Aggies looking forward after lost chance
Pandemic ended promising run in 2020, but strong cast returns
COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M coach Rob Childress is candid in addressing the abrupt end to a promising 2020 season for the Aggies, at the time led by perhaps the most dominating pitcher in college baseball.
“I don’t think you’ll ever put that behind you,” Childress said. “The opportunity to get a front-row seat to watch Asa Lacy pitch for 10 weeks in the SEC is something you’ll never get back.”
Lacy became A&M’s highest baseball draft choice in history, at No. 4 to the Kansas City Royals last summer. Childress mentioned the “two” in the onetwo punch of Lacy and Christian Roa, a secondround selection to the Cincinnati Reds, as well, in addressing what might have been.
“I don’t know that I’ll ever get over that — I have such strong feelings about those two, not just as pitchers but as people,” Childress said.
A&M’s season ended because of the COVID-19 pandemic as the Aggies were preparing to board a bus bound for their league opener at Auburn. With 2020 in the rearview mirror for A&M and the rest of college baseball, which did not have a World Series for the first time since it began in 1947, the Aggies are champing to make up for lost innings.
With Lacy and Roa and last year’s leading hitter, Zach DeLoach, off to pro baseball, the Aggies vow they’re ready to fill in the formidable gaps. They crank up their season with a doubleheader against Xavier scheduled to start 2 p.m. Saturday at Blue Bell Park, with a series finale scheduled for noon Sunday.
Fans are allowed in a limited capacity, and Childress is stoked all over again.
“This is probably the most depth, balance and experience we’ve had from a position player standpoint,” said Childress, entering his 16th season at A&M.
Why the exclusion of the Aggies, who last played in the College World Series in 2017 and have made a school-record 13 consecutive NCAA tournaments, from most top 25 preseason rankings is a bit perplexing.
“When you look at the things we’ve done and who we bring back … (of course) everybody else brings experience back, too,” Childress said. “The preseason polls give people something to talk about for a month … but they don’t mean anything. It’s that last poll that means the most, but the (preseason polls) have served as a motivator.”
A&M reliever Chandler Jozwiak said the players have had “multiple talks” about being left out of the top 25, while in-state foes like Texas Tech (No. 3 in Baseball America), Texas (No. 12) and TCU (No. 13) make the early list.
“We do feel a little disrespected,” Jozwiak said. “(But) I don’t mind being an underdog. We’re going to prove everybody wrong, and we’re going to make a run for this thing.”
Outside of DeLoach, a second-round selection to Seattle who was hitting .421 when the season ended after 18 games, the Aggies return their top five hitters from last season.
“We have the capability to be the best offense in the country,” infielder Bryce Blaum said. “We just have so much depth on this team. There are probably 15 or 16 hitters who are going to go out there and compete, and have great at-bats.”
Junior righthander Bryce Miller, 1-2 last season with a 3.27 ERA, had an exceptional fall and winter in stepping in for Lacy.
“There’s no question in anyone’s mind he’s earned the opportunity to start for us in Game 1,” Childress said.
Lefthanders Dustin Saenz and Jonathan Childress are scheduled to start the second and third games, respectively, with Nathan Dettmer, Trevor Werner and Jozwiak making good early impressions in the bullpen. Lefty Chris Weber is the midweek starter, for starters.
“We’re in a good place,” said Rob Childress, whose specialty is developing pitchers.
Blaum said the Aggies, who open SEC play at topranked Florida on March 18, not only intend to soon crack the top 25, but be one of the last eight teams standing in the CWS.
“Last year we felt like we had a very strong chance of making a run at a national championship,” Blaum said. “We felt like an opportunity for us to win big was taken away. Now we have so many of those pieces back from that team and it’s, ‘OK, let’s go get this.’
“We can’t have that year back, but we can control what’s going to come this year on the field.”