Small Stage, Big Goals: Texas A&M's Plan to Win College Station Regional
COLLEGE STATION -- Jim Schlossnagle said he can remember sitting in the first base dugout of Blue Bell Park on a summer afternoon. The balls kept flying and the sun would be flaring through nine innings, thus making it a nightmare for teams that face Texas A&M.
Schlossnagle, hoping to close out his first season in Aggieland with a trip to the College World Series, won't have to worry about the Texas sun in the College Station Regional. Maybe that's a boost for the No. 5 Aggies (37-18) as they look to advance past the Round of 64 and into the Super Regionals.
Perhaps it means nothing.
"Most of these teams have been in the big environments," Schlossnagle said Thursday at the pre-tournament press conference. "I think one of the advantages for us being in the SEC is we've played in more of those environments. There were some of those in the Big 12, but there aren't as many."
The Big 12 is expected to be brought up often this week, as will Schlossnagle's old ball club. TCU heads to College Station in hopes of taking down its former manager one year after he departed Fort Worth to join the SEC.
In that one season, the Aggies have found their identity on the diamond. Pitching determines a fast start or a come from behind victory. The bats seem to be on the side of hot rather than cold most outings. One also can never count Texas A&M out of a game even with a substantial lead.
Schlossnagle reminded those inside the media room walls at Blue Bell of the South Carolina game in April. One more batter and he was expected to pull senior catcher Troy Claunch down 8-0. Instead, third baseman Ryan Targac hit a grand slam and the game restarted, giving the Aggies a surge and an eventual 12-9 win.
"This team has shown as much perseverance and competitive grit as any team I've coached," Schlossnagle said. "There's been others, but this team's right there with it."
Resilience has been the mantra for many on A&M's roster this season. Take for instance right-hander Micah Dallas, who struggled with consistency on the mound for most of April and May, allowing 23 runs in 12 1/3 innings. After his outing against Florida, the confidence is back. So is his 90-plus MPH fastball.
Dallas will get the call Friday afternoon against Oral Roberts in front of what is expected to be a sold-out crowd at Olsen. If it's anything like five inning performance against the Gators, things should be in his favor. The Gators managed to record one hit off the former Texas Tech starter while striking out seven times in the process.
Dallas said that the success from his outing in the SEC Tournament should carry over to the mound in College Station, but it is a new season where every team is back at an undefeated record.
"Being able to solidify [my confidence] with a good start coming into the postseason, I think that's going to help the team really roll off that," Dallas said.
A&M is looking to get back to its old ways of winning with Schlossnagle at the helm, but there is a new feel for the roster. Only six Aggies have played in the postseason throughout their careers, four of which were on different rosters.
Claunch is one who has seen the end goal come to fruition. A former catcher for Oregon State, he was a member of the Beavers' roster that won the College World Series over Arkansas in 2018.
One thing Claunch has continued to preach in meetings at the veteran is to keep things consistent. Following a series loss to Penn in February, things changed for the better. It led A&M to a top-five finish in the regular season.
Why change the process now? The Aggies are only three wins away from advancing to the Super Regionals. They're five wins away from heading back to Omaha for the first time since 2017.
"Just don't make the moment any bigger than it is," Claunch said. "We just had a team meeting where we said 'there's no such thing as rising to an occasion.' This is just something that we do and we can't make the stage any bigger."
The Aggies take the field against the Golden Eagles on Friday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
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