Thomas Atlee, Student



Thomas was a BIMS major when he came to campus in 1998, but a chance to play baseball at the collegiate level sent Thomas to Lamar University. The Chicago Cubs selected Thomas in the 19th round of the 2002 major league draft, and he spent six years in their system reaching as high as AAA. In 2004, the Cubs named Thomas their best relief pitcher in the minors. Since 2008, Thomas has been working as a pitching coach.

Ryan Rupe 1994-1998





After surviving a tragic car accident before the start of his senior year in high school, Ryan returned to form and carried that success over into his freshman year for the Aggies; Ryan went 5-0 with a 3.27 ERA in ten starts. Despite an increase in ERA, Ryan improved his strikeout to walk ratio as he went 6-3 in 1995. He was a redshirt in 1996 due to an injury, and despite having a blood clot that required season-ending surgery in 1997, his senior year, he earned First Team All-Big 12 honors as we went 8-2 on the year; one of his wins was a complete game victory over Texas which was, at the time, the most attended game in Olsen Field History. For his victory lap season, Ryan went 11-4 while leading the Aggies with a 2.87 ERA; his 30 career wins for the Aggies ranks 5th all-time. For the season, he struck out more than a batter an inning and had a greater than five-to-one strikeout to walk ratio. He was selected as Big 12 Pitcher of the Week four times during 1998, and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays picked Ryan in the 6th round of the 1998 draft. Less than a year later, he was (I think, so please correct me if I am wrong) the first player drafted from the Big 12 Conference to make his major league debut. Ryan spent five seasons in the majors, and one in Japan. Texags had a flashback with Ryan Rupe two years ago: here.

Jason "JT" Tyner 1996-1998


(This card is the size of a normal piece of paper)





Jason exploded onto the A&M baseball scene his freshman year hitting .407 with 100 hits (7th all-time), and he set a still-standing A&M record with 41 stolen bases; he also tied the A&M record by scoring five runs in a game against UTSA. Despite seeing his average drop to .370 his sophomore season, Jason reached the 100 hit plateau again and stole another 38 bases; four of his stolen bases came in one game against Texas. As the co-captain of the 1998 team, JT led the Aggies in hitting for the third straight season with a .385 average as he set the A&M season high hit mark with 107. When Jason was drafted in 1998 in the first round by the New York Mets, he left campus as the all-time leader in career hits with 307 and stolen bases with 118. He also holds the second highest career average with a .387 mark and scored the third most runs with 202. Jason Tyner is the only Aggie to have ever earned three All-American honors during his playing career. After less than two years in the minor leagues, Jason made his debut in 2000 and spent eight seasons with the Mets, Devil Rays, Twins, and Indians. Despite never hitting a home run in his collegiate career, Jason finally circled the bases in his seventh major league season when he took Jake Westbrook of the Indians deep in his 1,220th career MLB at-bat; the ball traveled an estimated 352 feet. At the time, he had the most active MLB at-bats without a home run; the second most active at-bats at the time was just over 600.

Scott Sandusky 1997-1998



Scott came to A&M from Seward County Community College (Kansas) and was a mainstay behind the plate for the Aggies. Scott homered in his first career Aggie at-bat and hit .313 for the season; a stress fracture was the only thing keeping Scott from playing a full season behind the plate that season. After a 2nd Team All Big 12 honoree season in 1998, Scott was selected in the 8th round of the 1998 draft by the Montreal Expos. Scott spent 6 seasons in professional baseball, all with the Expos, reaching as high as AAA in 2003. One of Scott's most memorable moments during his Aggie career was when A&M beat Jason Jennings and the Baylor Bears 8-4 to clinch the Big 12 regular season title. Scott is a frequent visitor to the TexAgs A&M Baseball & Softball forum, so if he would like to expand on his bio, I would gladly welcome it.

Craig Kuzmic 1998



After a JUCO player of the year season with Cypress Junior College, Craig came to A&M for one lone season for the Maroon & White in 1998, but what a season it was. Craig hit .316 for the year, but he led the team with 5 triples, 72 RBIs (7th most in a season), 174 total bases (5th most in a season) and 25 home runs (2nd most in a season). Despite only playing one season, those 25 home runs are still good enough to place him 15th on the all-time home run list. The Seattle Mariners picked up Craig in the 8th round of the 1998 draft, and he spent 10 seasons playing professional baseball, including four seasons in AAA. During the Big 12 clinching series against Baylor in 1998, Craig hittwo home runs to aid in Ryan Rupe's 8-1 victory, and he had another two to aid in Casey Fossum's 8-4 victory.

Mark Farris, Football Player




Mark was a highly recruited football and baseball player who signed a letter of intent to play for the Aggies. Instead, Mark went to play professional baseball when the Pittsburgh Pirates selected him as the 11th overall selection in the 1994 draft. After four seasons with the Pirates, reaching as high as AA, Mark decided it was time to pursue other careers and made the choice to return to A&M for his education. Since he never played professional football, Mark retained amateur status, and slipped into the role of quarterback for the 1999-2002 seasons. In 1999, Mark was used as a reserve completing six of sixteen passes, but he won the starting quarterback job for the 2000 season. That season he threw a 93-yard pass to Robert Ferguson which is the third longest in school history. He again was named the starting quarterback in 2001 leading the Aggies to a victory over TCU in the Gallerfurniture.com bowl. After struggling in his senior season, Mark was pulled in favor of Reggie McNeal, but Mark still holds several high marks on the all-time lists for the Aggies in football including most career yards (9th), and completions (8th). Gabe had a flashback with Mark in 2013 that can be found here.

John Scheschuk 1996-1999



Despite having t-sip parents including a father that played baseball for t.u., John chose to play baseball at A&M where he appeared mostly as a pinch-hitter and runner during his freshman year. During his sophomore season, John earned a starting spot in the lineup, and despite a strained muscle hampering him during the year, he hit .300 with both of his home runs coming in the same game against Oklahoma; he missed a possible third that fell just short of the wall in that same game. Fully recovered his junior year, John was the starting first baseman and responded with a .336 batting average to accompany 16 home runs and 68 RBIs; he set an Aggie record with five straight games with a home run that season. En route to the Aggies reaching the College World Series in 1999, John, the co-captain of the Aggies, was second on the team with a .363 batting average, and he hit ten home runs with 54 RBIs. John earned a 7th round draft selection by the San Diego Padres and spent four seasons with the organization reaching as high as AAA. John still holds the 6th highest career batting average at A&M at .352 and 10th highest home run total with 28.

Casey Fossum 1997-1999





Casey turned down a 7th round draft selection in 1996 to come play for the Aggies. Casey was chosen as the first true-freshman starter to ever pitch the season opener under Mark Johnson's tenure. He responded with a 3-5 record and recorded the 15th most strikeouts by a pitcher in one season with 113. He showed vast improvement his sophomore year posting a 12-2 record with a 3.74 ERA to go along with the 5th highest season strikeout total in team history, 129. One of his 12 victories that season was a complete game victory over Baylor to clinch the regular season Big 12 title in his hometown of Waco; during the game, Casey struck out a career high 15 batters. For the 1999 CWS appearing Aggies, Casey again won 12 games and set the new high mark for strikeouts in a season with 162, besting Jeff Granger's old record by 12. For his Aggie career, Casey has the 6th most wins with 27, the most strikeouts with 404 (besting Granger by only 3), and, surprisingly, the 15th most saves with 7 as he occasionally came out of the bullpen in high pressure situations every season. Casey was also the 5th Aggie to receive two or more All-American honors. After a 2nd round selection by the Boston Red Sox in the 1999 draft, Casey made his MLB debut midway through the 2001 season. Hampered by tendinitis, Casey was mostly a relief pitcher during his nine seasons in the MLB, and he was one of the players sent to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Curt Schilling before the Red Sox won their first World Series in 86 years. He spent one season playing in Japan before attempting a comeback in 2011.

Chance Caple 1997-1999




A draft selection in 1996, a round after Casey Fossum, Chance elected to come to A&M instead, and by the end of his collegiate career, he was chosen a round ahead of Casey in the draft. During his three brief appearances in 1997, two as a starter, walks hurt any chances of success as he allowed ten free passes in only 5.2 innings of work. Whatever wildness he had his freshman season was gone by the time he was a sophomore. Chance posted a 7-1 record during 1998 allowing only 28 walks in 73.2 innings of work. He struck out nine batters in a game three times that season against DBU, NU, and SWT. For the Aggies in 1999, Chance struck out 125 batters (8th most in a season) in only 114 innings while posting an 8-5 record. The St. Louis Cardinals chose Chance as the 30th overall pick in the 1st round of the 1999 draft, and Chance spent four seasons in the St. Louis minor league system before pursuing other careers; injuries hampered his professional career.

