Earley evaluates A&M's preparation ahead of Lone Star Showdown

Key Notes from Michael Earley Interview

• I think it’s something you preach all year. No SEC series is “just another one.” It’s a big deal. It magnifies on the outside because it’s Texas, but the cool thing is that we’re at home. Last year, it was a tough place to play with a lot of good banter, all unfriendly. I’m excited to get out there and compete.
   
• We had a kind of mini all-star break for our players. They got Saturday and Sunday off. It’s been good. I think they needed a little reset. Obviously, we wanted to win Tuesday to feel great about it, but they all came into practice on Wednesday as if nothing had happened. We had a good practice. We made a few mistakes in the game on Tuesday, but we just moved on. Obviously, I addressed the mistakes, but we just continue to do what we do and play better the next time.
   
• From a preparation standpoint, I feel good. I feel like that before every game. I feel like we have covered every part, even the most minuscule part, of the game. I really like this team and trust this team. You’re always going to have things to fix, but the response of this team, how they’ve come out, their sense of urgency, has been really good.
   
• At the plate, Gavin Grahovac has really been letting balls travel. He was never struggling. He just wasn’t hitting home runs. It looks like balls that are inside are almost by him, and that’s when he’s good. He’s not when he gets out in front. Grahovac’s experience in the program is wild. From SEC Freshman of the Year to missing a whole season. He has a lot of experience. He’s great with the young guys, and a lot of it is that he just comes in and works hard. For him, as time has passed, he’s just gotten really good.
   
• I think Texas has the best pitching staff in the country. Their three starters are really, really good. They do a lot of stuff well. You don’t want to get caught guessing pitches because if you guess, you’re going to guess wrong. They have speed. They have velocity. It’s going to be a big challenge for us for sure.
   
• It’s really about what we do. We have an idea of how their pitchers are going to attack, but when balls are over the middle of the plate, we’re going to swing at them. When they’re not, we don’t swing. When it’s a situation that we need to move a ball, we’re going to move a ball. It’s really just that. These guys are good. We’re going to try to get something out of the heart of the plate.
   
• Their offense is similar to ours. Their offensive numbers are really good. They’re a really good team. UCLA, Texas and Georgia have separated themselves as the best three teams in the country. We’re going to have our hands full, but I feel like we’re prepared.
   
• If you leave stuff out over the middle of the plate, without conviction, it’s going to get hammered. Period. Not to make it sound overly simple, but we have to make it overly simple. You have a square that’s a strike zone, and if you throw it soft in the middle, it’s not good. When you execute a lot, it gives you some leniency to make a mistake here and there. When you get two strikes on a guy, an offspeed pitch soft and up in the zone is not ideal, and we’ve been doing that too much.
   
• It’s not a secret about our pitching staff. We’re not thin, but our guys are our guys. There’s not a lot of shuffling the deck. Those guys work super hard. I thought this weekend showed their bounce back ability and resilience. Tuesdays are one thing, I think they can be judged slightly differently, whether you like that or not.
   
• They all want to win. It’s not pitchers and hitters. We’re all one thing. The conversations happen altogether. It’s not the pitchers doing something wrong and the hitters doing something wrong. We’re a team. They all want to do well. It’s just about being more consistent.
   
• It’s definitely passionate. I think it’s great. Obviously, I didn’t go to Texas or A&M. I know there are families that have Texas people and A&M people, and we live in a great state. These schools may respect each other in private, but in public and at sports events, it’s wild. I think it’s great for sports.
   
• From an experience standpoint, it doesn’t change much for me, but I think we’ll see an environment at Blue Bell that we’ve never seen. I’m excited for our guys. I’m excited every time we play, but it’s going to be heightened. It’s the rivalry. It’s not my job to tell everyone that it’s just another game because it’s not. Everyone wants to win. It's an SEC weekend. They’re good, and we’re good. If you don’t like an electric environment, then this probably isn’t the place for you to be.
   
• I don’t have any weather updates.