No. 4 Aggies prepare for one final tune-up before trip to Gainesville

It was yet another perfect weekend for Jim Schlossnagle & Co., sweeping Rhode Island with an exciting finish to the series on Sunday. The head skipper joined Monday's edition of TexAgs Radio to detail the weekend and a midweek meeting vs. Sam Houston before SEC competition.

Key notes from Jim Schlossnagle interview

• On Sunday, sweating it is, to say the least. Of course, it’s good to go through, especially when you win. I’m a firm believer that things happen for you, not to you. It's good to face adversity. It’s good to have to fight back through.
   
• I was proud of our guys at-bats. We had second and third with Hayden Schott up and one out, and he grounded out to score a run. It is a good reference point moving forward when you're in those situations again. 
   
• We’ve been talking about the free base war. We gave them free bases. Look how we won the game. They gave us free bases. Braden Montgomery had a double in there, and Ted Burton had a home run. At the end of the day, nobody cares how hard you throw ball four. You have to throw the ball over the plate. We got out of our element a little bit. 
   
• Tanner Jones didn't throw that bad he just didn't throw as many strikes as Ryan Prager did. Prager was special, and hopefully, he can follow that up this weekend when he is matched up with other good starting pitchers from Florida. 
   
• When you have those kinds of players leading off games, they have a chance to do damage early, and all three of them take their walks. Gavin Grahovac’s at-bat yesterday was a super competitive walk. It helps your confidence to play from ahead.
   
• All this weekend, we will be the visiting team which I kind of like you can. Take the energy of being on the road, and take it into offense first.
   
• I don’t know how many of our new players from other parts of the country know much about Sam Houston. They are rolling. They have a great team. They've always had an outstanding club, no matter the coach. We’re going to have to be very disciplined about who we use in this game with a conference series coming up.
   
• We're going to do everything we can to win the game within reason. We have to use all of our pitchers to get the good teams out, and Sam Houston is really good. 
   
• Ali Camarillo has this conundrum going on. What makes him good as a hitter is his competitiveness and what he has to control as a hitter is his competitiveness. You have to win pitches and have a quality at bat. He's been working on things with Michael Earley.
   
• Sometimes, when a player has had a lot of success before coming here, he's not as open to change as others who have a cleaner slate. Camarillo took some rounds in batting practice the other day that I've never seen before. Sometimes, a player needs to see balls fall in for them to buy into what you're telling them.
   
• Camarillo is doing great. He just needs to buy into getting his pitch and not be afraid. He's playing great defense. He's an awesome young man and a great teammate. If he’ll trust everyone involved, he’ll put up some good numbers offensively. 
   
• Grahovac has done awesome, especially in the leadoff spot. He continually puts together good at-bats. He had an error yesterday, but he also made a great play, keeping a ball in the infield. It kept us in a position to get a double play. He’s played most of the season hurt. I think he's healthy, and I look forward to watching him compete in the SEC.
   
• I was hoping to get to see Jett Johnston pitch yesterday. Maybe tomorrow we can do it. This is just one trip. Travis Chestnut didn't make the first trip last year and ended up being a big part of the team. Just because you don't make the first travel list doesn't mean you won't the rest of the year.
   
• It is about who’s gonna help us this weekend. Who are the matchups? Who’s healthy? Chestnut got hurt yesterday. Can Ryan Targac play? There's a lot that goes into it. Maximizing the roster is super important. 
   
• Tomorrow night, we’re going to have to use a multitude of pitchers, and that's their chance to earn their way on the roster.
   
• I feel really good when Evan Aschenbeck is on the mound. I was hoping not to pitch him, but one inning will be fine.
   
• What was funny about the last inning was I brought Jackson Appel in to catch so I lost my designated hitter. I looked at Montgomery, and I said, “You guys better score a run, or we’re gonna have to sit here and watch Aschenbeck hit.”
   
• There was a joke in the dugout if we really wanted to score. Eddie Gaedel played in the 20s. and he was a little person. He would get into the batter's box and always draw a walk. I told Aschenbeck I was gonna make you be Gaedel. You’re gonna have to squat down and wear all the evoshields. He wanted to hit though. He was like, “coach, I’m gonna walk it off.”
   
• Schott has a different look at the plate than Montgomery and Jace LaViolette. We all know what he brings to the outfield and to the team.
   
• Everyone knows you come here to play in the SEC. I don't know if there's a mindset change other than the level of play going up.