Following a disappointing weekend at Blue Bell Park, head coach Michael Earley joined Monday's edition of TexAgs Live to recap Texas A&M's series against Alabama. The first-year skipper spoke on this past weekend's result and much more.
Key notes from Michael Earley interview
- It's tough, for sure. It’s not ideal. It’s tough when you are not just going out there and getting run off the field. You are going out there and losing close baseball games. It shows the characters of the guys, and the resilience they have. That has to continue. The message is to keep plugging and don’t quit. There is none of that in the locker room. You lose three close baseball games. It always hurts. No one is more disappointed than the players. We just have to keep rolling.
- I would like to hit better. I would like to hit strikes better. We are strapped on time. Not only are we injured with guys out, but there are guys playing with injuries, which is happening everywhere. On a day like today, you would like to do something, but you have to have an off day, and guys are too banged up to do it. That aspect is a major thing.
- Saturday was a bad defensively. You made one error yesterday. The simple fact of the matter is we have to hit, and we are not doing that.
- Hammering down, simplifying and knowing what each individual approach is. The guy yesterday was throwing strikes. It was, to me, hittable. Not only what my eye told me but metrically. Stay on fastballs, hit them in the opposite field gap and adjust to offspeed. That’s always the message. Continuing to hammer down on it. You have to hit strikes. It’s tricky where we are at health-wise. We will get out there early on Tuesday and make some adjustments that are necessary.
- I don’t think any preseason lineups I made had any freshmen starting. They are doing a good job. Terrence Kiel II, you can’t complain about what that guy is doing. He would have found his way in there one way or another. I think Sam Erickson was pretty good yesterday. Sawyer Farr is finding his way. He is showing signs of his potential and showing signs of being a freshman, too. I think those guys will continue to develop and grow, and I think we need them, too.
- The starting pitching continues to go about their business. They do what they're supposed to do. They have done an excellent job of giving us a chance to win. At some point, we have to help them out. I expect them to continue on, and I also expect us to start hitting, and it is a perfect combination.
- After something doesn't work out, you obviously rethink it. We liked every matchup. You go with what you see and what’s on paper. We liked Brad Rudis’ slider against...It was Brennen Norton who hit the homer. We had one lefty down there, Caden McCoy. The day before, Luke Jackson was rolling, then Will Hodo hit 95 right out of the park on Saturday. Rudis is a really pitcher. He just left a slider up. They put good swings on it.
- Josh Stewart, as far as I know, you won't see him this weekend either. He is trying to get into a spot where he is comfortable to pitch. We are week-to-week with Stewart. With Caden Sorrell, same thing. He will see the doctor tomorrow. I don't expect to see Sorrell this weekend, either.
- You have to be aggressive. You have to hammer balls in the zone. We didn't do that.
- We thought about a safety squeeze with Jacob Galloway. I liked the matchup. I definitely thought about it and kicked myself after. Sinker guys with change, Galloway has done a good job of hitting fly balls to right field off those guys this year. Looking back, I wish I would have done it. It’s one of the things where you liked the matchup, and it didn’t work out.
- I don’t know the SEC scores from anyone else this weekend. We shouldn’t be thinking about anyone else except us and what we are doing. Right now, my sole focus is what is going on here.
- The players, the coaches and myself, it’s all a collective effort. It won't stop. You won’t see a dip in how we go about our business or how we play. I promise you that. In the end, that wins you nothing. Those guys care. We will need the older guys to help some guys along and help themselves. That will be big for us moving forward.
