What an incredible run by a special group of players and coaches.
Texas Aggie Baseball underwent a massive overhaul at the end of last season, changing coaches for just the third time since the mid-1980s and bringing in a proven winner from TCU in Jim Schlossnagle.
Most of us that follow this sport and this team were convinced that Schlossnagle would get this program turned back around and headed in the right direction and that eventually, he would win big in Aggieland.
But there isn’t a single individual reading this story who thought it even remotely possible for Schlossnagle & Co. to do what they did in year one.
It was just remarkable to watch this team come together after starting the season with the look and feel of a team doubtful to make the field of 64.
But they somehow banded together and utilized a little Pringles magic along the way to win the SEC West title — a division that included the defending national champions and four of the eight representatives in Omaha this season — earn a top-eight national seed for just the third time in program history, get to the Men’s College World Series for the seventh time and win two games in Omaha to reach the national semifinal for the first time in school history.
The 2022 Aggies came up just short of being the last team standing in Omaha. But the legacy these players will leave is immense, and this group will never be forgotten.
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Notre Dame head coach Link Jarrett summed it up best after the Aggies eliminated the Fighting Irish on Tuesday: “If there is a place you want to end [a season], it’s obviously here [in Omaha].”
The magic carpet ride of a 2022 season has come to a conclusion in Omaha after a season that will long be remembered with incredible fondness among the entire A&M fanbase.
In a tone-setting season, this group of players did more than set the tone for future success under Schlossnagle. They came together and displayed the toughness, fight and grit of a champion and darn-near-willed their way to a national title.
The 2022 Aggies came up just short of being the last team standing in Omaha. But the legacy these players will leave is immense, and this group will never be forgotten.
More talented teams will come under Schlossnagle, and I’m convinced he will win multiple national titles at Texas A&M.
But it won't be easy to field a team with better chemistry than this one. And when the Aggies finally do break through and win that first national championship in baseball, we’ll need to look back and give guys like Troy Claunch, Dylan Rock and Jacob Palisch a ton of credit for believing in Schlossnagle’s vision, for going all-in on Texas A&M and for not settling for a year one “rebuilding project” this season.
Thanks for the memories, Aggie Baseball.
Here’s a statistical look, By The Numbers, at A&M’s 2-2 showing and historic run in the Men’s College World Series...
0.63 - Jacob Palisch’s ERA in the NCAA Tournament. In five tournament appearances, the graduate transfer from Stanford allowed just one run in 14.1 innings of work. During that span, Palisch gave up just 10 hits and four walks while striking out 19. The southpaw walked 12 hitters all season and fanned 73 in 60.1 innings for a ridiculous 6.1:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio...which by far tops the A&M team.
.100 - Dylan Rock’s batting average in super regional and MCWS play. The fifth-year slugger went just 2-for-20 in the last two weeks of the season after ripping the cover off the baseball in the regional round.
To his credit, Rock still managed to drive in six runs in the last six games of the season and walked five times. He finishes an unforgettable season in Aggieland with a .318/.468/.641 slash line with 19 home runs (tied for fourth all-time at A&M in a single season), 65 RBIs and 52 walks (fourth all-time).
.310 - Jordan Thompson’s batting average in the NCAA Tournament. The fourth-year junior went 9-for-29 in the nine games, including three homers, 11 RBIs and 10 runs scored. He also reached via a walk or a hit batsman nine times.
Here’s a guy that didn’t get his first hit this season until April 1st and got just eight at-bats in non-conference play. He didn’t start playing every day in center field until the South Carolina series in early May.
Jamie Maury, TexAgs
Jacob Palisch was dominant when it mattered most, shining with a .63 ERA in NCAA Tournament play.
Yet, Thompson finished the year with six home runs after Cinco de Mayo and 31 RBIs in 120 plate appearances. That’s about half the plate appearances as the everyday starters in the A&M lineup. The guy knows how to play the game of baseball and was a massive part of A&M’s success this season.
.375 - Austin Bost’s batting average in the MCWS. The fourth-year junior went 6-for-16 in Omaha with three doubles and a home run. Bost turned in a brilliant season, slashing .360/.451/.572 with 10 homers and 45 RBIs.
He’ll have a decision as to whether he leaves for pro baseball or elects to return for his fifth season in college baseball and fourth year in Aggieland.
.419 - Jack Moss’ batting average in the NCAA Tournament. The sophomore went 18-for-43 with seven RBIs and seven runs scored in the nine tournament games while also collecting at least one hit in all nine contests.
When you throw in the SEC Tournament, Moss went 24-for-55 (.436). He ended the season on a 15-game hitting streak with a final slash line of .380/.437/.520. The average was tops on the team, but he finished fourth in OPS.
You have to expect the power numbers to see a nice uptick as he continues progressing as a hitter and fills out that 6-foot-5 frame. No reason not to believe that he could double the home run total, which was six in 2022, and make a real run at SEC Player of the Year in ’23.
2 - Wins in Omaha. That’s something that had never been done at Texas A&M before this season. The Aggies had just two MCWS wins in its history...just one since 1951, which was 29 years ago in 1993. But Schlossnagle continues to break through barriers as he now owns half of the Aggies’ wins in Omaha. For Schlossnagle, he now has 13 MCWS victories as a head coach...all coming since 2010.
