For the first time in program history, Aggie baseball will play for a national championship
And just like that, this is the most successful baseball team in Texas A&M history. The No. 3 Aggies continued their excellent postseason play on Wednesday, defeating the Florida Gators for the second time in five days to move on to the championship round of the College World Series.
FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE’RE HEADED TO THE SHIP!#GigEm x #MCWS pic.twitter.com/D8ZVlYYnE9
— Texas A&M Baseball (@AggieBaseball) June 20, 2024
The Aggies scored two runs in the first inning on four straight walks by Gator starter Liam Peterson and a sac fly. It turned out to be all they needed, but they added some insurance throughout the game on an RBI ground rule double from Gavin Grahovac and a two-run home run by Caden Sorrell that really gave A&M a cushion. They’d add one more in the ninth on an RBI double by Kaeden Kent for good measure.
Starting pitcher Justin Lamkin gets the win after pitching five shutout innings with nine strikeouts. Lamkin has pitched eight innings in the College World Series (all against Florida) and has yet to give up a run. He was relieved (briefly) by Chris Cortez, who couldn’t find the strike zone in eight attempts, and was bailed out by Josh Stewart, who struck out four in two innings pitched. Jim Schlossnagle then turned to his closer Evan Aschenbeck to record the final six outs.
The Aggies are now 3-0 in the College World Series and 8-0 in the NCAA Tournament as a whole.
The Ags (52-13) move on to face fellow SEC team (and top overall seed) Tennessee (58-12), who advanced earlier in the day by eliminating Florida State. The Aggies and Vols have not faced each other in the 2024 season. They will begin their best of three series at 6 p.m. Saturday, with the game airing on ESPN.