Senior Ryan Targac wore No. 12 this year as the embodiment of Texas A&M's core values. "The Hallettsville Hammer" joined TexAgs Radio on Tuesday morning to look back on the 2024 campaign and share what's next for him as his playing days in Maroon have come to an end.
Key notes from Ryan Targac interview
- It has been a different lifestyle without playing anymore, but that’s life. You’ve got to move on.
- The last few days have been crazy. I don’t think I’ve been part of a crazier week than what has happened.
- I still replay the final series in my head every day. I know Michael Earley said it yesterday, and I’m the same way: I haven’t gotten a good night’s sleep since then. It was a well-played series between two great teams. If a few balls drop here and there, it’s a different story, including the ball in Game 2 that was caught right at the wall. I was hoping the wind shifted and that the baseball gods were in my favor. It was 98 mph on the black, and I put my best swing on it. Some things could have played out differently. Beyond that, I’ve been trying to soak up every moment with the guys because it was my last time doing something like that. I’ve spoken to the younger guys about soaking it all in.
- The timeline since we got back just feels like a blur. I don’t want to get too much into it, but I found out over social media. I was surprised when I found out. I saw what everybody else saw from the press conference on Monday, and in my head, I thought there was no way that was going to happen. As a team, we were talking about it and how we thought about all the stuff on social media. We thought it couldn’t be true, but we know you can’t trust what you see on the internet.
- Looking back on my career at Texas A&M, I wanted to be an Aggie. I was offered money out of high school to go into the draft, and I declined to come here. I had a good sophomore year. I played a little here and there as a freshman under a great coach in Rob Childress. I struggled the last few years, and I had some stuff going on in baseball and life. I got offered money after my junior year to go into the draft, but I declined it because I wanted to be an Aggie, get my Aggie Ring and get my degree. I wanted to pour every little bit I could into the program and what it stood for. I know how important it is to me and to others.
- I was told some things along the lines of me not wanting to be here or that I didn’t care. Someone in the program actually told me that. That didn’t sit right with me, and it still doesn’t sit right with me. Some injuries happened, and things weren’t going our way going into the postseason. Coaches have to be hard on you sometimes. People might say that you’re soft, and I get that coaches and people can be hard on you in life. That’s just life. Some things don’t need to be said, and for someone to say that I didn’t want to be at A&M or didn’t care, that is the exact opposite of the truth. Given the circumstances, I invested in every single one of my teammates from the first-base coach’s box, and I enjoyed my time being out there with the guys. That criticism was hard for me to hear.
- I just wanted to be part of this team and help them win a national championship. That’s all I wanted. I wanted to do it for this program and this team. Never did I look for individual goals or accomplishments. I’ll brush it off and keep moving.
- The team, in general, had my back. We were like that. We all have our guys that we lean on, and my guys were the upperclassmen because we have shared experiences. We bonded over the shared adversity. We understand that the coaches share their knowledge and teach us things, but as the season goes along, it’s all on us as players. We took what we could from what they said and then just played Aggie baseball.
- I remember the first day that I met Earley, and I knew from the first handshake that I was going to like him. It’s important to like the coaches you’re going to be with. He’s very passionate about things, and you can see it in his eyes and actions. I’m excited for him, and I know the process wasn’t easy for him at all. He and his family are so deserving of it. The person he is and the coach he has been with his morals, I think our program is headed in the right direction.
- We were seven outs away from a national championship. Three or four years ago, when the program moved on from Childress, we were in an unknown place. We were going to regionals and super regionals, but we only had a few Omaha appearances. There was an unknown with that, and there was a direction we took it in. With the hire of Earley, there is no doubt in my mind that we will be right back at the top, if not winning it all.
- Becoming the first base coach was never a thought I had. I embraced it. Whatever role that I’m in, I want to be the best at it. If I’m cheering from the dugout, I’ll be the best cheerleader. If I’m playing second base or first base, I want to be the best second baseman or first baseman in the country.
- It was difficult to go through some of those things, and injuries were a part of it. I was dealing with a tear in my plantar fascia from my sophomore to junior year and didn’t even know it. I got that fixed in the fall, but it took out my whole fall. Still, I got to be with the guys every day, and that made up for it.
- Getting through this year, I leaned on my faith. I understand that things happen for a reason. I’m a big believer in that. I trust in God’s plan. I’ve changed my perspective from my first three years to now and understand that life is coming up pretty quickly. I have that “get to” mentality. I’m looking for the positives in things. Like moving from the dugout to coaching first, I got to help my team out in a way that was more than before. I was trying to be the right guy at that moment.
- If the opportunity shows itself for professional baseball, whether it be now or down the road, that’s something I’d be interested in if it were the right one. I’d love to do that. The best thing for me right now is that I have eight hours left until I graduate. I want to get my degree. I’m going to do that. I’ll be around here, and I want to be part of the program in some way. This program and university have done so much for me, so I just want to give back. I would love to be part of the program that has helped me out so much.
- I have the feeling that most of the guys are going to come back. I know for some of the guys that one big piece for them was getting Earley back. Guys are still having to make big-time decisions. I understand that. Some young guys have called me to ask my advice, and I tell them that they have to look out for themselves and what’s best for them. Getting an education will play out more in the long run than baseball because you’re going to be a person for much longer than you’ll be a baseball player. When it comes to NIL, that’s short-term stuff. Don’t let that take you away from what you want to do, whether that be here or elsewhere. Here, you get more than money by playing for the university, getting this education and playing for the best fans in the country.
- I’ve been finished playing since Monday of last week, and since then, the love from the 12th Man has been unreal. My girlfriend and I celebrated our one-year anniversary on Sunday, and we went out to eat at Gringo’s. She got a margarita, and I got myself a beer. Someone bought a beer for me. I went and shook his hand, and his family is actually from Hallettsville. I’ve been recognized at HEB or in a fast food line. Walking down the street in Omaha, people would come and shake my hand. The Aggie Network is one thing to talk about, but it’s another to be part of it. I’m getting there. It’s second to none, and it’s unbelievable what this university can offer you.
- I don’t have my Aggie Ring on because it’s getting re-sized. It was a half-size too big. I don’t like when I just shake it a little bit and it can fall off.
- Coaching first was a learning process. I remember my first game out there was against Ole Miss, and I was terrified. I had known the signs for three years, and in that moment, I was questioning myself. I had to trust myself that I knew what was going on. The guys would rather have me tell them than trust what their eyes saw. It was a change. Looking back on it, I would rather be playing, but things happen. If there is any way I could contribute to the team, I was all for it. Earley brought that idea up to me because he had never been in the dugout as our hitting coach. Him going through a plan before the at-bats helped the mindset. Even with my at-bat against Tennessee, before I put on my batting gloves, I talked to him.
- I always knew A&M-Texas was a thing, but coming here, you learn so much more about it. With them joining the SEC, it’ll be interesting. With what happened, I think the blood will run a little thicker and hotter.
