Previewing the SEC Teams Inside the Top 25
By Baron Dionis
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Number 8, Texas A&M University
Next up at number eight is the Texas A&M Aggies. Last season, the Aggies finished with a record of 38-27 while going 14-16 in conference play. This record landed them into fifth place in the west side of the Southeastern Conference.
Last season, the Aggies season ended short as they lost to Stanford in the regionals of the College World Series. They also lost in the SEC championship to Vanderbilt. These tough losses did not stop transfers from wanting to come to Texas A&M as they landed one of the top transfers in the country.
Braden Montgomery is a two-way prospect from Standford University that is a the 10th overall draft prospect according to MLB Pipeline. Montgomery is known for his great bat in college, but has struggled slightly on the mound. Last season, Montgomery batted .336 with 17 home runs and 61 runs batted in. He also had an OPS of 1.072.
The Aggies are returning power hitting sophomore Jace LaViolette. After a very impressive freshman year, LaViolette was named to the SEC All Freshman Team. In that strong freshman season, LaViolette had a batting average of .287 with 21 home runs and 63 runs batted in. He also stole 18 bases and had an OPS of 1.046.
Evan Aschenbeck leads the Aggies pitching staff this season. Last season, the Aggies had a pitching staff that struggled tremendously, but picked up a solid arm in the portal to go along with Aschenbeck.
Last season, Aschenbeck posted a 3.46 earned run average in 65 innings pitched with 75 strikeouts. The Aggies also picked up right-handed pitcher, Tanner Jones, from Jacksonville State University. Last season, Jones posted a 4.67 earned run average in 79 innings pitched with 84 strikeouts.
The Texas A&M Aggies are going to be led by their offense in 2024, but their pitchers should be able to be competitive. This team that the Aggies put together is solid and can cause damage in the SEC this season.