Texas A&M was the talk of the town in college baseball entering the 2025 season.
The Aggies were the 2024 Men’s College World Series runner-ups and D1baseball’s preseason No. 1 team. Many wondered how dominant the nation’s arguably best pitcher-hitter duo would be with redshirt junior lefty Ryan Prager and junior center fielder Jace LaViolette. Others turned their attention to the team’s new head coach Michael Earley, after Jim Schlossnagle left College Station just a day after TAMU’s 2024 campaign wrapped up.
Yet, all those hopes had washed away by the halfway point of the season. Texas A&M was on the opposite end of the mountain top — zero ranked wins, a 1-9 SEC record and a below .500 overall record after getting no-hit by Tennessee on April 4.
A return to the MCWS wasn’t only in jeopardy; whether they could make the 64-team NCAA tournament was the bigger question.
However, the Aggies have made a complete 180 in the last few weeks, winning nine of their last 10. They’ve won three straight series, including back-to-back road series wins over then-No. 1 Tennessee and then-No. 2 Arkansas, and sit at 26-14.
Getting no-hit might’ve been what the doctor ordered to turn TAMU’s season around.
Between the slow start and their revival in April, TAMU has put itself in a good spot, but not a great one, for the postseason. So, let’s take a look at what’s been working for Texas A&M lately and their potential roads to the NCAA tournament.
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‘DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK’
Actor and rapper LL Cool J’s famous phrase from his 1990 song “Mama Said Knock You Out” rings loud in College Station. Although Texas A&M’s resurrection is remarkable, the Aggies have one of the most talented rosters in the SEC and the country. A turnaround was inevitable.
And now that they’ve come to life, here’s a look at the starting lineups’ batting averages on April 4 and since then.
| Player | Batting average on April 4 | Batting average since April 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Terrence Kiel II | .326 | .349 |
| Jace LaViolette | .315 | .552 |
| Bear Harrison | .303 | .423 |
| Wyatt Henseler | .299 | .326 |
| Kaeden Kent | .297 | .545 |
| Blake Binderup | .250 | .353 |
| *Hayden Schott | .237 | .571 |
| Ben Royo | .231 | .216 |
| Gavin Kash | .215 | .000 |
| *Sawyer Farr | .213 | .000 |
*Less than 10 at-bats
LaViolette has been a catalyst during the turnaround, specifically in TAMU’s latest series against the Razorbacks. He batted .417 with four home runs, seven RBIs, eight runs and was named SEC and Perfect Game National Player of the Week. The Aggies’ pitching staff has found its rhythm as well. They’ve given up five or more runs in just four contests — the Aggies are 3-1 when that has happened.
Surprisingly, though, the biggest spark plug during the 11-game run might not have been LaViolette or the pitchers; it would be the return of sophomore outfielder Caden Sorrell.
Texas A&M caught the injury bug early in the year. Sorrell, who was named to the 2025 Preseason Second Team All-SEC, was sidelined indefinitely due to an offseason hamstring injury, while other stars, sophomore infielder/outfielder Gavin Grahovac and senior right-hander Josh Stewart, were ruled out for the remainder of the season, less than seven games in.
Sorrell made his season debut on March 29 and hasn’t looked back, hitting .358 with six home runs and 19 RBIs and a walk-off home run stamped to his name.
A little Olsen Magic to end your night 🪄🪄🪄#GigEm | @CadenSorrell pic.twitter.com/Q2aDdPetMN
— Texas A&M Baseball (@AggieBaseball) April 11, 2025
The team’s turnaround has been a collective effort, finding success at the plate, in the field and on the mound. And with the return of Sorrell, TAMU has attained the battery it so needed in its back.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HOPES
Of course, the easiest route for the Aggies to reach the postseason is to win the SEC tournament and secure an automatic bid. But in a bloodbath-like conference like the SEC, there isn’t a clear answer on who’d come out on top. Currently, Texas A&M has the fifth-worst conference record at 8-10 and would need to win five straight tournament games to secure the automatic bid.
The most realistic scenario is following in 2024 Florida’s footsteps: get an at-large bid (No. 3 seed) and make a run back to Omaha.
The Gators’ road to the MCWS was the reverse of TAMU. They jumped out to a hot start, but went off the rails in the second half of the season and lost their first-round matchup to Vanderbilt in the SEC tournament. After that, they went 6-1 in the regional and super regional before packing their bags for the MCWS
Here’s a look at Florida’s 2024 regular season versus Texas A&M’s currently.
| 2024 Florida | Category | 2025 Texas A&M |
|---|---|---|
| 28-26 (.519) | Overall record | 24-16 (.600) |
| 13-17 (.433) | Conference record | 8-10 (.444) |
| 12 | Wins against ranked opponents | 4 |
| 4 | SEC series wins | 3 |
| .273 | Batting average | .280 |
| 6.28 | ERA | 4.30 |
| 9 | SEC tournament seed | ? |
| 3 | NCAA tournament seed | ? |
The Aggies’ resurgence, with a little less than a month left in the regular season, bodes well for the team’s confidence and makes reaching the NCAA tournament sound even sweeter, but it won’t be a walk in the park. They arguably have the toughest SEC schedule remaining with three of their four matchups against top-10 teams.
They face top-ranked Texas to cap off April and will take on LSU and Georgia in May, three teams with 38 conference wins combined.
TAMU’s road back to Omaha was nearly closed at the start of the month and didn’t seem like it was opening back up any time soon. That thought has now left the station, and in place of it, there’s a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.
