Baseball Roundtable: No. 5 Ags best No. 3 Hogs in 11-inning affair

A classic pitcher's duel turned dramatic with the bases loaded in the 11th inning for the Aggies, and a Ted Burton walk walked off the Razorbacks. Ryan Brauninger, Richard Zane, Scott Clendenin and J.B. Moss joined TexAgs Radio to relive Friday and preview the rest of the series.

Key notes from J.B. Moss

• It was great, man. It was a pretty impressive atmosphere, finishing the game close to midnight. I would argue that the crowd had a direct impact on Will McEntire not finding the zone.
   
• I saw a few guys with their gloves over their pitch comm. They couldn’t hear the pitches that were coming in.
   
• The 12th Man 100 percent affected the outcome of last night. What is more exciting is tonight will be awesome. The weather won’t be an issue. Hopefully, the wind is not howling in tonight. It will be an electric atmosphere.
   
• If you want to win it all, you have to win in multiple facets. You will not outslug everyone in this league. The pitching talent and depth are too good.
   
• To find a way to win 1-0, I’m not sure what was more surprising: Scottie Scheffler's arrest this morning or A&M's win on a walk-off last night.
   
• Has Jim Schlossnagle missed on one addition from the portal?
   
• I asked Ryan Prager if he had any extra motivation last night. The story around town and around the country has been about Arkansas and Hagen Smith. That kid is unbelievably impressive.
   
• What Prager has done, not only last night but all season... Their mantra is to “Dominate the Zone.” It takes an alpha male to pitch on Friday night in this conference. One walk in seven innings with nine Ks. The majority of the time, that's exactly what we see from Prager.
   
• He has been phenomenal and went blow for blow with Smith, who I think should be the first college pitcher drafted. 
   
• I’m gonna bank on the middle third of the order for the next two games. They were 0-for-12 last night. I think this team goes as far as that middle third of the order.
   
• All of Hayden Schott’s at-bats against Smith looked awkward. That does not look like a fun left-on-left matchup. Schott stuck his nose in there.
   
• I am an offensive player. I like a slugfest, homers and bubbles. I like the energy at Blue Bell Park when runs are scored.
   
• Evan Aschenbeck is your best pitcher on your staff. We talk about the “Opening Day” mentality. Yesterday was the single most important win of the season, in my opinion. It locked up a top-eight national seed. 
   
• This is kind of unspoken, but the MLB Draft is on their mind. Braden Montgomery is a high-profile player. It is in the back of your mind. It's unfortunate. I am not saying that is the case with Braden. You are trying to win a championship, lock up a national seed, MLB Draft... There is a lot of their minds. 
   
• The ERAs of the Arkansas guys they were rolling out of the pen last night... I was telling Ryan Brauninger and Richard Zane before, it was giving me shade of 2016 Florida Gators: Dave Dunning, Logan Shore, A.J. Puk, Alex Faedo, Shaun Anderson, Scott Moss, Jackson Kowar and Brady Singer. That is eight major league pitchers on the same staff.
   
• Position players, they had Pete Alonso, Jonathon India, Buddy Reed and J.J. Schwarz. I am not saying this Arkansas team is that Florida team, but pitching-wise, they may be pretty close. 
   
• What makes Smith so good? For starters, he is 6-foot-3, 220 pounds and throws 100 mph from the left side. It looks like he hides the ball from the back. His 100 mph looks uncomfortable. 
   
• The difference between 90 and 95 is there. The difference from 95 to 100, it’s hard to explain, but it’s light-years different.  
   
• As an outfielder, the hardest ball to judge is the one right at you. I don’t remember what it was, but Jace LaViolette took two steps forward and then backed up to the warning track. Watching that big man go... He could play major league centerfield.
   
• With Justin Lamkin, it will start and end with his fastball command. If he doesn't do that, he will get in trouble.
   
• Chris Cortez will play a huge role this weekend. There is something about me that loves the three A&M starters being left-handed. 
   
• We talked about the standings. It's a race to 15 SEC wins, and you are in. I have said 20-10 wins in the league or something around there. You have a shot at it the last weekend.
   
• Here is the crazy thing: I will not mention the team name, but there is a team in college baseball, who is at the top of a Power 5 conference, and they would get boat raced in the SEC. That’s how good this league is. 
   
• I am so looking forward to having Texas in our league so we don't have to mess with this committee stuff anymore.
   
• They will match A&M and Texas up in the postseason. It’s TV dollars. It’s a disservice to both schools. If Texas isn't here as the No. 2, it’s TCU here as the No. 3. 
   
• They are 18 to 22 years old. These guys are up at 1:00 a.m. anyway.
   
• I’m excited about tonight. The 12th Man should be rocking. I think it will be a great atmosphere between two great teams.
   
• Don’t, for a second, think these Hogs will be intimidated by what is going on at Olsen Field. Baum-Walker Stadium rocks. That was the second-best road environment I played in. Alex Box Stadium was first.