Jace LaViolette: 'I have full faith in this team' ahead of winner-take-all Game 3

On Sunday, Texas A&M was three innings away from securing its first national title in program history. Instead, Tennessee found two home runs late to force a Game 3. While Texas A&M outfielder Jace LaViolette was disappointed in the loss, he hasn’t lost any faith in his team.

“This is the most comfortable we felt playing baseball in a while. I have full faith in this team,” LaViolette said after the loss. “Every single person on this team has full faith in ourselves. I mean, at the end of the day, it’s another baseball game. Like, elimination or not, we always put our pants on the same, we all do the things the same.

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“It’s about who can settle in first and the quickest. And, at the end of the day, it’s baseball and we get to play tomorrow. As Coach said, we don’t have to. It’s a blessing to wake up and be able to play this game. Obviously, it sucks that we lost today but at the end of the day, I get to wake up tomorrow and play the game I love. It’s a blessing.”

LaViolette was the only Aggie on Sunday to drive in a run. In the bottom of the first inning, the standout sophomore belted a solo shot 415 feet to right field to give Texas A&M a 1-0 lead.

It was LaViolette’s first home run in the NCAA Tournament and his 29th this season. He leads the Aggies in home runs this year, with Braden Montgomery following closely behind. LaViolette is playing through a lingering hamstring injury he suffered against Florida in Game 2 of the College World Series.

On Monday, Jace LaViolette will face another obstacle. For the first time in the NCAA Tournament, Texas A&M will be entering a game on a loss. The team was a perfect 9-0 before falling to the Volunteers on Sunday. Now, the Aggies will look to exact revenge in bounce back fashion.

“Close ball game—just exactly what you’d expect with these two teams,” Texas A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle said after Game 2. “To think you’re going to roll right through it in two games would be, that would have been nice but it’s obviously—we get to play. We don’t have to play. We get to play the last college baseball game of the season. And that’s awesome.”

On Monday, Texas A&M and Tennessee will clash in a series-deciding Game 3 at 7 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.