Texas A&M Baseball Drops Opening Game vs. Tennessee Volunteers

The Aggies now fall to 1-9 on the season in conference play.

Jun 24, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; Texas A&M Aggies right fielder Jace Laviolette (17) looks over the field after the loss against the Tennessee Volunteers at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

Texas A&M baseball fans knew that their team was facing an uphill battle as they hit the road for a weekend series against the No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers in a rematch of the 2024 College World Series.

But Friday night's battle was like trying to climb Mount Everest with two broken legs.

The Aggies dropped below .500 Friday night in game one of the weekend series, losing in a run rule-shortened affair to the Volunteers in Knoxville, 10-0.

And to add salt to the wound, the Aggies were held to zero hits on the night, their only base runners coming on two walks by the Tennessee pitching.

One of those walks was to Jace LaViolette, who just so happened to break another Texas A&M baseball record, this one for most career walks for the Maroon and White, having taken his 141st career ball four Friday night.

The Volunteers began their scoring with a pair of home runs by first baseman Andrew Fischer, first a solo shot in the second inning, and then a three-run round-tripper the following inning, giving the Vols a 4-0 lead after three innings.

Tennessee third baseman Dean Curley would extend the lead with a solo home run in the fifth inning, giving the top-ranked team a 5-0 advantage leading into the sixth inning, which is where Tennessee sealed the deal on the night.

After two RBI singles by shortstop Ariel Antigua and designated hitter Dalton Bargo, center fielder Hunter Ensley put the dagger in the visiting team with a three-run home run, giving the reigning national champions a 10-0 lead.

The Aggies would go down in order in the top of the seventh, resulting in their first run-ruling of the season.

Many might believe that the team used up all their offense in their most recent midweek game against Incarnate Word, where they scored an incredible 21 runs, which could easily cover two games, but it had to be known that the top-ranked team in the nation was not going to be just another game on the schedule.

Due to inclement weather scheduled to be in the Knoxville area over the weekend, the final two games of the series will be a doubleheader Saturday. Game one will be at 2:00 p.m. and game two will follow up at 6:00 p.m. Both games will be available on SEC Network.