'Good to See Us Bounce Back!' Aggies Credit Teamwork For Successful Weekend

"These guys really care about each other, and that's an awesome trait to have," Jim Schlossnagle said about his team in a postgame interview on Sunday.

May 17, 2024; College Station, Texas; USA: Texas A&M Aggies seniors Ryan Targac and Jackson Appel stand near the first-base line. | Matt Guzman - AllAggies on SI

After a hard-fought win against the Texas Longhorns that saw the Texas A&M Aggies' bats manage only five hits, A&M knew they had to turn things around for the final game against Louisiana.

And boy, did they ever.

The bats and the pitching saw a significant improvement in the 9-4 win over the Ragin' Cajuns, with the team hitting five home runs and the pitching combining for double-digit strikeouts.

Some might just tell you that it was another case of "Olsen Magic," but players like Braden Montgomery, Shane Sdao, and coach Jim Schlossnagle would say that it's due to the chemistry that the team has built throughout the season.

When asked about Gavin Grahovac breaking Jace LaViolette's rookie home run record, Schlossnagle acknowledged how it was taken as Jace building up his teammate, instead of a confrontation between the two Aggies.

"I was just excited to see Jace feel good about it for Gavin. These guys truly love each other, and what Jace did last year was incredible, and what Gavin did this year was incredible, but that's also been helped by the guys that have hit behind them," Schlossnagle said. "And you can really see just how good of a hitter (Gavin) is, because the one he breaks the record with is hit the other way. When he uses the whole field, that's when he is at his best. I just love seeing how these guys interact with each other. They care about each other a lot. There's no jealousy in any of that, Jace is super excited for Gavin."

May 16, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies outfielder Hayden Schott leads off on first base. | Matt Guzman - AllAggies on SI

Pitcher Shane Sdao praised the defense that played behind him on Sunday, claiming they take a lot of pressure off of him.

"Yeah, the defense makes it really easy to pitch, especially when I throw a lot of strikes, and I know I'm not gonna strike everyone out. Whenever the balls do get put in play, I have no worry because our defense is just great." Sdao said.

The Aggies will look to put this chemistry to good use as they take on the Oregon Ducks this Saturday in game one of the Bryan-College Station Super Regional at 1:00 p.m. on ESPN2.