What Michael Earley Said After Texas A&M's Sweep vs. Penn

The No. 24 Texas A&M Aggies had some come-and-go moments throughout their series with the Penn Quakers this past weekend, but thanks to some elite arm talent on the mound and some ice-cold veins from the younger bats in the lineup, A&M was able to take all three games of the weekend slate.

The first two games saw scores of 1-0 and 2-1 both in favor of Texas A&M after a walk-off double from Boston Kellner and a walk-off walk with the bases loaded from Sawyer Farr, before Sunday resulted in a 7-1 victory in a much less stressful fashion for the Maroon and White.

Following that win Sunday, especially after a masterclass on the mound from sophomore pitcher Aiden Sims, head coach Michael Earley had plenty to say about it all, both in terms of his hitters and his pitching talent.

"Doing Everything We Asked"

Texas A&M Aggies third baseman Gavin Grahovac (9) slides into second base with a double to lead off against the Tennessee Volunteers during the ninth inning at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

Though Sims is the current Sunday starting pitcher for the Aggies, a role that is stereotyped with being the less efficient of the weekend rotation, he showed Sunday with his career-high seven innings and 10 strikeouts didn't suit him to that role at all, and Earley agreed.

"He's providing us with strikes and giving us a chance to win and doing everything we've asked of him," Earley said after Sunday's win. "He's just doing a really good job."

Sims, along with Shane Sdao and Weston Moss, didn't along a single walk during the weekend, the first time since the 2018 SEC Tournament that the Maroon and White pitching went consecutive games without allowing a free pass, and the first time they went an entire series without a ball four since at least the 2000 season.

"If it wasn't for those guys, we don't win either of those first two ball games," said Earley. "No doubt in my mind."

After delivering a fiery message to his team about two-strike approaches following yesterday's narrow win, Earley saw significant improvement from his squad on Sunday in all areas at the plate.

"Two-strike approach was a lot better today," Earley said. "And not just the two-strike approach, not just taking pitches that they can hit in the count. We tell the hitters to swing at the strikes and take the balls, and yesterday they took the strikes and swung at the balls. They swung at pitches they could handle, and they made adjustments to stay on baseballs, and the response was great today."

Texas A&M Aggies pitcher Shane Sdao — Texas A&M pitcher Shane Sdao (38) throws a pitch during the first inning against Oregon at Olsen Field, Blue Bell Park | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

The weekend series also saw many of Texas A&M's main names on the bench due to injuries, with Chris Hacopian, Caden Sorrell, and Wesley Jordan all missing parts of the series, leading to Earley dubbing his group as "resilient" after the successful weekend sans some crucial personnel, as well as highlighting the importance of always being ready to be called upon when the going is tough.

"It's unfortunate for those guys and for everybody," said Earley. "We all want to see them play, and we're going to get them back at some point, but you've got to be ready to play, and you never know when your number is going to get called. (We are) a resilient group. I mean, injuries are injuries, but you either win or you lose, and the guys we put in there, we expect them to play well enough to win, and they've done that."

Sunday also saw a change behind the dish for Texas A&M, with Zane Becker donning the gear and playing catcher over Bear Harrison, which Earley chalked up to good ol' competition.

"We think he (Zane) is a really good catcher too, I think he can be even better with his bat," said Earley. "He showed more in practice and even in the scrimmages, and you're going to continue to see him play. Those guys are competing, so we'll keep that going. We just wanted to get Bear off of his feet and get Zane back there because we feel comfortable with him back there as well."

The Aggies continue their slate with a midweek battle against the Lamar Cardinals Tuesday night at 6:00 PM at Blue Bell Park.