As the Texas A&M Aggies face off against the Tennessee Volunteers in this weekend's College World Series final, each team will be trying to finish off a run to their school's first baseball national championship. So, it's safe to say that the pressure is on for both TAMU and UT.
Texas A&M have never won a College World Series title. However, the Aggies didn't become the country's third ranked seed overall in the tournament by not being an exceptional all-around team. They are loaded at the plate and on the mound. The talent is there. The question is, will they finish their story?
Texas A&M's Offense is one of nation's best
Addressing the elephant in the room, losing arguably the program' best hitter in Braden Montgomery right before the College World Series does sting a bit. Nevertheless, Texas A&M has weathered that loss with a deep and dynamic lineup.
Outfielder Jace LaViolette was the Nightwing to Montgomery's Batman this season, leading the team in home runs (28). He also finished second in RBIs with 77 and fourth in batting average with a .306 mark. His offensive prowess is one of the big reasons why Texas A&M has made it thus far, and it should continue against the Volunteers.
LaViolette also led the team in games played, suiting up in all 65 games Texas A&M have played this season. Tying him with that mark are junior Ali Camarillo (.293 BA with seven round trippers and 36 RBIs; and stud transfer Hayden Schott, who led the team with a .333 BA to go with eight long balls and 61 RBIs.
Expect an Aggie offense that has been a high powered one for the majority of the season to show up strong in this final three-game set. They'll need to be at the top of their game if they are going to beat what could be the only offense that is better than theirs in Tennessee.
Texas A&M's pitching is led by two stars
Both Ryan Prager (third team) and Evan Aschenbeck (second team) made the All-American roster voted on by the staff at Baseball America. After a peek at both their statlines and how they performed in key moments through the season, the Aggies will certainly be happy to have the two top pitchers on their side.
Aschenbeck led Texas A&M in appearances with 30 on the season, and also leads the team in ERA (1.54) and saves with ten. He also averages over two innings per outing, accumlating a total of 70 frames so far this campaign. Whenever the Aggies need a door shut, Aschenbeck is the man to do it.
Prager, a redshirt sophomore, is the number one starter for Texas A&M. He leads the team in innings pitched with 93.2, going 9-1 with a 2.88 ERA. In a must-win game, he's the type of starter you want on the mound for your team, no questions asked.
Other standouts include Chris Cortez, who pitched in 24 games, starting three of them. The junior pitcher led the team in wins with ten, and notched a 2.98 ERA in 60.1 innings, fourth best on the team. Shane Sdao was second in the program with two saves, and put together a 2.96 ERA.
It's safe to say Texas A&M has all of the pieces to win their first national championship. Winning it over conference rival Tennessee would make it that much sweeter. Will LaViolette, Aschenbeck and the rest of the team seal the deal? As soon as Sunday evening rolls around, we could know our answer.
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