Series Preview: Rivals collide in national spotlight

Also included above is a TexAgs Live segment with Ryan Brauninger and Richard Zane from Friday morning, previewing this weekend’s series with Texas.

Who: No. 2 Texas Longhorns (27-5, 9-3 in SEC)
Where: Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park - Bryan-College Station, TX
When:

Friday: 7 p.m. CT (SEC Network)
Saturday: 2 p.m. CT (ESPN2)
Sunday: 1 p.m. CT (SEC Network+)

Pitching matchups

Friday: LHP Shane Sdao (3-2, 5.48 ERA) vs. RHP Ruger Riojas (5-1, 2.74 ERA)
Saturday: RHP Aiden Sims (6-0, 3.32 ERA) vs. LHP Luke Harrison (4-0, 2.72 ERA)
Sunday: TBA vs. LHP Dylan Volantis (4-0, 2.01 ERA)

Scouting Texas

This is one of the best teams in the country, but that’s not to say they cannot be beaten. In fact, each of the Longhorns’ three conference losses has come in the opening game of a three-game series. The other two slip-ups were midweek defeats to Tarleton and Houston, which indicates that Tuesday losses won’t sink your resume as long as you take care of business on the weekend (hint, hint).

After opening 2026 at +2000 to win the Men’s College World Series, Texas currently has the second-best odds at +750 behind only UCLA (+600) according to BetMGM. The Horns are currently second in the SEC standings, just one game behind 10-2 Georgia, as they chase a second consecutive SEC regular-season championship in just their second season in the league. After riding the ups and downs of success toward the pack during the late stages of Augie Garrido’s legendary tenure and throughout David Pierce’s eight-year stay in Austin, Jim Schlossnagle has Texas back in title contention.

As it often does for the elite, the burnt orange’s success begins on the mound. The phrase “dominate the zone” also moved west in June of 2024, and in the spring of 2026, Texas leads the SEC with a 3.07 ERA with the nation’s second-best WHIP of 1.13. Along with the Aggies, the Horns are among the nation’s top 15 in limiting walks per nine. In that category, A&M ranks second at 2.90, while Texas’ 3.30 make is good for 15th. Each of the weekend starters — Ruger Riojas, Luke Harrison and Dylan Volantis — have sub-3.00 ERAs and sub-1.15 WHIPs, with the Sunday starter Volantis leading in both categories at 2.01 and 1.07, respectively. Riojas, who blanked A&M across 5.2 innings in Austin last season, leads the club with 68 strikeouts against just nine walks, so the Aggies will have to earn it vs. the mustachioed right-hander from Wimberly in Friday’s opener. Beyond the rotation, the bullpen has 11 relievers who have made multiple appearances. By comparison, A&M has only eight such arms. Right-handed freshman Sam Cozart, who is listed at 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds, has a club-best four saves with a 0.59 WHIP in 11 appearances as he can cover multiple innings in many different situations for the Horns.

Offensively, the Longhorns are no slouch. They are tied for fifth in runs scored in conference games at 75, while the Aggies pace the league with 118. Seton Hall transfer outfielder Aiden Robbins is playing at an All-SEC level with a team-best .341 average and team-leading 11 home runs to go along with a 1.072 OPS. Corner infielder Casey Borba, who is shockingly only a junior, has a team-high 34 RBI, while backstop Carson Tinney, a Notre Dame transfer, leads in the OPS category at 1.105. Texas has nine qualified hitters, and seven of those are hitting .290 or higher, and seven own an OPS north of .900. They will be without sophomore shortstop Adrian Rodriguez, a former A&M signee, this weekend following a minor hand procedure that addressed an injury suffered last season vs. Mizzou. To account for the absence, Temo Becerra slid from third to short and is hitting .304 with a .921 OPS, and Borba moved across the diamond to the hot corner with Wichita State grad transfer Josh Livingston now getting more regular starts at first.

Texas controls the zone, slugs and is not afraid to apply pressure offensively. The Horns have 61 stolen bases on the season, with 18 of those coming in 12 conference games. Combined with the turf-aided defense that’s fielding a respectable .981 and the dominating-the-zone pitching staff, this is a complete club that projects to get back to Omaha for the first time since 2022 and possibly end a national title drought that is now over two decades long.

Texas A&M storylines to watch

Following last weekend’s doubleheader sweep of Vanderbilt that featured a seven-inning complete game shutout by Aiden Sims, the biggest question in Aggieland was, “How will Michael Earley assess, adjust and lineup his starting rotation?” We have our answer: Shane Sdao will remain in the rotation and begin the Lone Star Showdown on Friday night, while Sims shifts up a spot in the rotation, with Weston Moss seeing his role change the most. Moss will likely be a vital piece to the puzzle this weekend, perhaps in long relief if needed earlier in the weekend or in leverage spots, calling on his success in such spots a year ago. If Sdao and Sims are at their best, that would allow Moss to start a Sunday finale as the rotation does feature a “TBA” for the first time in over a year and a half.

Factor in the ominous weather forecast for all three days, and receiving standout pitching performances from multiple Aggies becomes even more paramount for any chance of a series victory this week.

