For the first time since the 2016 season, Texas A&M baseball is now ranked as the number one team in the country.
For the first time since the 2016 season, Texas A&M baseball is now ranked as the number one team in the country. D1Baseball, Baseball America, Perfect Game, NCBWA and USA TODAYunanimously placedthe Aggies in the top spot of their updated top-25 rankings, which were released Monday.
After coming in at No. 3 in the previous rankings, A&M had a stellar week and improved to 32-4 overall and 11-4 in SEC action. The Aggies defeated UTSA, 6-5, at Blue Bell Park last Tuesday before sweeping then-No. 6 Vanderbilt in a three-game home series over the weekend. They dominated the Commodores in all three games, claiming victories of 15-0, 9-0 and 12-6. It marked their first sweep of a ranked opponent since 2016.
The two teams ahead of A&M in some of the previous rankings,Arkansas and Clemson, stumbled in their weekend series. The Razorbacks lost two of their three games to then-No. 25 Alabama. The Tigers dropped two of their three games to unranked NC State. They also fell to USC Upstate at home last Tuesday.
A&M has not been ranked No. 1 in D1Baseball since claiming the top spot on May 30, 2016. Dating back to 1980, the Aggies have been ranked No. 1 in any poll only six other times: 1989, 1993, 1999, 2009, 2015 and 2016.
Under their third-year head coach, Jim Schlossnagle, the Aggies have been a complete team. Their explosive offense and potent pitching staff have ranked among the best in several of the major statistical categories.
Offensively, A&M ranks second nationally in walks (245), eighth in home runs (73), ninth in slugging percentage (.568), 11th in on-base percentage (.434), 19th in runs per game (9.0), 23rd in hits (375) and 34th in batting average (.307).
The Aggies also lead the nation in shutouts with eight and come in at second in earned run average (3.14), second in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.80), second in strikeouts per nine innings (11.8), fourth in WHIP (1.15), seventh in hits allowed per nine innings (7.23), 11th in fielding percentage (.980),
Six A&M players in the everyday lineup have a batting average of .300 or better: right fielder Braden Montgomery (.380), catcher Jackson Appel (.358), left fielder Hayden Schott (.329), third baseman Gavin Grahovac (.327), center fielder Jace LaViolette (.303) and shortstop Ali Camarillo (.300). Three Aggie players have double-digit home runs: Montgomery (19), LaViolette (16) and Grahovac (13). Montgomery leads the group with 58 RBIs.
Left-handed pitcher Ryan Prager has been on another level as the Friday starter this season. Through nine starts and 50 innings pitched, Prager has compiled a 7-0 record and 1.98 ERA. He has recorded a team-high 73 strikeouts while issuing only five walks. Top reliever Evan Aschenbeck has impressed as well, posting a team-low 1.47 ERA with a 4-0 record and five saves through 15 appearances and 36.2 innings.
Up next for A&M will be a midweek game against Air Force at 4 p.m. Tuesday in Blue Bell Park (TV: SEC Network+). The Aggies will then have a three-game series at No. 18 Alabama, with those matchups set for Thursday (6 p.m. on SEC Network), Friday (6 p.m. on SEC Network+) and Saturday (SEC Network+).
