Washington transfer pitcher Grant Cunningham commits to Texas A&M
The Texas A&M Aggies landed one of the most coveted baseball prospects left in the transfer portal on Saturday evening. Washington pitcher Grant Cunningham, who throws as high as 96-98 miles per hour with his fastball, committed to the Aggies. Cunnigham announced the news on Saturday night via his own Twitter page.
Cunningham has a legitimate shot at earning the starting spot in the lineup. In his final campaign with the Huskies in 2023, he pitched 56 strikeouts to go along with a 2.86 ERA and a 3-4 overall record. A&M hired Michael Earley, the man who served as their hitting coach for the past three seasons.
Jim Schlossnagle’s departure to Texas led to 14 Aggies entering the transfer portal, including Jace LaViolette and Gavin Grahovac. Jason Kelly being named the Aggies pitching coach this offseason was likely a factor in Cunningham deciding to come to College Station.
As a freshman with the Huskies, Cunningham made 21 appearances, posting a 4.56 ERA in 53.1 innings. He fired 39 strikeouts, while also tossing in 13 walks. The Washington native matched his season-high of four strikeouts with back-to-back appearances against Oregon State (4/1) and Arizona (4/7).
As a high school prospect, Cunningham was named second team All-America West Region. He was also touted as the No. 29 overall prospect and the No. 16 right-handed pitcher by Perfect Game. He played his high school baseball for Seattle Preparatory School.
Texas A&M had an incredible season last year, posting a 53-15 overall record and just falling short of claiming the 2024 National Title. The Aggies defeated Tennessee in the first game of the CWS Finals 9-5, before dropping the last two games of the series. They battled back in the final game, before losing in a 6-5 heartbreaker. Still, there’s plenty of positives for fans in College Station to be excited about their program.
As far as the pitchers on the Texas A&M roster, Shane Sdao, Josh Stewart, and Justin Lamkin will all return next year. At the same time, world class closer Evan Aschenbeck is more than likely gone after being drafted in the sixth round by the Chicago Cubs. He was one of the nation’s best last season, and it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see him move on to pursue his professional career.