Apologies for burying the lede...somewhat.

Yes, pitching is A&M’s biggest on-field storyline, but most of the attention will be paid to the first-base dugout this weekend as college baseball’s most infamous turncoat returns to College Station for the first time since his landscape-altering departure in June of 2024. The narratives surrounding the former A&M coach are ever-present and extremely loud, but with respect to this weekend’s results and the future of the club in Aggieland, that’s outside noise. Only seven players on A&M’s current 35-man roster (Travis Chestnut, Gavin Grahovac, Josh Stewart, Caden Sorrell, Weston Moss, Shane Sdao and Blake Binderup) were here in 2024, so in theory, the perceived lack of familiarity should help the Aggie clubhouse block out the extracurriculars and focus on the task at hand, which is winning ballgames.

Now, back to the baseball.

Most of A&M’s success can be attributed to the offense, which is among the nation’s elite in nearly every metric. The Aggies are third in slugging (.592), third in walks (222), fourth in home runs (68), fourth in on-base percentage (.456), fifth in runs (317), sixth in scoring average (9.9) and 15th in batting average (.320). Of A&M’s usual nine, seven are hitting over .300, and six have an OPS over 1.000...all nine of them are north of .970 in OPS. One through nine, it’s among a consistently dangerous unit that has produced against almost everyone.

Grahovac and Sorrell lead the way atop the order. The first baseman now has nine home runs — seven of which have come in his last seven games — and 41 RBI to go along with a 1.125 OPS, while the outfielder leads the club in average (.377), OPS (1.330), hits (46), doubles (11), home runs (16), RBI (52) and slugging percentage (.861). The unit has received noticeable boosts from Bear Harrison and Jorian Wilson in recent weeks. The Aggie backstop homered twice against Vanderbilt, and the Hallettsville Howitzer made a case to defend his SEC Player of the Week award to go along with eight extra-base hits in his last eight starts. Nico Partida continues to make a case for Freshman All-American status with an OPS of 1.046 through his first 32 college games, while fellow youngster Boston Kellner has reached base in 31 of 32 this spring. That’s somewhat glossing over veterans Chris Hacopian and Jake Duer in the three and four spots, and both have been consistent producers for much of 2026.

If there is a question regarding the Aggie offense, it would be who assumes the designated hitter role this weekend and moving forward? Binderup made the most of his opportunities with Wesley Jordan on the shelf, but a pair of strikeouts on Tuesday found the hometown kid sitting in favor of the Baylor transfer...who struck out three times on just nine pitches in the loss at Texas State. While the aforementioned Duer has been solid defensively, A&M’s best outfield alignment would include Terrence Kiel II in addition to Sorrell and Wilson. However, Kiel is hitting just .148 (4-for-27) with a .378 on-base percentage in his 37 conference plate appearances. With a .304 average and a consistently professional approach, Duer’s left-handed bat is most definitely not coming out of the lineup, but might he DH? Has the previously hot hand of Binderup gone cold? Can Jordan find his form from the first two weeks of the year? Does the speed element of Kiel’s game get him more starts? Earley has options to weigh in an effort to lengthen his lineup vs. the top pitching staff A&M has seen this season.

If the margins in the SEC are thin yet again (and they always are), an heighten importance will be placed on the Aggie defense. The trip to San Marcos, while only charged with one official error, highlights what can happen when A&M is not clean defensively, as at least four Texas State runs followed a number of miscues. Further, A&M has committed four errors across its last five games overall, and six of the Ags’ 19 total errors have come in SEC play. Giving away free bases to the Longhorns must be avoided at all costs.

On a historical note, this will be the first time in 34 years (to the day/days) that Olsen Field will host three consecutive Texas A&M vs. Texas ballgames. As odd as that sounds, it’s true. The Lone Star Showdown returns to Aggieland as a three-game set for the first time since the Longhorns joined the SEC, but in the sunset of the SWC and throughout the Big 12 days, the annual weekend slate was regularly split between College Station and Austin. The last time the ballpark now known as Blue Bell Park was the setting for a full weekend of rivalry action was April 10-12, 1992.

What’s at stake this weekend

Despite Tuesday’s midweek setback in San Marcos, the Aggies have been playing solid baseball of late.

They have won eight of their last 10 overall. In conference, they’re currently tied with Mississippi State for fourth at 7-5 by virtue of winning six of their last seven SEC ballgames.

For the most part, late March and early April have been kind to the Aggies.

The rest of the schedule likely won’t be.

Beginning Friday, A&M will face four ranked opponents in addition to having to travel to Gainesville and Oxford across the final six weekends of the regular season. Even the home schedule — series with No. 2 Texas, No. 15 Auburn and No. 9 Mississippi State — is not very forgiving, but any path toward hosting or even feeling secure on selection day requires taking care of business at Blue Bell Park.

Business won’t be easy, but it begins this weekend.

Factor in all the fuss and feathers that come along with Texas A&M vs. Texas. Factor in the energy and emotion that comes with Schlossnagle’s return.

This has all the makings of a series to remember. I’m not afraid to write that.