COLLEGE STATION — No. 20 Texas A&M baseball welcomes former head coach Jim Schlossnagle and the No. 2 Texas Longhorns to College Station for the first time since he left for the in-state rival, and the Aggies’ faithful are eager to roll out the “welcome mat” for their former coach.
A&M (25-7, 7-5 SEC) is hosting Texas (28-6, 9-3) for the first time since a postseason matchup in June 2024. That season, Texas A&M finished as the national runner-up. Just days later, Schlossnagle was named Texas’ head coach.
It will be the Longhorns’ first visit to College Station as a conference opponent in 15 years.
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Texas A&M head coach Michael Earley meets Texas Longhorns head coach Jim Schlossnagle ahead of the Lone Star Showdown at UFCU Disch-Falk Field on Friday, April 25, 2025.
Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman
On the line? An SEC series win and fan base bragging rights for a year; a boost to the postseason résumé — Texas is No. 3 in RPI and A&M is No. 18 — and a victory in the Lone Star Showdown standings.
Amid the storylines at play, the series is meeting of elite Aggies hitting versus elite Longhorns pitching.
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Texas A&M baseball powered by offensive production
Only two teams in the country have hit more home runs than the Aggies. That’s no surprise for a team that entered the season with two position players on the All-SEC preseason team.
A&M has tallied 68 dingers this season, behind Georgia (98) and Vanderbilt (73). Center fielder Caden Sorrell is tied for the SEC lead with 16 home runs; first baseman Gavin Grahovac is second on the team with nine.
The Aggies are 17th nationally in batting average (.320), fourth in the SEC in hits with 332 and have four players batting over .300 with at least four home runs. They’re first in the SEC in on-base percentage (.456), second in slugging (.592) and have drawn the most walks (215). They are second in the conference, averaging 9.9 runs per game.
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A&M has scored nine or more runs seven times in conference play. It’s a stark contrast to last season, when the Aggies finished last in batting average (.260) and 15th in hits (470) and averaged just 7.0 runs per game.
“They’ve been relentless, man,” Grahovac said Wednesday when asked about their lineup. “We’ve done a good job moving the baseball, scoring runs when we need to. Obviously, not every time’s gonna work out, but I think one through nine we’ve done a great job of moving the ball.”
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University of Texas baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle, middle, poses for photos with his assistant coaches Michael Earley, left, and Nolan Cain at his introductory news conference at the Frank Denius Family University Hall of Fame Wednesday June 26, 2024.
Jay Janner/American-Statesman
Dominant pitching leads Longhorns
No team in the SEC has been better on the mound than Texas.
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The Longhorns’ ERA is 3.07, with all three weekend starters posting ERAs below 2.75. Left-hander Dylan Volantis (4-0) is sitting at 2.01, while left-hander Luke Harrison (4-0) is posting a 2.72 ERA over 43 innings.
Friday starter Ruger Riojas (5-1) has the only loss among the starters, but the right-hander has a 2.74 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 42⅔ innings.
“Probably the best pitching staff in the country,” head coach Michael Earley said Wednesday of Texas. “They throw a ton of strikes and put people away when you’re supposed to put them away. They limit hard contact.”
It hasn’t been just the starters doing damage.
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Right-handed reliever Brett Crossland has appeared in 12 games, posting a 1.32 ERA through 13⅔ innings. Left-hander Ethan Walker has appeared 13 times, striking out nine and allowing 14 hits in 43 at-bats.
Texas ranks second in the SEC for saves (nine), fifth for shutouts (four) and second for home runs allowed (17).
Since conference play began, the Longhorns have only allowed nine or more runs twice and have held conference opponents to three runs or fewer seven times.
“All of their starters are A-plus; their relievers are really good,” Earley said. “They’re as good as it gets. They’re going to be a really big challenge for our offense.”
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Aggies-Longhorns: Which strength has the edge?
As good as the Aggies’ bats have been, their starting pitching on the weekend has been inconsistent.
Friday starter Shane Sdao has struggled since SEC play began, posting a 9.61 ERA in four starts against SEC opponents. The junior left-hander allowed seven home runs and seven walks in those appearances. Right-hander Weston Moss on Saturdays has been slightly better, posting an 8.58 ERA in his four outings.
The bright spot for A&M’s weekend starters comes on Sunday, with sophomore Aiden Sims. The right-hander is 6-0 and has won his last three SEC starts, posting a 3.27 ERA during those victories.
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But the Aggies are dealing with a banged-up bullpen.
Having lost Caden McCoy before the season started and Josh Stewart to an elbow injury prior to SEC play, they’ve been thin on proven relievers. Middle relief has come from Ethan Darden (3.31 ERA) and Juan Vargas (3.63 ERA). They have tallied 16⅓ and 17⅓ innings, respectively.
Late-inning situations have been dominated led by Clayton Freshcorn, who has six saves in 14 appearances. The junior competed with Sims for the final weekend spot but has settled into a key high-leverage role for the Aggies, posting a 1.35 ERA in 20 innings.
Unlike A&M, Texas has a bit more balance between offense and pitching. The Longhorns are sixth in the SEC in batting average (.302), fifth in slugging (.518) and fourth in on-base percentage (.434).
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The numbers indicate that Texas, which was picked to finish second in the SEC, should have an edge over A&M this weekend.
Add in the fact that these two teams faced off last season in Austin, the Longhorns swept the Aggies, and the burnt orange probably gets the nod in many people’s eyes.
But Blue Bell Park will be hopping this weekend. Expect the 6,100-person stadium to hit capacity in hopes of an Aggies upset and some revenge against a coach who almost led A&M to a national title then left for their rival.
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Reach Texas A&M beat reporter Tony Catalina via email at Anthony.Catalina@statesman.com.