Pick an offensive statistic — nearly any statistic — from Texas A&M baseball’s 10-1 series finale loss against Missouri on Sunday, May 11, and one will see a story that’s soul-crushing to the 12th Man.
The Tigers outscored the Aggies 10-1, outhit them 15-2 and hit .477 as a team compared to the Maroon White’s mark of .07.
By the end of the day, it was clear Mizzou — who was previously winless in Southeastern Conference play, before making the trip to Aggieland — deserved the series sweep.
“I feel terrible for these guys,” coach Michael Earley said. “Man, they put everything into this. It’s tough, and I feel awful for them, but we’re gonna rebound, we’re gonna regroup, we’re gonna finish this thing strong, however it may be.”
While the game might have been devastating for Aggie fans and the team’s NCAA Tournament hopes, it was brutal for another reason.
For players like graduate pinch hitter Hayden Schott, it was in all likelihood the last time they’d get to play at Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.
And for it to end on a note where, in Schott’s words, the dugout felt like they failed each other, was heartbreaking.
“When you feel like you failed people — whether it’s other players, the staff — no one will ever, ever be able to understand what that feels like,” Schott said. “I really, truly believe that 99.9% of people won’t understand what that feels like, other than players who care deeply for each other.”
Junior left-handed pitcher Myles Patton earned the start on the mound for the Aggies. After giving up a leadoff solo shot to right field to junior shortstop Jackson Lovich that put the Tigers on the board first, Patton locked down early, holding the visitors scoreless in the second frame.
.@MylesPatton5 tallies 2 Ks to in a scoreless second #GigEm pic.twitter.com/OpT5NXBgKx
— Texas A&M Baseball (@AggieBaseball) May 11, 2025
But Lovich proved to be Patton’s Achilles’ heel, beginning the third inning with a leadoff triple that put the Overland Park, Kansas product on watch for the cycle early. A single through the right side by senior right fielder Pierre Seals drove Lovich home and gave the Tigers a 3-0 advantage.
Sorrell sent a ball flying 400 feet to the top of Section 12 with a leadoff solo home run in the fourth inning that put A&M on the board for the first time.
Sorrell solo shot ‼️#GigEm | @CadenSorrell pic.twitter.com/ndWZ1xmon5
— Texas A&M Baseball (@AggieBaseball) May 11, 2025
With Lovich due up in the fifth inning and a Tiger standing on third, the Aggies pulled Patton off of the mound and replaced him with sophomore right-handed pitcher Luke Jackson. In 4 ⅓ innings pitched, Patton gave up seven hits and three runs along with a trio of strikeouts.
It was the other half of the Tigers’ dynamic duo that gave the visitors their fourth run of the day. After Jackson struck out Lovich, it was Seals who drove in senior catcher Jedier Hernandez from third with a single to right field that slipped just past the outstretched glove of senior first baseman Gavin Kash.
“You’ve got to throw strikes, and if they hit it, they hit it, right?” Earley said. “ … Our guys threw strikes. I’m not gonna scare guys out of the strike zone, so you gotta continue to throw strikes. … But they just did a really good job hitting the baseball.”
Jackson then struck out freshman third baseman Chris Patterson to end the frame. He would last just ⅔ of an inning, though, as back-to-back walks to begin the sixth forced the Aggie coaching staff to pull Jackson and replace him with fellow sophomore RHP Clayton Freshcorn.
Freshcorn’s tenure on the mound began with a single to right field by junior second baseman Keegan Knutson that loaded the bases for the Tigers with no outs. He then managed to force a fly out and a strikeout that had the 12th Man hoping they’d see the Aggies find their way out of the jam.
But then Freshcorn balked with the bases loaded, driving in another Missouri run. The Tigers followed that up with a 2- two RBI double from Lovich that just snuck inside the foul line along the first base side and put the leadoff man needing only a single to secure the cycle.
That gave Mizzou a 7-1 lead before Freshcorn ended the frame with another strikeout, and had the 12th Man feeling desperate in the Olsen Field stands.
The desperation only grew for the Aggie faithful during A&M’s nightmare top of the seventh inning. Mizzou started the frame with four straight hits, growing the lead to 9-1 before Freshcorn was replaced by freshman RHP Gavin Lyons.
That didn’t immediately give A&M the boost its fans were hoping for, though, as Mizzou was able to score on an infield single by Hernandez that grew the gap to 10-1.
Schott was able to deliver the Aggies’ second and final hit of the afternoon with a single to center field that drew an ovation from the crowd. But it wasn’t enough to change the mood of the day.
“I tried my best to enjoy the moment,” Schott said. “I was really trying, but I just hate losing more than I like winning. So it was just hard to appreciate it. But once I was walking in, I thought it was really cool that there was still the true fans that really appreciate how much a lot of us care.”
One last dose of Olsen Magic was not to be, as the Tigers emerged victorious. But Schott hopes that doesn’t spoil the 12th Man’s memory of this group of players.
“It’s hard, because I know how they’re gonna remember it if we don’t turn it around,” Schott said. “That’s fans. That’s okay. But there’s a lot of guys on this team that like playing for this university, and it’s not just the game of baseball. We love the game of baseball, but we truly, deeply care about playing for Texas A&M and coach Earley.”
Next, the Aggies turn their attention towards a road series against No. 6 Georgia, before taking on the SEC tournament in a desperate bid to make a postseason run with their at-large hopes slipping away after Missouri’s sweep.
“Right now, I’m thinking about winning the SEC Tournament, to be honest,” Schott said. “But you can tell just by the guys who stayed after and wanted to see the field and enjoy it … Whenever you’re here, you feel like you’re part of something bigger.”
