No. 15 Texas A&M’s (26-7, 7-5 SEC) impressive win streak ended on Tuesday night after the Aggies fell to Texas State 9-8, and will now head into the most important series of the season, set to welcome No. 2 Texas back to College Station for the first time in two seasons, while former head coach Jim Schlossnagle’s dramatic exit to take over the Longhorns has yet to become a distant memory.
After the Longhorns swept the Aggies last season in Austin, Schlossnagles’ elite pitching staff faces a Texas A&M batting lineup that leads the SEC in eight categories, while star juniors Caden Sorrell and Gavin Grahovac have combined for 25 of the program’s 60-plus home runs on the year, and have yet to struggle since sweeping the Missouri Tigers two weeks ago.
Schlossnagle recruited and coached both players, as well as several other important roster pieces, and while he is completely focused on his second season with the Longhorns, hoping to make it back to the College World Series since his final season in College Station, the nationally respected head coach spoke to the media on Thursday before Game 1 on Friday night.
Echoing Gavin Grahovac, who stated on Wednesday that any emotions tied to facing his former head coach are second to focusing on the opposing players, Schlossnagle took the professional route, stating that he still has respect for the 12th Man and is excited to continue one of the greatest rivalries, while his relationships with several Texas A&M players and members of the coaching staff remains strong.
“I can’t control the fans. The 12th Man is awesome…. They’re very loyal. I’m don’t expect anything less than that over the course of the weekend.”
None of this is surprising, but given the social media activity related to Schlossnagles return to Blue Bell Park, there’s no love lost between both bitter rivals who will be in full force for all three games.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: ‘I can’t control the fans’: Jim Schlossnagle on facing Texas A&M
Reporting by Cameron Ohnysty, Aggies Wire / Aggies Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
