During Thursday morning’s edition of TexAgs Radio, Aggie baseball head coach Jim Schlossnagle joined to reflect on the midweek win over the Rice Owls and preview this weekend’s series from Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.
Key notes from Jim Schlossnagle interview
- Awesome for Aggie basketball the run they’re on. We all know they should’ve been in the NCAA Tournament, but they regrouped and got themselves to Madison Square Garden. I talked to our baseball staff during the selection show about the turnaround that Buzz Williams and this team pulled off. I haven’t spent as much time with Buzz as I’d like. I’ve watched some practices from afar. I actually have a really good relationship with coach Steve Roccaforte from our days back at Tulane. I’m a big basketball fan. Roc’s a big baseball fan, so it really works out. I am excited to spend more time with coach Williams when time allows.
- I think the biggest difference with the offense, when you look at the home runs, I think it has a lot to do with the weather. Warming up and no north wind has been a big help. As my buddy Ron Washington would say, “That’s the way baseball goes.” I think our guys are doing a much better job with their approach. Our guys did a really good job staying on the baseball against LSU. I think we’re also doing a really good job of using the entire field, and you’re seeing the results of that effort.
- Getting production from Ryan Targac and Logan Britt at the bottom of the lineup is huge. You need that in baseball. Depth in a lineup gives you the opportunity to score every single inning you come to bat. The key to the whole thing is Austin Bost being such a pure baseball player and going out there and playing second base. He’s still got work to do, but he’s making it happen by playing a functional second base in Trevor Werner and Kalae Harrison’s absence.
- You have to give credit to the players, first and foremost, and you also have to give credit to coach Childress and his staff. These are some athletic guys who can go out there and play multiple positions, and that’s helping us play through these injuries at the moment. That’s the kind of guy I want on our team. Athletes who give you flexibility. Baseball players. I don’t know how else to put it.
- Auburn is a very offensive team. Very well-coached and ready to put pressure on you in the lineup, 1-9. They’ll bunt and put the ball in play, then they have a big bopper right in the middle of the lineup who can run one out of the park at a moment’s notice. It’s just going to be another tough weekend in the Southeastern Conference.
- I can’t even begin to tell you how important Joseph Menefee is to this team. I didn’t want to pitch Menefee or Chris Cortez on Tuesday. I didn’t even take Jacob Palisch with us to Houston because we need him for the weekend. A great sign on Tuesday was Xavier Lovett pitching a solid ninth inning. I know most people might’ve missed that because it was a stupid long baseball game.