Cordell "Dell" Lindsey 1999



Dell came from Blinn Junior College to play his lone season with the Aggies helping them to reach the College World Series. Dell hit .305 and was one of six Aggies to reach double digits in home runs for the season; Dell's 14 home runs were the 3rd highest on the team. During a game against Nebraska, Dell tied two A&M single game records by swatting three home runs and scoring five runs to lead the Aggies to a 14-4 victory; it has been reported that one of those home runs fell just short of hitting the Rec Center
by five or six feet, but I can't conform it. Despite going undrafted in 1999, Dell decided to pursue a pro career and signed with the Anaheim Angels. He spent three seasons in the minors before reevaluating his career choice; he ultimately decided to finish his college degree and came back to Texas A&M where he was the student assistant coach for the Aggies before graduating.

Shawn Schumacher 1999



Shawn crossed the great divide when he transferred from t.u. to play his senior season for the Aggies; in his previous season for the Longhorns, Shawn singled off Casey Fossum in his lone apprearance against the Ags. Shawn led the Aggies during his season at A&M hitting .374 with 11 home runs and 53 RBIs; he finished 57 at-bats shy of qualifying for 3rd on the all-time career batting average list. After the St. Louis Cardinals drafted Chance Caple in the 1st round of the MLB draft, they chose Chance's battery mate in the 8th round. Shawn spent three seasons in the St. Louis farm system retiring after spending a season in AA.

Daylan Holt 1998-2000



Daylan came to Aggieland and was immediately thrust into a starting role playing 65 games for the Aggies while hitting .316 with seven home runs; in a sign of things to come, he homered in his 2nd ever collegiate at-bat. In an All-American sophomore season, Daylan lead the nation and shattered the Aggie single season records with 34 home runs and 105 RBIs. During the season, he had five games with five or more RBIs and 27 total multi-RBI games. It is rumored that once during batting practice, Daylan lined a monster shot over the railroad tracks onto Wellborn Rd. Not quite as productive his junior year, Daylan still managed 15 home runs to go along with a .307 batting average. Daylan finish his collegiate career with the most home runs, 56, as well as the 7th most hits, 249, 13th most runs, 165, 5th most doubles, 55, and 3rd most RBIs, 202. The Oakland Athletics took Daylan in the 3rd round of the 2000 MLB draft where he spent five seasons in the minors reaching as high as AAA. Earlier this week, Gabe had Daylan Holt as a guest on Aggie Flashback that can be found here.

Daylyn Holt also had an awesome arm and threw out many runners at third from right field. I recall that he threw so hard he often turned a somersault after the throw.

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Trey Moore 1992-1994




As a sophomore, Trey locked up the end of the weekend starting rotation that featured all left-handers (Granger and Wunsch were the other two) by posting a 12-0 record with a 2.77 ERA.

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Is that right? I thought Trey was the #2 (the 7 inning game) and Kelly pitched the 3rd game of the series. Regardless, those 3 put together one of the most impressive rotations I've seen in college baseball.

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Mike Hickey 1991-1992



After one season for the University of Oklahoma, Mike transferred to the A&M campus where he hit .348 leading the Aggies in hits, runs, triples, home runs (tied with Travis Williams) and total bases. During a game against Westmont College, a game the Aggies won 31-2, Mike went 6 for 7 (a still standing Aggie record for most hits in a single game) with 10 RBIs (a record) and 14 total bases (tied for the record). A broken hand limited Mike's playing time during 1992, but he still managed to tie for the Aggie lead in home runs and was drafted in the 12th round by the Seattle Mariners. Mike spent eight years playing professional ball, even appearing on the mound for an inning of work which didn't go so well.

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Also...started a pretty good fight at TCU.

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Is that right? I thought Trey was the #2 (the 7 inning game) and Kelly pitched the 3rd game of the series. Regardless, those 3 put together one of the most impressive rotations I've seen in college baseball.

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You may be right; I may have misinterpreted what I had read earlier.

Chris Scarcella 1998-2000



A spot starter his freshman year with a 2-1 record, Chris helped close out the 9th no-hitter in Texas A&M history finishing out the game against Texas-Pan American after Ryan Rupe and Shane King got things started. His biggest win came in an elimination game during the 1998 Big 12 Tournament as he picked up a victory against Texas Tech allowing only three runs over eight innings. Chris transitioned into the bullpen his sophomore year and went 2-0 with 30 strikeouts in 35 innings pitched. After posting a 1-0 record during his junior season in twelve appearances, Chris was the only other Aggie chosen in the 2000 draft, joining Daylan Holt in the Oakland organization thirteen rounds later. Chris only spent two seasons in the minor leagues before retiring from professional baseball.

Blake Whealy 1999-2000



Blake saw limited action during his freshman season with the Aggies batting .276 in only 29 at-bats, but one of his hits was a ninth-inning game winning single to help the Aggies defeat Texas-San Antonio. After limited playing time in 2000, Blake transferred to the University of Evansville where he flourished for the Purple Aces leading the team in various offensive categories during his two seasons there. Blake was selected by the New York Mets in the 13th round of the 2002 MLB draft and spent five seasons playing minor league and independent league baseball.

Chris "The Vulture" Russ 1998-2001



Chris saw duty as both a backup shortstop and relief pitcher during his freshman season going 1-1 on the mound but 0 for 6 at the plate; he did pick up a save against Baylor in the 1998 Big 12 tournament going 3.2 innings with three strikeouts. Chris earned ace status as a relief pitcher in 1999 going 12-2 in 28 appearances on the mound. During the College World Series, Chris pitched 2.1 innings allowing only one hit against Cal-State Fullerton; that same season he also improved his batting average from .000 in 1998 to .214 while driving in two. Chris was selected as one of the Co-Captains for the 2000 team where he went 4-2 on the mound with three saves as well as 23 for 91 at the plate (a .253 batting average) with his first collegiate home run while filling in at shortstop and DH. For his senior season, Chris appeared in 30 games on the mound going 6-2 with all nine of the saves the Aggies recorded that year; his career 16 saves ranks 3rd all-time. He also played in 16 games at shortstop and DH hitting .316 with another home run. In his last appearance at Olsen Field, Chris scored the tying run against Texas in the 8th inning while sending the Texas 3rd baseman to the dugout with a bloody nose before coming on in extra innings to pick up the victory. The clip of him busting up the 3rd baseman can be found here. Chris was selected in the 12th round of the 2001 draft by the New York Yankees and spent seven years in the minors reaching as high as AAA.


Coming up next week: Is that Ryan Warpinski or Ryan Wardinsky?

Greg Porter 1999-2001




During the fall semesters, Greg doubled as a tight end and wide receiver for the football team, but he was primarily a DH for the Aggies in the spring. During his first season with the Aggies, Greg became the first Aggie to hit a home run over the 20 feet tall dead center field wall at Disch-Falk Field, a mere 400 feet from home plate. Greg also had a walk-off three run home run that season to help the Ags beat UNLV; those two were part of his seven during that season. During the College World Series against Cal State-Fullerton, Greg contributed three hits including a double. Surprisingly, during Greg's sophomore season, his power was non-existent as his five doubles were his only extra base hits. Despite seeing his average drop to .202, some of his home run power came back, and he was drafted in the 45th round of the 2001 draft by the Anaheim Angels. Greg spent 12 seasons in the minor and independent leagues including two seasons in AAA. During 2003, Greg spent some time with the Houston Texans as a tight end, but opted to return to baseball where he played until 2012.

Brian Strelitz 2000-2001



After spending his freshman season with UCLA, Brian transferred to A&M and was a long-reliever out of the bullpen. Brian went 1-1 during his junior year and was drafted in the 11th round of the 2001 MLB draft by the New York Yankees; one round before his current and future teammate Chris Russ. Brian spent five seasons in the minors reaching as high as AA before he underwent career-ending shoulder surgery. Since his retirement, Brian has stayed active with baseball working as a coach and instructor for various institutes.

Khalid "KB" Ballouli 1999-2002





Khalid spent half of his appearances as a starter during 1999, but none were bigger than keeping the Aggies' season alive in the College Station regional as he went the distance in a 9-5 victory over LBSU; his ability to step-up and go the distance for a depleted Aggie pitching staff is the reason you may see posters ask "Who will be the Khalid Ballouli this series?" much akin to when Tyler Stubblefield recently stepped-up and pitched the Aggies to a complete game victory against Texas in the Rice regional to keep the Aggie's season alive for one more game. Khalid finished the season with a 7-2 record. Despite a 4-9 record his sophomore year, Khalid won the C.E. "Pat" Olsen Outstanding Pitcher Award as the Aggies only went 23-35 during 2000. Season-ending surgery limited Khalid's junior season to only two appearances, but he rebounded with a 6-4 record during 2002 to earn a 6th round draft selection by the Milwaukee Brewers. Khalid spent five seasons with the Milwaukee organization spending two seasons in AA before retiring from professional baseball.

