Livingstone applauds LaViolette for becoming third member of 50 HR club

Texas A&M slugger Jace LaViolette tied Scott Livingstone's career home run record (50) in Sunday's 4-1 loss to Tennessee. The two-time All-American and four-year starter in Aggieland joined TexAgs Radio to talk about A&M's final clash with the Volunteers.

Key notes from Scott Livingstone interview

• You know, there was only one team that worried me the whole year, and it was Tennessee. When I saw the bracket and they were on that side and we were on the other side, I thought this is going to come down to these two teams. Both teams are kind of similar. They can hit, hit for power, and they have good pitching, just like we do.
   
• If you look at the series, we have 20 hits, and they have 19. We’ve struck out 23 times, and they've struck out 29. The numbers are so similar, it's like anything can give at any moment. A one-run lead is tough. I feel the pain of watching that 1-0 for seven innings.
   
• They have Zander Sechrist. If you look at his starts, he has gone 6.1 IP in their super regional, and 6.1 IP against Florida State so you want to be here at the end.
   
• The Aggies have given us an amazing season, no matter what happens tonight. They've got the 12th Man excited. To go as far as they’ve gotten, they definitely have the talent. I picked them in three, and they can definitely take it tonight. They just got to get Sechrist out early and get in that bullpen.
   
• People talk to me about hitting 50 home runs, and I’m like, I hit 10 my freshman year, and then seven my sophomore year. I only had 16 or 17 in my sophomore year. I look at Jace LaViolette, and it’s like, yeah, it took me four years to get 50, so what this guy’s done in two is just amazing.
   
• There are a few more guys down the road who are going to hit the 50, Gavin Grahovac and probably Caden Sorrell. It’s a nice number, and I don't see myself as a power hitter. I'm so happy for Jace because he is a great young man on and off the field. 
   
• Jace has been walked a lot. When he had that base hit between first and second base late in the game, he ran the bases pretty well. He actually had to shut it down and put on the brakes around first base. For his hamstring to hold during that, that is a really good sign.
   
• They’re backloading that roster and clubhouse and filling it up with guys who can really play. You hear them talk about Jack Bell and how good of a player they think he's going to be. They have talent on the bench that isn't able to play because, like coach Jim Schlossnagle says, where are they going to play in this lineup? The future of Aggie baseball is awesome, and it's only going to get better and better.
   
• Yeah, we would've buzzed Christian Moore’s tower. It's just a different game now. A lot of times, I didn't know if my ball was going out, so I had to run no matter what. I didn't have time to look at it or flip the bat. Plus, I didn't want to do that anyway because I would've got one in the ear hole.
   
• I thought that wasn't classy on his part. If he's saying throw me a strike or a fastball, because Chris Cortez might have thrown him four breaking balls, and he probably wanted to be challenged. But they are there to get him out. You're not just going to get the pitch that you want. We are going to throw him what we want to throw him. So, too bad.
   
• It’s also how the fan base wraps their arms around those guys like Braden Montgomery was only here for one year, but man, did he excite everybody in the fan base and has endeared himself to the culture. He's a solid young man.
   
• Evan Aschenbeck was the NCBWA Stopper of the Year. Gosh, I'm glad this guy wasn't around back in my day. These guys are tough. This is going to be a season to remember, for sure.
   
• Hayden Schott is a future Savannah Banana. The guy is a professional hitter. He's got a huge knee brace on, but he's a professional hitter. Sechrist is left-handed, and Schott will give you good at-bats. He doesn't try to do too much at the plate. He'll get you those singles up the middle and that occasional double down the line. One hit yesterday would have been out at Blue Bell Park, but it was at Charles Schwab, and fly balls tend to die out there.
   
• I think it's going to be a little bit of a pitcher's duel. I think we really have to get into their bullpen. Managing the staff is going to be tough after you get their starter out. Maybe throw Tanner Jones for one inning, and just blow and go 96 mph, 97 mph for one inning.
   
• Tennessee has basically shot all their bullets to win the game. They used most of their pitchers, and we still got guys in the bullpen. I think the Aggies are in good shape. I really do.