Jim Schlossnagle addresses rule changes, things to watch for in 2023

Ahead of his second year as Texas A&M's head coach, Jim Schlossnagle joined TexAgs Radio to preview his squad before the 2023 season. The head coach discussed new rules in college baseball, returners and new names who could make an impact for the Maroon & White.

 Key notes from Jim Schlossnagle interview

• Is “Back in Black” my walk-up music? There wasn’t a whole lot of walking up to the mound at Elon in North Carolina back in the day.
   
• In college athletics today, you better adapt or die. I’m the most traditional baseball guy ever. Part of being a player is knowing signs and disguising them, and part of being a coach is creating that system. The powers that be have decided the pace of college baseball needed to speed up. The pitch clock is quicker than last year. The hitter has to be ready at the 10-second mark. There’s a 20-second clock between batters. The pitcher is only allowed to step off one time, but he can throw to a base as much as he wants.
   
• We watched Oklahoma lose in Omaha because the pitcher and catcher got crossed up. I felt like we needed to assure ourselves of the signs and make something that can happen quickly. We are now going to use wristbands. It’s an electronic thing, and the message will be sent to every player. For defensive players, it can help you anticipate what may happen. Vanderbilt did this last year. At some point, we will get PitchCom where the players can hear it in their ears like the majors. It's not my favorite thing, but adapt or die.
   
• It’s tough on the pitcher to go against some of the veterans. There is nothing you are going to throw to the vets that those guys haven't seen. If you aren't a strike thrower, it's going to be a long day. The goal of our offense is to swing the least, but when we do swing, we want to do the most damage. The old guys aren't phased. The new guys, at times, look great, and sometimes, they get their doors blown in. The way we pitched last year is not sustainable.
   
• Brett Minnich is healthy. He played incredibly injured all year, and it ended up being a serious sports hernia. He could run, but you are seeing him move better now and with 20 extra pounds. He did well in the weight room. A lot of our players did, but most still have the same body. We didn't get to see Austin Bost healthy last year. He had a back injury. The other day, he hit an opposite-field home run. That was a good example of a healthier, stronger Bost.
   
• I’ve been pleased with the defensive effort. We are significantly better at catching the baseball behind home plate than we were in the fall. Coach Nolan Cain is to credit for that. The catchers are all better. Outside of that, Bost has improved at second. Jack Moss saves a lot of errors around the bag at first. At third, we need guys to play healthy. Last year, we lost our starting shortstop, and then we played with a banged-up Trevor Werner. We are running better in the outfield. These new guys move well.
   
• There’s a spot in the rotation for Chris Cortez that he needs to win. Nathan Dettmer is our only proven product in this league. There are a lot of guys vying for those positions. If you held a gun to my head and said I had to decide today, Cortez would be starting. He is maturing, getting bigger and stronger. We need to stay on him and hold him accountable. I would like him to be in a starting role, but we'll see how it goes over the next couple of weeks.
   
• Justin Lamkin is mature beyond his years. He’s nothing but a strike-thrower. Nate Yeskie tells me he has good metrics. He is not a huge velocity guy. Something about the rotation of the earth, if you are lefty and throw strikes, those guys get rewarded. College baseball is tough on a young player. If we had four games in the next week, he would start one of them.
   
• Kasen Wells is pushing people to be better, or he’s going to play. He has really come on. That’s going to be one of the keys to our program. It’s tough for a young player to get time. They have to be patient. That doesn't mean they dont have a role. They will be great Texas A&M baseball players.