With Season On The Brink, Texas A&M Keeps Postseason Hopes Alive

Image credit: Kaeden Kent (Photo by Eddie Kelly/ ProLook Photos)

Texas A&M’s precarious postseason position isn’t lost on anyone inside its dugout. After a season marked by frustration, inconsistency and disappointment, the stakes are brutally clear.

But where others might buckle under the weight of that pressure—of SEC expectations unmet, of a season teetering on the edge—the Aggies have instead found resolve. They’re still swinging.

That fight was on full display during a commanding 9-0 win over at-large lock Mississippi State to open SEC Tournament play Wednesday. It was there again in Thursday’s nail-biter against Auburn, a tense 3-2 win that extended their stay in Hoover and postponed a final judgment on their season.

Realistically, those victories alone won’t vault Texas A&M (30-25, No. 50 RPI) into the NCAA Tournament. The Aggies are still saddled with a 9-17 mark against Quadrant I opponents. But for a team long past the point of resume math, the mission now is simple: survive, even though the path has gotten even steeper.

A Friday showdown with LSU awaits, and it’s win-or-go-home. The Tigers are surging. The Aggies are shorthanded.

Jace LaViolette, their middle-of-the-order anchor, broke his hand Thursday and won’t return for the rest of the SEC Tournament. Lefties Ryan Prager and Lamkin are both unavailable after starting the tournament’s first two games. Several key relievers have already made multiple appearances. A&M will need fresh arms and sharper execution than ever.

Still, Michael Earley isn’t flinching.

“Play nine innings, and at the end of the game we’ll see what happens,” the first-year head coach said after the win over Auburn. “Today we got the hit, and [Auburn] didn’t.”

The Aggies have embraced insulation, blocking out the narratives and noise that once consumed them. Their collapse against Missouri—a stunning home sweep that pushed them to the brink—could have shattered this group. Instead, it sharpened them.

It helped lefty Justin Lamkin spin a 15-strikeout gem against Georgia on May 16. It steadied him again Thursday when he worked five gritty innings of one-run ball. It’s carried a bullpen that’s yielded just one run across 7.2 innings in Hoover. And it’s fueled big moments from big names: Kent’s three-run homer to beat Auburn, LaViolette’s grand slam to bury Mississippi State.

“The vibe is high,” shortstop Kaeden Kent said Thursday despite LaViolette’s injury. “And when we have fun playing the game with each other, then I think it brings out the best in people.”

The Aggies are acutely aware LSU brings depth, pedigree and elite talent. But Earley also believes in the group he has left.

“I’m just confident in our players and their fight and their readiness in every single game,” Earley said. “LSU is an unbelievably coached baseball team with a lot of good players, so it’s going to be a dogfight. We’re going to have to come out and play clean innings for nine, and then look up and see what happens.”

What remains, then, is faith. In each other. In a cause greater than themselves. In the energy that hasn’t wavered even as their margin for error has disappeared.

“When we have injuries like (outfielder Caden) Sorrell or like Jace, the chemistry and the joy and the positive energy in the dugout helps us overcome that,” Kent said, “and I think that’s a big contributor to our success.”

Lamkin echoed the sentiment.

“We’ve got a really good group around us,” he said. “I think we’re all playing for each other. I think it’s a big thing, and like Kaeden said, the vibes are high, and everybody is just ready to go when we next go.”

Should Texas A&M finish this run with an at-large bid, it would elevate the SEC to unprecedented territory. The league already set the record with 10 teams in last year’s field of 64 and seems poised for 13 in 2024. The Aggies, improbably, could be the 14th.

But none of that matters—not now. There’s no scoreboard watching, no bracketology breakdowns. Just baseball, pitch by pitch, inning by inning, game by game.

“I’ve said it a ton, but everyone cares,” Earley said. “There’s a ton of care in our locker room, and that’s never been our problem. Our problem throughout the year has been not playing clean baseball. We’ve got a bunch of guys that love each other, we love them and we’re going to keep playing.”