Texas A&M Baseball Suffers Major Setback in Pre Season Camp

The Aggies suffered a major hit to their pitching depth this week.

Jun 24, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; Texas A&M Aggies third baseman Gavin Grahovac (9) and designated hitter Hayden Schott (5) look 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 received some unfortunate news this week as a piece of its pitching staff will miss the entire 2026 season.

Caden McCoy, a left-handed pitcher entering his sophomore season, will undergo Tommy John surgery after suffering an elbow injury during preseason camp. Texas Ags' analyst Ryan Brauninger broke the news on Tuesday afternoon.

News: Texas A&M sophomore LHP Caden McCoy sustained an elbow injury during preseason camp that will require Tommy John surgery.

He will miss the 2026 season. pic.twitter.com/96t3Wbl39P

— Ryan Brauninger (@R_Brauninger) January 27, 2026

As a true freshman, McCoy made appearances out of the bullpen for Texas A&M during the 2025 season. Across 14 appearances, the Bloomington, Ind. native logged 22 innings of work and finished the season with a 4.91 earned run average. He also totaled 29 strikeouts and held opposing hitters to just a .209 average.

The injury throws a wrench in Texas A&M's plans for a season of redemption, escalating the concern around the program's pitching depth. For the Aggies to competitive, especially in the best college baseball conference in the country, they needed to get through the preseason with little to no injuries.

Finding a Way Forward

Texas A&M Aggies' Kaeden Kent (6) flips the ball to Ben Royo (10) for the double play as Auburn Tigers take on Texas A&M Aggies during the SEC baseball tournament at Hoover Met in Birmingham, Ala., on Thursday, May 22, 2025. | Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With the season now less than a month away, it's likely that head coach Michael Earley and his staff had a loose gameplan for how the pitching staff would shake out. While he may not have been considered a weekend starter, McCoy showed that he had the tools to compete against SEC competition.

One of his best performances on the mound came against LSU late in the regular season, where he tallied 3.2 innings, allowed two hits, and recorded six strikeouts. It's worth noting that the Tigers eventually hoisted the CWS trophy in late June.

The Aggies are now going to put to the test in more ways than one. Not only will pitchers need to step into bigger roles this season, but Earley and his staff will have a tough challenge of managing their pitching depth against SEC competition. Texas A&M is set to face seven conference opponents in the top-25 with four of them receiving a preseason ranking inside the top-10 from D1 Baseball.

The good news for the Aggies is that they likely have time to get some of their younger arms game action before conference play begins. While other programs around the country have adopted a philosophy of scheduling extremely difficult out-of-conference opponents, Texas A&M has a relatively weak 2026 out-of-conference schedule before matchup up against other SEC programs.

Despite the setback, the Aggies should also have more than enough firepower at the plate to contend with any team they face this season. Not only did Texas A&M return Gavin Grahovac and Caden Sorrell, who both suffered injuries early on in the 2025 season, but they also added Maryland transfer Chris Hacopian to their lineup as well.

While the pitching may take a step back, the ever-dangerous Texas A&M batting lineup should prove to be a consistent force this season that keeps the program in games this season.