Schlossnagle & Co. enters final non-conference series with 13-0 record

Ranked seventh in the country, Texas A&M is 13-0 ahead of the final non-conference weekend of the year. During Thursday's edition of TexAgs Radio, head coach Jim Schlossnagle joined to review a pair of midweek victories and look ahead to a three-game set with Rhode Island.

Key notes from Jim Schlossnagle interview

• Yeah, it is a grind. Those five-game weeks are definitely out of routine. I felt like when I scheduled it we were going to need it and need opportunities to get pitchers in the game. We certainly had that last night, and I’m glad we got it and have some rest today before playing tomorrow. These guys want to play professional baseball, so it is what it is. It’s a good opportunity to practice, but it shouldn’t be tough. I thought our preparation was great this week. I say it’s tough only because it's out of our routine.
   
• We talk about it all fall and spring to be prepared for every environment. The game doesn’t know if you’re playing at Texas or playing at home against Texas Southern. I thought our crowd was great on Wednesday night, but you just have to go play. The weather can present challenges, so the most mature teams show up to play regardless.
   
• I thought last night was really good, but what happens when you don’t score in the first few innings is the team that is supposed to win starts to press. You can’t play baseball with tension. You just have to play. We got out of character, doing things because everybody was over-trying. At the end of the day, we got some big swings from Hayden Schott and Braden Montgomery and won the game. Winning is hard, and continuing to win is hard. At the end of the day, every win is worth one. You don’t get 1.5 for beating Texas and .5 for beating Texas Southern. Let’s just go win. Any time you get out of character in baseball, it works in the opposite direction. All you end up doing is creating more tension with your team.
   
• I sure am glad Montgomery is on our team. He’s showing his maturity. He has a professional approach to the game. He really understands how hard it is to play, and we have some guys who can learn from him. This guy, if he stays healthy, is going to play for a long time — not because he’s super talented but because he understands how hard the game is, and he’s able to move on to the next pitch.
   
• Montgomery is climbing the list of the best I’ve ever seen or coached. Let me answer that question at the end of the season, but he’s certainly in the conversation. He impacts the game on defense and on the mound. He’s going to a level as a hitter right now that’s as good as anybody. Let’s get into the meat of our schedule against the best teams and best arms. He has the chance to play this game for a living for a long time.
   
• No, other teams not targeting our stars. There’s a question that Arizona State may have been, but Texas Southern wasn’t trying to hit us. That’s why I was upset with the umpire because he completely overacted. I told him you can’t do that because if one of my pitchers runs out there and accidentally hits someone, you’d have our guy and me thrown out of the game when there’s literally nothing going on. I thought that warning was a total overreaction.
   
• Schott is our starting left fielder and sometimes designated hitter when we’re looking to get those young guys like Jett Johnston, Caden Sorrell and veteran Travis Chestnut some at-bats. When you have Gavin Grahovac, Jace LaViolette, Montgomery, Ted Burton, Jackson Appel, they’re not going to be all on at the same time, but when you get two at the same time, you’ve got a good chance to win.
   
• There’s zero chance I’ll be on that fungo golf. I don’t need to be seen shirtless next to those dudes. David Nuño needs to show up because he’s shredded and could hang with those guys. David, do you tan? Why are you guys leaving out Billy Liucci? His first pitch was solid. He’s a good dude.
   
• Isaac Morton was good given the situation. It was his first college start. I think he got behind some but got back in the strike zone when he could’ve unraveled. We got him to 50 pitches, which is the most he has thrown in a while. We need him to become a guy who can throw strikes, and we can count on him.
   
• I thought the meeting on Wednesday about the ballpark renovation went well. We were reconnecting with university people and everyone who is involved in the process to figure out our next steps without an athletic director. I’m really hoping that in the next month we’ll be aggressive on the fundraising process. It’s a positive meeting going forward, and that’s all I can say at the moment.
   
• I couldn’t be more proud of Josh Stewart. He’s a guy who was down the line on our pitching staff, but Max Weiner has done an awesome job with him. He’s incredibly trusted and can throw to lefties. Evan Aschenbeck and Shane Sdao are going to be massive pieces of our bullpen, so we need to have a right-hander when Aschenbeck and Sdao won’t be available. I thought Brock Peery did really well. Zane Badmaev and Peyton Smith need to continue to be better, but they’re getting experience. Stewart has been awesome, and I’m really proud of him.
   
• The rotation will be the same vs. Rhode Island: Ryan Prager, Tanner Jones and Justin Lamkin. We want to get those guys going before conference play.