College baseball analyst believes Texas A&M has a 'talent' issue this season
College baseball analyst believes Texas A&M has a 'talent' issue this season
Before No. 19 Texas A&M (10-7, 0-1 SEC) takes on No. 17 Alabama (17-1, 1-0 SEC) in Game 2 of this weekend's SEC opening series, the Aggies are still reeling from Friday night's disappointing 6-4 Game 1 loss behind head coach Michael Earley's highly questionable decision to pull redshirt sophomore pitcher Luke Jackson during a 4-4 tie in the top of the ninth.
Replaced by sophomore Kaeden Wilson for a clean half inning, veteran Brad Rudis took the mound. He immediately allowed consecutive solo home runs as the Crimson Tide's sudden offense silenced Blue Bell Park to a dull roar after what looked like a potential Aggie comeback in the works.
Overall, this was a poor coaching decision that deserves some grace, but sitting at 10-7 and 0-1 in SEC play won't allow much leeway from an Aggie fan base that experienced immense success during the 2024 season.
Still, games like this usually result in overreactions from the media, including college baseball analyst Jake Mckeever, who provided one of the odder takes regarding Texas A&M "talent" on the roster compared to what former Texas A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle has inherited/built with the Texas Longhorns, who are currently 15-1 on the year.
"Texas, this year, is what everybody thought A&M was going to be"
What the Longhorns have accomplished in 16 games under a new coaching staff is impressive. However, one game into SEC play and declaring Texas as a College World Series Championship contender is farfetched. In his final statement in the video, Mckeever shared his opinion that Texas A&M doesn't possess enough talent and that Schlossnagle and former pitching coach Max Weiner were the primary reasons Texas A&M excelled in 2024.
"It's kind of showing how little talent Texas A&M actually has and that most of it was Jim Schlossnagle and Max Weiner"
This is what we call a "hot take" that will result in engagement across social media. Still, knowing that nearly every starter from the championship returned this season, talent across the board is not the central issue. However, referencing Max Weiner has to do with A&M's bullpen issues, which are based more on youth than talent.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
How Lane Kiffin showed support for Tennessee baseball vs Arkansas in NCAA super regional
Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin has had an up-and-down relationship with Tennessee, but he's rooting for the Vols in their NCAA baseball super regional matchup with Arkansas. Kiffin made his rooting interest clear in a social media post wishing the Vols his best. Tennessee (46-17) is locked in a tight game against the Razorbacks (46-13) at Baum-Walker Stadium. Advertisement Kiffin was the football coach at Tennessee in 2009. Many Vols fans soured on Kiffin after he left the job after one season to coach at Southern Cal. Kiffin has had memorable moments at Neyland Stadium since returning to the SEC as Ole Miss' coach in 2020. He had a golf ball and a mustard bottle thrown in his direction in Ole Miss' 31-26 win at Tennessee in 2021. Kiffin seemingly still has a soft spot for the Vols; but he has also trolled his former team's fans over baseball games. Sam Hutchens covers sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@ or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_ Advertisement ' This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Lane Kiffin cheering for Tennessee baseball vs Arkansas: 'Go Vols'
USA Today
5 hours ago
- USA Today
Texas A&M lands rising 2026 3-star Athlete out of Missouri City (TX)
Texas A&M lands rising 2026 3-star Athlete out of Missouri City (TX) Texas A&M coach Mike Elko and his staff are currently hosting 15 2026 prospects this weekend, including a three-star athlete who has been a star quarterback for Fort Bend Marshall HS in Missouri City, Texas, as Kaeden Johnson announced his commitment to the Aggies on Saturday night. Previously predicted to land with the Colorado Buffaloes, Johnson will not play quarterback at the next level despite his production, especially his 6'6" frame and athleticism, as the Aggies see him as a tight end due to his size, speed, and route-running knowledge. This has been a successful transition for several former quarterbacks, including Vanderbilt star TE Eli Stowers, who, as Aggie fans remember, was once a backup QB for Texas A&M. Johnson's ahtletic traits make him a future starter with plenty of potential, and could also be helpful as an emergency quarterback given his background. During his 2024 junior season, Johnson passed for 2,109 yards and 25 touchdowns, completing 60% of his passes, while also rushing for 571 yards and six touchdowns. Again, this young man can sling it, but Texas A&M tight end coach Christian Ellsworth deserves credit for striking while the iron is hot, knowing that Johnson has been sky rocking locally before his OV. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Men's College World Series 2025: UCLA defeats Murray State, LSU bests Arkansas on Day 2
