Texas A&M Earns Preseason Top 10 Ranking By Baseball America
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Texas A&M baseball was one of the biggest surprises in college athletics last season under first-year coach Jim Schlossnagle. Now, the country is paying attention to the program entering 2023.
The Aggies received their fourth preseason top-10 ranking for the impending year on Monday, as Baseball America placed the Marron and White at No. 7 in its top 25. Texas A&M received top-10 recognition from Collegiate Baseball (No. 4), D1Baseball (No. 5), and Perfect Game (No. 10).
The Aggies went from worst-to-first in the SEC West a year ago and ended the season in Omaha. Now, they’re aiming to build on that success. - Baseball America
Texas A&M won the SEC West and dominated its competition en route to a final-four appearance in the Men's College World Series last June. The Aggies finished 44-20 during the regular season and thwarted opponents in the College Station Regional and Super Regional en route to their seventh trip to Omaha in program history.
The Aggies will have essential bats, including first baseman Jack Moss, designated hitter Austin Bost, right fielder Brett Minnich and utility infielder Trevor Werner leading the charge near the top of the lineup. The Aggies are also returning postseason hero Jordan Thompson, who is slated to become the full-time center fielder in 2023.
Last season, Thompson came up clutch at the plate in regional and super regionals with a pair of home runs against Oral Roberts and Louisville to secure wins in the tournament. For the season, Thompson batted .258 with six home runs, eight extra-base hits, and 31 RBIs.
Texas A&M will be anchored on the mound by Nathan Dettmer and Chris Cortez at their 1-2 combination. Last season. Dettmer served as Texas A&M's No. 1 pitcher ahead of Micah Dallas and Jacob Palish. Cortez, who finished with a 4.91 ERA, is expected to move from the bullpen into the rotation as Dallas' immediate replacement.
The Aggies also added transfers Max Debic (Washington) and Troy Wansing (Purdue) in the offseason. Wansing, a left-hander from Kansas City, threw 51.1 innings with a .258 opponent batting average and 5.44 ERA during his lone season with the Boilermakers. He finished with a 4-4 record and totaled 61 strikeouts.
Eight SEC programs earned a spot in the Baseball America preseason top 25 including seven of the poll's top 11 teams. Louisiana State, led by second-year coach Jay Johnson, earned the top spot after finishing 40-22 in 2022. Tennessee (No. 2), Florida (No. 3), Vanderbilt (No. 6), and Ole Miss (No. 10) rounded out the top 10. Arkansas (No. 11) and Auburn (No. 22) also represented the SEC in the top 25 rankings.
The Aggies will open the season at Blue Bell Park against Seattle on Feb. 17 for a three-game series.
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