Steven Ponder 2000-2002



Steven played first base, the entire outfield, and moonlighted as a pitcher during his freshman year. During his eight appearances on the mound, he went 1-1 with 17 strikeouts in 15.0 innings. For his sophomore campaign, Steven went 2-2 with 54 strikeouts in 46.0 innings including 12 against Oklahoma State and 9 in only 4.0 innings of work twice, once against Penn State, and again against Texas-Pan American. Focusing only on his pitching in 2002, Steven saw limited action appearing in only five games, but was still drafted in the 17th round of the MLB draft by the Colorado Rockies where he spent only one season in professional baseball. After his professional career was over, Steven came back to A&M to finish his degree and was a Student-Assistant Coach from 2004 to 2005.

Eric Reed 2000-2002




Eric saw action in centerfield in 2000 for the Aggies hitting .301 with 11 stolen bases. He played in over half of the games during 2001 as the centerfielder and leadoff hitter as he hit .282 with 17 stolen bases. During his junior year, Eric got his only collegiate home run and swiped his 43rd career bag (15th all-time), and he was drafted in the 9th round of the 2002 MLB draft by the Florida Marlins. After quickly advancing through the Marlin's farm system, Eric made his MLB debut in 2006, but a lack of hitting sent him back to AAA. Eric made his last MLB appearance in 2007 and by 2008 had retired from professional baseball.

Ryan Wardinsky 2000-2002



Ryan Wardinsky, not to be confused with the A&M pitcher Ryan Warpinski, transferred to A&M after spending one season at Walla Walla Community College. He spent the 2000 season as the everyday shortstop hitting .288 with three home runs. He had a very similar season in 2001 hitting .285 with three more home runs. Ryan moved to third base during his last season at A&M and hit .304 for the year. The Philadelphia Phillies selected Wardinsky in the 30th round of the 2002 MLB draft, and he spent two seasons in their farm system before retiring from professional baseball.

Travis Wong 2000-2002






After leading the USA Junior National Team to a gold medal in the Junior World Championships in Taiwan, Travis followed in his father's footsteps by attending A&M. During his freshman year, the 6'5 first baseman and DH his .282 with two home runs. Even though Travis was limited to 31 games in 2001, he led the team in slugging percentage at .557 as he hit .342 with three home runs; during the season, he had a four RBI game against Oklahoma State helping the Ags to a 9-6 victory. During 2002, Travis was second on the team with eight home runs and set a then Aggie record (currently tied for 6th) by getting hit by a pitch 15 times. That season, the Cincinnati Reds, the team that had originally drafted him out of high school, took Travis in the 48th round of the MLB draft; Travis was the last of nine Aggies drafted that season, the second most ever behind the 1989 team. Travis spent two seasons with the Red's minor league system before moving on to a different career.

Ben Himes 2001-2002




After a freshman All-American season at the University of Virginia, Ben came home to Texas to play for the Aggies. Despite problems recovering from knee surgery in the fall prior to his first season with the Ags, Ben hit .311 including a 4 for 4 game to help the Aggies beat Texas in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament. After missing all of 2002 to injuries, Ben played a season at Oklahoma City College where he was selected in the 9th round of the 2003 MLB draft by the Cincinnati Reds. Ben played four seasons of professional baseball before pursuing a career in neurophysiology that he applies to his job as a hitting and strength-conditioning coach.

Eddie Lang 2001-2002



A junior transfer from Navarro Junior College, Lang hit .284 with 12 stolen bases in 2001. During his senior season, despite hamstring issues, Eddie improved his batting average to .300 and swiped five more bases. That season, Eddie had a game winning walk-off RBI in the 12th-inning of a 2-1 win against Texas-Pan American; that same game, Justin Moore pitched 11.0 innings on one run baseball before losing out on the win an inning later. After finishing his degree in finance, Eddie spent two seasons playing independent league baseball before moving onto a different career.

Erik Schindewolf - great kid great player. Sorry, don't know how to post pictures.

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Erik Schindewolf - great kid great player. Sorry, don't know how to post pictures.

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You need to have the photos hosted somewhere on the internet (I use Google's Picasa).

Then you need to right click on the photo as it is displayed online and select Properties and then copy the URL address that should end in ".jpeg" - if you are using Google Chrome, right-clicking will give you the option to select Copy Image URL.

Then you just select the image icon in the messgae box and paste the URL address.

My Schindewolf cards should be coming up next Monday.

Rusty Meyer 2001-2002



Rusty started nine games his freshman year before suffering a season-ending separated left shoulder. He rebounded for his sophomore year hitting .269 with five homers while throwing out 44% of attempted base stealers. Rusty upped his batting average to .321 in 2002 and hit four more home runs as he earned the Marion Pugh MVP award. That season, the Kansas City Royals selected Rusty in the 13th round of the MLB draft where he spent one season with their A- minor league team before leaving professional baseball. In the stuff of legends, Rusty may have triggered a bench clearing brawl in 2001 against OSU when he allegedly spit at or near the OSU pitcher when walking back to the dugout after a fly out. Later, in retaliation, an OSU player spit on the A&M symbol behind home plate after hitting a home run and, when he returned to the plate later in the game, had a pitch thrown over his head leading to the brawl.

Matt Farnum 2001-2003



Matt went 4-5 his freshman season including two ten strike-out complete game shutouts over Indiana State and Kansas; during the season, he struck out 70 batters while issuing only 17 walks. Appearing mostly out of the bullpen in 2002, Matt posted a 6-2 record with three saves, two of them against Rice. After turning down a 22nd round draft selection in 2002, Matt earned himself a 7th round selection by the Texas Rangers after finishing up his collegiate career with a 7-2 season. Matt spent all five of his professional season in the Ranger's minor league system.

Brian Finch 2001-2003




Appearing in ten games, including two starts, for the Aggies his freshman year, Brian posted a 4.95 ERA to accompany his 1-1 record. He settled into his own out of the bullpen in 2002 posting a 3-0 record with 30 strikeouts in 30.2 innings pitched. In a long relief appearance against Kansas, Brian struck out seven batters in five complete innings of work. Splitting time between the bullpen and a starting position, Brian went 6-1 his junior year with 57 more strikeouts. Of his nine starts, none were bigger than when he held the 5th ranked and defending CWS champion Texas Longhorns at bay over 7.2 innings securing an opening 6-4 victory in the weekend series. The 44th overall selection in the 2003 draft by the Baltimore Orioles, Brian was the first of three Aggie pitchers taken during the 2nd round of the draft, 3 spots ahead of Scott Beerer and 9 spots ahead of Logan Kensing. Brian spent six seasons in professional baseball before retiring.

Kyle Parcus 2001-2003



During his freshman year, Kyle started the Big 12 Tournament game against Texas and held on for the win as the Aggies beat the Longhorns 9-8; Kyle finished that season with a 3-2 record and a 4.14 ERA. He followed that performance up the next year by striking out ten Longhorns in the 2002 Big 12 Tournament to highlight a 5-4 season. Kyle finished his collegiate career by finishing in a four-way tie for 3rd place on the team in wins that season with six. Kyle became the 5th Aggie selected in the 2003 draft when he was taken by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 12th round. He spent three seasons within the Phillies' minor league system reaching as high as AA, mostly as a reliever.

Logan Kensing 2002-2003






Logan appeared in 21 games his freshman season all out of the bullpen, and he posted a stellar 2.48 ERA to accompany his 3-2 record with two saves. During 2003, Kensing tied for the team lead with seven victories splitting time as a starter and reliever, and he led all starters with a 3.83 ERA. That season, Logan joined Scott Beerer and Brian Finch as 2nd round draft picks when the Florida Marlins made him the 53rd overall selection. Logan jumped from A+ to the majors in 2004, and he has spent parts of seven MLB seasons with the Marlins, Nationals, and Royals. He was recently signed by the Chicago White Sox to a minor league contract but was released three weeks ago.

Scott Beerer 2003




A junior transfer from Orange Coast Community College, Scott played in all but two games in the outfield but still managed 27 appearances on the mound as the Aggie closer. At the plate, Scott hit .335 with 11 home runs and 57 RBIs. On the mound, Scott posted a 6-1 record with a 1.82 ERA and recorded 13 saves. Those 13 saves are the 2nd most for an Aggie in a season as well as the 5th most for an Aggie in a career. Scott also struck out 58 batters in 49.1 innings of work. That season earned Scott the Marion Pugh MVP award, an All-American selection, and a 2nd round draft selection by the Colorado Rockies. Unfortunately, injuries plagued Scott during his pitching career with the Rockies, and he initially retired after the 2006 season. While continuing to work out with Brady Anderson of the Orioles, Scott was invited back to the Rockies organization as an outfielder, and he ascended to AAA in 2011. Despite hitting .372 that season in AAA, Scott did not get a call to the majors, and the Baltimore Orioles signed him to a minor league contract for the next season. He did not fare as well that next season due to injuries, but, instead of retiring a 2nd time, he transitioned to the hitting coach for Orioles short-season Class A affiliate, and he currently serves as the minor league outfield and base running coordinator for the Orioles' system.


