The rain finally went away in Hoover, Ala., and the Texas A&M baseball team was ready to play some baseball in the 2022 SEC Tournament.
To begin the Aggies’ tournament run, they did exactly what they have done all season — swing. A&M run-ruled Florida 10-0, totaling 12 hits compared to the Gators’ one.
​”We had a lot of things go our way today,” head coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “Micah [Dallas] was outstanding. That’s a huge, huge sign for our program [and] our team going forward. Trevor [Werner] has just battled a whole bunch of injuries, and you’re starting to see him get healthy and get stronger and get at-bats under his belt and become the kind of player that we know he is.”
After a rough stretch of conference play for junior righty Micah Dallas, he started the game on the mound to let normal starter sophomore righty Nathan Dettmer rest a blister on his foot. Dallas came out with something to prove, pitching seven Ks and one hit in five innings.
“The past few outings haven’t been me,” Dallas said. “I just want to be me when I go out there, and if I execute that, things are going to go well.”
Sophomore infielder Trevor Werner got the A&M offense started with a two-run homer to put runs on the board in the third. Sophomore infielder Jack Moss hit an RBI single to left field to add to the lead.
Junior lefty Joseph Menefee stepped onto the mound in the sixth to relieve Dallas, closing out the game with four Ks in two innings.
“We bought in,” Dallas said. “It’s that simple. The rules were set in place. The culture was set in place. We have a good group of leaders who put that in place, and everyone bought in.”
One thing is for sure about this A&M team: they love pringles and sixth innings.
A&M kept pounding the offense and Ryan Targac launched A&M’s third moonshot of the day over the wall. Junior centerfielder Jordan Thompson followed suit, nailing a two-run homer to give A&M a 6-0 lead. A sacrifice fly by graduate outfielder Dylan Rock made it a 7-0 ballgame.
Junior designated player Austin Bost knocked a three-run homer over the wall to stretch the lead 10-0. The Gators had no response to the Aggies’ firepower.
“I think we have the best offense in the county,” Bost said. “The old saying is that hitting is contagious. We’re constantly on barrel.”
The Aggies will continue their run in the SEC Tournament on Friday, May 27 against Alabama at 4:30 p.m. with Dettmer set to start.