Ryan Prager punches 10 Seahawks in Friday night drubbing of Wagner

Game #5: No. 8 Texas A&M 17, Wagner 2
Records: Texas A&M (5-0), Wagner (0-4)
WP: Ryan Prager (2-0)
LP: Frankie Wright (0-2)
Box Score

Eighteen is a lucky number in the Jewish tradition.

Yet Ryan Prager — a Jewish left-hander who wears No. 18 — has yet to require any luck.

Instead, he has just been that good. Great, even.

One week after a dazzling Opening Day start, Prager was arguably even better in No. 8 Texas A&M's 17-2 bashing of Wagner in front of 5,944 at Blue Bell Park.

"I'm still just trying to stay grateful for every opportunity to get out there and get to be with our guys," Prager said postgame. "Overall, we had a great time."

The redshirt sophomore hurled 6.2 scoreless innings while striking out 10 Seahawks. He allowed just six hits and only one walk.

"We were a lot more slider-heavy today," Prager said. "Give and take: Take what they're giving us. Found some chances to mix in the change, but overall through everything, I felt good about it all."

Most impressively, only two Seahawks actually reached scoring position vs. Prager.

When he wasn't racking up the strikeouts, Prager was inducing weak contact to work around a trio of leadoff base hits. He also benefitted from a pair of double plays, both initiated by the slick-fielding Ali Camarillo.

"It's hard to play [defense] when the pitcher is not throwing strikes, and you're just sitting out there," Camarillo said. "He's just pounding the zone, pitch after pitch, and it's so easy."

After punching out Mateo Matthews with his 85th pitch of the night, Prager departed with two on and two out in the seventh.

Reliever Brad Rudis promptly got a flyout to right to end the short-lived threat and preserve the starter's unblemished ERA.

"Ryan is super consistent with everything he does," A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle said of Prager. "He lives his life in a real consistent way. ... He gives himself the best chance to have success

"He's just so consistent away from the field, and it allows him to be consistent on the field."

A&M's high-powered offense has allowed him to work free and easy, and Friday was no different.

The Aggies scored 17 runs on 13 hits. They also worked 11 walks.

"Like I said last week, it's always easier to pitch when we're scoring a ton of runs," Prager said. "It just continues to hammer to our point of 'dominate the zone,' and it gives you a position to just go attack."

Three straight first-inning base hits — including a Braden Montgomery triple — staked A&M to a 2-0 lead.

An inning later, Gavin Grahovac's first collegiate homer made it 5-0. He finished with four RBIs, while Montgomery drove in three.

A&M added two runs in the fourth and another in the sixth.

Wagner's inability to throw strikes culminated in a nine-run seventh as Hank Bard's grand slam accounted for the second — and final — hit of the inning to push A&M's lead to 17-0.

"One through nine, we can do it all," Camarillo said. "We can hit homers. We can play some small ball. We can hit doubles. We do it all.

Zoe Kelton, TexAgs

Aggie lefty Ryan Prager has been stellar in two outings so far for the Maroon & White in 2024 allowing zero runs in 11.2 IP.

"This is probably the most complete lineup that I've been a part of, and it's so exciting."

Another dominating performance allowed Schlossnagle to play eight members off his bench. Only Camarillo played all nine frames.

By the time the Seahawks scored a run in the eighth and another in the ninth, the contest was obviously well out of hand.

Yet, the story was Prager.

As for the jersey number, he did not pick it. Instead, it was luckily handed to him when he arrived in Aggieland.

However, No. 18 does hold some extra special significance.

"It's one that was given, and the guys before me that have worn it have done very well. It's an honor to get to wear it," Prager said "Funny enough, it is my grandmother's lucky number."

Of course, that is because of his family's Jewish heritage. L'Chaim.