Texas A&M Baseball Looks To Remain Hot Against South Carolina
Nathan Dettmer isn't surprised by the way Jim Schlossnagle has transformed Texas A&M baseball around in 2022. Then again, maybe he's a tad shocked with the direction of where the Aggies could go in Year 1.
“You’ve got to just look at it, see it’s a cool thing, but then you’ve just got to stay where your feet are and don’t get too excited and just take it game by game,” Dettmer said.
Since the start of conference play, the No. 13 Aggies (28-12, 12-9 SEC) might be one of the hottest teams in the Division I era. Entering February, A&M was projected to finished 13th in the SEC standings.
The Aggies are winners of three consecutive SEC series, all of which were against ranked opponents. They also are currently projected at the No. 7 seed in D1baseball.com’s projected 64-team NCAA tournament. This would be A&M would host the first round of the postseason, something that hasn't been done in College Station since 2016.
"Ever since the start of conference play, we played super competitive baseball," Schlossnagle said Thursday. "It's happened about every game except for maybe the middle game against Vanderbilt."
Thanks to the series win in Nashville over the Commodores, the Aggies are now tied with No. 19 Auburn (31-14, 31-14 SEC) and No. 20 LSU (30-14, 12-9 SEC) for second place in the SEC West. A&M only trails Arkansas (34-11, 14-7), which despite losing the series at Olsen Field late last month still is ranked No. 4 in the nation.
Baseball isn't one of the sports in college that draws an excessive fan base during troubling times. With the program on the rise, attendance has skyrocketed in the process. A game that usually features roughly 2,000 fans to begin the year has expanded to a consistent 4,000 or so per outing.
“We have those fans behind our backs, and they've been out there all season," outfielder Brett Minnich said. "They're a really big help for us. I guarantee you no team likes to come in here and play against us with that crowd out there."
The Aggies are attentive at the plate, consistently fighting the urge to swing outside the strike zone. Transfer outfielder Dylan Rock continues to come up clutch in conference games, hitting .322 with six home runs and 17 RBIs since the start of April.
As a team, A&M has hit .273 and averaged 7.4 runs per game during its last four SEC series. The Aggies have 12 home runs, four triples and 19 doubles and have plated 89 runs in 12 games.
Consistency and patience has also factored into the Aggies' success. Last week against UT-Arlington, A&M trailed 4-2 entering the fifth inning. A five-run sixth inning propelled them to a 10-5 victory in front of the home crowd.
"There was no panic at all," infielder Kole Kaler said. "We just need to continue to do what we do because we know that we're gonna come out on top in games like that."
The Gamecocks (23-20, 9-12 SEC) have struggled with rhythm at the plate, losing eight of their 11, including close outings to The Citadel and Presbyterian. That said, conference play has been kinder to South Carolina, which swept Alabama last weekend, making it four-straight wins against SEC teams.
"They’re playing with a lot of confidence," Schlossnagle said. "They haven’t swung the bat great, but they’re swinging it better now. A team that is confident is a scary team.”
Call it luck. Call it growth. Say whatever you will, but A&M is ahead of schedule in terms of its rebuild. A series victory over the Gamecocks would mark five consecutive conference wins and likely a spot ranked inside the top 10.
Of course, Schlossnagle takes a more day-by-day approach, leaving a win from the past in the rearview mirror.
"Past never equals the future in this sport," Schlossnagle said. "It's why we respect the game, respect our opponent...we move on to try to play our best against South Carolina."
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