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Former Texas A&M Player Makes Surprising Return for 2026 Season

Utility player Travis Chestnut will once again be donning the Maroon and White.
DJ Burton|
Texas A&M Aggies center fielder Travis Chestnut (4) slides into second base on an error against the Tennessee Volunteers during the third inning at Charles Schwab Field Omaha.
Texas A&M Aggies center fielder Travis Chestnut (4) slides into second base on an error against the Tennessee Volunteers during the third inning at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

In a surprising turn of events, former Texas A&M utility player Travis Chestnut announced his return to the Aggies for the upcoming season Tuesday on social media

The shocking development comes after Chestnut spent the past season at Division II St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. While at St. Edwards, he held a .308 batting average with 54 RBI and 40 stolen bases. He set school records with his 72 runs and 40 stolen bases.

In the aftermath of Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia suing the NCAA over JUCO eligibility rules, the NCAA has reworked its eligibility rules for JUCO athletes, giving them at least another year of eligibility. This is how Chestnut is able to return.

The Travis Chestnut File

After an impressive four years at Pflugerville High School, Chestnut committed to JUCO Temple College. In his freshman season at Temple, he batted .324 with 10 doubles, three triples, four HR, 28 RBI and 35 stolen bases, good for third all-time in single-season stolen bases for the program.

His sophomore campaign, he batted .322 with eight doubles, a triple, 11 home runs, 36 RBI and 35 stolen bases before spending the summer in Bryan, Texas playing for the Brazos Valley Bombers.

After that summer, he did not have to move far when he transferred just down the road to Texas A&M. In his first season as an Aggie, Chestnut served primarily as a pinch runner. He saw limited action at the plate, but still recorded six runs, seven RBI, a double, a home run two walks and a stolen base on a .250 batting average.

As a senior, Chestnut played a role in the Aggies’ College World Series run. He accounted for three homers, 13 RBI, 18 stolen bases, 41 runs, five doubles and one triple on a .262 batting average.

When former coach Jim Schlossnagle left Texas A&M before the smoke cleared after the College World Series Championship loss, Chestnut was one of the first players to speak out against the now-Texas skipper. Schlossnagle infamously made a comment about Chestnut striking out a lot during a live ESPN interview, drawing a lot of criticism from coaches, fans, players and commentators alike.

“Not once in my career was he a respectable man to me,” Chestnut told Travis Brown. "I stuck with him because I wanted to be an Aggie and in the SEC. But quite frankly, I didn’t stick to him. I stuck to Mike Earley and Nolan Cain.” 

Now over a year removed from the situation, Chestnut reunites with Earley in Aggieland.

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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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