Texas A&M slugger, MLB prospect closes book on dominant collegiate career

USA Today

25-05-2025

Texas A&M slugger, MLB prospect closes book on dominant collegiate career
It is difficult to express the importance of Texas A&M outfielder Jace LaViolette's contributions at the plate and in the field while wearing the Maroon and White uniform.
During three years in Bryan-College Station, Texas, LaViolette shattered a plethora of program records. He currently holds the record for most career home runs (68) and walks (163), while also ranking fourth in RBI (196) and total bases (438).
Above the astonishing career records at Texas A&M is a gritty and determined athlete who would do anything to help his club succeed. That sentiment glistened like a diamond under the bright lights at the SEC Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, as the junior Major League Baseball prospect gritted his teeth through the pain of a broken hand and left it all on the field for the Aggies in the quarterfinals against LSU.
No matter what franchise pulls the trigger on LaViolette, a mentality like that mixed with an undeniable ability to formulate excellent at-bats will provide success wherever he ends up following an incredible collegiate career.
Before his arrival on the Texas A&M University campus as a freshman in 2023, LaViolette was ranked as the 27th outfielder in the nation at Tompkins High School in Katy, Texas. During his stint at Tompkins, he hit for a .591 batting average, 55 runs, 53 RBI, 13 stolen bases, 11 home runs, 12 triples, and nine doubles on his way to being named the All East Texas MVP in his senior year.
From there, LaViolette had the decision to take the route of skipping college ball to enter the MLB Draft. As he spent time around the program during the summer of 2022, he knew he was destined to become an Aggie.
"These last two weeks just really sealed the deal for me," LaViolette said in an interview with TexAgs following his summer interactions with members of the prgoram. "Before that, I was alread bought in, but I didn't fully understand by what people meant when they said this is the best university to come to. Now that I'm here and I understand, this is the best place to be."
Since he made it official, he has always and forever bled Maroon and White. His willingness to lay it all on the line for his teammates and coaches proved to be a tremendous selling point, as LaViolette set the Texas A&M freshman record for homers in a season with 21 blasts in 64 starts for the Aggies.
LaViolette followed the outstanding freshman year by racking up his first First Team All-SEC honors as a sophomore in 2024, as he recorded a .305 batting average, 29 homers and 78 RBI.
What more can be said about LaViolette's junior year as an Aggie? To many, it can be defined by his string of impressive performances in Hoover.
In the opening contest against Mississippi State, LaViolette welcomed the Bulldogs to the SEC Tournament by mashing a grand slam that aided the Aggies to a dominant 9-0 victory.
After setting up a showdown against Auburn with the win over the Bulldogs, LaViolette was primed and ready to give everything he had in the tank to help Texas A&M stay alive. That was before adversity struck in the form of a left-hand injury, as he was struck by a fastball against the Tigers.
This changed everything. A player like LaViolette is a game-changing athlete who can push a program to unprecedented heights. The entirety of the sporting world, college baseball fans across the country and even LaViolette himself seemingly believed his season was over.
That is when he did the unthinkable, as he jogged out for batting practice and told his coaches he was good to go. As a designated hitter for the Aggies, he recorded two RBI and kick-started a fiery momentum for his fellow teammates.
Through the hardships and adversity he faced in Hoover and throughout his career sporting the Texas A&M uniform, LaViolette said he would fight for this program forever.
"It's hard man. You work so hard and prepare for a season like we did, and sometimes baseball's a funny game. It's hard, it's got its ups and downs, but at the end of the day, I'll be able to call these guys brothers for the rest of my life, and I'm just glad for [head coach] Michael Earley, and I couldn't have asked to play for anyone else."
Aggie fans will have to wait until Sunday, July 13, to hear LaViolette's name called in the 2025 MLB Draft. According to the MLB Top Baseball Draft Prospect Rankings, he ranks as the seventh-best player entering the draft this year.
The draft will take place in Atlanta, Georgia, starting on July 13 and ending on July 15.
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