San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Aggies rally again to earn first CWS berth in 5 years
COLLEGE STATION — Rolling Texas A&M shifted gears about a month ago from a rebuilding year to angling for a surprise visit to the banks of the Missouri River. For a college baseball program this time of year, such a year-end expedition to the middle of America is the hope — and the Aggies' hope is now reality.
A&M, the No. 5 overall seed of the NCAA Tournament, dispatched Louisville in two games of a super regional at Blue Bell Park, this time 4-3 on Saturday before a full house in Blue Bell Park and in 100-degree heat for much of the nine innings.
Yells of, “We're going to Omaha, baby!” were audible from a celebratory Aggies locker room in the minutes after the win.
The Aggies (42-18) in their first year under coach Jim Schlossnagle advance to their first College World Series in Omaha, Neb., in five years. This will be A&M's seventh trip to the CWS, and the Aggies are 0-6 in their last three
appearances in 1999, 2011 and 2017.
“This was an awesome life change for me, both personally and professionally,” said Schlossnagle, who came to A&M from TCU. “… (And) we're not finished. We've got to get some rest and get ready to go play some
more baseball.”
They haven't won a CWS game since 1993 against Kansas under then-coach Mark Johnson. A&M, which lost two of three to Penn of the Ivy League in the second home series of the season, can now relax on Sunday and begin packing for Omaha while other programs are fighting it out in decisive Game 3s on Sunday.
The Aggies, serving as visitors on their home field in Game 2, snapped open a 3-3 tie in the top of the seventh on a sacrifice fly to center field by Dylan Rock. A&M's Trevor Werner was hit by a pitch with one out and advanced to third on a single to right-center by the red hot Jack Moss. Rock followed with the fly ball scoring Werner.
Louisville, which ends its season at 42-21-1, whiffed big time on a chance to break open a 2-2 tie when center fielder Levi Usher inexplicably bunted down the third base line with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the third.
The ball only rolled a few feet and A&M catcher Troy Claunch scooped it up and easily tagged out a runner headed home to end the threat. Claunch also threw out a runner trying to steal second with one out in the bottom of the eighth, to wipe out another chance for the Cardinals to tie the game.
A&M relievers Will Johnston, Brad Rudis and Jacob Palisch shut down the Cardinals over the final four innings in following starter Micah Dallas, who allowed all three runs in the first five innings.
The Aggies won on Friday in the bottom of the ninth on a twoout, bases loaded single by Claunch.
A&M won the last super regional it hosted in two games, as well, over Davidson five years ago. The Aggies then lost to Louisville and TCU in the CWS — the two programs they eliminated in the College Station regional and super regional this year.
A&M had dipped to mediocre for much of the past four seasons, including failing to make the SEC and NCAA tournaments last season, why A&M athletic director Ross Bjork turned to Schlossnagle, who guided TCU to five College World Series in his 18 seasons in Fort Worth, including four in a row from 2014-17.