Latest news with #JaceLaViolette
USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Which franchise will select Texas A&M's superstar slugger in the 2025 MLB Draft?
Which franchise will select Texas A&M's superstar slugger in the 2025 MLB Draft? With the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft 63 days away, Texas A&M's outfield slugger is one of six players from the Southeastern Conference projected to hear their names called on Sunday, July 13, in Atlanta, Georgia. Jace LaViolette ranks as the No. 7 prospect from this year's available draft class, according to MLB Pipeline senior writer Jim Callis' 2025 mock draft list. The only players ahead of LaViolette from the SEC are Tennessee left-handed pitcher Liam Doyle and LSU's dominant lefty Kade Anderson. After a stellar performance in this year's SEC Tournament that saw LaViolette crush a grand slam and record six total RBI, the junior from Katy, Texas, earned his way to the 2025 SEC All-Tournament Team and collected All-SEC First Team honors. That is just the icing on the cake of a tremendous collegiate career, which was topped off by battling through a broken hand in Texas A&M's quarterfinals matchup against the LSU Tigers. Will the Cincinnati Reds franchise select the Aggies' superstar outfielder? Above and beyond his 68 home runs and 202 RBI in his collegiate career, there is an undeniable grit and determination to succeed. LaViolette has proven to be one of the toughest players in the country during his three years in Bryan-College Station, Texas. There are still areas that need improvement, however. One factor of LaViolette's game that has been an obstacle for franchises to look past is his inconsistency at times in his at-bats. One example is when he went 1-of-12 at the plate against LSU, in which a plethora of MLB scouts were in attendance to watch the Texas A&M slugger. Here is what Callis said about LaViolette on MLB's Pipeline mock draft rankings. "LaViolette entered the year No. 2 on our original Top 100, but he has had an up-and-down spring that included going 1-of-12 with six strikeouts against Louisiana State last weekend in front of a large group of scouts. While he offers the best combination of power, physicality and athleticism in the Draft, his swing-and-miss issues concern clubs." While most publications and members of the media have LaViolette being called in the first 10 picks of the MLB Draft, some have him falling back a few picks. He ranks as the projected No. 17 pick in The Athletic's Top 100 MLB Prospects. Here is what senior writer Keith Law had to say about LaViolette and what he brings to the table for franchises looking to select him. "LaViolette was overhyped coming into the year, but in this draft class he offers enough upside to go in the back of the first round, with easy plus power, some patience, and what will probably end up above-average defense in right field. He still swings and misses too often, and whoever takes him will probably have to work with him on his swing mechanics to cut that down." These sentiments from media professionals provide mixed reviews, with a common addressed issue. If LaViolette wants to see continued success in the pros, he must find ways to create better and more consistent at-bats, while also improving his mechanics at times. That will help the young star strike out less and secure more big-time hits like he recorded during his time in the Maroon and White. 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 Dylan on X: @dylanmflippo.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Did Texas A&M baseball make NCAA tournament? Aggies first preseason No. 1 to miss since 1991
Texas A&M baseball's disappointing season came to an end on Monday, after the Aggies weren't selected for the NCAA tournament. Texas A&M was not listed as a First Four Out team by the NCAA selection committee, either, meaning it was at least four teams back of being picked for the tournament. The NCAA tournament miss marks the first time the preseason No. 1-ranked team missed out on making the field since 1991. Advertisement REQUIRED READING: NCAA baseball selection show live updates for 2025 NCAA tournament bracket reveal The Aggies went 30-26 this season, finishing 11-19 in SEC play. They finished the season ranked 50th in RPI, one year after falling to Tennessee in the national championship. Texas A&M returned Gavin Grahovac, the SEC Freshman of the Year last season, and outfielder Jace LaViolette, a projected first-round pick, for 2025. However, it had to replace coach Jim Schlossnagle, who left the Aggies for Texas after the 2024 College World Series. Grahovac also went down with a season-ending injury early in the season, which was one of many injuries for Texas A&M in 2025 as Gavin Kash and Caden Sorrell also missed extended time. Pitcher Shane Sdao also missed the entire season after having elbow surgery last offseason, and designated hitter Hayden Schott played the entire year with a torn meniscus, similar to the injury he played through in the College World Series last season. Advertisement Regardless, it was quite the disappointing season for Texas A&M, who was expected to be a powerhouse this season under first-year coach Michael Earley, who was the Aggies' hitting coach in 2024. Did Texas A&M make NCAA baseball tournament? Texas A&M wasn't included in the 64-team field for the NCAA baseball tournament on Monday when the full bracket was revealed. Texas A&M also wasn't particularly close to being in the field, either, as it wasn't one of the First Four Out teams, according to the NCAA selection committee. The Aggies went 30-26 this season, finishing 14th of 16 SEC teams in the regular season standings. Texas A&M was also notably swept at home by Missouri this season, which marked Missouri's only three wins in SEC play this season. The Tigers were 16-39 on the year and 3-27 in conference play. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Did Texas A&M baseball make the NCAA tournament?
