'Different Levels To It': Ahead of NCAA Super Regionals, Texas A&M Hopes to Benefit From SEC Play

Facing the Oregon Ducks in a three-game series won't be easy, but as the Texas A&M Aggies look to advance to Omaha, they hope to benefit from a couple of factors.

May 23, 2024; Hoover, AL, USA; Texas A&M Aggies pitcher Brock Peery (88) pitches against the Tennessee Volunteers during the SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. / Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports

The two games it took to eliminate them from the SEC Tournament following the regular-season finale might have been the least impactful games all year for the Texas A&M Aggies.

Their seeding for the NCAA Tournament wasn't on the line — they still earned with the No. 3 overall seed — and their overall record didn't take much of a dive, yet they lost two straight games.

So, why was it that it didn't seem to matter?

Well, the answer to that lies in the midst of all conference games played from the midway point of the season until the Tennessee Volunteers were crowned champions in Hoover, Alabama. The SEC was able to boast 11 teams in the top 25, as well as in the tournament. Five teams in the conference served as hosts, and all but one of them advanced.

The SEC played good baseball. Teams had to fight for wins, and every team could have come away with the tournament title. That was expressed by Braden Montgomery during the Aggies' preview press conference for their Super Regional matchup against the Oregon Ducks as a reason why he believes his squad might have an advantage beyond playing at home.

"I feel like the biggest difference is the depth of the teams we've played against," Montgomery said. "There's a bigger difference from the top to the bottom, whereas they like to say it's a gauntlet in the SEC. Any team truly has a chance to beat any other team.

"Not to say that it's not like that in the Pac-12, there's just different levels to it."

May 23, 2024; Hoover, AL, USA; Texas A&M Aggies outfielder Braden Montgomery (6) catches a pop fly against the Tennessee Volunteers during the SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. / Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports

If his statement rings true, the Aggies will not only get a win for themselves, but for the conference as well, and their winless elimination in Hoover will matter even less. But that's an if.

Texas A&M coach Jim Schlossnagle was quick to keep his player in check.

"Make no mistake, Oregon is a club that is in the upper echelon and has been, of the Pac-12," Schlossnagle said in response to Montgomery. "That makes them ... capable of (winning an SEC title)."

The coach went on to praise Oregon and its strong pitching lineup — which he commented on during an interview earlier in the week — and, as the Aggies' starting pitching rotation is already set, went a step further to describe their game plan for the bullpen.

"It's closer to a regular weekend. "There's no saving a pitcher for Tuesday. You're trying to get to two wins as fast as you can, and if you have a chance to win a game, you've got to go all out, within reason, to do that."

Safe to say, the Aggies will be going all out if necessary. There is a trip to Omaha on the line, after all.

Plus, they've been waiting.

"We're ready to play," Schlossnagle said. "It's been a long time sitting around waiting."