Texas A&M (53-13) defeated top-seeded Tennessee 9-5 on Saturday night. The Aggies are now just 27 outs away from securing the program’s first National Title in head coach Jim Schlossnagle’s third season with the program.
Sitting at a perfect 9-0 since the start of postseason play, star outfielder Braden Montgomery’s season-ending injury was supposed to put a major dent in the Aggies’ offense, but credit to junior Kaeden Kent’s exceptional play in his absence, recording 12 hits two home runs, and 14 RBI since exploding on the season during the super regional round.
On Saturday, first-year pitching coach Max Weiner worked his magic once again, as ace pitcher Ryan Prager took the mound to the tune of six strikeouts and just two runs allowed, and Josh Stewart entered the fold for four Ks before elite closer Evan Aschenbeck’s borderline-career night with seven strikeouts to earn the victory.
Ahead of the 1:00 p.m. start time, Texas A&M’s depth chart was released to the media. It revealed that Schlossnagle would go with redshirt senior pitcher Zane Badmaev for his first start of the year. This move looks similar to what Tennessee did yesterday with pitcher Chris Stamos, who only lasted one inning.
With senior Chris Cortez available, my guess is that Badmaev is expected to last at least two, to possibly three innings before Cortez does the rest of the work in the middle innings. So far this season, Badmaev is 1-0, with 27 strikeouts and a 2.70 ERA.
Texas A&M will face Tennessee in Game 2 of the College World Series on Sunday, June 23 at 1:00 p.m. CT. The game will air on ABC and be available for streaming on ESPN+.
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— Mark Passwaters (@mbpRivals) June 23, 2024
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