Lone Star Showdown: Texas A&M and TCU ready for Super Regional

FORT WORTH - After similarly grueling paths, TCU and Texas A&M spoke to the media ahead of their upcoming Super Regional match up.

While both squads have obvious differences, the two agreed on quite a few topics on Friday afternoon.

The first being A&M’s ability to hit the long ball.

“We have a game plan and as a pitcher, I know I just need to keep the ball low in the zone,” TCU’s Tyler Alexander said when asked about the prodigious Aggie offense. “I’ll need to attack with my fastball and get my off-speed pitches working early. Mainly, just keep the ball down."

In a different ballpark, Blake Allemand knows the dinger won’t come as easy, but it is possible. He knows its importance too.

“If you have the ability to hit homeruns, you’re never out of a game. That being said, this is a big ballpark but our offensive strategy isn’t really to hit homeruns, it is a result of having good at bats and hitting mistakes.”

A lot of the discussion revolved around who will be there to see these strategies take place. Something TCU’s head coach Jim Schlossnagle addressed at length.

“I want to have as many people in the ballpark as we possibly can. If we can sell 10,000 tickets and fit 10,000 people in here, I don’t care who they are.” He continued on. “We welcome those things. They could split the crowd for all I care.”

His sentiments were somewhat echoed by the Aggies head coach Rob Childress.

“I’m sure Lupton was the same energy that we had at our place last week, and I’m certain it will be every bit as good, if not better as both venues this week. You cannot ask for anything more,”

The exact location isn’t as important to Childress as the state it resides in.

“As a coach and player, growing up in the state of Texas hoping to play college baseball and getting the opportunity to play for either TCU or Texas A&M for this weekend, that is something every little kid dreams of in Texas.”

Reaching this point has taken max effort from a number of areas. Some expected more than others. With the Aggies, last weekend came down to defense.

“The left side of our infield played really good this past week. It is part of the reason we’re still standing.” Childress said. “We won our regional based on pitching, defense and getting timely hits. We proved to ourselves that we can win in a lot of different ways.”

Conference realignment has shifted both schools around, but their familiarity with each other makes for an interesting dynamic for both teams and fans.

“I think it is great for the fans that have followed all the college sports in Texas, especially college baseball, that Texas A&M and TCU are playing for a right to go to Omaha.” Said Childress when asked about the lone star connection. “It is going to make for a great weekend for sports fans and college baseball fans in Texas.”

This is another topic the opposing sides agreed upon. Schlossnagle was just as excited about the opportunity this Super Regional pairing brings.

“It’s awesome. Having ESPN here and broadcasting it on national TV, I mean that is why I came to TCU. We’re getting ready to play a Super Regional in front of 7,000 people in Lupton Stadium.”

While both teams are excited about being here, they made it clear what their ultimate goal was in advancing. Grayson Long allowed himself to think about that possibility and what the experience might be like.

“To do it in front of some of our fans would be great. If that works out, with the support of everybody, being able to dog pile, potentially, in our home state would be awesome.”

With different paths, strategies and squads, that is something both teams can agree on.