Jim Schlossnagle recaps Texas A&M's 3-0 weekend at Globe Life Field

It was a perfect weekend for Jim Schlossnagle & Co., improving to 11-0 and adding three wins at Globe Life Field. On Monday's edition of TexAgs Radio, the head coach joined the program to discuss the sweep and Tuesday's midweek game in Austin. 

Key notes from Jim Schlossnagle interview

• Starting pitching Friday night was really good. Tanner Jones competed well. We got him to the 50-pitch mark which is what we wanted. The thing to remember with him is that we only got him in two intrasquad meetings before the season. When he was healthy, he threw two bullpens then he's in the game. He is going through his spring training, I expect him to be sharper as we move forward.
   
• Justin Lamkin was good in the first two innings and still has some things to get better at, but that is a part of being on a team. You can be a better club than you currently are when you are still winning games.
   
• Out at-bats were great. Playing in our field, we could have had five or six more homers which would have added to our run total, but I think we won games in different ways and got guys at bats like Hank Bard and Jack Bell. Trying to keep a smile on everyone's face is a challenge, but we’ll take it and look forward to this upcoming week. 
   
• The story of the weekend was Braden Montgomery, the best player on the field. He and Jace LaViolette, you have two elite players on the field and need to keep them healthy.
   
• Josh Stewart and Weston Moss were good. USC is going through growing pains. They don't have a ballpark. USC coach Andy Stankiewicz will get that going.
   
• Arizona State was great offensively the whole weekend and tough to pitch to. Moss and Stewart have earned my trust. Max Weiner as well, he's done a great job with those guys. In my mind, they weren't on the map for many reasons, and through the fall season, now they are for sure players.
   
• You like to think those HBPs to Braden weren’t on purpose, but the first seemed pretty obvious. The ASU coach was a great MLB player, and he knows how things work in the big league, but in college, we are still coaching amateur players.
   
• I don't want to get anyone hurt. My job is to protect our players. I told that to the umpire when he asked why I was out there. I said, “Here are your options: I have Braden Montgomery go out and kick that guy's ass, and we have a big problem, or I stand up for my players, and you go handle it, and calmer minds prevail.”
   
• If anyone is getting thrown out of a game, it needs to be me because Montgomery is going to impact the game more than I am. My job is to stand up for him, and that won't be forgotten in the years to come. 
   
• Montgomery, I didn't know him before he got here. It's hard to know what he's going to be like. Ever since he came on campus, he has been a great teammate. For a guy with so many accolades and expectations, the way he's handled himself is phenomenal.
   
• I say the best players have the best combination of confidence and humility. He is supremely confident but away from the field, he’s not putting himself ahead, and not thinking of himself, which is what the great ones do. He's been a joy to be around and to coach. He is open, honest and intelligent. His parents are awesome. Just have to keep him healthy and strong and the game will take care of itself. 
   
• Jace showed off in center field in a massive ballpark. He showed that off and his speed down the line. One of his major plays was scoring those two extra runs when he beat the pitcher to the base. The triple and watching someone his size run the bases, that's what the elites look like.
   
• Jace took his walks, some were competitive, and he laid off tough pitches. He missed a couple of balls that would have been homers in other parks and in our park. He doesn't have to hit a home run for someone who doesn’t watch baseball to appreciate what kind of talent he is.
   
• Kaeden Kent does a lot of things that will help you win a baseball game. The tough plays are when the ball is hit between third base and shortstop. Kent was able to field the ball and make the throw almost running into Ali Camarillo and making the play for an out. We've seen him make relay plays that turn into double plays. We've seen him have some quality at-bats for the most part.
   
• Jack Bell is the most tooled out of all of them. He has a great arm, runs faster and hits harder. Kent has a great arm. He is a twitchy player, but he will be a good one for us when he gets more comfortable and confident. He is gradually stneaking up to Hayden Schott and Caden Sorrell’s range where I need to find him a bat as often as I can.
   
• Ryan Targac is banged up right now, and we trying to figure out what's wrong this week. I haven't given up on Blake Binderup. He's a freshman, and he's working through some things. Part of being a great college hitter is learning how to handle the load. Anybody can handle the highs, but it's how you handle the lows. I still have great hope and promise for Binderup. 
   
• With Ryan Prager, usually guys come back and don't have velocity or command, or lose how to spin the ball. Waiting the 16 months before pushing it has helped him. Coach Max has done an awesome job with refining him, shortening his breaking ball and giving him a quality change-up which he really hadn't been comfortable with. He threw it left on left the other day, which is tough to hit for a left-handed hitter. He started great as a freshman, but it's a long season, and it'll beat you up. It's just about managing his strength and endurance. 
   
• Playing at Texas’ field is awesome. You can feel it just during batting practice. There is mutual respect between coaching staffs. We see them on the road a lot, and I've known David Peirce since he was a high school coach in Houston. But it is what it is.
   
• I’ve been preparing, even Braden. I said to him, “You have no idea what you are walking into.” Especially next year when you are walking into a three-game series in the SEC? The world may explode. I don't know.
   
• But I've been there. I’ve been there for Super Regionals at TCU. But it's not the same. It's not normal, but its great preparation for our league, at LSU and Ole Miss. All of this is great life experience and great preparation for the future.
   
• No win or loss will define our season whether it’s Rhode Island or Texas. Yesterday, we had a hit by Bard and put the ball over the bag to extend the lead. Friday night, two swings decided the game, Montgomery and Sorrell, otherwise that's a scoreless game or if we have a couple of balls fall, then that's an 8-0 game.
   
• Baseball is so fickle. It's hard to predict what will happen. We want to win ball games, and playing those guys over there is going to be a lot of fun.
   
• Chris Cortez playing at Texas will do a lot for his confidence and mine too. I’ve had confidence in him from day one and kept pushing him out there. It would be a great opportunity for him to showcase himself in that kind of environment.
   
• All I ask from our starting pitcher is that when I take the ball from you, have us in the game, and I’ll manage the rest with the bullpen guys. If Chris can get out there and give us a great four innings, then we will pass it on to whoever's next on the way.