Texas A&M‘s first College World Series finals appearance in program history.

“Just how happy I am for the guys on the field. They’ve embraced everything that coach has told us and man, they’ve been shining out there! It’s been awesome to see. I got all the confidence in the world in those guys. I’m happy to see what they’ve put together and the show they put on out there. I’m excited to see what we do going forward, it’s been awesome,” Montgomery told Tyler Shaw of KBTX on Wednesday. “I guess my role has changed into just being, I don’t really even know! I guess every day I just show up to the field and try to figure out how I can best impact the guys. I know that I play my best when I got high energy and I’m connected to my joy.

“No one puts out their best self when they’re not happy. I try my best to, no matter what, boost the guys, keep them going and ready to give themselves the best chance to be successful. Baseball is a tough game, so all you can do is give it yourself the best shot! That’s what I’m trying to do for these guys.

“It’s cool to actually win this time! All trips have been unbelievable and just the road to get here is tough enough. Sometimes I can lose sight of what came before the World Series when you’ve come and don’t perform as well as you expect. This trip has obviously meant a lot with how we’ve been doing, how close this group is and how we’ve been able to pull it off.

“I’m just on cloud nine right now.”

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.

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