Game #3: No. 25 Texas A&M 7, Tennessee Tech 1
Records: Texas A&M (3-0, 0-0), Tennessee Tech (0-3, 0-0)
WP: Aiden Sims (1-0)
LP: Logan Moller (0-1)
Save: Clayton Freshcorn (1)
Box Score
In a season-opening sweep, Sunday was all about the sweeper.
That’s one of Aiden Sims’ best two pitches that the sophomore right-hander utilized in No. 25 Texas A&M’s 7-1 triumph over Tennessee Tech to complete a perfect first weekend at Blue Bell Park.
Sims, who impressed during the fall and into the preseason, carried the talk into his first start of 2026 as he allowed one run on one hit while striking out a career-best seven in six innings.
“It was awesome,” he said. “It’s everything I dreamed of. I’ve been working toward this since last year. … It was good to get out there and start on a Sunday.”
Posting an ERA north of seven as a rookie, Sims served as a sponge, soaking up knowledge — and pitch grips — from those around him.
His sweeper comes from Weston Moss. His cutter is almost an off-center fastball. Don’t overlook the fact that his fastball touched 96 in the first inning, which is likely a result of more time spent in the weight room.
His success on Sunday was all his own.
“The guys know that it wasn’t my best, but I still had to go out there and compete,” Sims said. “I didn’t have my best stuff. I can command the fastball way better than I have been, but the best stuff is still yet to come.”
Aggie skipper Michael Earely concurred that there is still another level for Sims to reach.
After all, a leadoff hit-by-pitch and Connor Crowson’s subsequent double in the fourth yielded Tennessee Tech’s lone run, making it 2-1.
Yet Sims re-centered and re-focused as he retired the last nine Golden Eagles he faced.
“There somewhere in the middle, little shaky, but he competed and got outs and found it,” Earley said. “That’s what he has been doing all year. He’s actually been better than that in practice, but I always define or judge pitchers on when it’s not perfect for them.
“From a stuff standpoint, he was solid, in and out, but from a competition standpoint, he continued to compete the entire game and make pitches when we needed him to make pitches.”
Behind Sims, right-handed fireballer Clayton Freshcorn earned a three-inning save with a scoreless outing.
A pair of hard-luck singles in the eighth was all Freshcorn allowed as he struckout four.
All told, A&M pitching surrendered just 13 runs against a pesky offense while issuing only five walks.
“I thought it looked good,” Earley said of his staff as a whole. “Solid starting pitching. I think all three of them are better than what they showed. Now we got to get to the next one.”
After explosive offensive showings earlier in the series, the cooler, windy conditions kept the Aggies in the ballpark.
Still, desiring to win in different ways, they couldn’t be held down, even without second baseman Chris Hacopian, who missed Sunday, reportedly due to illness.
For a third straight day, they scored in the first inning as Wesley Jordan’s RBI single — the first of his three hits — ensured A&M never trailed.
On the weekend, Jordan was 7-for-9 with two homers and two doubles, including A&M’s lone extra-base hit on Sunday. In 15 plate appearances, his on-base percentage is .813 for a gaudy 2.480 OPS.
“I’m just trying to stay calm in the box and not do too much and just let the game happen as it does,” the designated hitter said. “You’re there to hit, so I’m glad I got to hit this weekend.
“You’re not going to hit whatever forever. That’s not how baseball is, so you’ve got to be ready for it and just stay calm, stay level through the ups and the downs.”
Also off to a hot start is All-American outfielder Caden Sorrell, who sneakily enjoyed a four-hit afternoon and an RBI during A&M’s three-run fourth that put the game away.
Sorrell is 9-for-15 with a team-best 10 RBIs to pace an offense that’s averaging 15 runs per game in the early going.
On the weekend, A&M outscored Tennessee Tech 45-13 and outhit them 45-23.
“I just enjoy that every guy on the team has extreme talent, and I trust everybod out there,” Jordan said. “It’s really nice just playing with them and just enjoying being with those guys.”
All told, the weekend was solid.
Now the sweepers will get back to work.
“We want to be a gritty baseball team,” Earley said. “We filled up the strike zone. I really liked our plate discipline and how we swung the bats.
“On a day like today, you just got to keep coming, keep coming, keep coming, and they did that.”
