Aggies Coach Jim Schlossnagle Previews McNeese State Series and Lefty Pitching Rotation

Texas A&M Aggies Coach Jim Schlossnagle Previews McNeese State Series and Lefty Pitching Rotation

Texas A&M Aggies baseball begins its 2024 season with a three-game series against McNeese, starting Friday at 6:10 p.m. CT on SEC Network.

Aggies coach Schlossnagle named Ryan Prager, Justin Lamkin, and Shane Sdao as the starting pitchers for the weekend. Schlossnagle outlined his expectations for the team and highlighted newcomer Braden Montgomery. 

Montgomery, a standout transfer from Stanford, is one to watch closely as Texas A&M kicks off its 2024 baseball season.

Pitching Lefties 

Ryan Prager drew the Friday start because he is a "guy you trust" according to Jim Schlossnagle ahead of the McNeese matchup. Despite Prager missing the entire 2023 season, with Jacob Palisch as his mentor, Scholossnagle thinks Prager is exceptionally prepared. 

"Yeah, he's an elite learner," Schlossnagle said. "He would sit right next to coach Yeski last year paying attention to what's going on, trying to figure out why are we doing this?" 

All three starters share a common trait: they're left-handed pitchers. 

"Yeah, I've been part of a team that has gone to the College World Series and led the nation in wins with an all-left-handed rotation," said Schlossngale. "So like I said earlier, something about the rotation of the earth with lefties, if they throw strikes, they get outs most of the time. But I think more than that goes into it just where the best fit is."

The Aggies coach also hopes to provide some of the younger arm talent reps to work through the emotions of pitching in high-level games.

Lefties turning Righties 

During the offseason, the Stanford standout Braden Montgomery has dedicated time to perfecting his switch-hitting, particularly focusing on his right-handed at-bats to adapt to pitching. Schlossnagle emphasized the importance of facing left-handed pitchers, noting the prevalence of such matchups at this level of play. He expressed confidence in Montgomery's progress.

"It's really good for our left-handed hitters to see a lot of lefties because there's a lot of matchups played at this level," Schlossnagle said. "So to this point, I can't tell you the difference between the two. He's had great moments on both sides of the plate, so the season will tell us how improved he is."

Jim Schlossnagle Unveils Starting Rotation for Opening Weekend

Opening Weekend Expectations

Schlossnagle says he's interested to see how certain players will respond in real-game situations. Mentioning that some excel unexpectedly, while others may struggle initially. With starting pitchers likely only going around 70-75 pitches, it opens up opportunities for others to gain valuable experience on the mound.

"look forward to hopefully getting some of those new players out there and get some experience under their belt," Schlossnagle said.