Coming up next week: The end of the Mark Johnson era & the beginning of the Rob Childress era

I just got this card in, so I thought I'd add it out of order:

Robert "Bob" Long 1967-1969



Bob was a two-sport star at A&M earning letters in football from 1966-1968 and baseball from 1967-1969. For the 1967 Aggie football team, en route to a SWC season title, Robert caught an 80 yard pass from Edd Hargett to help A&M hold off Texas 10-7. Bob held the season touchdown record which he set in 1967 and tied again in 1968 for the Aggies for 41 years; his 19 career touchdowns is ranked 4th all-time and was the record for over 40 years as well. For the baseball team, Bob led the Aggies to a 53-29 record during his three seasons. In 1969, Bob led the team with a .402 batting average (9th best in a season), 39 hits, 19 runs, 8 doubles, and 18 RBIs. Bob was drafted by the Chicago Bears in 1968.

Erik Schindewolf 2001-2004




Erik came to Aggieland and spent his first season mostly as the DH, but he did see time at second base. During that season, he hit .286 including a three-hit game against Texas in the first round of the 2001 Big 12 tournament to help the Aggies win 9-8. While his average dropped to .241 his sophomore season, Erik split time between DH, third base, and second base. Erik showed vast improvement in 2003 as he was the fulltime second baseman and moved to the leadoff spot in the lineup. That season he hit .351 leading the Aggies in average, runs scored, and walks. During the Olsen regional, Erik had a four-hit game to help the Aggies defeat #23 Alabama 16-5. During his last season with the Aggies, Erik hit .311 with a career best four home runs as he scored the 15th most runs ever in a season with 69. That same year, he was drafted in the 26th round of the 2004 MLB draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Cory Patton 2003-2004



A dual threat junior transfer from Seaward County Community College, Cory never appeared on the mound for the Aggies despite posting an 8-1 record at SCCC. For 2003, Cory led the Aggies with a .331 batting average and thirteen home runs. He followed that performance up with a .326 mark, eleven home runs, and 67 RBIs (14th most in a season) in 2004 to earn the Marion Pugh Most Valuable Player award. He was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 6th round of the 2004 MLB draft. After four seasons playing A ball, Cory decided to move onto the independent leagues where he played until 2014. At the end of the 2014 season, Cory made a brief appearance with the Round Rock Express, the AAA affiliate of the Texas Rangers, appearing in two games and hitting a two-run home run which can be seen here. As of the 2015 season, he is a free agent.

Justin Ruggiano 2003-2004






A junior transfer from Blinn Junior College, Justin was the everyday centerfielder for the Aggies in 2003. As the cleanup hitter, Justin batted .322 with ten home runs and 49 RBIs. In Big 12 league play, Justin upped his average to .379 where he hit six of his home runs. Against Kansas, Justin had a 5-for-5 day at the plate with four doubles, a triple, three RBIs, and four runs scored as the Aggies won 12-9. In an earlier series with Kansas State, Justin had four home runs and 14 RBIs to earn Big 12 hitter of the week honors. Despite limited playing time in 2004 due to an injury, Justin hit .275 and lifted the Aggies over the Rice Owls in the Houston Regional with a grand slam to help the team advance to the Super Regional; he talked about that moment and more with Gabe here. He was later drafted a round ahead of Erik Schindewolf by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Justin spent four seasons in the minors before making his major league debut with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2007. After struggling in limited playing time, Justin found himself back in the minors for another four seasons before a 2nd brief call up with the Rays. After signing a minor league contract with the Astros in 2012, Justin was traded to the Miami Marlins where he flourished and found himself regular playing time in their MLB lineup. Before an injury finished his season, Justin hit .313 with 13 home runs. Justin spent a season as a part-time outfielder with the Cubs before a trade sent him to the Seattle Mariners where he begins the 2015 MLB season as their part-time outfielder. He is currently hitting .188 in limited playing time for the Mariners.

Zach Jackson 2004



That bottom left card may be one of my favorites in the collection.




After winning the third most games ever for Louisville at the time, Zach decided to transfer to Texas A&M for his junior season. In his first start for the Maroon & White, Zach no-hit Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to open the season; it was the 9th no-hitter in school history. He finished the year with a 10-7 record and struck out 127 batters in only 120.2 innings. Those 127 strikeouts are the 6th most for a season, and the no-hitter was one of three complete game shutouts that Zach recorded on the season as he also blanked Kansas and Kansas State. The Toronto Blue Jays took Zach in the supplemental first round as the 32nd overall pick. Zach quickly ascended to AAA and made his MLB debut in the middle of the 2006 season for the Milwaukee Brewers. Zach only spent parts of 2006, 2008, and 2009 in the majors with both the Brewers and Cleveland Indians, but he has been in professional baseball going on his 12th season. He is currently with the independent league Lancaster Barnstormers who are in the same division as the Sugar Land Skeeters; he just made an appearance last Friday in Sugar Land when they visited the Skeeters (they'll be back in Sugar Land in July). Earlier this month, Gabe had Zach on Aggie Flashback here.

Cliff Pennington 2003-2005








Starting mostly at third base his freshman season, Cliff had the second highest average on the team at .340. He transitioned to shortstop his sophomore year, leading the team with a .339 batting average, 87 hits, and 12 stolen bases. That same season, he earned the MVP award of the regional tournament after going 10 for 16 with eight runs scored; Cliff also appeared on the mound earning two saves with a 2.08 ERA earlier in the year. During his junior season, he once again led the team in batting average with a .363 mark, and he was also tops that season with 77 hits, 44 runs, 7 home runs, 39 RBIs, and 29 stolen bases (8th most in a season); he also made three more appearances on the mound with a 0.00 ERA and one more save. At the conclusion of his collegiate career, Cliff ranked 8th in total hits with 246, 13th in batting average at .346, 15th in runs with 158, and 7th in stolen bases with 53. Cliff was taken 21st overall in the 2005 MLB draft by the Oakland Athletics, and in August of 2008, he made his MLB debut going 2-for-4. By the end of 2009, Cliff was the starting shortstop for the Athletics, and he hasn't been demoted to the minors (other than for rehab) since. He enters the 2015 season as the starting shortstop for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Cool. Thanks for all the baseball history.

Robert Ray 2003-2005



After throwing back-to-back no-hitters, including a perfect game, his senior year in high school, Robert came to Aggieland and posted a 4-0 record with a 2.19 ERA mostly out of the bullpen; during the season, he struck out 42 batters in 37.0 inning of work. After a career high 12 strikeouts in 7.0 innings the next year against New Mexico, Robert settled into the long-relief role for the Aggies and continued his strikeout dominance by sending 54 batter back to the dugout in 44.2 innings. During his junior year, despite a 3.78 ERA, Robert only went 2-4 splitting time between starting and long-relief, but he earned the C.E. "Pat" Olsen Outstanding Pitcher award and a 7th round draft selection by the Toronto Blue Jays. Robert made his MLB debut with the Blue Jays on May 2, 2009 and received a no decision. His lone MLB victory came when he allowed only an unearned run to the Chicago White Sox in eight innings of work. Robert retired from professional baseball in 2012 after spending one season with the Miami Marlin's AAA affiliate.

Kevin Whelan 2003-2005





Kevin spent his freshman season splitting time between leftfield, center field, catcher, and the DH. He only hit .245 in limited playing time, but he hit his first collegiate home run against Oral Roberts in the first game of the Olsen Field regional. After showing great velocity on his fastball, Mark Johnson tried Kevin out as a spot reliever in 2004, and in the Super Regional against LSU, Kevin faced a batter in each game and sent both back to the dugout on strikeouts. Having split time as the backup catcher and reliever in 2004, Kevin was strictly a bullpen specialist in 2005 aside from a walk in his lone plate appearance. That season, he posted a 4-1record with a 2.90 ERA striking out 40 batters in 31 innings; he lead the team with four saves. Kevin was selected in the 4th round of the 2005 MLB draft by the Detroit Tigers and made his MLB debut in the summer of 2011 with the New York Yankees. After a brief stint, Kevin was back in the minors and ended up back in the Tiger's farm system. He was again called up to MLB, this time with the Tigers, in 2014 and made one appearance. After the 2014 season, Kevin signed a minor league contract with the Oakland Athletics; he has had a rough start to the 2015 season but has settled down in his last two appearances for their AAA affiliate.

