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.
The Aggies scored 1 run in the third inning and 2 in each of the eighth and ninth. The Volunteers tallied 1 in the first, two in the third and 3 in the seventh.
Junior second baseman Christian Moore made a statement with a solo home run in the bottom of the first frame Monday. Freshman third baseman Gavin Grahovac tied the game with an RBI single to left field in the top of the third.
Sophomore outfielder Dylan Dreiling reclaimed the advantage with a sacrifice fly to right center field. Freshman shortstop Dylan Curley added on with an RBI single to left field, making the score 3-1.
Dreiling destroyed a 2-run homer to right field in the seventh inning. He earned NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player after racking up 3 HR, 11 runs batted in and 13 hits. Sophomore OF Kavares Tears tallied an RBI double to center and increased the advantage to 6-1.
Graduate student designated hitter Hayden Schott trimmed the deficit with an RBI single up the middle, followed by an RBI double from freshman OF Caden Sorrell to score Schott.
Texas A&M wouldn’t go down without a fight as Grahovac led off the ninth frame with a double down the left field line. Senior catcher Jackson Appel connected on an RBI single to left and plated Grahovac. Appel later scored on a wild pitch. Senior first baseman Ted Burton struck out swinging to end the season.
Sophomore left-handed pitcher Justin Lamkin tossed the first 2.2 innings and allowed 5 hits, 3 runs and 2 walks with 2 strikeouts on 60 pitches. Junior RHP Josh Stewart pitched 2.1 scoreless frames, giving up 2 hits with 1 K on 28 pitches. Senior LHP Evan Aschenbeck tossed the final 3.0 innings, allowing 6 hits and 3 runs with 3 punch outs on 46 pitches.
Appel and Schott went out swinging in their final game after transferring, going 3-for-5 with 1 RBI, respectively. Grahovac went 2-for-5 with 1 RBI and 1 run scored. Sorrell, senior OF Travis Chestnut, junior SS Ali Camarillo and sophomores, 2B Kaeden Kent and OF Jace LaViolette, each recorded a single.
After the heartbreaking loss, Aggies head coach Jim Schlossnagle squashed any and all rumors about him potentially filling the Longhorns‘ vacancy in Austin.
“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,” Schlossnagle proclaimed. “I have poured every ounce of my soul into this job. I have given this job every single ounce I could possibly give it.”
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