3 Days 'til Aggie Baseball: Roster features numerous impact players

It’s that time of year! The Texas Aggie baseball team is set to open up the 2024 season on Friday against McNeese State at Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park. We’re counting down the days with our 2024 Aggie Baseball Preview Series.

As part of the week-long series previewing the highly-anticipated 2024 Texas A&M baseball season, let’s take a look at some potential impact playmakers that could be key in a run to Omaha in June.

While head coach Jim Schlossnagle returns several key veterans like Jace LaViolette, Ryan Targac, Justin Lamkin, Chris Cortez and Ryan Prager who will be counted on to contribute heavily in the spring, the staff was aggressive in the transfer portal and at the high school level bringing in 25 newcomers to retool a team that finished 38-27 (14-16 SEC) and lost in the 2023 Stanford Regional. The transfer class was ranked No. 4 in the nation by D1Baseball.com, featuring consensus All-American and projected first-round MLB Draft pick Braden Montgomery from Stanford.

D1Baseball also ranked the Aggies’ freshman class No. 4 in the country as well, led by heavy-hitting third baseman Gavin Grahovac and outfielder Caden Sorrell.

It will be a new-look team at Blue Bell Park this spring that will be much deeper with plenty of competition expected in non-conference play before the staff settles on a rotation and a set lineup for the highly competitive SEC Conference race.

There’s no question that several freshmen not on this preseason list will emerge as big-time contributors. There’s enough talent and competition that the coaching staff will be patient and provide the young players opportunities in early season game situations. As it always does, the cream will rise to the top.

For now, here’s my projected list of the top 10 potential playmakers on the 2024 Fightin’ Texas Aggies with less than a week before Opening Day at the “Shack By The Track.”

1. Jace LaViolette - CF

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For his success last spring, LaViolette earned himself a spot on USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team during the summer.

There’s no surprise that last year’s freshman sensation resides in the top spot as one of the premiere power hitters in college baseball.

On the heels of his 21 home runs and 63 RBIs, LaViolette has been tabbed as a preseason All-American by almost every major college baseball publication.

Despite the extraordinary power production, the freshman did go through growing pains with a high strikeout rate, chasing pitches out of the strike zone. He has worked on cutting down his strikeouts and being more selective at the plate in the offseason, so I expect his batting average (.287) and on-base percentage (.414) from last year to improve significantly in 2024. He also reshaped his body in the offseason to improve his speed to make a smooth transition from left field to center field.

He’s also expected to move up in the batting order ahead of Montgomery in the two-hole, so the added speed will go to good use. While LaViolette’s power component will always be a huge factor in his production, getting on base and setting the table for Montgomery and the middle of the batting order will be extremely valuable. If this transition is successful as expected, his performance will be even greater and more balanced than his freshman All-American campaign.

Paired with the power bats behind him in the lineup, expect to see the Katy native score a lot of runs in addition to his power production. Opposing pitchers will have a difficult task ahead if LaViolette narrows his strike zone and takes his free bases in addition to his quick-strike power on pitches that catch the middle of the plate. His combination of patience, speed and power will be a focal point in this A&M lineup.

2. Braden Montgomery - RF

Montgomery is the most heralded college transfer in the country in 2024 after a monster season with Stanford that ended in a trip to Omaha last year.

The two-way athlete will have his most impact in the middle of the Aggie lineup where he hit .336 with 17 homers and 61 RBIs for the Cardinal in 2023.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

MLB.com has Montgomery ranked as its No. 10 draft-eligible prospect ahead of the 2024 MLB Draft.

Along with LaViolette, the Mississippi native has been mentioned on every major preseason All-American published list, and he’s also a projected first-round MLB draft pick next summer. Scouts consider him a rare five-tool athlete with above-average speed, power and a cannon of an arm in the right field.

Better yet, he’s a switch-hitter, and he’s also been working with pitching coach Max Weiner to fine-tune his skillset on the mound to take advantage of his 96 mph velocity.

He’s the complete package and can impact the game in so many ways. It will be hard for opposing hurlers to pitch around him sandwiched between LaViolette and Grahovac in the batting order. He’s set to have a big year for the Aggies. Who knows, we could see him close out a few games on the mound as well.

3. Gavin Grahovac - 3B

There’s a lot of buzz coming from Olsen Field about the highly-regarded true freshman from Orange, California.

He has been better than advertised in preseason workouts and scrimmages.

In fact, the young third baseman registered three of the top four exit velocities off the bat in last week’s scrimmages (114, 112, 110 mph), and he’s ripping the cover off the ball.

Grahovac has garnered several preseason SEC Freshman of the Year honors as well. I spoke to a national college baseball analyst last weekend who said Grahovac reminds him of a young Dylan Crews who smashed every LSU offensive stat in the record book, brought the Tigers a national title, and was selected second overall in last year’s MLB Draft.

Now, that’s not to say Grahovac will have that kind of impact, but the potential is there to be a huge presence in the middle of the lineup this season.

Word is he’s projected to hit clean-up behind LaViolette and Montgomery, so he’ll see plenty of hittable pitches with those two All-Americans ahead of him. Expect the usual freshman hiccups and some struggles along the way, but if his power bat gets going by midseason, A&M will have its own version of Murderers’ Row like the 1927 Yankees.