Lee Harughty 2004-2005



The cousin of former A&M Women's basketball player Bambi Ferguson, Lee came to A&M in 2004, but he earned a red shirt for the season as he did not see action. During the 2005 season, he hit .276 in 19 games. Lee did not play for the Aggies after 2005 and instead concentrated on finishing his Aggie degree. He is currently a realtor in Montgomery, Texas.

Justin Sokol 2005



Justin was a junior transfer from Iowa Central Community College where he posted a 12-1 record in 2004. He did not see any action in 2005 during Mark Johnson's last season with the Aggies. After determining that baseball might not be the right fit for him, he stayed another year at A&M working on his degree. When he returned home to Rochester, Minnesota, Justin decided to join his brother at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and used his last year of eligibility to pitch for the Eagles in 2007.

Hart Hering 2005-2006



A transfer from Weatherford Junior College, Hart appeared in only two games his junior season allowing one run in two innings of work. For his senior year, Hart made the 8th most appearances for a pitcher in a season with 32 as he pitched 41.2 innings with 36 strikeouts and posted a 2.81 ERA, all out of the bullpen. That season he tied with Jordan Chambliss for the team lead in saves with three. Hart signed as a free agent with the Cleveland Indians and spent one season in low A with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers. After his professional stint in baseball wrapped up, Hart moved on to coaching and is currently in his 9th season as the pitching coach for Tyler Junior College.

Todd Sebek 2005-2006



Todd started 27 games his freshman year mostly in left and right field. He hit .243 that season and, since he is also gifted musically, sang the national anthem before the sold out game against Texas that the Ags won 8-7 in the 10th inning. One of the many country and western songs that Todd has written and performed can be found here. After hitting .227 as a sophomore, Todd transferred to Sam Houston State where he flourished as a junior and senior back under the tutelage of Mark Johnson, helping the Bearkats to back-to-back Southland Conference Tournament titles.

Anthony Vasquez 2006




Anthony appeared in 23 games his freshman year all in relief and earned two saves. Anthony was a star both on the mound and in the outfield in high school, and wanted to continue to play both positions. After receiving limited playing time in the outfield in 2006, Anthony decided to transfer to the University of Southern California. He spent three seasons at USC, and during his senior year, threw a two-hitter against #12 Cal Poly while striking out 13 batters. The Seattle Mariners took Anthony in the 18th round of the 2009 MLB draft, and, in 2011, he made his MLB debut against the Cleveland Indians. During the 2011 season, Anthony made seven starts posting a 1-6 record with an 8.90 ERA. He has not been in the majors since that season, and he starts the 2015 season with the AA Reading Fightin Phils.

Parker Dalton 2003-2007



Parker was used mostly as a defensive replacement his freshman season appearing in fifteen games. A season-ending hand injury gave Parker a red-shirt for the 2004 season, and he bounced back to start all of the games the Aggies played in 2005; he hit .259 that season, but his sure hands limited him to eight errors on the season in 202 tries. Parker struggled in 2006 hitting only .145 in Big 12 play and contemplated leaving baseball after that season. Ultimately, Parker came back for one more year, and he led the Aggies with a .375 average against Big 12 competition; he also hit five home runs and stole eighteen bases. Parker was taken in the 24th round of the 2007 draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers. He spent three seasons playing professional baseball before moving on to an MBA and a new career. Gabe caught up with Parker for an Aggie Flashback that can be found here.

Kyle Nicholson 2004-2007



A local product out of A&M Consolidated High School, Kyle made the short jump to Aggieland and appeared in 21 games his freshman year posting a 3-0 record. During the 2004 regional at Rice, Kyle picked up the win when he closed out the final 1.1 innings to secure the Aggies' comeback on Justin Ruggiano's grand slam. He appeared in 20 more game his sophomore year posting a 3-1 record, and he held Texas to one hit in 4.1 innings of relief while striking out seven in a tough 2-1 loss to the horns. Kyle started twelve games his junior year and posted a 4-5 record with a 4.35 ERA. His senior year, Kyle posted an 11-3 record with a 2.25 ERA while making ten starts and fifteen relief appearances. Kyle tied for the team lead in wins, and he finished second on the team with four saves; Kyle's 21 career wins as an Aggie are the 13th most all-time. That stellar senior season earned Kyle a 7th round draft selection by the San Francisco Giants where he spent 3 seasons playing professional baseball before shoulder troubles ended his career. After retiring, Kyle came back to A&M and spent the 2011 season as the Aggie graduate assistant manager.



Coming up next week: Another trip back to Omaha

David Newmann 2006-2007



A junior transfer from San Jacinto Junior College, where he played under former A&M pitcher Tom Arrington, David sat out the 2006 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Fully healthy in 2007, David posted an 11-1 record tying Kyle Nicholson for the team lead in wins. He posted a 2.81 ERA in 18 starts and struck out 102 batters in 105.2 innings of work. David's .917 career winning percentage tied him for the best winning percentage in a career with Dale Berry. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays selected David in the 4th round of the MLB draft, and he spent three seasons playing professional baseball reaching as high as AA.

Brandon Hicks 2007





Teammates with David Newmann under Tom Arrington's tutelage at San Jacinto Junior College, Brandon made the transfer to A&M a season after David. In his lone season for A&M before signing with the Atlanta Braves as a 3rd round draft selection in 2007, Brandon hit .338 with 75 runs (8th most in a season) and 28 stolen bases (9th most in a season); he was also one of five Aggies to reach double digits in home runs. Brandon is the all-time single season assists leader with 235 whiles also partaking in most of the 72 double plays that year (3rd most ever turned by the team in one season). Brandon made his MLB debut in 2010 with the Atlanta Braves, and he has spent parts of 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2014 at the major league level with the Braves, Oakland Athletics, and San Francisco Giants. For the Giants last year, Brandon hit eight home runs including the second walk-off home run of his MLB career which can be seen here. Brandon signed a minor league contract with the Giants for the 2015 season and is currently playing in their AAA affiliate.

Jeff Hulett 2007



The son of former MLB utility infielder Tim Hulett, Jeff came to A&M directly out of high school. After only appearing in ten games and receiving only 11 at-bats as a freshman, Jeff transferred to Northwest Florida State College where he was drafted by the Houston Astros at the conclusion of the 2008 season. Jeff spent two years in their minor league system before playing three additional years in independent league baseball.

Blake Stouffer 2005-2008


The son of a former Texas Longhorn baseball player and already a member of the Little League Hall of Fame, Blake only saw action in five games his freshman season for the Aggies. He saw action in all of the Aggie games in 2006, starting 51, and hit .259 with three home runs. Blake tore through the opposition his junior year posting a .398 average (12th best in aseason) with 102 hits (6th most), 12 home runs, 23 doubles (3rd most), and 85 RBIs (3rd most). He earned Big 12 Player of the Week honors three times that year, and he became only the third person in NCAA history to hit for the cycle twice in one year, once against Ohio State and the other against Jacksonville State. During the Aggies' regional and super regional play, Blake hit .439 with five doubles, two triples, two home runs, 15 RBIs, and 13 runs scored. Deciding to finish school, Blake turned down a fourth round draft selection in 2007 and came back to the Ags for one more season. He regressed his senior year hitting only .258 but still signed with the Washington Nationals as a 13th round selection in 2008; he spent one season playing professional baseball.

Brian Ruggiano 2007-2008


The brother of legendary Aggie Justin Ruggiano, Brian transferred to A&M after spending two seasons at Temple College. Brian hit .255 that year playing mostly third base where he racked up seven assists against the Longhorns to help the Ags defeat #5 Texas 7-3. For his senior season, Brian upped his average to .315 with nine home runs. Brain was selected in the 23rd round of the 2008 MLB draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers, the same team that had drafted Justin in the 25th round four years earlier. Brian spent four seasons playing professional baseball, three in the Dodgers' minor league system and one in the independent leagues.

Jose Duran 2008






Jose came to A&M for one season following a stint at North Central Texas College. For his lone season, Jose battled Dane Carter for Aggie supremacy, ultimately leading the Aggies with a .372 average and 103 hits (5th most in a season). He finished just behind Dane with 65 runs and seven triples and just behind Darby Brown with 68 RBIs to earn the Marion Pugh MVP award and Big 12 Player of the Year award. That season, Jose had a 24 game hitting streak, the 4th longest in team history. Jose was tabbed by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 6th round of the MLB draft, and he spent only two seasons playing minor league baseball battling injuries. Jose moved on to the independent leagues following his minor league career, and after leaving the independent leagues in 2012, Jose made a return playing for the Fort Worth Cats in 2014. The Cats folded at the end of 2014, and I have not been able to find any new information on Jose to see if he has signed with a new team for the 2015 season.

