In a back-and-forth affair, Texas A&M earned a huge win over rival Texas on Tuesday night. With some newfound momentum, Jim Schlossnagle joined Thursday's edition of TexAgs Radio to look back on the trip to Austin as well as to preview A&M's three-game set at Alabama.
Key notes from Jim Schlossnagle interview
- It was a great experience in Austin on Tuesday. There were a lot more Aggies in the ballpark than I expected, so that was great. They called me some interesting names in the dugout. Some of the names were very creative. The opposing coaching staff was not as friendly as they were when we were in the same conference, but that's fine.
- When we started conference play, I asked our guys to have more competitive spirit and grit. There is no AAA. We have to get the most out of the guys we have. We also talked about being better about stepping on the throat and adding on to a lead when the opportunities come. We did that on Tuesday. They stayed on it and kept scoring runs to help put the game away.
- Micah Dallas came to us Tuesday morning and said he'd like to throw his bullpen on the mound in Tuesday's game. He wanted the ball in that moment. It wasn't something that I necessarily wanted to do, but I thought at that moment that Micah gave us the best chance to finish that game out. I think that win will do great things for the momentum of our program.
- I want to see that kind of two-out production every single night. It helps when you score four of those runs on one swing. I think the turn on the offense came when Austin Bost worked his way into the lineup at second base. Him playing a solid second base is the best thing for our offense.
- I think Jack Moss' weekend against Auburn was just him coming back to earth, but credit to Auburn's pitching staff. I think Jack played well last year as a hitter in a regional at Disch-Falk, maybe that played some into his performance on Tuesday.
- I don't yet think we've turned the corner on this season. I do think our guys are more confident, however. I think we need to get Trevor Werner back. I also think we need more consistent starts on the weekend from our three starters.
- I would say the best-case scenario for Werner's return is next weekend, but we will play it by ear. It's all about swinging the bat right now. He could play in the field or even pitch for us right now, but I can't risk him for that.
- I don't want to think where we'd be without Chris Cortez. He's a breaking ball away from being an elite pitcher. We're asking a lot out of a young guy in the SEC. He and Nate Yeskie will continue to work on that breaking ball.
- Looking at this weekend in Tuscaloosa, I think it's all about pitching better to start games. Alabama had a rough weekend last weekend, getting walked off twice by Mississippi State. I think it's more about us than who it is that we're playing. We have to go out and pitch better. That's where it starts and ends. Period.
