Earley's Aggies venture to top-ranked Tennessee for three-game set

Following a 21-1 midweek win over Incarnate Word, Texas A&M head baseball coach Michael Earley joined us on Thursday's edition of TexAgs Live as his Aggies prepare to face No. 1 Tennessee in a rematch of the 2024 College World Series final.

Key notes from Michael Earley interview

• We're just getting ready for this road trip to Tennessee in a couple of hours. We’re excited to go and play some more baseball.
   
• Caden Sorrell is fine. He is going to have some problems with the hamstring. Sometimes, it cramps up on him. All signs point to him being good to go this weekend. Gavin Kash will probably be out.
   
• Josh Stewart, I think we are moving toward the direction of surgery. I don’t anticipate him playing the rest of the year.
   
• Troy Wansing got back up on the mound yesterday, though. He pitched really well. He won't be back this weekend, but he's a guy that battled back. You'll see him this season.
   
• Sorrell adds so much depth to our lineup and pushes it down a little bit. He needs a few games to get in it, but he has no excuses. He's ready to go. He adds not only relent to the lineup, but he's a competitor. He's not afraid of anybody on the baseball field. He brings something different when he's out there and spaces the lineup. We'll keep him healthy and get the timing better. He's going to be really good for us.
   
• Gavin Lyons has earned it. Those Tuesday games are important to balance the weekend. He's earning more innings. What kind of innings those are, we'll see. He's earned more innings along with Caden McCoy.
   
• It's good to see those freshmen grow throughout the year and turn into the guys you expected. It's a balance of future and now, with now being the most important. We want to set the foundation with pitchers for years to come.
   
• The advantage those two have is the older guys in front of them, who they can watch and who have taken them under their wing. They've come in from day one. They don't talk much, but they do what they are supposed to do. They put their heads down and work. They have really fully taken advantage of what it's supposed to look like. Not everyone does that, and that's something you regret as if you don't do.
   
• Jace LaViolette looks super comfortable in the box. He's really competing. There are always some mechanical things you can do here and there, but you have to compete with every at-bat. Let the ball fly where it's going to fly. Hit the balls hard, and let them go where they go. I try to get him to not overcomplicate it. Hit those pitches hard, and you'll have good results. Breaking the home run record was awesome. He's more productive.
   
• It makes teams hesitate to bring in a left-handed pitcher in because you have Wyatt Henseler in the lineup before LaViolette. I think when he's locked in, he's in a good mood. I don’t think it matters who is behind him or who is in front of him, to be honest with you. If he stays in that, he is going to have success. He is as good as it gets.
   
• Ben Royo has been great. You like to have someone at the bottom of the lineup. He's done a really good job and has done everything we've asked. He continues to perform. The defense is key, but he's been competing. He's not just some guy. He's putting it all together. We'll continue to see him do it.
   
• Tennessee is a great test for us. I couldn't ask for a better time to play a team like that. It's going to be an extremely tough atmosphere against a really good ball club. I couldn't ask for a better time to go there. If you can't get excited about this, then I can't help you. Why not right now to go in there, and take care of business? We are ready to go, get on the plane and get to playing.
   
• I think our team is pretty different this season, so it's a different feeling going up against Tennessee. At the same time, you want to beat everyone. The championship will always sting, but that’s not something I need to use to motivate these guys.
   
• That's how I look at every weekend. The results are the results. I want to see us play good baseball, but wins are needed. We are not looking for moral victories. I think that is the way you are going to see us attack it this weekend.