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Texas A&M Coach Michael Earley Praises LSU Pitching After Series Upset

The Aggies beat the No. 2 LSU Tigers in a weekend series Sunday.
DJ Burton|
Texas A&M pitcher Ryan Prager (18) steps up to pitch during the Lone Star Showdown against Texas at UFCU Disch-Falk Field on Friday, April 25, 2025.
Texas A&M pitcher Ryan Prager (18) steps up to pitch during the Lone Star Showdown against Texas at UFCU Disch-Falk Field on Friday, April 25, 2025. | Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Texas A&M baseball stole a series victory from the No. 2 LSU Tigers when the Aggies beat the Tigers 6-4 on Sunday.

Aggies head coach Michael Earley spoke to the media following the victory.

Texas A&M head coach Michael Earley talks to an official during the Lone Star Showdown against Texas at UFCU Disch-Falk Field
Texas A&M head coach Michael Earley talks to an official during the Lone Star Showdown against Texas at UFCU Disch-Falk Field on Friday, April 25, 2025. | Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“That pitching staff as a whole, I mean, they are something else,” Earley said. “They are a handful, and you just gotta do stuff to get on base and you gotta keep fighting and that’s what our guys do.”

The LSU pitching staff gave A&M stars Caden Sorrell and Jace LaViolette issues all weekend.

Heading into Sunday’s rubber match, LaViolette had not recorded a hit in four-straight games. He was the Aggies’ difference maker in their 2024 Men’s College World Series Final run.

The Tigers had a plan to keep ‘Lord Tubbington’ at bay. Each time LaViolette would be up to bat, LSU coach Jay Johnson would march out to the mound and pull their pitcher and replace them with a left-handed pitcher. The lefty would deal only to LaViolette, then would get pulled immediately. Johnson did this every time LaViolette came up to bat, without fail. While LaViolette did manage to record a hit, it was on a blooper where he barely beat the throw.

At one point in Sunday’s game, the duo was one-for-20 with 11 strikeouts.

The LSU pitching plan came crashing down in the eighth inning when LaViolette’s single would prove to be the tying run. Sorrell smoked a three-run bomb over the wall to give the Aggies a 6-4 lead. The homer would be the duo’s third combined hit of the series.

“[Sorrell]’s an absolute killer with a plan. He is just that dude, man. He’s different.”
coach Michael Earley

The Aggies’ victory marked its third top-two ranked series win since April 5. They travel to Houston to face the unranked Cougars on Tuesday 6:30 p.m.

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DJ Burton
DJ BURTON

DJ Burton is a journalist from Kingwood, Texas. He is a credentialed writer for Texas A&M Aggies On SI. He graduated from Texas A&M with a journalism major and a sport management minor. Before attending A&M, Burton played offensive line for two seasons at Hiram College in northeast Ohio, where he studied sport management. Burton brings experience covering football, baseball, softball, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball. He also served as a senior sports writer for A&M’s student newspaper, The Battalion.

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