All-American Scott Livingstone details Earley's 'strong' Aggie roster

Fightin' Texas Aggie baseball will return to Blue Bell Park this month as Opening Day is under two weeks away. Ahead of Michael Earley's debut as head coach, former third baseman Scott Livingstone joined TexAgs Live to speak on the highly-anticipated season. 

Key notes from Scott Livingstone interview

• I'm ready for Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day. Let's get this party started.
   
• The way the season ended, it was heartbreaking to get that far and lose the last game of the season. It was tough to swallow. It makes you more excited for this year to come.
   
• The No. 1 ranking, I feel good about. On paper, in a sense, they are better than last year's team. It's tough to face Braden Montgomery, but maybe there's a guy in Wyatt Henseler and Gavin Kash, or they combined can put up his numbers. You know what you will get from guys like Jace LaViolette, Gavin Grahovac, Caden Sorrell and the pitching staff. I think the pitching staff will surprise us and do quite well. Getting those back and trying to replace the production form from last year? I think we are stronger.
   
• Michael Earley has said it before, “Coach fed, player led.” He is a real players’ manager. I equate him to my manager in San Diego, Bruce Bochy. When you have the experience, the older players can keep the young guys along. With what they have added, I think they are stronger than last year. The Earley hire was the right hire. He is a former player. He is making the First Pitch weekend available to former players. I think he’s going to be great for A&M.
   
• LaViolette still had a target on his back after this freshman year. He still put up better numbers last year. I think he can keep getting better in all aspects of the games. If he cuts down on strikeouts, he will have a higher average. I think he can elevate even further. There's more in the tank.
   
• Ryan Prager is like getting a guy in the portal you didn't expect to get. You are set in your roster and thinking, who you go get? Then, all of a sudden, BAM! You get an All-American like Prager back, and it solidifies that rotation even more. What a great leader for the staff. I think he will be better than he was last year.
   
• When people talk about home run records and LaViolette, let’s not forget about Grahovac. The freshman record was broken after 30-plus years by LaViolette, then broken the next year by Grahovac. He is a force, too. I think he will get better and better. These guys are amazing. When these guys come to the plate, you don't go to the bathroom.
   
• I don't know where all the guys are going to play. This roster is littered with All-Americans and All-Conference players. To put up the numbers they have in the past year, it looks like it will be a better team and based on what I heard in the fall, they are living up to their paper clippings, so to speak.
   
• Look out for Sorrell. He is a guy that's going to sneak up on you and could very well be one of the most talented players on that roster when the year is over. He is a stud. I think he will just take off.
   
• Where are you going to take a deep breath and relax in the lineup? You’re not going to. All the way through the nine-hole. We haven't even mentioned Kaeden Kent. He will have a lot of confidence and get better as he goes. He is a veteran guy now. It's a tough lineup. Let's not forget about the pitching.
   
• You know what to expect from Prager. Myles Patton, you have an idea. The backups, who is going to be the next Evan Aschenbeck or Chris Cortez? Replacing them will be tough. The more experience they get, the better they are going to be.
   
• I assume Justin Lamkin will be thrown back into the rotation. These are talented arms. To have the luxury of having them back and knowing what they have done... It will be something coach Earley and Jason Kelly can rely on.
   
• We may have been No. 1 to start 1986, but we went 0-6 and got knocked down. I think we may have let the ranking get to our heads a little bit. These guys don't. They embrace it. They don't shy away from it. I think that's the best way to do it, and it says a lot about the roster and coaching stuff they have put together.