Texas A&M's Historic Run Ends Short in College World Series Loss to Oklahoma
Texas A&M catcher Troy Claunch sat at the podium, trying to think of the right words to say. Really, he was looking for any type of sentence to leave his mouth on what his lone season with the Aggies meant to him.
The words just won't form together to describe the year. Then again, is there a proper sentence to talk of what happened in the first season of the Jim Schlossnagle era?
"It was a leap of faith, for sure," Claunch said Wednesday following the Aggies' 5-1 loss to Oklahoma. "Just to have these guys with me all year long for my last season, I couldn't have asked for anything more."
The Aggies' historic season ends on a sour note. Two more wins would have sent A&M to the College World Series finals to face either Arkansas or Ole Miss. Instead, Oklahoma jumped out to an early 3-0 lead off a home run from catcher Jimmy Crooks in the first inning and never looked backed.
The Sooners (45-22) remain a perfect 3-0 in Omaha, Neb. and are two wins from picking up their third national title in program history. The Aggies (44-20) return to College Station, hungry to get back to Charles Schwab Field in 2023.
“Aggies are pretty proud,” Schlossnagle said “The beauty is we’re still really disappointed, too, because we want to win championships. I would anticipate — even though I never take these trips for granted — I would anticipate us being back here at some point.”
A&M's offense never found its footing against the Sooners' pitching staff. Starter David Sandlin (9-4) zipped fastballs in the mid-90s past the Aggies' bats for strikeouts. When runners were in scoring position, A&M couldn't capitalize at the plate.
Sooners coach Skip Johnson said his goal was to get Sandlin acclimated with A&M's offense last Friday in the team's 13-8 win just in case he was set to face them in a rematch later on. It paid dividends for the sophomore as he'd go seven strong, allowing five hits while striking out 12.
“He was executing pitches,” Schlossnagle said. “He really had a good breaking ball going.
“I just thought he had us on our heels the whole game.”
Oklahoma added to its lead in the fourth inning following a switch from A&M starter Ryan Prager (1-4) to Jacob Palisch. An error from first baseman Jack Moss allowed OU's Peyton Graham to round third and score from second. Another error from shortstop Kole Kaler kept the inning alive in the sixth. As a team, A&M recorded a tournament-high 18.
Outfielder Dylan Rock gave the Aggies life in the bottom of the sixth with a solo home run over the left-field wall. That was the only high point offensively for A&M as the team would go 0 of 6 with runners in scoring position. Twice outfielder Jordan Thompson struck out with runners at second.
Fellow A&M outfielder Brett Minnich struck out with Austin Bost in scoring position to end the game and send Oklahoma to the finals.
“Texas A&M had a really good team,” Johnson said. “To navigate through that lineup was hard at times, and I’m just really proud of our baseball team and what we’ve done.”
Palisch, a graduate transfer from Stanford, might not have picked up the win, but he'll give scouts plenty to ponder before the MLB draft in July. Coming in with one out in the third, he'd throw a season-high 82 pitches in 5 2/3 innings of work while allowing just three hits.
“If I had known what I know now, I would have started Palisch,” Schlossnagle said. “That's easy to say, but if that's your mindset, then you are cashing in one game for the tournament because he already doesn't bounce back awesome, and obviously, he gave us a ton today."
Schlossnagle will look at the positives of his first season at the helm. A&M was projected to finish dead last in the SEC West and 13th in the conference. Instead, it took home the division's regular-season title.
One season after going 9-21 in conference play, the Aggies hosted both the stages of the NCAA Regionals. They took down programs like TCU and Louisville — both of whom were favorites to make the CWS in February. Once in Omaha, A&M broke its 29-year losing streak with wins over Texas and Notre Dame.
Oklahoma, however, simply had the Aggies' number.
“There will come a day where we look back on this (run) as awesome and a great step for our program, but everybody wearing an A&M uniform expected to win and keep playing,” Schlossnagle said. “So we’re disappointed, but Oklahoma simply outplayed us.”
Schlossnagle now will turn his attention to next season, though he could be replacing a core of the lineup. Players such as Rock, Kaler, Claunch and Palisch were always one-year options. Others, such as pitcher Micah Dallas and third baseman Trevor Werner, could elect to go pro depending on where they're drafted.
One thing Schlossnagle will continue to preach is the family feel inside his locker room. It doesn't matter how long one donned the maroon and white. It could an entire career like Thompson or for a season like Claunch and Palisch — two players who soon won't be forgotten at Blue Bell Park.
They're all Aggies — now and forever.
Said Palisch: "I can’t thank the coaches enough who helped put this all together. “And the other players on this team, for making this a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
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