Kyle Colligan 2006-2009



Originally slated to red shirt his freshman season, Kyle found himself in the lineup the last 35 games of the season due to injuries in the outfield. Kyle responded with a .292 batting average and twelve extra base hits. Kyle started all but one game in centerfield for the Aggies in 2007 and hit .284 with ten home runs. During the final 11 games of the season, starting with the Big 12 tournament, Kyle turned it up a notch hitting .444 with six RBIs, eight runs, and five stolen bases to secure the Big 12 tournament title and help the Aggies advance to the super regional in Houston. His junior year had many high notes including a walk-off 10th inning home run to secure A&M's 15th of 16 Big 12 wins in a row, and he was named the Olsen regional most outstanding player after hitting .381 with four home runs, six RBIs, and six runs. After wrapping up his senior year with fifteen more home runs, Kyle left campus ranked on several all-time career lists including games played (8th), hits (10th), runs (6th), doubles (11th), home runs (5th), RBIs (10th), total bases (4th), and stolen bases (13th). After a 12th round draft selection by the Chicago White Sox, Kyle spent three seasons in the minors and one in the independent leagues before retiring from professional baseball. Kyle caught up with Gabe in a 2013 interview that can be found here.

Brooks Raley 2008-2009






Another two-way player at A&M, Brooks appeared in 27 games in the outfield and 18 games on the mound in 2008. As an outfielder, Brooks hit .259, but he was stellar on the mound as he stepped into the Friday night starter role midway through the season and never looked back. That year he went 7-2 leading the team in victories and innings pitched; he also finished third on the team with 68 strikeouts. In the first round on the NCAA playoffs, Brooks allowed one unearned run to secure the victory as the Ags beat UIC 15-1. Brooks went 7-3 with 95 strikeouts in 92.2 innings his sophomore year and accepted a 6th round draft pick by the Chicago Cubs after being named the C.E. "Pat" Olsen Outstanding Pitcher by the Aggies; at the plate his sophomore season, Brooks appeared in 58 games hitting .304 with 25 stolen bases (12th most in a season). After four minor league seasons, Brooks made his MLB debut with the Cubs on August 7, 2012 and struck out the first batter he faced. In two seasons with the Cubs, Brooks posted a 1-2 record in 14 games. After bouncing between two AAA teams in 2014, Brooks signed a one year $450,000 contract to play for the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization for the 2015 season; foreigners are only allowed to sign one year contracts in Korea.

Alex Wilson 2008-2009








A junior transfer from Winthrop University, Alex sat out the 2008 season as a red shirt and turned down a 10th round draft selection by the Chicago Cubs. When Alex returned to action in 2009 for the Aggies, he posted a 6-6 record with 120 strikeouts (11th most in a season) in only 89.2 innings pitched, a rate of just over 12 strikeouts per 9 innings. Alex signed a second round draft selection, 77th overall, by the Boston Red Sox in 2009. He spent four seasons in the minors before earning his MLB debut in April of 2013 with the Red Sox. A trade this past offseason sent Alex to the Detroit Tigers where he is currently serving out of their bullpen. Alex made his 48th career major league appearance yesterday going 3.1 innings allowing one hit and no runs.

Clayton Ehlert 2007-2010



A two-way player in high school, Clayton elected to focus on pitching and made four starts in eight appearances on the mound for the Aggies posting a 1-1 record his freshman year. Clayton moved into the Sunday starter role his sophomore year and responded with a 6-2 record allowing just 10 walks compared to 48 strikeouts. Clayton struggled during 2009 with a 7.09 ERA but still managed a 5-2 record. He finished his collegiate career with a 4-6 record with a 4.87 ERA and signed with the Cleveland Indians as a free agent in 2010. Clayton spent three years playing professional baseball before retiring.

Brodie Greene 2007-2010






Appearing in 53 games as a freshman, Brodie started 26 splitting time between right field, second base, and third base. He hit .312 that year with only two doubles and eight RBIs, but two of those RBIs propelled the Aggies to a victory over the University of Houston at the Houston College Classic at Minute Maid Park. Brodie manned all three outfield positions in 53 games, 35 starts, for the Aggies his sophomore season and showed quite a bit of pop on his bat. During the year, he hit .290 with four home runs, but his best streak was during the Olsen Field regional as he drove in eight runs and robbed Houston's Bryan Tully of a two-run home run as the Ags went 3-1 during the series to claim their second NCAA regional champions title in a row. Brodie upped his average to .344 his junior year finishing third on the team in home runs with 11. He turned down a 37th round draft selection to return to A&M, and that decision paid dividends. His senior year, Brodie hit .395 leading the team in average, hits (105 3rd most all-time in a season), doubles (18), triples (7), home runs (14), RBIs (55), and runs (74) to earn the Marion Pugh Most Valuable Player award. As a fourth round draft selection by the Cincinnati Reds, Brodie left campus ranked 6th in career hits (252), 11th in batting average (.348), 9th in runs (176), and 9th in home runs (29). Brodie is entering his 6th minor league season and his first with the Philadelphia Phillies' organization this year, and he is off to a .302 start in 16 games splitting time between AA and A-Advanced. Gabe caught up with Brodie two months ago, and his interview can be found here.

Barret Loux 2008-2010







Barret made 16 starts in 16 appearances on the mound as a true freshman and posted a 6-2 record with 81 strikeouts in 90.1 innings. When facing tough competition, Barret stepped up his game going 2-0 with a 2.38 ERA versus ranked opponents. During his sophomore year, Barret made 12 more starts posting a 3-3 record with 62 strikeouts in 48.0 innings. Barret was outstanding his junior year earning first team All-American honors by Baseball America while compiling an 11-2 record with a 2.83 ERA; one of his wins was a complete game shutout of Oklahoma State. His 136 strikeouts that year ranks third all-time for a season, and his 279 career strikeouts is the 6th most all-time. At the end of the 2010 season, the Arizona Diamondbacks selected Barret as the 6th overall pick in the draft, but they did not sign him due to what they termed as medical reasons. MLB granted Barret free agency status, and he later signed with the Texas Rangers that winter. The rules that teams must offer 40% of assigned slot value in order to receive a compensation pick in the next year's draft for unsigned draftees stems directly from Barret's situation. In 2012, Barret was traded to the Chicago Cubs and pitched briefly with Brooks Raley at their AAA affiliate. Barret sat out the 2014 season to recover from surgery, and he is currently on the Iowa Cubs' 7-day disabled list after making three starts in 2015.

David Alleman 2008-2009



David sat out his freshman season as a red shirt, but started 19 of his 25 appearances his sophomore year. That season, he hit .274 with two doubles and five RBIs. Due to an injury that David suffered his senior year of high school, he was never quite able to live up to his potential. By 2010, he was no longer on the team and instead concentrated on finishing his degree. He graduated in 2012 with a degree in business.

Nick Fleece 2008-2011




An outfielder his freshman year, Nick hit .231 in 27 games with two home runs, including a two-run shot against #24 Texas in the Big 12 tournament. Nick split his sophomore season between the outfield and the pitcher's mound going .196 with two home runs at the plate and 4-1 with 32 strikeouts in 28.0 innings on the mound. Nick was strictly a pitcher starting in 2010 as he went 1-2 with a 3.76 ERA in 17 appearances, including five starts. In 36 relief appearances his senior year, Nick posted a stellar 1.41 ERA to accompany his 7-1 record. Nick closed out the Aggie's College World Series year by pitching the final inning in the loss to California; he struck out two batters without allowing a base runner. Nick was drafted in the 13th round of the 2011 draft by the Cincinnati Reds, and he spent three seasons playing professional baseball. Never quite recovering from the 2012 season he lost to injury, Nick retired from professional baseball in 2013.

John Stilson 2010-2011



John put on quite a show his first season with the Aggies after coming over from Texarkana College. He only hit .250 while playing 12 games in the infield, but on the mound, he posted an Aggie record 0.80 ERA while striking out 114 batters (14th best in a season) in 79.0 innings of work; that is just under 13 strikeouts per nine innings. That season, he posted a 9-1 record with 10 saves (4th best in a season) all in relief. John saw his ERA more than double to 1.68 (still the 12th best in a season) in 2011 as he went 5-2 while punching out 92 more batters in 91.1 innings of work. A torn labrum kept John out of the Big 12 tournament and the College World Series, but he was still drafted in the third round by the Toronto Blue Jays. Despite the injury shortened season, John finished his Aggie career with the 16th most strikeouts (209) and best career ERA (1.27). John has yet to throw a pitch this year, but he enters his fourth professional season and will return to AAA. John is currently recovering from repairs done this past summer to the torn labrum he suffered at A&M, but he is aiming to earn his way to a possible major league debut before this season is over; many thought he would have debuted last year before the surgery ended his season.



Coming up next week: SEC! SEC! SEC!

