Series Preview: No. 8 Texas A&M begins 2024 campaign vs. McNeese State

Also included above is a radio segment with Ryan Brauninger, Richard Zane and Scott Clendenin from Friday morning, previewing this weekend’s series between No. 8 Texas A&M and McNeese State.

Who: McNeese State (35-23, 12-12 Southland in 2023)
Where: Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park – Bryan-College Station, Texas
When:

Friday: 6 p.m. CT (SEC Network+)
Saturday: 2 p.m. CT (SEC Network+)
Sunday: 1 p.m. CT (SEC Network+)

Pitching matchups 

Friday: LHP Ryan Prager (1-4, 5.16 in 2022) vs. RHP Zach Voss (2-0, 3.08 in 2023)
Saturday: LHP Justin Lamkin (3-3, 5.92 in 2023) vs. TBA
Sunday: LHP Shane Sdao (4-1, 4.78 in 2023) vs. TBA

Scouting McNeese State

Friday is a historic day for McNeese State. The Cowboys will be facing a nationally ranked opponent on Opening Day for the first time. They would like nothing more than to take down the eighth-ranked Aggies and make some history.

Texas A&M holds the all-time series advantage at 25-5, with the most recent match-up taking place in 2008. McNeese hasn’t defeated A&M in more than 25 years, and this weekend will be a challenge to break that long streak.

Not much is known about the 2024 Cowboys as we start the season on Friday. McNeese has only two returning offensive starters, and they are replacing a large portion of its 2023 pitching staff from a 35-23 team.

The Cowboys’ top experienced hitter is senior outfielder Cooper Hext, who hit .291 with eight home runs and 41 RBIs in 2023 and is a preseason All-Southland second-team selection.

Chris Swann, TexAgs

Jace LaViolette went 4-for-10 with five RBIs in the Aggies’ opening series last season. 

Right fielder Braden Duhon is the only other returning starter. Duhon finished 2023 with a .258 batting average, one home run and 25 RBIs. Conner Westenburg is another returning Cowboy expected to contribute immediately despite hitting .200 with five at-bats.

That’s about all we know about the McNeese offensive firepower. The rest of the lineup will be newcomers.

On the mound, McNeese will open with righty Zach Voss, who started six games in 2023 and finished the year 1-3 with a 4.85 ERA. Last year’s closer, Ty Abraham (3.15. 5 saves), is expected to take on an expanded role in 2024, although head coach Justin Hill did not announce a Saturday or Sunday starter. Cameron LeJeune (2-1, 4.88 ERA) is another returning hurler from the bullpen who will be in the mix for the Cowboys this weekend.

Texas A&M storylines to watch

It’s another glorious Opening Day at the “Shack by the Track,” better known as Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park. Practices and scrimmages were closed to the media and public this spring, so the initial storylines for this weekend are a bit hazy, but we’ve gathered a few nuggets.

All eyes will be on the highest-rated college transfer in the country this past offseason, Stanford right fielder/pitcher Braden Montgomery. He’s a special five-tool talent with the ability to be a high-level first-round MLB draft pick this summer.

Montgomery will be paired with fellow preseason All-American selection Jace Laviolette, who has reshaped his body, added some speed and is now patrolling center field.

One of the highest-rated high school A&M signees in recent history to rebuff pro baseball is power-hitting third baseman Gavin Grahovac.

Even though Grahovac is a true freshman, he’s expected to be an immediate impact power source.

This trio will likely land in the middle of the batting order, so all eyes will be on this group to see if they will live up to the high preseason expectations.

Several Division-I college transfers are expected to make an impact at the plate, including outfielder Hayden Schott, shortstop Ali Camarillo and first baseman Ted Burton, so it will be interesting to see how quickly they can make the transition to Maroon & White and come out spraying the ball.

Camarillo has also shown a big arm and a slick glove at the critical shortstop position during spring workouts, so seeing him execute as expected with 5,000 Aggies watching will be something to observe.

On the mound, A&M fans will see the anticipated return of left-hander Ryan Prager, who is making his first start on Friday since suffering a season-ending injury last offseason.

Sophomore Justin Lamkin showed flashes of brilliance last year as a freshman, but his consistency suffered at times. He’s a year older and a year wiser, and the staff feels he’s ready to establish himself as one of the best pitchers in the weekend rotation.

Shane Sdao surprised Jim Schlossnagle when he emerged in the mid-season to become one of the more trusted arms on the pitching staff by the end of 2023. He’s battling transfer Tanner Jones for one of the cherished weekend spots, but Jones is battling a minor injury and will sit out the weekend for precautionary reasons.

There will be plenty of very talented freshman arms that will get a look this weekend, such as Isaac Morton, Kaiden Wilson and Weston Moss.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

Shane Sdao boasted a 4.78 ERA with a 4-1 record while punching out 46 hiters in 2023.

Expect a few of these names to pop up on the mound, along with junior veteran Chris Cortez, who has changed his mechanics with promising spring reviews.

Brock Peery will have a chance to make a statement at the back end of games as well.

You should see a lot of pitchers in action this weekend as the coaches start sifting through one of the deepest pitching staffs in many years.

What’s at stake this weekend

I won’t tell you there’s a lot at stake this opening weekend. Essentially, the Aggies need to kick off the season positively and play well. Hopefully, the three veteran pitchers have solid outings and show the ability to consistently hit the strike zone and eliminate free passes.

Let’s hope to see more strike-throwing when Schlossnagle turns the ball over to some talented freshmen and transfers making their first appearances.

There will be nerves, and now is the time to deal with the pressure of performing in front of 5,000 fans and get that out of the way. I’m not sure we’ll be able to take a lot away from the plethora of inexperienced arms we’ll see throughout this opening weekend.

The Aggies have more proven commodities on offense, but you want to see the middle of the order show flashes of what is expected from arguably the most talented A&M lineup in the 21st century.

Grabbing a sweep on the opening weekend would be nice and is frankly expected, but I wouldn’t start pulling the fire alarm if they do drop a game in this three-game set.