How Texas A&M Turned Around Their Series vs. Tennessee

After taking a 10-0 loss in a mercy rule-shortened game Friday, the Texas A&M Aggies turned things around in a huge way against the No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers in a doubleheader on Saturday.

In the first game of the day, the two most recent College World Series finalists were neck and neck until the Aggies put together five runs over the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings to take the first game 9-3.

lamkin — Jun 24, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; Texas A&M Aggies starting pitcher Justin Lamkin (33) pitches against the Tennessee Volunteers during the first inning at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Game 2 was all Texas A&M from the get-go, as the team would plate 10 runs in the first four innings, leading to an eventual 17-6 run-ruling of their own in eight innings against the reigning national champions, the first No. 1 since the 2022 Aggies in the SEC Tournament to fall victim to the mercy rule.

But how exactly did Michael Earley's team manage to flip a weekend series that lopsided in just less than 24 hours?

Here are a few reasons.

Less Defensive Errors

The Aggies may have had two errors in the first game of the doubleheader, but so did Tennessee, and both teams had a clean second game with no defensive errors coming from either side.

Defensive errors have been a massive plague for the Maroon and White up to this point, resulting in costly runs being scored against them, especially late in ball games. If the Aggie defense can keep executing at the level they did against the nation's top team Saturday, they could turn their whole season around like they turned the series around against Tony Vitello's team.

The Bats Come Alive

The offensive production from the Aggie nine throughout Saturday looked dangerously similar to what the college baseball world saw last year from the team.

Game 1 saw the Aggies put up 11 hits, including four home runs thanks to Bear Harrison, Jace LaViolette, and Caden Sorrell, who went deep twice in the first contest.

Game 2 did not see a drop off in the bats at all, with 16 hits, 17 runs scored, and seven home runs hit, including multi-homer games from Ben Royo and Wyatt Henseler. Bear Harrison would put the Aggies on the board with a three-run blast in the first inning, his second of the day, and Caden Sorrell would deposit his third homer of the day in the fifth inning.

Some might say it just took a few games for the offensive chemistry to click. There are a lot of new guys in the lineup after injuries took their toll on the Aggie team.

Elite Southpaw Pitching

Justin Lamkin and Myles Patton just simply did not allow runs to score Saturday, with Lamkin going six innings in game one and allowing seven hits, two earned runs, only one walk, and striking out three.

Patton also went six innings in his start, allowing one more run and one more hit than Lamkin, but he also struck out seven and both arms had a supercharged Aggie offense behind them, making their jobs all the much easier.

The Maroon and White will look to keep up their elite level of production as they head to Huntsville Tuesday to take on the Sam Houston State Bearkats before returning to College Station for a home stand against the South Carolina Gamecocks, starting on Thursday.