Boomer White expects A&M to advance from Bryan-College Station Regional

NCAA Tournament baseball will be back at Blue Bell Park, and Boomer White knows what it's like to play in front of the 12th Man in the postseason. On Tuesday, the 2016 SEC Player of the Year joined TexAgs Radio to offer his thoughts on the Bryan-College Station Regional.

Key notes from Boomer White interview

• There was never any real doubt that Texas was coming here. It always seems like Texas or TCU are coming here, or we’re going there. It seemed to align with how Texas finished. I wasn’t sure if TCU would make it, and they didn’t. I figured one of those two teams would be here. It’s no surprise, and it should bring some fireworks.
   
• I don’t think it’s an easy regional by any means, but I don’t think any of them are. There are probably a few tougher ones out there. Anyone drawing a Florida or LSU coming to their regional is going to have it tough, but Louisiana always brings it. The Ragin’ Cajuns always seem to get up for big games. They gave LSU fits. They took Houston to extras and played Vanderbilt close. They played LSU to within a run. Even though they dropped some stinkers in there, they scare anyone on a big stage. They have that pedigree, and Matt Deggs is leading the charge. He can get a team up. That’s a scary No. 2 seed, and Texas is Texas. They have talent galore, and it’s just a matter of if they can execute. They’ve been up and down this year. Can they get up for the Aggies? I’m sure they’ll try, but I don’t know if they can keep up with them.
   
• Coming back from Hoover early and getting rest equals out with the momentum side of things. There are definitely perks to staying hot or getting hot while playing sound baseball through the SEC Tournament like Jim Schlossnagle and everybody wanted. At the same time, there is something to be said about getting a reset, both physically and mentally. Forget the past poor performances and just get ready to host. It’s important to recharge, and they’re getting that opportunity. They probably wanted a little more momentum too.
   
• Patience at the plate is what I want to see more of. It gets very contagious, good and bad. You see guys taking good pitches, it has a ripple effect throughout the dugout. If you see guys putting together good at-bats, it energizes the dugout, and vice versa. I’m looking for the offense to get a spark. The crowd always provides that, and it gives you confidence that the Aggies are going to be at home. Still, you want to see your top four or five guys have good at-bats, and that should have the ripple effect to let the offense revert back to where they’ve been all year long.
   
• The SEC Tournament in 2016 didn’t translate a ton. You put the conference tournament in its own little pocket of the season. Some teams are trying to make a run to get in, but others are trying to stay tuned up. Teams use the conference tournament for different reasons. You have to put it behind you because you have the Men’s College World Series is staring you in the face. You have to put the SEC Tournament on an island of its own. It’s a good experience, a cool experience and a fun experience, and it’s only gravy if you play really well. If you play good or bad, you have plenty of reasons to put it behind you and reset.
   
• I believe Schlossnagle has a history of not throwing his No. 1 guy in the first game of a regional. If he has a good matchup with his No. 2 or No. 3 guy to steal a win and be ready for Game 2, that’s kind of how he likes to do it. I see Ryan Prager going in Game 2. I could see a Shane Sdao pitching on Friday, depending on the matchups, or maybe Tanner Jones or Justin Lamkin. You have to get Game 1. There is no excuse. You have to do everything you can to win Game 1, but you can do all those things and not throw your ace. You are significantly more talented than the No. 4 seed, so you should be able to do those things. Once you win those first two games, you are in a significantly better position to outlast all of the other teams to win a regional.
   
• It will be refreshing to see some other teams. The SEC was in our way all season, and I think the guys will answer well to that. These aren’t tune-up games because all of these teams can get up for big games. You’ll get everyone’s big shot, and it won’t feel like a significant drop-off in talent because of how significant the moment is. They have to take the experience they got vs. SEC talent all year and bring it to these guys. If we play good baseball, I see no reason why they won’t be in Omaha to face some of those conference foes.
   
• This is a good opportunity for the bottom third of the lineup to get going. The pitching they will face will be inferior to every SEC pitcher they’ve seen for the most part. To feel and see success is important, and it’s key to get on base and have good at-bats. The Aggies were going best when Ali Camarillo, Travis Chestnut and guys like that were having good at-bats. Compete and jack the pitch count up. That’s all very important because there are five or six bats that can do damage at any time. It’s important for the rest to do their jobs as well.
   
• You have to expect A&M to get out of the regional. I would be very surprised if they didn’t. You’ve seen the Aggies slip up a little bit, but you haven’t seen them slip up at home. They just have to focus on the task at hand and enjoy the crowd and the energy that’s going to bring. As long as the bats are ringing a little bit, they’ll make it out in, hopefully, three games.