Yes, I’m in the midst of Aggie baseball withdrawals after the good guys came up one game short in the Stanford Regional final on Monday.
It was a disappointing end to an up-and-down 2023 campaign, but there was one big bright spot in the lineup that bodes well for the future.
True freshman Jace LaViolette set the all-time freshman home run record with 21 long balls, and most of that statistical damage came in the second half of the season as he adjusted to collegiate pitching. LaViolette will be the focal point of this team’s offensive firepower over the next two seasons before he likely leaves for the 2025 MLB Draft.
That begs the question: Where does LaViolette’s freshman campaign stack up from a historical perspective in Texas Aggie baseball history?
Now granted, this list is heavily biased toward players in the past 35+ years, which correlates to my direct knowledge of Texas A&M baseball. I know some TexAgs posters nominated a few players from the 1960s and early 1970s era, but I’ll be honest with you, I tried researching statistics of a few players mentioned in that time frame and struggled to find anything. I focused my efforts on revered lefty Doug Rau, who pitched from 1968-1970 and earned All-American honors before being drafted in the first round by the Los Angeles Dodgers. I found Rau’s 1970 stats as a junior when he went 9-1 with a school-record 0.86 ERA, and his career ERA in Aggieland was 1.51, which is also a school record. It’s a pretty safe bet that Rau’s freshman performance would rank high on this list, but I simply don’t have that data. I’m hoping this blurb detailing his dominant A&M career will satisfy you old-timers, but I’m sure I’ll hear from you about his omission on this list, which is fine.
Just to be clear, the list is based solely on each player’s freshman campaign, and his overall career numbers were not taken into account. Several players with great career statistics didn’t have the most stellar freshman year, so they didn’t make the list. Also, the first 3-4 on the list were pretty easy to rank, but I really struggled with ranking the latter spots, which is why some of the guys made my honorable mention category.
Okay, let’s get to the list.
1. John Byington - 1987 - .372 avg., 17 HR, 78 RBI
I’ll come clean now: I’m biased when it comes to Aggie baseball teams in the late 1980s.
First, I was a student in the mid-to-late 1980s, and I practically lived at Olsen Field. Second, as a loyal resident who grew up in Baytown, it was exciting to have three everyday starters in the Aggie lineup in 1988 and 1989 from my hometown (Byington, Andy Duke, Mike Easley). Third, those late 1980s teams were fun to watch and pretty damn good to boot.
TexAgs
Before he became “Big Bad John,” Byington crushed 17 homers to go along with a sparking .372 average as a fish in 1987.
That said, when I started my research for this article, I tried to find reasons not to list John Byington as the top Aggie freshman of all time to prove my objectivity and lack of bias.
Byington is a fellow Lee Gander like myself, and my mom taught him math at the high school. She still says to this day that he is the smartest student she taught in her 20-plus years at Baytown Lee, but I digress.
The point is, I looked at his freshman stats and tried to poke holes in his resume, but facts are facts.
Byington’s numbers in 1987 would compete for the best hitting season in program history, regardless of classification. He did it as a fish. He was not that big — maybe 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds that first year. What made him so destructive at the plate were his cat-quick reflexes and the torque generated with his swing. It looked so effortless, efficient and natural.
When people think of Byington, they obviously think of the magical 1989 season and the two game-winning homers against Texas, but his incredible offensive production began the first season he stepped onto Olsen Field in 1987. Just look at the numbers for proof.
Byington had the hand-eye coordination and the ability to hit for average like a Jack Moss with the sheer power of Jace LaViolette combined into one 18-year-old kid. It was amazing to see at the time, and he’s still the best freshman hitter I’ve ever seen in Maroon.
2. Jason Tyner - 1996 - .407 avg., 100 hits, 10 K in 246 AB
In his first collegiate game, Jason Tyner led off the game and his career with a drag bunt single. In his second career at bat, he executed another drag bunt single. On his third time at the plate, the opposing third baseman came in to defend the bunt, but Tyner laid down his third consecutive bunt single. That personified the Beaumont native’s career in Aggieland.
Tyner wasn’t much for the gaps or the long ball. He only had one homer in his Texas A&M career, but the lanky, boy-like lefty knew how to handle the bat. Tyner also ran like a deer. Between his bunt singles, infield hits and slap liners to all fields, the young freshman managed to hit over .400 and earn first-team All-SWC and third-team All-American honors in his debut season in 1996. When he was drafted after three seasons, he left Texas A&M as the all-time hits leader in school history, first in stolen bases, second in batting average and third in at-bats (in only three seasons).
3. Mark Thurmond - 1977 - 10-2, 1.89 ERA
Many Texas A&M baseball fans celebrate the late 1980s as the coming-of-age era that put Aggie baseball on the national map, but led by All-American pitchers Mark Ross and Mark Thurmond, the baseball program under Tom Chandler flourished in the 1976-1979 seasons, winning back-to-back SWC Championships in 1977 and 1978.
The team went 52-15 overall and 37-9 in SWC in those two seasons.
A left-handed Thurmond was a freshman on that 1977 championship team, and he had an immediate impact with a dominant 10-2 record and a minuscule 1.89 ERA. The following year, he earned All-American accolades and went on to pitch in the 1984 World Series with the Padres, who drafted him in the fifth round.
4. Braden Shewmake - 2017 - .328 batting avg, 11 HR, 69 RBI
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Selected 21st overall by Atlanta in 2019, Shewmake made his debut with the Braves on May 5, 2023.
Shewmake burst onto the scene in 2017, playing second base opposite Austin Homan.
