Schlossnagle's Aggies feeling rested before Bryan-College Station Regional

Texas A&M baseball earned the right to host postseason baseball at Blue Bell Park, claiming one of 16 national seeds. Head skipped Jim Schlossnagle joined TexAgs Radio to discuss how the team is moving on from its Hoover outing and ready for the NCAA Tournament. 

Key notes from Jim Schlossnagle interview

• We are rested. We had an awesome workout last night. It's amazing to see rested players.
   
• We traveled on Friday. We gave them off on Saturday. I feel like three days is too much. Guys will go get work in any way. Guys like Jace LaViolette and Braden Montgomery will want to do more, not less. We gave them off until last night.
   
• It’s getting pretty warm again. All you can do is turn fans on in our batting cages. We need to get in the mode of handling the heat. I gave them a schedule for the week.
   
• I had a few choice words for where we are and where we need to go. We had a light little workout. We will reset in some areas and wind back down so we are ready to play Friday.
   
• I am the most competitive, jealous, envious guy ever. I never want to see my team playing when we could be playing, and we are not. After mowing my grass on Saturday, I have nothing else to do so I turn on the SEC Tournament.
   
• I am so stinking mad we aren’t playing, but in reality, when you ask Jackson Appel how he is feeling, he says that’s the best he has felt since the season started. 
   
• It's a good reset, but it doesn't taste good. That can be a good thing.
   
• I know there is no player that walked out of Hoover saying, “Oh, that's fine.” We had a stern conversation when we got back to the hotel. Really, the first one I have had with them all year.
   
• I had three main points. I am pretty transparent so I will share them. 1. What just happened, what has gone on the last three to four weeks, that is not OK. 2. They call it a season for a reason. They play 162 in the big leagues because if you played 50, you wouldn't know who the best team was. Over the course of 162, you figure out if they can stay healthy. 
   
• The team that played Ole Miss is still the same team that came back from 9-0 against Vanderbilt. Three of these four weekends we didn't like were all on the road. We earned the right in the best league in the county to play at home. The 12th Man is real. You feel there are people behind you. When you go don't the road, you have to generate that yourself. 
   
• Your attitude is a choice you make. Choose to remember the great things. Braden has not had the best stretch. In my mind, he is about to have the most awesome weekend.
   
• It was brutal. They all agreed. Now, it's about the reset. You have the rest of your life to spend extra time with your girlfriend. You have the rest of your life to party. You only have this small window of time. It could only be two more games, or it could be four more weeks. Let’s be the most prepared team. 
   
• The mindset is good. Everyone talks about Pringles in 2022. Why did they talk about Pringles? Cause we won. The Rattlin’ Bog, fungo golf, and all that stuff is cool when you win. Have your substance be your style. Part of what makes us good is the guys play with some freedom and play loose.
   
• In my last year at TCU, we were a national seed. We won Game 1. DBU beat us in a close game. Oregon State ended our season. I ended up here. It can go long or be over quickly. 
   
• We will play the first game on Friday. We do not know who the opponent is yet. The guys have to be rested and ready to go.
   
• I have thrown my Friday night pitcher on Friday. It depends. What is the matchup? I play to win the Tournament. Not a game. AT TCU, we played a 22-inning game against Sam Houston. We played 11 innings the night before. We will look at the bracket today and see what gives us the best chance to win. 
   
• You play with passion, but you cannot ride the wave of emotions. One at-bat will carry into another, or you think you are 10 feet tall.
   
• Going into the SEC Tournament, Ryan Prager was a guy we felt needed to pitch. Feel and command are important for him. A guy like Shane Sdao is more emotional. Him having way more than a full week of rest is extremely helpful.
   
• All the roles matter. I just want strikes. Against Arkansas, we were up by, I think, seven. Chris Cortez had a long inning. He threw well against righties. The lefties, he wasn’t commanding as well. I wanted Zane Badmaev in. He threw strikes. 
   
• I was trying to win a couple of games without using Evan Aschenbeck. I do not like using him tied.
   
• Brad Rudis will go back to the bullpen. If we were to get in a loser’s bracket, he has experience starting. 
   
• As soon as we watch the show, we will grab a quick lunch. I told the players we would practice around 4 or 5 p.m. We want to get an initial idea of the four teams.