Bullpen bell cow Evan Aschenbeck ascending toward 'all-time' status
When kids go to a patch of grass or a sandlot to play wiffle ball, it's not uncommon for one to be named the "all-time pitcher."
He never hits. He pitches to both sides.
And he usually gets his fellow youngsters out more often than not.
For Texas A&M, Jim Schlossnagle and Max Weiner have an "all-time pitcher" in left-handed reliever Evan Aschenbeck.
If throwing strikes is a prerequisite to being named "all-time pitcher" then Aschenbeck has certainly dominated the zone, even before Weiner's arrival.
After two solid years at Blinn — including a very brief foray as a two-way player — his two seasons in Maroon & White are becoming the stuff of legend.
All while throwing an unsuspecting high-80s to low-90s fastball with a slider and a changeup combined with a stoic presence on the bump.
"I'll let some emotions out when we win the game, but when we're between the lines and the ball's being put in play, I just want to be myself and execute pitches," Aschenbeck said. "I've always been able to throw strikes, and that's Max's whole philosophy: DTZ — dominate the zone. That's his whole thing, and he came in and presented that to us. I was like, 'Heck yeah! That's something I can really, really get behind.'
"I think the ability to fill up the zone with all three pitches is what sets me apart and gives me a really good opportunity to get guys out."
Along with plenty of deception in his motion, the stuff plays way up from what the analytics say.
The statistics show as much.
In 2023, Aschenbeck led the Aggies in wins (8), strikeouts (75), ERA (3.46) and WHIP (1.22) in 65 innings — which finished second only to Nathan Dettmer's 72.2.
This spring, the senior is in the midst of an All-American season. "The Brenham Bell Cow" was recently named D1Baseball's No. 1 reliever in the country.
And rightfully so.
"It's really cool to see my name circling around the whole college baseball world and everything, but I try to distance myself from that," Aschenbeck said humbly. "Coach Schloss always tells us that we just need to focus on what we have in that locker room, don't let the outside noise get to us and just focus on what we have every day.
"That's what I just try to hammer down: Coming here every day, being the same person and helping my team win."
He has certainly remained a constant, oftentimes being the hammer used to nail down another A&M victory.
In 13 appearances, the lefty is 4-0 with four saves and a 1.13 ERA in 32 innings.
He has pitched in seven SEC games. The Aggies have won all seven.
Further, A&M has won every single contest in which Aschenbeck has toed the rubber.
All this from a kid from Brenham without any Aggie ties who never thought he'd be good enough to play at A&M.
"This was definitely a dream school for me, and when they gave me the opportunity to come here, I was like, 'No questions asked. This is where I want to be,'" Aschenbeck said. "It has turned out pretty good. It's awesome to be here, and I'm so blessed to be here."
The Aggies are certainly blessed, too.
Last weekend at South Carolina, Schlossnagle fired his best bullet in back-to-back ballgames.
On Friday, Aschenbeck entered in a bases-loaded jam in the seventh with momentum threatening to teeter towards the Gamecocks.
A punchout of Cole Messina and a scoreless eighth later, Aschenbech had recorded four crucial outs on just 21 pitches.
On Saturday, he picked up a two-inning save to nail down a 6-3 victory.
"Ideally, you'd like to use him to close two games," Schlossnagle said. "Whenever he's available to help us, that's the toughest call.
"He's one of the best in the country. We face a lot of great pitchers in this league, but he's very unique. I'm glad he's an Aggie."
If deciphering when to call upon the former Buc is Schlossnagle's most important decision every weekend, at least the Aggie skipper has the luxury of making that move multiple times.
The trip to Columbia became the third consecutive weekend of multiple Aschenbeck outings.
That's something the 12th Man became accustomed to last year when he made 26 appearances and drew comparisons to fellow lefty Jacob Palisch, who now pitches for the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.
Of course, Palisch fit the bill of "all-time pitcher" on A&M's 2022 Men's College World Series club.
"I haven't had that many. The ones that I've had have been a part of championship teams," Schlossnagle said. "Palisch. Trey Teakell at TCU. I had one my first year at TCU named (Chad) Underwood. Guys who throw a lot of strikes can pitch in any role. They're not phased by anything.
"He's a special guy. He controls his emotions. The moment never gets too big. He just keeps executing pitches."
While he's Schlossnagle's current "all-time pitcher," No. 53 isn't allowed to meet the description offered at the outset of this article.
Obviously, organized rules will prevent Aschenbeck from facing Aggie All-Americans like Jace LaViolette or Braden Montgomery.
Michael Earley's potent offense is absolutely thankful for that.
"He can throw anything to any hitter at any time. I'm sure, for Max, it's like playing a video game," Earley said with a laugh. "He's just very special and very hard to game plan for, and I'm very fortunate that I will never have to do that."