One of the greatest threads in Texags history !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Brandon Parrent 2011



A junior transfer from Temple College, Brandon made four starts in 24 appearances during his lone season at A&M. En route to A&M's fifth College World Series appearance, Brandon posted a 2-4 record with a 4.21 ERA. He was selected in the 30th round of the 2011 MLB draft by the Chicago White Sox and was one of eight players from the CWS squad to sign that summer; only seven of the eight were drafted. Brandon spent two seasons in the White Sox system before retiring from professional baseball.

Scott Arthur 2009-2012



A jack of all trades, Scott followed his father who was a member of the 12th Man kickoff team in the early 80s to A&M, and he made appearances at third base, second base, shortstop, and the entire outfield during his freshman season. He hit only .231, but he made only one error during his 41 appearances. During 61 games his sophomore year, Scott again saw action at the above mentioned positions and added 20 steals to his resume, finishing second on the team to Brodie Greene. Relegated to mostly a pinch-runner role his junior year, Scott came back strong his senior year contributing a .273 average with 18 steals. Those 18 steals lifted Scott to 9th on the all-time career steals list with 49. Scott went undrafted during his last season, but he was able to finish his degree and graduated on time.

Ross Stripling 2009-2012




A walk-on hailing from a long line of Aggies including a grandfather who was a yell leader, Ross made 13 appearances out of the pen going 1-0 with a 2.51 ERA his freshman season. Ross struck out 18 batters on the season, but six of those were against the very first six batters he faced in his collegiate career. Ross moved into the Saturday starter role his sophomore year and posted a 6-5 record in 17 starts. He struck out 89 batters in 88.0 innings with a 4.50 ERA, and he closed out an Aggie Big 12 tournament sweep by shutting down Baylor en route to a 5-3 victory. Ross really shined his junior year earning All-American honors, the C.E. "Pat" Olsen Outstanding Pitcher award, as well as three Big 12 Pitcher of the Week awards. Ross led the entire country with 14 victories as he went 14-2 with a 2.29 ERA; those 14 victories are also the 3rd most ever in a season for an Aggie. His last victory of the regular season was a complete game, four-hit shutout over Texas in Austin that clinched a share of the Big 12 regular season title. Ross pitched the first game of the College World Series for the Aggies, but he left with the game tied after tossing 8.0 innings allowing four runs (two earned); the Aggies lost the game to a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth. Ross turned down a 9th round draft selection that summer and then finished his collegiat ecareer strong going 10-4 with a 3.08 ERA, leading the team with 120 strikeouts (11th best in a season). On the day of his graduation, Ross capped his collegiate career off with the 11th no-hitter in A&M's history shutting down San Diego State 1-0; highlights of that game can be found here. Ross finished his career with the 3rd most wins with 31 and 3rd most strikeouts with 340. Ross was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 5th round of the draft, and he will eventually make his return to action this season after missing all of last year to Tommy John surgery. Ross is currently ranked as the 10th best prospect in the Dodger's organization.

Estevan Uriegas 2009-2012



A situational lefty, Estevan made 18 appearances his freshman year and posted 16 strikeouts in 11.2 innings of work. His best appearance came in the Big 12 tournament against #8 Oklahoma when he struck out three in 1.2 innings of relief work to help the Ags secure a come from behind 17-15 victory. Estevan returned the next year making 24 relief appearances, but his stats were skewed by one terrible outing against #11 Miami in the Coral Gables regional when he surrendered seven earned runs in only 1.2 innings of work. He returned to form for the Aggie's 2011 College World Series run posting a 3.60 ERA in 19 appearances including two starts. During his final season, Estevan made 39 appearances (the most ever by a pitcher in a single season) out of the pen recording a 4-0 record with a 1.69 ERA. By the end of his collegiate career, Estevan become only the second pitcher to record at least 100 appearances in his career. After college, he signed with the independent league Normal CornBelters before a trade sent him to the Gary Southshore Railcats. Estevan will begin the 2015 season shortly with the Laredo Lemurs when they play their opening game on May 21st.

Matt Juengel 2010-2012




Matt transferred to A&M after one season at Panola College and finished second on the team with both a .359 batting average and 11 home runs. In the Big 12 tournament, Matt helped knock off #1 Texas with two home runs and three RBIs as the Ags went on to claim the tournament championship. As a junior, Matt started all but one game and hit .308 with seven more home runs. On the way to the Aggies taking two of three from Florida State University in the 2011 Tallahassee super regional, Matt hit .400 with three runs and three RBIs. In the College World Series, he reached base five times in eight plate appearances with a hit and four walks. In his senior season, Matt hit .292 and collected his 135th career RBI to finish 15th on the all-time RBI list. He was drafted in the 24th round of the 2012 MLB draft by the Miami Marlins, and he begins the 2015 season at their AA Jacksonville Suns affiliate.

Tyler Naquin 2010-2012











Tyler started his A&M career off slowly at the plate hitting only .244, but he picked up the pace as the season neared completion hitting .326 in the final 12 games, including a four for five night against #1 Texas in the Big 12 Tournament with two doubles, a home run, and three RBIs. He continued his hot streak into 2011 to garner the Big 12 Player of the Year award and his first of two Marion Pugh Most Valuable Player awards. That season, he propelled the Aggies to the CWS with a .381 batting average, 68 runs, 104 hits (4th best in a season), and seven triples (3rd best). During the season, he became the last Aggie to hit for the cycle and had the longest hitting streak (27 games) in 39 years. That summer he joined Michael Wacha playing for Team USA and hit .321 finishing second on the team in hits and home runs. During his junior year, Tyler hit .380 leading the team in average, runs (56), hits (92), and finishing in a three-way tie for the lead in stolen bases with 21. Tyler was taken with the 15th overall pick of the 2012 MLB draft by the Cleveland Indians. After suffering a broken hand which ended his 2014 season, Tyler is off to a torrid start in AA for the 2015 season hitting .315 in 13 games; he enters the season rated as the 5th best prospect in the Indians organization.

Michael "Wacha Wacha" Wacha 2010-2012




















In 25 appearances his freshman year, Michael started 10 games going 9-2 with a 2.90 ERA; his 97 strikeouts in 105.2 innings ranked third on the team. In the first game of the Big 12 tournament against a potent Texas Tech Raider offense, Michael carried a perfect game into the sixth inning and left after seven allowing only two hits and two runs. For the 2011 season, Michael started all 19 of his appearances recording a 9-4 record with a 2.29 ERA. His 123 strikeouts led the team and ranks 8th all-time for a season. That season, he pitched two complete games including a one run endeavor over #2 Oklahoma. In the regional, on the way to Omaha, Michael picked up wins against Wright State and #22 Arizona allowing no runs in 13.0 innings. After the Ags stumbled against #6 Florida State allowing 23 runs at the Tallahassee super regional, Michael shut the door in the winner-take-all rubber match allowing only 2 runs in 7.1 innings. He solidified his draft status by posting a 9-1 record with a 2.06 ERA striking out 116 batters his junior year to earn the C.E. "Pat" Olsen Outstanding Pitcher award and a was taken in the 2012 draft with the 19th overall selection, four spots behind teammate Tyler Naquin. In his first season in the minors, Michael record a jaw-dropping 0.86 ERA with 40 strikeouts in only 21.0 innings of work. By the following May, Michael earned his major league debut just one day short of a year removed from his last pitch thrown for Texas A&M. In his first start against the Royals, Michael carried a perfect game into the fifth inning. In his final regular season game of 2013, he pitched a no-hitter through 8.2 innings before an infield single glanced off Michael's outstretched glove. He carried that momentum into the playoffs allowing only one hit, a home run, in 7.1 innings in the NLDS elimination game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Not done yet, Michael made two starts in th eNLCS both against the 2013 NY Cy Young Winner, and former Aggie commit, Clayton Kershaw winning both contests. In the first game, he allowed no runs in 6.2 innings in a 1-0 victory; in the second game, Michael earned the victory that sent his team to the World Series allowing only two hits in 7.0 innings. Those victories earned Michael the NLCS MVP award, just the fourth rookie to win a championship series MVP award. Michael saw his 19.0 inning playoff scoreless streak end in Game 2 of the World Series, but still became the first Aggie to ever earn a World Series win as the Cardinals beat the Red Sox 4-2. He did not fare as well in Game 6, but he had solidified his MLB status. Michael returns to the Cardinals' starting rotation in 2015 after sitting out most of 2014 due to shoulder issues, but through his start last Friday, Michael has compiled a 14-7 record with a 2.87 ERA in the majors. For those curious, Michael's cards make up just over 10% of my collection.

Jacob House 2011-2012



Jacob came to A&M from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and was the everyday starter at first base. In 69 starts for the CWS team, Jacob hit .301 with three home runs. In the rubber match against #6 Florida State in the Tallahassee super regional, Jacob helped lead the team to an 11-2 victory by going two for three with two runs, two walks, and two RBIs. That season, he set the mark for most putouts in a season with 635. The next season, Jacob posted the fifth most putouts in a season with 524, and he hit .308 leading the Aggies with eight home runs and 56 RBIs. That season, after graduating with a communications degree, Jacob was selected in the 20th round of the MLB draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks, and he spent one season playing professional baseball.

