Jim Schlossnagle addresses NCAA Tournament bubble, Texas A&M's resume
Jim Schlossnagle recognizes it’ll be a close call regarding Texas A&M’s status in the 2023 NCAA Baseball Tournament.
The Aggies are entering the SEC Tournament with a record of 33-23, but their conference record left much to be desired at 14-16. That has the Aggies a little tight entering plays his week, but Schlossnagle believes his team is ready to prove they’re deserving.
“Can you get John Cohen to call me and say ‘You’re in,’ and that’ll free us up?,” joked Schlossnagle, asked how the Aggies can relax this week. “But no, I mean, obviously I have my own personal opinion as to where we are going into this thing, having won six of our last eight series. We played 37 of our 55 games this past year without Brett Minnich or Trevor Werner in the lineup, or both.
“So we’re the healthiest we’ve been all season. Our starting pitching, Dettmer, Lamkin, now Wansing and Will Johnston, have all been really good in their last four starts. So I think we’re certainly deserving.”
Continuing, Schlossnagle explained why he believes the SEC is as good of a baseball conference as he’s ever seen at the moment, believing that we’re going to see at least eight to nine SEC squads potentially hosting regionals, which is a ridiculous feat.
“I haven’t been in the league very long, but Nolan Cain, my assistant from LSU, assistant coach, has been in the league a long time, and he feels like this is as good as the league has been during his last 10 years,” added the Texas A&M leader. “And if we’re talking about eight to nine teams potentially hosting regionals, certainly there has to be a 10th team get in.
“So, yes, I would like to think this continues to prove that we do belong in the NCAA tournament, but that’s not the only reason why we’re here. There’s a championship to be won, and we’re a long way from that. There’s a lot of baseball ahead. But let’s just see what can happen tomorrow.”
Texas A&M will have a tall task on their hands on Wednesday, as they’ll be facing Arkansas during the afternoon time slot at the SEC Tournament. Nevertheless, a victory and a little run could go a long way towards proving the Aggies’ worth to the committee, and that’s what Jim Schlossnagle will be looking to deliver.