One team stands in between Texas A&M baseball and the championship series — Oklahoma, a team that defeated the Aggies less than a week ago.
However, the Aggies are nothing less than confident. Coming off Texas and Notre Dame wins, the Aggies are entering the Sooner matchup with a whole new energy.
“I’m super proud of the guys and how far they’ve come,” A&M coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “This time last year, we didn’t even have a coaching staff. A third of this team wasn’t even a Texas A&M Aggie yet. To be in the final four of college baseball is a great tribute to the kids.”
On Wednesday, June 22, the Aggies will take on the Sooners at 1 p.m. With a win, the Aggies will be given another chance to beat Oklahoma again and stay alive. With a loss, the Aggies will be sent home to College Station.
The journey the Aggies have taken to get here has been nothing short of historic, but the maroon and white have fallen once this postseason to the upcoming obstacle. On Friday, June 18, the Sooners glided past the Aggies 13-8 in Game 1 of the College World Series. The Sooners have remained undefeated in the tournament.
In the first matchup against Oklahoma, the Aggies were unable to piece together a comeback, falling short and sending the Sooners to the winner’s division of the College World Series bracket. Oklahoma went on to conquer Notre Dame 6-2, sending the Fighting Irish to the loser’s bracket, where the Aggies took care of business and sent Notre Dame home with a 5-1 win on Sunday.
“We’re ready and confident to take on OU again,” sophomore third baseman Trevor Werner said.
The soon-to-be SEC squad accumulated 11 hits against the Aggies and caused two A&M errors on Friday. Sophomore righty Nathan Dettmer started on the mound for the Aggies, but was quickly pulled after the Sooners scored seven runs in the second inning. Dettmer redeemed himself on Tuesday, June 21 against Notre Dame, pitching seven innings and giving up three hits, no walks and no runs.
“[Friday] was tough. After that game, I felt so little,” Dettmer said. “I went in my hotel room and I cried. I didn’t know what to do, and I felt lost. My good friend [junior right-handed pitcher] Micah Dallas texted me and said that one game doesn’t define me as a person. All my worth is through God, and he told me that’s not my story. I had to trust in His plan, and I had success today.”
After Tuesday’s win, Schlossnagle is one of four coaches to win multiple College World Series games at different schools. Both A&M and Oklahoma are coming off two wins, ready to face the heat of the competition, beginning on Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb., on Wednesday.
“A couple of days ago before our first elimination game, we talked about taking it one game at a time,” Werner said. “Don’t let the Aggies win one.”
