Jim Schlossnagle details the impact of Texas A&M's senior class

The Texas A&M Aggies baseball team came up just short in the regional round against Stanford. The Aggies lost their final game against the Cardinal on Monday 7-1. After a wild ride battling through the SEC this year and everything else Texas A&M has been through, skipper Jim Schlossnagle could not have been any prouder of his ball club. Following the loss of Stanford, Schlossnagle took some time to talk about the seniors and what they’ve meant to this program.

“They completely changed the direction of the program,” said Schlossnagle. “It has had nothing to do with the head coach. It has everything to do with guys like Austin and Werner, who has another year, but who knows? JT, all those guys. And it’s not just the seniors. Its the guys that have been here the last two years have changed the expectation of the program.

Texas A&M won their initial matchup against Stanford, who was also the host team in the regional bracket. The Aggies beat the Cardinal 8-5. But Stanford exacted revenge on Texas A&M, not once but twice. In the second matchup, Stanford beat Texas A&M soundly 13-5 to force a third contest between the two teams. And in that last match, there was nothing the Aggies offense could do to get over the Cardinal pitching rotation. Stanford would use four pitchers in the game who combined for ten strikeouts, allowed seven hits, with five walks, and just one earned run.

“There’s going to be a day when we have a new ballpark that will hold 15,000 seats. And the whole reason happened is because of guys like this. They were here when it wasn’t great, and they hung around when they could have gone somewhere else. They could have gone to another school, they could have gone to professional baseball last year, and they came back and gave everything they had. We didn’t end up where we wanted to end up, but I’d be shocked to find a real Aggie that isn’t proud of these kids because I can tell y’all I am. They’ve made me a better coach, and I’ve learned way more from them than they learn from me. And they mean the world to me.”

Under Schlossnagle, the Aggies baseball program has seen a resurgence. Last year he led them to a trip to the College World Series. Schlossnagle has brought plenty of excitement back to Aggie baseball. But for him, it’s not about what he is doing but rather his players. And for that, he is thankful to seniors and all the players that have helped him drive this renaissance of Texas A&M baseball.