Earley & Co. are in 'enemy territory' this weekend to battle the 'Dores

Texas A&M head baseball coach Michael Earley joined Thursday's edition of TexAgs Live ahead of the Aggies' series opener against Vanderbilt in Nashville. Amid a season of ups and downs, Earley touched on the team's mentality as the Ags prepare for their first true road series.

Key notes from Michael Earley Interview

• We are obviously not in a good spot, but I feel good about where we are going. It's a part of our journey and story. No one sees what we do on a day-to-day basis. Our mentality isn't that of a defeated team. It's a team that knows it needs to do better. I believe in them a ton. There's an urgency here. There has always been. I see them every day. I am excited to get out there tonight. I can't wait to go out there and compete.
   
• I will never accept a loss. Losing is not the standard. The thing I have to take out is, "You are right there." I told them I could say all these things about where we are going because I’m not lying to them. They believe it, too.
   
• These kids have grown up with social media, and we talk about blocking out the outside noise. If you're playing at A&M and the SEC, it comes with a price. If you take it personally, it's something you have to deal with yourself. Noise is noise. We know what we are doing and where we are going. You can argue some of it's fair and not fair, but I love this team and where we are headed.
   
• Our message now is that we won't let the past be predictive of the future. It's there. It's real, but it’s not who we are. We won't be defined by what happens early on in the season. No one in the locker room, even myself, feels like that. Even as a coach, you have to believe it. We have that as a team.
   
• We have to get certain players to believe in themselves. That's the key to baseball. You can have a bad body and no strength, but you have this kid who thinks he is the best on the planet. That's a phenomenal thing. Ryan Prager didn't pitch his best on Friday, but he's a competitor. Do you even think he thinks he's not good? There's no way. I have to get that mindset out of more guys.
   
• Especially in a game that is really failure-based on the offensive side, you either win the series or lose the series. You either perform or you don't. It'll mentally beat you up, and it can snowball. You see that with certain guys on our team. Look at Terrence Kiel II on our team. He's rolling. As a freshman, he's mentally mature beyond his years. Yesterday, Gavin Kash was in a great headspace. He said if he got that close, he was doing something right. You need to understand that these guys are on the right track, and it's contagious. We are right there.
   
• I wish we could play every game at Blue Bell Park in that atmosphere. However, getting away from home brings you closer. The guys are eating with their buddies, and the coaches are hanging out. It's like a football team going off to camp. We just know we are in rainy and 42-degree weather in Nashville.
   
• I love the feeling of going into enemy territory, so to speak. Everyone's against you, and all you have is each other. There is nothing like playing at someone else's park and making it go quiet.
   
• Vanderbilt will likely be the fastest team we face all year, with pure foot speed. They have good guys who can pitch. Their metrics and velocity, they've always done it at a high level. They are not going to beat themselves, so we have to put pressure on them early. With it being a Thursday-Saturday series, they are mixing it up. Their ability to play defense is where they are at right now.
   
• Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin is clearly a great coach. He’s a Hall of Famer and one of the best to ever do it. It's like every SEC coach. He's obviously really good, but I feel the same way about our staff and our team.
   
• For the pitchers, with the guys we have, it's six days instead of seven days rest. They are good to go when you have Prager, Justin Lamkin and Myles Patton. I don't think about a short day. If I had fewer guys, mentally I wouldn't feel good. But I have those guys, so I feel good about it.
   
• Inside our walls, if you see it, we are dialed in. We are doing everything right now but winning consistently. They lift, eat and interact with people, each other and fans the right way. I have to believe that if you continue to do things the right way, it'll spill into other aspects. The ship will turn in the right direction, and it'll be a beautiful thing.
   
• Ben Royo and Bear Harrison have earned themselves some more playing time. We are at the point in the season where if you play, you have to play well. What people may not know is Royo had a good freshman year at Rice, then the next year was not good at all. But he has some great tools, and this guy is skilled. He's a great dude. That's not the only reason why he's playing. He can run and has earned his chance.
   
• Same with Harrison. He and Jacob Galloway will continue to go a little back and forth. We will most likely go with Harrison tonight. I root for all my guys, but I love how he has gone about his business. There is something in there that's more than what you may see.
   
• I am fired up for basketball tonight. Effort is the main thing I love to watch in sports. Whether our team plays well or badly, seeing how those guys play is cool. You can never doubt their effort. I am a fan of our basketball team.