Texas A&M hopes to be at forefront of SEC assault on Omaha
Known for football, league flexing muscles in baseball
COLLEGE STATION — Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey was on hand in Oklahoma City in the midst of March Madness to catch Texas A&M in the NCAA Tournament.
But Sankey proudly began chatting up another sport, too, while in the tunnels of Chesapeake Energy Arena, marveling at the number of SEC baseball teams in the top 12 early in league play.
At the time five SEC teams cracked the Baseball America top dozen — two months later, it has a whopping seven of the top 12 in the nation’s top baseball conference, including the top three in Florida, Texas A&M and Mississippi State.
The Aggies opened a series with No. 6 Mississippi on Thursday night at Blue Bell Park, and courtesy of a five-run sixth inning defeated the Rebels 6-1 before 4,494 fans.
A&M starter Brigham Hill struck out eight while allowing a lone run over seven innings as the Aggies improved to 40-12 and 19-9 in SEC action. The Rebels fell to 39-14 and 17-11.
For the past decade, SEC football has earned national notoriety as the top conference for the sport, and it’s a legitimate claim. The SEC has won eight of the last 10 national titles in football. Meanwhile, the league has won four of the last seven national titles in baseball. But in terms of this school year, only two SEC football teams finished in the top 12 (including national champion Alabama).
Both football and baseball programs in the SEC beat up on each other during regular-season league play. The difference is the College Football Playoff has room for a scant four teams, the NCAA baseball tournament clears space for 64.
It’s why all seven of the conference teams in the
current top 12 own a legitimate chance to make the eight-team College World Series in Omaha, Neb. For instance, last season four of the eight CWS teams represented the SEC, with Virginia edging the SEC’s Vanderbilt in the championship series.
A&M coach Rob Childress has consistently preached the mantra of one game or one series at a time, and he’s serious.
“The message the players get from the coaches is, ‘It’s all about the next game,’ ” Childress said. “Keep your head down and keep your blinders on. If you look past the schedule you’ve got, it can take your breath away.”
Aggies on a roll
To wit, this month alone, the Aggies won two-of-three each from then-No. 10 Vanderbilt and then-No. 8 South Carolina, leading up to the series against the Rebels.
“We’ve got a lot on the line,” A&M center fielder Nick Choruby said following Thursday night’s series-opening victory.
A&M is trying to lock down its first national seed (top eight) in the NCAA tournament since 1999, and the Aggies had a strong case for one last year before being sent to TCU for a super regional in a controversial decision by the NCAA baseball committee deciding such things.
The Horned Frogs prevailed 5-4 in the 16th inning of the deciding third game to earn a trip to the CWS.
The Aggies were left mulling the possibilities of this season, and they appear to be in good shape for a shot at their first CWS appearance since 2011, and second under the 11th-year boss Childress, thanks to what should be a home-field advantage in a regional and then super regional.
Five seasons ago, A&M was in the Big 12, a solid baseball conference but not on par with the SEC. Four seasons ago, the Aggies began crossing the Sabine River to play league games, and have been trying to make their way back to Omaha since.
“Becoming comfortable in the league from a baseball standpoint is a transition for the coaches and the players,” Childress said. “Now that we’ve been in four years, our guys have gone and done that. Every team is extremely well-coached, and every program is committed to winning at the highest level. If you make one game or series more important than another, you’re setting yourself up for failure.”
National recognition
ESPN college baseball analyst Mike Rooney pegs five SEC teams among his eight national seeds, with such prognostications from national pundits not pleasing members of, well, every other eligible conference.
“There’s no rule that the SEC can’t have five of the top eight seeds,” Rooney said. “They deserve it at this point.”