Texas A&M Gets Massive Boost as MLB Draft Pick Clayton Freshcorn Returns to Aggieland

Last weekend, Texas A&M Aggies pitcher Clayton Freshcorn was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 19th round of the 2026 MLB draft, a great chance for Freshcorn to begin his professional career with a storied franchise.

However, given his very late selection and desire to use his full college eligibility,, Freshcorn would announce earlier this week that he would be returning to Texas A&M for the 2027 season, his final collegiate year, in hopes of higher selection in the 2027 draft.

And Texas A&M head coach Michael Earley should have no complaints about any of this.

What Freshcorn's Return Does For Texas A&M

Texas A&M pitcher Clayton Freshcorn | 12thMan.com

If there is one thing that the Texas A&M Aggies were inconsistent with last season, it was the pitching staff.

Starting wise, it was Aiden Sims producing the best stuff, going deep into the season before suffering his first loss and leading the team with eight wins and a 3.84 earned run average, while on the other hand, Shane Sdao struggled through the latter part of the year and finished with a 7.03 ERA.

In terms of the bullpen, Gavin Lyons was a reliable option most of the time, but Freshcorn was by far the most consistent of all the non-starters and many believed that he was the top pitching option all-around for Texas A&M in the 2026 season.

In 27 appearances, Freshcorn recorded an SEC-leading 12 saves and posted an ERA of 2.82 while striking out 56 batters in 54.1 innings pitched, earning him a spot on the All-SEC first team, as well as the C.E "Pat" Olsen Most Outstanding Pitcher Award, given out by A&M to their best pitcher throughout a season.

Freshcorn's presence on the Aggie team is a pleasant trip down Memory Lane to the 12th Man to how things were when Evan Aschenbeck was the team's closer, especially during their College World Series run in 2024, the ability to come in and have the other team know that their chances for victory just got a whole lot slimmer.

The Waller, TX native showed the ice in his veins quite a few times this season, with the most notable being when he was able to escape a bases-loaded jam and still record a save in Norman against the eventual national champion Oklahoma Sooners.

And now it seems like the good times are just getting started.

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