Home plate and the 12th Man have waited a long time for the return of Texas A&M baseball and softball, hopeful that both squads have Texas-sized comebacks while they wait to be called out of the dugout.
Disappointment defined the outcome of the Aggie diamond sports as a pair of No. 1 rankings proved meaningless as neither team ended last season with a deep postseason run.
Year one under coach Michael Earley was a roller coaster ride of streaks and question marks, as the Aggies saw their preseason top-ranked team drop out of the polls quickly after an early-season downturn. To make matters worse, A&M became the first consensus preseason No. 1 team to not reach the NCAA Tournament.
Heading into year two, Earley has the chance to bounce back, as he and his staff return several key starters and add a handful of highly-anticipated transfers into the fold.
Additionally, two leaders in junior outfielder Caden Sorell and junior third baseman Gavin Grahovac return to Aggieland — each ready to make amends for previous woes after combining for 48 home runs in their careers..
Earley and Co. made it a top priority this year to reload their depleted arms by going out into the portal and grabbing big-name transfers, including junior shortstop Chris Hacopian from Maryland and senior OF Jake Duer from FAU. The pair are being brought in to fill two massive pairs of cleats, as OF Jace LaViolette and SS Kaeden Kent each departed Olsen Field for the 2025 MLB Draft.
When it comes to pitching, the Aggies are in for quite the remodeling project after their three 2025 regular starters are off onto the next step of their baseball journey.
Luckily for A&M, redshirt junior left-handed pitcher Shane Sdao is back in the mix to reprise his role as an everyday starter on the mound. Another starter-caliber player is sophomore LHP Caden McCoy, an Indiana native that made his case for a weekend starter role late last season.
Going a little further down the road to Davis Diamond, Aggie softball had a different twist of fate to their season. Coach Trisha Ford had her squad poised for a deep playoff run when it hosted the Bryan-College Station Regional as the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but — unfortunately for the Aggies — they would be on the wrong side of history when the regional came to a close.
After falling to Liberty in a best-of-three series, A&M made history again, becoming the first No. 1 seed to not advance past its own regional. However, the year didn’t end without hardware, as the Aggies were named Co-Champions of the 2025 Southeastern Conference Tournament after a rain delay gave the SEC honor to both Oklahoma and A&M.
After the departure of star LHP Emiley Kennedy to the Athletes Unlimited Softball League, Ford hit the portal in an attempt to revamp the bullpen and pick out a starter to command the circle. Senior LHP Taylor Pannell arrived in College Station after serving as a long-time starter for Missouri, looking to translate her previous SEC experience into success with in Aggieland.
When it comes to returning talent, the Aggies have the advantage of bringing back one of their most productive players from last season in sophomore infielder KK Dement. The Selma, California, native had no problem adjusting to life in Maroon and White, setting A&M freshman records with 18 doubles and 64 RBIs.
Her counterpart, junior INF Mya Perez, will complement Dement to create one of the SEC’s strongest infield duos as they attempt to climb back into the national spotlight with a treacherous SEC slate ahead of them. Perez, a fellow Californian, was a Second Team All-American in 2025, breaking a 43-year old program record for single season RBIs with 73 to her name.
Though disappointment defined the fate of both Earley and Ford’s units, there is hope that each can learn from the mistakes of the past and atone for their shortcomings with a season all of Aggieland can hang its hat on.