4. Justin Lamkin - LHP

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

Throwing seven shutout innings vs. South Carolina in Hoover, Lamkin earned All-SEC Tournament Team honors after limiting the Gamecocks to just one hit.

The lanky freshman had his ups and downs in the 2023 season. His 3-3 record and 5.92 ERA isn’t a stat line that turns heads.

However, when it was all said and done, the left-handed Corpus Christi product threw more innings than any freshman pitcher in the SEC.

Opposing batters hit just .215 against him, and Lamkin had a solid hits-to-innings pitched ratio of .831. In the offseason, he physically matured and put on some weight, and word on the street is he has made valuable progress with Weiner. The staff has been publicly mentioning Lamkin as a serious candidate to win a weekend rotation spot.

The Aggies have a lot of talented new arms on the roster, but Lamkin is one of only a handful of hurlers who have been in the fire of SEC play. I think he’ll have a significant role on the mound in 2024 and improve on his 2023 numbers.

5. Ryan Targac - UTL

Go back and remember the 2022 Ryan Targac, who blasted majestic bombs over academic buildings at LSU and cranked out a few more 450-foot shots two seasons ago.

He hit .294 with 15 home runs and 58 RBIs as a sophomore that season. Yeah, let’s forget about his struggles at the plate in 2023 because there is optimism for the senior to have a rebound year in 2024.

First, the coaching staff made progress in the offseason to shorten Targac’s swing to improve contact, and it seems to be paying off in the preseason.

Second, there’s a good chance the Hallettsville Hammer will be hitting behind an elite middle-of-the-order lineup that features multiple All-Americans. That means Targac (or anybody hitting fifth or sixth) will see a large percentage of fastballs over the plate, and he loves fastballs over the plate. He’ll definitely see more pitches to drive with the likes of LaViolette, Montgomery and Grahovac in front of him.

As a result, I expect a return to his 2022 offensive production this season.

In the first five scrimmages of the preseason, Targac has registered smoking-hot exit velocities off his bat at 109, 108, and 106 mph according to Aggie Baseball Analytics.

6. Tanner Jones - RHP

The right-handed junior transferred from Jacksonville State, where he finished his sophomore campaign at 7-3 with a 4.67 ERA. He struck out 87 batters in 78 innings of action.

Jones turned heads in fall workouts hitting the radar gun at 96 mph with several impressive outings to put him in the mix for a weekend rotation spot. He has developed a quality slider under the tutelage of Weiner, and the Alabama native is expected to have a prominent role on this pitching staff.

7. Ryan Prager - LHP

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

Prager is one of three pitchers on A&M’s 2024 roster with College World Series experience. He appeared twice in Omaha, pitching in both games vs. Oklahoma.

The lefty emerged as one of the top pitchers as a freshman on the College World Series team in 2022. In fact, he started the regional championship game against TCU that sent the Aggies to the supers, throwing 2.1 innings and not allowing an earned run.

As a freshman, Prager logged the third most innings by an A&M pitcher behind Nathan Dettmer and Micha Dallas.

He was expected to be in the hunt for a weekend rotation spot in 2023 as a sophomore, but a season-ending injury forced him to redshirt and miss the entire campaign.

Early returns in 2024 are very encouraging, and the coaching staff has publicly commented that the Dallas product is a definite possibility to start the season in the weekend rotation.

8. Ali Camarillo - SS

The junior transfer from Cal-State Northridge (CSUN) is locked in a battle with veteran Kaeden Kent for the all-important shortstop position, but the former Matador has received good reviews in the offseason with an improved glove and a strong arm in addition to his offensive production at the plate.

He led CSUN in hitting last season with a .371 average, seven homers and 44 RBIs. Those numbers are even higher in Big West play, where he hit .417 in conference play en route to a spot on the All-Big West First Team.

The staff likes their options at the shortstop position, and they’ve been very pleased with Camarillo’s performance in the offseason.

9. Hayden Schott - LF

The Ivy League doesn’t allow graduate students to participate in athletics, and the Aggies have taken advantage of this rule by adding a pair of Ivy Leaguers to the roster in Schott and catcher Jackson Appel. Both have a very good shot to be in the starting lineup this spring.

Columbia University Athletics

In two seasons with Columbia, Schott was a .326 hitter in 383 at-bats with 23 home runs and 86 RBIs.

Schott is a two-time All-Ivy League outfielder who finished near the top of most major offensive statistical categories for Columbia, batting .333 with a team-high 11 home runs and a slugging percentage of .611.

He’s battling with a couple of very talented true freshmen for the starting nod in left field, but the 6-foot-2, 220-pound athlete has been very impressive in the offseason and will remind some of another 220-pound graduate transfer who played left field in 2022 and went to Omaha – Dylan Rock.

10. Chris Cortez - RHP

There’s no denying his arm talent. The Las Vegas native throws in the upper 90s on the radar gun, and he earned a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team in 2022, going 6-3 with a 4.91 ERA.

However, Cortez’s struggles to find the strike zone have put a ceiling on his career to date.

Reports are that Weiner has tinkered with Cortez’s mechanics and arm slot, and his control has improved, especially on his off-speed pitches.

Expectations are high that his arm potential will turn into reality in 2024, and his role on the staff could be as a spot starter, middle reliever or a late-inning possibility.

Cortez is one of the few experienced upperclassmen pitchers on this roster who has been with Schlossnagle during his entire tenure in Aggieland.