Bragging rights in college sports between bitter rivals sometimes matters more than recent wins and losses in some cases, and after the Texas Longhorns, who were one win away from their second consecutive appearance in the College World Series, were eliminated by the Super Regional host Stanford on Monday night.
Tied 6-6 in the bottom of the ninth with a man in scoring position, Stanford’s Drew Bower skied a ball into center field, which to all of our surprise, led to Texas’s Eric Kennedy being blinded by the stadium lights, as the ball painfully dropped to the ground resulting in a walk-off RBI single for the Cardinal, who are back to their second CWS appearance with the victory.
This could have happened to anyone, especially in a night game when most stadium lighting will affect vision in reflection with the night sky. Still, for all the outside flack Texas A&M and head coach Jim Schlossnagle have received this season, their successful run in the SEC Tournament combined with a solid showing in the Regional before falling to the better Stanford team is something to be proud of, no matter the final result. And for anyone out there criticizing Kennedy for the mistake, TexAgs’ Ryan Brauninger said it best.
Texas A&M lost a ball above the lights at Stanford last week in the Regional Final game that scored two runs late.
Texas just lost a ball above the lights at Stanford that sends the Cardinal to Omaha.
Don’t blame the kids. It’s impossible to see at that time of night. Brutal
— Ryan Brauninger (@R_Brauninger) June 13, 2023
However, the Aggies still hold one advantage on the diamond over the Texas fanbase that is probably still sulking as of today; Texas’s last appearance in the College World Series remains a 10-2 loss to Texas A&M, and as I stated in a previous article, strategically avoiding The Longhorns only to watch them lose to the same Stanford team that booted them from the Tournament just a week prior was not only genius but makes for one heck of a reunion on the gridiron in 2024.
Call this petty if you must, but facts are facts, and until these two teams meet again in any capacity, trash-talking on Twitter is something you all can do in your spare time. Gig ’em, and BTHO off-season.
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