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Did Texas A&M baseball make NCAA tournament? Aggies first preseason No. 1 to miss since 1991
Did Texas A&M baseball make NCAA tournament? Aggies first preseason No. 1 to miss since 1991 Show Caption Hide Caption ASUN baseball: Stetson celebrates NCAA Tournament trip after FGCU game After their ASUN championship game against Florida Gulf Coast was scrapped due to bad weather, Stetson received the league's NCAA Tournament spot. Texas A&M baseball's disappointing season came to an end on Monday, after the Aggies weren't selected for the NCAA tournament. Texas A&M was not listed as a First Four Out team by the NCAA selection committee, either, meaning it was at least four teams back of being picked for the tournament. The NCAA tournament miss marks the first time the preseason No. 1-ranked team missed out on making the field since 1991. REQUIRED READING: NCAA baseball selection show live updates for 2025 NCAA tournament bracket reveal The Aggies went 30-26 this season, finishing 11-19 in SEC play. They finished the season ranked 50th in RPI, one year after falling to Tennessee in the national championship. Texas A&M returned Gavin Grahovac, the SEC Freshman of the Year last season, and outfielder Jace LaViolette, a projected first-round pick, for 2025. However, it had to replace coach Jim Schlossnagle, who left the Aggies for Texas after the 2024 College World Series. Grahovac also went down with a season-ending injury early in the season, which was one of many injuries for Texas A&M in 2025 as Gavin Kash and Caden Sorrell also missed extended time. Pitcher Shane Sdao also missed the entire season after having elbow surgery last offseason, and designated hitter Hayden Schott played the entire year with a torn meniscus, similar to the injury he played through in the College World Series last season. Regardless, it was quite the disappointing season for Texas A&M, who was expected to be a powerhouse this season under first-year coach Michael Earley, who was the Aggies' hitting coach in 2024. Did Texas A&M make NCAA baseball tournament? Texas A&M wasn't included in the 64-team field for the NCAA baseball tournament on Monday when the full bracket was revealed. Texas A&M also wasn't particularly close to being in the field, either, as it wasn't one of the First Four Out teams, according to the NCAA selection committee. The Aggies went 30-26 this season, finishing 14th of 16 SEC teams in the regular season standings. Texas A&M was also notably swept at home by Missouri this season, which marked Missouri's only three wins in SEC play this season. The Tigers were 16-39 on the year and 3-27 in conference play.
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Texas A&M star OF makes 2025 SEC Tournament All-Tournament Team
Texas A&M star OF makes 2025 SEC Tournament All-Tournament Team Texas A&M's (30-26) 2025 baseball season is likely over after the Aggies' 4-3 Quarterfinal loss to LSU in the SEC Tournament this week, as the NCAA Tournament is likely a pipe dream given the program's poor record, despite finishing with 13 wins in conference play, including consecutive wins over Mississippi State and Auburn this week. Texas A&M's excellent pitching was outshined by junior outfielder Jace LaViolette, whose broken left hand didn't prevent the star but returning 24 hours later to the lineup to deliver two of the Aggies' three runs on the night, which was truly miraculous to watch. If the Aggies' season is indeed over, LaViolette finished as the NCAA active leader in home runs with 68, including a team-high 18 this season paired with 51 hits, while hitting a career-low .258 at the plate. During the SEC Tournament, LaViolette had two hits, including a home run and 6 RBI, and was unsurprisingly named to the 2025 SEC Baseball All-Tournament Team as a designated hitter. Here is the rest of the list at every position after Vanderbilt took home the SEC Tournament Championship on Sunday afternoon. P: Hunter Elliott, Ole Miss P: Connor Spencer, Ole Miss C: Cannon Peebles, Tennessee DH: Jace LaViolette, Texas A&M 1B: Riley Nelson, Vanderbilt 2B: Judd Utermark, Ole Miss 3B: Brodie Johnston, Vanderbilt SS: Jaxon Willits, Oklahoma OF: RJ Austin, Vanderbilt OF: Hunter Ensley, Tennessee OF: Richie Bonomolo Jr., Alabama Most Valuable Player: Brodie Johnston, Vanderbilt Texas A&M coach Michael Earley and his 2025 roster will wait and see if they will be selected in the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Monday afternoon, which is a long shot, but as we've seen in the past, crazier things have happened on Selection Monday. 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.
USA Today
25-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Texas A&M slugger, MLB prospect closes book on dominant collegiate career
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. 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 Dylan on X: @dylanmflippo.