Day 2 of the Men's College World Series continued in Omaha, Nebraska on Saturday, featuring some solid wins from UCLA and LSU. The Bruins threatened the Cinderella run of Murray State with a win, while the Tigers dispatched SEC rival Arkansas to stay in the winners' bracket. UCLA 6, Murray State 4 Murray State is the underdog darling of the MCWS, advancing to Omaha as a regional No. 4 seed. But they are one game away from elimination after losing Saturday's opener to UCLA. Advertisement Racers pitcher Nic Schutte struggled with his control from the start, walking Dean West and Roch Cholowsky, then giving up a single to Mulivai Levu to load the bases. He then walked Roman Martin on five pitches to bring in the Bruins' first run. However, Schutte retired the next three — with two strikeouts — to limit the damage. UCLA added to its lead with Cashel Dugger hitting a double to lead off the second. A sacrifice bunt from Phoenix Call advanced Dugger to third before West drove him home with a single. The Bruins put the game out of reach methodically in the fourth inning. Following a Dugger lineout, Call and West each singled. They were moved into scoring position by a Cholowsky sacrifice bunt. Advertisement With two outs, Schutte could have escaped the inning, but he hit Levu with his first pitch to once again load the bases. Martin then hit an RBI single, followed by a double from AJ Salgado that scored another two runs. UCLA pitcher Michael Barnett was on his way to getting through five scoreless innings after retiring the first two Racers batters in the fifth. But he allowed a single to Jonathan Hogart and walked Dustin Mercer before leaving the game. Bruins coach John Savage told ESPN reporter Dani Wexelman that Barnett was dealing with leg cramps. Wylan Moss took over and gave up an RBI single to Carson Garner for Murray State's first run. The run was charged to Barnett, who finished with one run and three hits allowed with four strikeouts and four walks in 4 2/3 innings. Advertisement The Racers added another run in the sixth on singles by Luke Mistone and Will Vierling, followed by a sacrifice fly from Dan Tauken. They threatened to score more in the seventh against UCLA reliever Jack O'Connor, with Hogart and Mercer leading off the frame with singles. But O'Connor got the next two batters to fly out before August Souza took over and got Mistone to line out. Souza walked Vierling and gave up a double to Tauken to begin the eighth. Both runners came around to score on RBI groundouts, closing Murray State's deficit to 6-4. But Hogart struck out to end the Racers' last best threat. Advertisement UCLA will enjoy a steak dinner courtesy of Bruins alum Gerrit Cole, according to Savage. The team will face the winner of Saturday night's LSU-Arkansas game on Monday. Murray State will play the loser of that matchup in a Monday elimination game. In the meantime, Racers fans in Omaha can perhaps console themselves with the fact that their school currently ranks second in the Rocco's Jell-O shot challenge. LSU 4, Arkansas 1 Later on Saturday, LSU picked up the 4-1 win over Arkansas in a defense-heavy matchup. The Tigers earned the win against their SEC rival largely off a strong second inning, and kept the lead with some great pitching from starter Kade Anderson. LSU got things started in the second inning, loading the bases off star Razorbacks pitcher Zach Root. The Tigers then scored off three consecutive plays. Chris Stanfield and Josh Pearson each notched RBI singles; sandwiched between the two RBIs, Michael Braswell III was hit by a pitch to advance the runners for another run. Advertisement After the hot inning, Arkansas coach Dave Van horn pulled Root early, with sophomore Gabe Gaeckle coming in to replace him. Gaeckle put up quite a performance, notching 10 strikeouts across six shutout innings before being replaced in the eighth. Gaeckle and Anderson put up a great defensive performance, holding the score at 3-0 through the next three innings. And in the bottom of the sixth, the Razorbacks finally got on the board with a solo homer from first baseman Reese Robinett. Gaeckle may have held off the LSU offense, but the Tigers came right back the minute he left. It only took one batter after Gaeckle was replaced by freshman Cole Gibler before LSU left fielder Derek Curiel got an RBI single to put the Tigers up 4-1. Advertisement At the start of the eighth, Anderson was replaced after allowing a base hit. The lefty sophomore ended with seven strikeouts after 100 pitches while holding Arkansas to only four baserunners. The Razorbacks defense held on in the top of the ninth, stranding two LSU batters to keep the score at 4-1 heading into the bottom of the inning. But freshman righty Casan Evans was able to close out the game and secure the 4-1 win.
