Following a sweeping weekend defeat by Alabama on Sunday, Texas A&M baseball rebounded from early struggles in a 17-7 run-rule victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
On the mound for the Aggies was freshman right-handed pitcher Aiden Sims, a young arm who has found an opportunity to start for the Maroon and White in the absence of key starters and a shuffling bullpen. His career, similar to A&M’s 2025 season, has gotten off to a rocky start with a 4.50 ERA. Tuesday’s game showed more of the same inconsistency and further contributed to his struggles as he surrendered three hits and two runs in the first inning alone.
The A&M batting order responded quickly to the visitors’ success with a trio of runners reaching base safely, ushering in the young expertise of freshman outfielder Terrence Kiel II to finish the job. Kiel’s RBI single wouldn’t be the only one to deliver, as senior infielder Gavin Kash, graduate designated hitter Hayden Schott and junior shortstop Kaeden Kent would combine to bring five more runners home.
Few have questioned the talent level of A&M, but whether or not it can reach its true potential has yet to be determined. Some games,coach Mike Earley’s crew looks invincible, capable of driving home runs in any condition. Others, like the series against Alabama, make them appear as just a shadow of the team that was one game short of a national championship.
Tuesday’s contest, in some parts, was reminiscent of the glory days felt just a few short months ago. In an early jam, the Aggies responded with triple their opponent’s runs. In the face of lackluster pitching, the bullpen corrected its mistakes. Questions were followed by answers.
On the flip side, a seemingly different team let fielding errors and free passes drive in the 12th run between A&M and Corpus Christi before the second inning came to a close.
With that in mind, fans can often wonder what version of the Aggies they are in for. Will they see a run-rule beat down? Or will it be a close could-have-been once again? Or perhaps even more bizarre: a Tuesday night dogfight?
The top of the third followed the same trend of up-and-down when junior RHP Grant Cunningham saw his first pitch sail into the top row of Section 12, putting A&M in a 7-6 bind in the early frames. The following three batters would find no such luck, going down in order.
A season batting average of .077 did not discourage sophomore catcher Bear Harrison when an opportunity came his way, as he sent a 2-2 count pitch packing 413 feet over the left field wall. His first home run as an Aggie would’ve been the talk of the third had junior OF Christian Smith-Johnson not made a spectacular, fence-hopping catch to save a grand slam by Kash. His acrobatics were rewarded with a standing ovation, and the Islanders escaped the third without further damage.
“What an amazing play. That was a great play and while I wished it went over the fence, props to him in what he did,” Earley said..
Harrison’s heroics were not limited to just the third inning. as his third hit for the Maroon and White was also a home run that followed a similar trajectory into Aggie Alley in left field — a kind reminder that the hottest bats sometimes come from unlikely places.
“It’s great to have a win and to have the mindset that we are winners,” Harrison said. “First one was hit pretty deep and then the wind kind of helped on the second, but I’m happy with how it all worked out.”
Another unlikely story could be found in the successful night of junior INF Ben Royo. Not only did the Rice transfer reach base safely three times, but his fielding ability proved to be crucial in the night’s first 1-2-3 frames on defense.
“It’s about finding guys that can get great at-bats,” Earley said. “We had guys do what they were supposed to do. They did an amazing job, and I have confidence in our guys.”
Kent continued his streak as the go-to batter for the Aggies this year, reaching base four out of his five opportunities, a welcomed constant in the batting order. After recent tough-sledding for junior OF Jace LaViolette, the Katy native notched four hits in a bounce-back outing.
LaViolette is in search of history, needing only one more home run to tie the A&M career record of 56, a mark he would share with Daylan Holt.
Despite the woes that plagued the Maroon and White in the first three innings, Cunningham was able to steer the Aggies’ ship into calmer waters. After conceding a third-inning home run, the Islanders’ offense was blanked in the four subsequent innings, opening the door for a run-rule victory. Corpus Christi’s pitching staff, on the other hand, would have the opposite experience, allowing eight more runs as the seventh inning came to a screeching halt.
“I’ve got a lot I’m working on and it’s great to see it play out as the game went on,” Cunningham said. “We got a lot of guys that can hit the ball and it’s great to work through all of it and get a win.”
The once slow start became a fiery display of opportunistic offense and strong pitching execution. The trials that could have signaled doom were corrected, and the questions were once again answered as the Aggies turned a 7-6 deficit into a 17-7 victory.
The Aggies travel to Nashville, Tennessee for a three-game series against No. 22 Vanderbilt starting March 21 at 6 p.m.
