The College World Series is the Mecca of College Baseball, and the Texas A&M Aggies and Texas Longhorns are both two wins away from booking a trip to Omaha.
Texas A&M Aggies
The Texas A&M Aggies are headed back to the Super Regionals for the first time since 2017. The last time the Aggies were in the Super Regionals, they booked their ticket to Omaha a few days later. The Aggies are looking for that same bit of fortune as they will also have home-field advantage as the Super Regionals host.
The Aggies have been playing exceptional baseball during this tournament. Doing quick work in the first two games of the Regionals, the Aggies looked like they were headed for a game seven against TCU. Thanks to Aggies left fielder Dylan Rock‘s five-RBI game and Jack Moss‘s timely hitting; the Aggies managed to rally in the 9th inning of the Regional Finals to score seven unanswered runs to come back and defeat Horned Frogs 15-9.
Facing the Aggies in this Super Regionals will be the Louisville Cardinals. They are coming off a game seven Regional Finals win over Michigan for the Cardinals. The Aggies will have their hands full with this Cardinals team, but the Aggies will have a slight advantage given how well their offense has been hitting and clutch pitching led by Micah Dallas and Nathan Dettmer.
The Aggies and Cardinals will square off at Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park in College Station on Friday evening. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Game 2 will follow on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. If needed, Game 3 will be on Sunday, which is TBA.
Texas Longhorns
The Texas Longhorns return to the Super Regionals for the second consecutive season. This season, the Longhorns have had their share of ups and downs but have found their swag in this tournament. The opportunity to host a regional has given the Longhorns new life.
Like the Aggies, the Longhorns breezed through the first two games of the regionals with relative ease, led by Golden Spike Finalist Ivan Melendez. It is no surprise that the Longhorns have something special with Melendez. Every time Melendez steps into the batters’ box, something special happens. Melendez always makes something happen, whether it be a long home run or a sacrifice fly, and the Longhorns feed off of that.
That spark from Melendez has had a domino effect for the rest of the team as the Longhorns managed to get offensive production from Dylan Campbell, Trey Faltine, and Murphy Stehly, to name a few. This entire Longhorns lineup can beat any team in the country on any given day. Just ask the #1 seed, Tennessee Volunteers. The exceptional pitching from Pete Hansen and company has the Longhorns sitting pretty comfortably heading to the Super Regionals.
The Longhorns may have had home-field advantage in the Regionals, but due to seeding, the Longhorns will have to travel to face an East Carolina Pirates team that has been red hot all season long. There is a silver lining for the Longhorns as they travel away from the confines of Disch Falk Field is that the last time they traveled for a Super Regional was in 2005, and that year they won the National Title.
The Longhorns and Pirates will face off in Game 1 on Friday at 11:00 a.m. Game 2 will follow on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. If needed, Game 3 will be on Sunday, which is TBD.
It will be an exciting weekend of College Baseball for both the Aggies and Longhorns. Let us know in the comments who you think will win and move on to the College World Series.
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Main Image Credit
Texas A&M’s Jordan Thompson hits a two-run home run against Oral Roberts in an NCAA college baseball game at the College Station Regional in College Station, Texas, Friday, June 3, 2022. Texas A&M won 8-2. (Michael Miller/College Station Eagle via AP)AP