Kyle Martin 2010-2013



A 6'7" righty, Kyle saw action mostly out of the bullpen during his tenure in Aggieland. After a rough six appearances his first year, Kyle settled in for the 2011 CWS run making 33 relief appearance posting a 3.67 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 41.2 innings; he picked up the extra-inning victory over Kansas State to move the Aggies to the Big 12 tournament championship game against Missouri. He made 38 appearances (2nd most in a season by a pitcher) his junior year recording seven saves with a 3.20 ERA. That season, he picked up two of the three wins in the weekend series sweep over Missouri. Despite a 4.91 ERA his senior year, the Boston Red Sox took Kyle with their 9th round selection in the 2013 MLB draft. Kyle enters his third year of profession baseball in 2015 pitching for the Red Sox's AA affiliate Portland Sea Dogs. In ten games this season, Kyle is off to a 1-0 start with two saves and a 4.15 ERA; the majority of that ERA came in one appearance, and he has been lights out over his last four appearances.

Mikey Reynolds 2012-2013



Mikey Reynolds made his way to A&M after one season stints at St. Mary's College and Paradise Valley Community College. Mikey made an immediate impact as the everday shortstop hitting .306 with 21 stolen bases. Mikey turned down a 20th round draft pick by the New York Yankees to return for his senior year and the Aggies' first season in the SEC. Mikey upped his game with a .342 batting average in 58 starts leading the team with 43 runs and 19 stolen bases to earn 2nd team SEC honors; his 2nd team SEC selection made him one of only two A&M players (Krey Bratsen is the other) to earn such honors
in both the Big 12 and SEC conferences. The Atlanta Braves took Mikey in the 5th round of the 2013 MLB draft, where he spent two seasons. Sadly, Mikey tested positive for methylphenidate, commonly used to treat ADHD, without a prescription during the 2014 season and was suspended for 50 games; the Braves released Mikey after he served his suspension. Mikey is currently playing independent league baseball with the York Revolution and is off to a .351 start in 10 games.

Johnny "Johnny Football" "JFF" "Heismanziel" "Money Manziel" Manziel, Football Player




Johnny was a redshirt during the 2011 football season, and his first start of the 2012 season was pushed back due to Hurricane Isaac. Johnny first garnered attention when he generated 557 yards of offense against Arkansas. He then surpassed that later in the season against #24 Louisiana Tech becoming the first player in SEC history with two 500+ offensive yard games. If Johnny Football was not on people's Heisman watch lists before, he certainly was after he led the Aggies past #1 Alabama in Tuscaloosa accounting for 345 of A&M's 418 offensive yards. By season's end, Johnny broke the single season SEC record for most offensive yards with 3,706 passing yards and 1,410 rushing yards. He also became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy and was the second Aggie to win the award. Johnny followed up his freshman season with 4,873 more offensive yards before declaring for the 2014 draft. The Cleveland Browns selected Johnny with the 22nd overall pick. During his high school days at Tivy, Johnny Baseball was a middle infielder, and he briefly contemplated playing baseball for A&M. The San Diego Padres, as a publicity stunt, drafted Johnny in the 28th round of the 2014 MLB draft; he was selected one spot behind A&M commit and current freshman pitcher Turner Larkins. Johnny is currently preparing to become the 2015 starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns.

Krey Bratsen 2011-2014



Krey earned Freshman All-American honors his first year with A&M by hitting .332 with 31 stolen bases (7th most in a season) while appearing in all 69 of A&M's games. The Bryan, Texas local hit .380 during Big 12 play, and he broke open a scoreless tie against #22 Arizona in the championship game of the Olsen Field regional to help the Ags win 3-0 and advance to the Tallahassee super regional. Krey's average dipped to .226 in his last season in the Big 12 conference, but he still managed to tie for the team lead with 21 stolen bases. He also had the highest fielding percentage among all the starters (.993) making only one error during his defensive play in centerfield. Krey improved entering his first season in the SEC hitting .279 on the year, but against SEC competition, he ranked ninth in the SEC with a .340 batting average including a five for eight weekend against LSU. Krey capped off his collegiate career with a .307 batting average and a team high 18 stolen bases in 2014; he also played flawless defense making no errors on the year in 53 games. Krey finished his career as the all time leader in games played with 245, ninth in hits with 243, and second in stolen bases with 88. To the surprise of many, Krey went undrafted after his senior year.

Some of those Manziel cards are kind of goofy, but what a very cool piece of your collection. This is one of the coolest cards:

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Some of those Manziel cards are kind of goofy

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I don't know why Leaf decided to draw a picture of Manziel instead of photo-shopping out the logos (they don't have an MLB license, so they can't legally use logos or even mention the team names). The image wasn't even based on when he threw out the first pitch for San Diego: (which would have allowed for an easy photoshop job), it was from when he threw out the first pitch a year before that with the Texas Rangers: http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2013/4/8/4195108/johnny-manziel-first-pitch-rangers

Cole Lankford 2012-2014




Cole started his collegiate career off slowly hitting only .146 in 31 games, but whatever adjustments he needed where made by his sophomore year. In 2013, he hit .352 with three home runs while appearing in 57 games at first base. While leading the team in average, doubles, triples, and RBIs, he hit .588 in the Corvallis regional including a five hit effort against UTSA. During his final season with the Aggies, Cole hit .319 while leading the team with 80 hits and 47 RBIs. Of his five home runs on the season, none were bigger than a 7th inning grand slam to turn a 6-1 deficit against Rice in the Houston regional into a 6-5 game. His hit sparked a come from behind victory in a winner take all game as the Aggies came back to beat Rice 9-8 in ten innings. His grand slam can be seen here. Lankford's season ended with his second Marion Pugh MVP award, and he was selected in the 27th round of the 2014 MLB draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. Cole's 2015 season will begin on June 23rd with the Johnson City Cardinals, St. Louis' Rookie League affiliate. The first seven cards pictured show someone other than Cole Lankford, even though they are supposed to be Lankford's cards. I'm not sure how Panini mistook a left-handed hitting white guy for a right-handed hitting Hispanic guy.

Daniel Mengden 2012-2014





Daniel was a two-way star during his first two seasons at A&M. During his first season, he made 18 trips to the plate in six games hitting .222 with a home run. On the mound, Daniel went 3-4 with three saves and a 3.83 ERA. His home run was a big pinch-hit three run homerun in the top of the 9th to give the Aggies a 5-4 lead. He then came in to pitch the bottom of the 9th where he struck out three batters to seal the victory over Oklahoma State. In his three Tuesday starts and one Big 12 Tournament start, Daniel pitched 26.2 innings giving up only 19 hits and two earned runs. As a sophomore, Daniel appeared in 47 games as a DH and right fielder hitting .271 with three home runs. In 16 starts on the mound, Daniel went 8-4 with a 2.11 ERA and 94 strikeouts; against SEC competition, his ERA was 1.88. Mengden was a bit of a hard-luck pitcher as he either received a loss or a no decision in five starts despite allowing only three runs or less in at least six innings of work. Daniel focused solely on his pitching his junior season and went 4-9 with a 4.08 ERA. Mengden spent part of the season pitching through a stress fracture in his lower back, and he also was the victim of little run support; in his 16 starts, the Aggies scored three runs or less 10 times, including no runs in four starts. Daniel finished his collegiate career 12th on the all-time strikeout list with 230. He was taken by the Houston Astros as the first pick in the 4th round of the 2014 MLB draft. Daniel is off to a fantastic start in 2015 at the Astros' Full A affiliate; through his first six games, five starts, he is 3-1 with a 1.21 ERA. In his last four starts, he has not allowed a run in 21.0 innings of work. He is currently rated as the 22nd best prospect in the Astros organization, and he has one of the better mustaches in the game as can be seen here.

Corey Ray 2012-2014




Corey saw action in 12 games his freshman year while starting three and finishing with a 2-0 record and a 3.52 ERA. Corey appeared in 13 more games during 2013 starting five midweek games and one SEC game. During the season he went 3-2 with a 5.11 ERA. Corey came back strong his junior year appearing in 17 games, four starts, posting a 6-1 record with a 1.91 ERA. In the last start of his collegiate career, Corey started the championship game at the Houston regional against Texas. Despite allowing only two unearned runs in 5.0 innings, he was saddled with the loss as the Aggies lost 4-1. Corey was drafted in the 5th round of the 2014 MLB draft by the Kansas City Royals, and he begins the 2015 season at their Full A Lexington Legends affiliate. Through 26.0 innings this year, he has a 4.85 ERA with 33 strikeouts.



Coming up next week: 2015 and Beyond!