Aggies Baseball Ranked No. 5 By NCBWA in Preseason Poll
In this story:
Texas A&M baseball is back in full swing following a long offseason. After breaking out in 2022 under new skipper Jim Schlossnagle, the expectation in College Station is College World Series or bust.
Countless writers across the country couldn't agree more.
The Aggies were ranked fifth in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Preseason Poll. This now marks the fifth media outlet to consider Texas A&M as a top 10 program entering the new season.
The Aggies have received top-10 recognition by Collegiate Baseball (No. 4), D1Baseball (No. 5), Baseball America (No. 7), and Perfect Game (No. 10).
Texas A&M won the SEC West regular season title and dominated its competition on the way to a final four appearance in the Men's College World Series last June. The Aggies finished 44-20 during the year 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 San Antonio native should be one of the three pitchers after primarly pitching on Friday nights last spring. Dettmer finished the year on a positive note, leading the Aggies to a 5-1 win over Notre Dame in the elimination round at the CWS. He posted a 6-3 record and finished with a 4.99 ERA in 19 starts last spring. He allowed 51 earned runs and walked 25 in 92 innings.
"Excitement level is at an all-time high," Dettmer said last week at the team's first official media session of the season. "We've all been itching to get out here and be together for team practice. Team chemistry is also at an all-time high."
The Aggies were among seven teams ranked in the NCBWA's top 25 polls. LSU and Tennessee, fan favorites to win the title this spring, remain at the top of the polls at No. 1 and No.2, respectively. Others in the top 25 include Florida (No. 4), Arkansas (No. 6), Ole Miss (No. 7), Vanderbilt (No. 9), and Alabama (No. 25).
Auburn (No. 27), South Carolina (No. 28) and Mississippi State (No. 31) missed the cut, but remained in the top 35 standings.
The Aggies will open the season at Blue Bell Park with a three-game series against Seattle University on Feb. 17.
Subscribe to the Texas A&M Aggies Daily Blitz Podcast!
Hey 12th Man! Want to see the Aggies in action? Get your Texas A&M game tickets from SI Tickets here!
Follow AllAggies.com on Facebook and Twitter!
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Aggies? Click Here to Subscribe to the All Aggies Newsletter
Want even more Texas A&M Aggies News? Check out the SI.com team page here