Michael Earley relives Texas A&M's upset of No. 1 Tennessee

Over the weekend, Texas A&M shocked the college baseball world, taking two of three to win the series over No. 1 Tennessee in Knoxville. Head skipper Michael Earley joined Monday's edition of TexAgs Live to recap the Maroon & White's successful road trip.

Key notes from Michael Earley interview

• There wasn't some big change from Friday to Saturday, to be honest with you. I think that's what people are looking for, but maybe like a shift. The guy we faced on Friday was really, really good. One of the top pitchers I've gone up against in college baseball, period. We had some balls as well, and I know we got no-hit, run-ruled, but sometimes, when you get beat like that, you kind of let loose a little bit. It's a way bigger let down to lose a one or two-run game, where a game like that is just more embarrassing.
   
• I think it got to that point where everyone was a little embarrassed. That's never what you want to happen. We just regrouped and went out there and played with a looseness and just played baseball. It was a really fun, long Saturday.
   
• I felt like we were going to win every game. I'm not just saying that. I felt like we were going to go in there and win two, and we did. I was just proud of how they played and how they went about it. A bounce-back or whatever you want to call it.
   
• I think it shows what I've been saying is true, and I know it's true. We have a lot of care in that locker room. To be where we're at, to lose a game like that and then come back on Saturday in front of all of their fans in their place and play two and do what we did, I think, just speaks to the character and quality of humans we have in that locker and how much they want to win. There's absolutely no quit in us. I've said that since the beginning, whether we were winning or losing. Yeah, you have to perform better. That's definitely the case, but there's a high level of care in that locker room and in this building and only we know what goes on inside this building. That's why going in there on Saturday night, I knew. I really knew after we won the first one. I was like, "Alright, we're getting this one." I was proud of them. We've been through a lot, and a lot of that was self-inflicted, but it was nice to go out there and play like we're capable of playing and then some.
   
• Getting the results against an elite team like Tennessee, confidence is a huge part of this game, and being in games like that and showing you can win it. I really liked the first game of the doubleheader, where it was kind of tight, and then we got that hit that helped us pull away, and that's something we haven't done. Sometimes, you have to learn to win. You have to get that feeling and expect to win. That's what I felt during those two games on Saturday. Even when we were up 4-0, and they had that inning early on in the game, we just held them off. You felt that momentum. It was 4-0, and they scored two.
   
• Everyone just stayed calm. There was no anxiety. They're really good. They're really good in their ballpark, and we just stayed the course and got out of the inning, 4-2, and then I think we answered. It was awesome. It was awesome for them to get rewarded for all their efforts and hard work. And guess what? We get to go out and do it again tomorrow.
   
• I'm comfortable with how we can run our offense. I think some of our issues in the past have been getting consistent base runners in certain situations to be able to run. For Marcus Phillips, his leg time was really slow. A lot of guys on the team can steal a base. So we were going from the jump, "Do not be surprised right away. Terrence Kiel II, you get on, you're going. Jace LaViolette, you're going." I think Bear Harrison even stole third. If the game presents it, we're going to do it. It has to give you the opportunity, and also, you have to get on base to do well. As a whole, they have a different philosophy, which is fine. It obviously works for them, but we want to take as many bases as possible and keep putting pressure on them.
   
• Caden Sorrell's mindset when he steps in the box is very unique. There are only a few players I've ever had that have that killer instinct. He goes up there with a plan, but also with bad intentions where I think sometimes you see him take some swings where you're like, "OK, man. Tone it down a little bit." He dials it back in, but he goes in there looking for something over the plate, and he's trying to absolutely blitz it. He has really good bat-to-ball skills, so that works out for him. It's added some length to our lineup with how Harrison is doing, too. Having Sorrell in there, I think you can see why we've always been so high on him. You saw it last year, but this guy just keeps getting better, and he's not even 100 percent.
   
• It was funny. Harrison could have stolen third two more times before, but he's never done it. He looked at me in the dugout, and I went straight little league style. I pointed to him, and then I pointed to third. No sign, just go. He had it, and you could tell he was just afraid to dip his toe in that water a little bit. We knew what Harrison's potential was and what it could be. It just took him a little bit to get going. It's not just the hitting. He's been really good behind the plate.
   
• They tried to steal one base this weekend on a first and third situation, and it was actually in that inning that I talked about where we held them off. You know what, “You're going to steal. We're going to take our out, and you can have your run because we're going to keep scoring.” Harrison has been huge. The fact that you can add him as a righty and Sorrell as a lefty makes the lineup deeper but also spaces it out even more because you have a left and right balance.
   
• Weston Moss had a crucial three-inning save on game one of Saturday. He's really talented. He throws strikes, and he's got stuff. So, like the fastball moves, the change-up moves, the slider moves, all how they're supposed to at an elite level. The change-up is on the upper echelon of the elite, and he fills up strikes and he has a very low heartbeat. You see him out there pitching and smiling. He's not showing anybody up. That's just his personality. He goes out there and relaxes and is just playing catch. There's no moment too big for him, as you've continued to see. His growth has been awesome. He's put on some strength in the weight room.
   
• Moss has just grown up from freshman to sophomore year. He's definitely our guy out of the pen. He wanted to pitch in game two, actually. That was after 40 pitches. You don't really want to throw that twice in a row. He was like, "I'm going to stay ready if you need me for a batter in an inning." It put me in kind of a tough spot, but if it had come down to it, if the guy wants the ball, I'm going to give him the ball.
   
• The starting pitching performance was extremely impressive, especially in a ballpark like that, where the ball jumps a little bit. Just for them to pitch and do what they did, this is what I love about all of our pitchers. They're so process-orientated. They know what they're doing every second of the day. Myles Patton got hit with the "Guess what? You have to pitch tomorrow instead of Sunday." As process-orientated as he is, there's no excuse because he's a competitor first. That is a major change for a guy. For both of them to go out, compete, fill up the strike zone and weather the storm when they had to weather the storm? Just an outstanding job. That's what they've been doing all year. We just finally gave them some support on the offensive side.
   
• I have no idea what the story behind the gold putter is in the dugout. I noticed it at home, and I didn't know what they were doing, to be honest. I turned around and saw the putter and kind of got an idea, and then I realized they're hitting a lot of those. I realized they're moving the ball for them, so it goes in the hole, but whatever works. I love guys coming together, and I definitely love hearing that putter because that means we hit a home run, so they can keep it going.
   
• Sundays after a series win are always great. It's a true off day, and you get to spend time with family. My son Marshall actually traveled with me this weekend, so we got back and got some rest. We did family stuff, and it was a good time. We watched some Major League Baseball and just tried to decompress a little bit and then started looking at the game ahead. It was good. It was a late night. We got back at 3:30 a.m., and we pulled up on the bus, and there were like 30 of our A&M fans there waiting to greet us. It was kind of a reminder that you have so many people with you and so much support. It was definitely a really good Sunday, and it's good to be back home.
   
• We're going to keep working. Nothing has changed. I told them before the series that the month of April was going to define us. When we went into Tennessee, this was supposed to be a marquee matchup, and in my mind, nothing has changed, and nothing will continue to change.
   
• We're just going to keep going to work, and it's not just going to work and doing the same thing. We're making adjustments where adjustments need to be made, and that's what we're going to continue to do. We're going to keep playing until they tell us it's over, and in our opinion, that's not going to be for a while. We need to take care of business tomorrow, and that's it. One day at a time.