Thought I’d take a minute and try to get out of my funk and talk about what changes A&M coach Michael Earley needs to make for next season for the Aggies to win big again (and for him to keep his job).
Keep the productive bats you have. That means Gavin Grahovac, Caden Sorrell, Terence Kiel II, Bear Harrison and, if possible, Kaeden Kent. Grahovac and Kiel have already said they’re going to be back, and I expect that to be the case with the rest.
Get a new hitting coach. Losing Grahovac early and having Sorrell for only have the season surely hurt, but everyone (save Sorrell) regressed. Jace LaViolette had two terrible months. Hayden Schott, fighting through injuries, went way back. Wyatt Henseler was really good, it probably didn’t meet expectations. Harrison had a month-long slump. Blake Binderup was a lot more miss than hit.. Freshmen Sawyer Farr and Sam Erickson were completely overmatched. They were horrible in situational hitting, especially with runners in scoring position. They struck out a ton because they failed to adjust and were pull-happy.
Rebuild the pitching staff. Right now, the starting rotation looks like Weston Moss, Gavin Lyons and Kaiden Wilson, unless Myles Payton or Justin Lamkin return. A&M gets Josh Stewart back, but they don’t have anyone else established in the pen beyond Clayton Freshcorn, who came on late. If A&M gets going in the portal again, it should be arms first.
Learn from your big mistakes this year. The Aggies were undisciplined, didn’t field well, ran the bases terribly, couldn’t bunt and consistently failed in high pressure moments. Earley’s handling of his pitching staff led much to be desired. Discipline and taking care of the little things are his responsibility from day 1 of fall camp. He’s got to handle them better.
Keep the productive bats you have. That means Gavin Grahovac, Caden Sorrell, Terence Kiel II, Bear Harrison and, if possible, Kaeden Kent. Grahovac and Kiel have already said they’re going to be back, and I expect that to be the case with the rest.
Get a new hitting coach. Losing Grahovac early and having Sorrell for only have the season surely hurt, but everyone (save Sorrell) regressed. Jace LaViolette had two terrible months. Hayden Schott, fighting through injuries, went way back. Wyatt Henseler was really good, it probably didn’t meet expectations. Harrison had a month-long slump. Blake Binderup was a lot more miss than hit.. Freshmen Sawyer Farr and Sam Erickson were completely overmatched. They were horrible in situational hitting, especially with runners in scoring position. They struck out a ton because they failed to adjust and were pull-happy.
Rebuild the pitching staff. Right now, the starting rotation looks like Weston Moss, Gavin Lyons and Kaiden Wilson, unless Myles Payton or Justin Lamkin return. A&M gets Josh Stewart back, but they don’t have anyone else established in the pen beyond Clayton Freshcorn, who came on late. If A&M gets going in the portal again, it should be arms first.
Learn from your big mistakes this year. The Aggies were undisciplined, didn’t field well, ran the bases terribly, couldn’t bunt and consistently failed in high pressure moments. Earley’s handling of his pitching staff led much to be desired. Discipline and taking care of the little things are his responsibility from day 1 of fall camp. He’s got to handle them better.