As a freshman, Shewmake was inserted into the critical No. 3 spot in the batting order and remained there for his entire three years in College Station. With very little support behind him in the lineup, Shewmake made an immediate impact by leading the team in batting average (.328), home runs (11), RBI (69), slugging percentage (.529) and stolen bases (11). He was named National Freshman of the Year by Collegiate Baseball Magazine and Perfect Game.
Shewmake would later shift over to play shortstop his final two years, where he garnered All-American honors.
5. Michael Wacha - 2010 - 9-2, 2.90 ERA, 86 hits in 105 IP
Over the course of his three-year career, he may be the best overall pitcher by the numbers, especially in the past 20 years.
Wacha’s career 2.23 ERA in over 44 starts is pretty amazing, and he was consistently dominant during his time in College Station.
More importantly for this list, he was equally effective in his 2010 freshman campaign and put together one of the best freshman seasons in school history with a 9-2 record and a 2.90 ERA. Not too shabby for an unheralded prospect out of Texarkana who signed late with Rob Childress.
Just 16 months after leaving Texas A&M, Wacha won NLCS Most Valuable Player and a World Series game. He’s still pitching effectively for the Padres, with a 5-2 record and 3.48 ERA this season.
6. Jason Meyer - 2004 - 8-2, 2.93 ERA, 87 hits in 104 IP
When you think of great young Aggie pitchers, Jason Meyer doesn’t immediately come to mind, but maybe it should when you see that he went 8-2 with a 2.93 ERA, three saves and 12 starts in 2004.
Meyer was a workhorse, both as a starter and coming out of the bullpen, throwing 104 innings and surrendering just 87 hits while striking out 110 batters. He never matched those statistics in future years, so his overall career numbers don’t stick out.
Still, he had a special season in 2004 that earned him freshman All-American honors.
7. Cliff Pennington - 2003 - .345 avg., 54 runs, 41 RBI
The Corpus Christi native had one of the best college careers over the past 20 years, and Pennington’s freshman season may have been his best, batting .345 with 54 runs scored and 42 RBI.
The shortstop earned not only freshman All-American accolades but also second-team All-Big 12 honors.
He went on to play five seasons for the Oakland A’s and 10 seasons overall in the Big Leagues before coming back to A&M as a student assistant coach.
Pennington currently serves as an assistant coach in charge of recruiting at Dallas Baptist.
8. Jace LaViolette - 2023 - .287 avg., 21 HR, 63 RBI, 18 stolen bases
As mentioned earlier, LaViolette shook off a sluggish start to his freshman season and blasted a record-breaking 21 home runs and 63 RBI. He also contributed on the base paths with 18 stolen bases.
With players around him in the batting order struggling to hit, opposing pitchers had the luxury of pitching around the huge 6-foot-5 lefty. However, LaViolette still caught fire in the postseason and blasted several long balls. He did strike out a lot (70), and his .287 batting average is the lowest of any hitter on this list. That moved him down to No. 8 on the list. but the future is extremely bright.
We should continue to see his batting average and run production climb in his remaining two years in Aggieland.
9. Chuck Knoblauch - 1987 - .341 avg., 23 stolen bases
Talk about a dominant recruiting class in 1987.
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Chuck Knoblauch was no stranger to the Fall Classic, winning four world championships during his 12-year big league career.
Mark Johnson placed three true freshmen on the All-SWC team.
Chuck Knoblach was a shortstop by trade, but the Aggies already had JUCO phenom Ever Magallanes at shortstop for the 1987 season, so the coaching staff put him in centerfield. Not only did he play a great centerfield showing great range, but he hit .341 with 20 doubles and 23 stolen bases. That was enough to earn All-SWC honors in his first season, joining Byington and Terry Taylor on that All-SWC team. Those three laid the foundation for the magical 1989 season, where the trio earned All-American accolades again.
Knoblauch went on to win the American League Rookie of the Year in 1991 and the World Series. He’s best known by Aggie fans when he was introduced live before the World Series on national TV and raised the palm of his hand that read “Gig ‘Em” in magic marker.
T10. Jeff Granger - 1991 - 9-2, 3.20 ERA, 70 hits in 98 IP, 121 Ks
He is probably the most recognizable and impactful Aggie pitcher over the past 30 years.
Granger earned a spot in the starting rotation in his freshman year, and he never left that Friday night role in his three-year A&M career. He’s best known for his 21-strikeout performance of Lubbock Christian and leading the Aggies to the 1993 College World Series for its first trip to Omaha since 1964.
He earned multiple All-American awards in his career and was drafted in the first round but was dominant early in his freshman year and went 9-2 with a 3.20 ERA and striking out 121 batters.
Granger earned several All-SWC awards in 1991 as a freshman.
T10. Scott Livingstone - 1985 - .331 avg., .629 slug., 1.031 OPS
One of the most celebrated hitters in school history, Livingstone set the stage for the 1987 freshman class that drove the program to unparalleled heights in the late 1980s.
Livingstone’s career overlapped Byington, Knoblach and Taylor in 1987 and 1988, but as a true freshman, he quickly showed he was an elite college hitter, finishing with a .331 batting average, a .629 slugging percentage and a 1.031 OPS. He also earned All-SWC honors as a first-year player.
The next season, Livingstone hit .403 with 19 home runs and 76 RBI, leading A&M to a share of the 1986 SWC Championship.
He earned numerous All-American awards and was drafted in the second round by the Detroit Tigers. Livingstone played eight seasons in the big leagues.
Honorable Mention
Krey Bratsen - 2011 - .332 avg., 31 SB
Terry Taylor - 1987 - .305 avg., All-SWC
Justin Moore - 2001 - 7-3, 3.39 ERA
Nick Banks - 2014 - .327 avg.
Ryan Rupe - 1996 - 5-0, 3.27 ERA
Doug Rau - 1968 - Freshman stats unknown