3.32 - Bullpen ERA in Omaha. The A&M stable of seven relievers combined to allow seven earned runs in 19 innings of work — with four of the seven coming early in the first game off of Joseph “Moo” Menefee. The bullpen walked seven hitters in the first outing vs. Oklahoma and just five in the last three games combined. The pen also accumulated 28 strikeouts in the MCWS.
5 - As in the Five Factors...a stat that we’ve tracked for years in the old “Diamond Notes” feature and continued here this season. The five factors to success offensively and defensively/on the mound...hitting with two outs, with runners on, with runners in scoring position, getting the leadoff man on base and two-out RBIs.
Here’s how A&M did on both offense and positionally in the four MCWS games...
Offensively:
- Two outs - .233 (10-for-43) ... down 28 points from super regional
- Runners on - .322 (19-for-59) ... up 117 points from super regional
- Runners in scoring position - .279 (12-for-43) ... up 136 points from super regional
- Leadoff OBP - .378 (14-for-37) ... down 66 points from super regional
- Two-out RBIs - seven ... up four RBIs from last week
Defensively:
- Two outs - .256 (11-for-43) ... up (opponent improvement) 66 points from super regional
- Runners on - .217 (15-for-69) ... down (A&M improvement) three points from super regional
- Runners in scoring position - .222 (10-for-45) ... up 11 points from super regional
- Leadoff OBP - .351 (13-for-37) ... down 168 points from super regional
- Two-out RBIs - 12 ... up 11 RBIs from super regional
7 - Innings of absolute brilliance and mastery from Nathan Dettmer in a 5-1 win over Notre Dame on Tuesday to advance to the national semifinal for the first time in program history.
Jamie Maury, TexAgs
After faltering in the opening game in Omaha, Nathan Dettmer rebounded to pitch a gem against Notre Dame.
The sophomore was coming off a disastrous performance in Game 1 of the Men’s College World Series vs. Oklahoma, where he allowed seven earned runs in 1.2 innings and entered the game against the Irish, having not gotten through the fifth inning in any of his last seven starts.
Dominant would be an understatement for Dettmer in the historic victory...seven shutout innings with just three hits and no walks allowed, striking out six. He threw 99 pitches with 68 strikes and had the two-seamer and the slider cooking throughout the game. Pitch number one was 94 mph, and so was pitch No. 98.
Just a masterful showing as Dettmer closes out a season filled with high highs and low lows. He’ll almost certainly enter 2023 in his role as staff ace and Friday night starter, and here’s hoping the big right-hander can use his final outing of ’22 as a springboard heading into an all-important year three in Aggieland.
7 - Errors in four games in Omaha. The Aggies committed two errors in each of the losses to Oklahoma and had three total miscues in the two victories in the MCWS. Fielding and playing catch on the dirt was a massive issue all season for Texas A&M. Second baseman Ryan Targac made 13 errors and fielded .943. Shortstop Kole Kaler fielded .934 with a team-high 17 errors. Third baseman Trevor Werner committed 13 errors and fielded .851.
Pitchers also made 17 errors in ’22. The redeeming aspects of the Aggies’ infield defense were Jack Moss’ glove at first base (just three errors and dozens of critical scoops from throws in the dirt all season) and Troy Claunch's ridiculous effort behind the plate (only nine passed balls and a 50-percent success rate at throwing out would-be base stealers).
14.8 - Strikeouts per nine innings for Joseph Menefee. That’s by far the best strikeout rate on the team this season. Menefee finished the season as A&M’s leader in strikeouts, fanning 87 hitters in 53 innings of work — all in relief.
Walks were an issue for Menefee, as he allowed 42 bases on balls and hit nine guys. The WHIP of 1.66 and the 5.60 ERA were both worst among the regular stable of A&M arms.
20 - A total of nine A&M pitchers eclipsed the 20-inning total in 2022. Among those, seven pitchers had a season ERA over 4.78. Only Jacob Palisch (2.39) and Will Johnston (3.25) were under that 4.78 mark among arms that pitched 20-plus frames.
In order among the other seven pitchers...Wyatt Tucker (4.79), Chris Cortez (4.91), Nathan Dettmer (4.99), Ryan Prager (5.16), Micah Dallas (5.18), Brad Rudis (5.22) and Joseph Menefee (5.60).
Jamie Maury, TexAgs
In their seventh MCWS appearance, the Aggies collected two wins in Omaha, something the program hadn’t done before this season.
My point...we saw moments of brilliance from each of these arms in this group of seven, and they gave us memories that will last a lifetime. But it’s hard to win a national championship when only two of your primary nine arms have a final season ERA that you would label “respectable.”
53 - Walks for Kole Kaler in ’22, edging out Dylan Rock by one walk for the team lead. The 53 base on balls ranks third all-time in a single season at A&M, behind only John Scheschuk (57 in ’99) and J.P. Bramhall (57 in ’81).
The only other season in A&M history in which two players each had 50+ walks was 1989 (Terry Taylor and Kirk Thompson each walked exactly 50 times...and in case you’re wondering, Chuck Knoblauch walked 49 times that season).
That’ll do it for another season. Thanks to all of you for the support and for checking out the feature throughout the year. Very thankful to TexAgs for allowing me to play a small role still and have a hand in our baseball coverage through this feature.
Baseball is a passion and has been since I was a little kid, and it means a lot to have this little corner of our incredible website and community to run some numbers and share a few thoughts weekly during the season.
We’ll catch you around the ballpark next season!
