Saturday, June 11
Bryan-College Station
2:00 PM
Texas A&M
42-18
4
vs
3
Louisville
42-21-1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Texas A&M
0
0
2
0
0
1
1
0
0
4
5
0
Louisville
2
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
3
13
1
Omaha Bound!
Jun 11, 2022 | Baseball
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – With a trip to Omaha on the line, the No. 7 Texas A&M baseball team defeated No. 9 Louisville, 4-3, on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park to punch their ticket to the 2022 NCAA College World Series. This marks the program's seventh trip to the CWS, first since 2017, and third time the Aggies advanced after hosting a Super Regional.
The Aggies brought Jacob Palisch to the mound to grab the final three outs. The left-handed graduate transfer sat three Cardinals down in order, recording two strikeouts to secure the win and pick up his fifth save of the season.
Starting pitcher Micah Dallas tallied four strikeouts in 4.2 innings. The right-hander escaped a bases-loaded jam in the third and recorded a three-up-three-down fourth before sophomore Will Johnston (3-1) and freshman Brad Rudis were brought out of the pen and each pitched 1.2 innings before Palisch polished it off. Collectively, the Maroon & White pitching staff held UL to seven scoreless innings and only three runs despite giving up 13 hits.
Offensively, sophomore Ryan Targac's 462-foot blast in the sixth evened the game before the Aggies managed to pull away in the seventh through the combination of a free base issued to Trevor Werner, Jack Moss single and a sac-fly by Dylan Rock that plated the winning run.
TOP AGGIE PERFORMERS
Jacob Palisch: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Will Johnston: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Ryan Targac: 1-for-4, R, RBI, HR
GAME SUMMARY
B1| Christian Knapczyk led off with a double to left field before a one-out, two-run homer by Dalton Rushing allowed Louisville to jump out to an early lead. UL 2, A&M 0
T3| A&M loaded the bases with a leadoff single up the middle by Kole Kaler, walk issued to Trevor Werner and Jack Moss single to right field. With no outs, Louisville walked a run home before a sac-fly by Austin Bost plated another to tie the game at two. A&M 2, UL 2
B5| With one out, Ben Metzinger reached on a fielder's choice and Rushing singled to center, allowing the Cardinals to advance into scoring position. Jack Payton singled up the middle with two outs, plating Metzinger. UL 3, A&M 2
T6| Ryan Targac launched a first-pitch, leadoff longball to even the score at three and force UL to turn to their bullpen. A&M 3, UL 3
T7| Werner took first on a hit-by-pitch and advanced to third on a Moss single. With one out, Rock plated Werner on a sac-fly to centerfield to give A&M their first lead and ultimately secure the win. A&M 4, UL 3
UP NEXT
The Aggies travel to Omaha, Nebraska, for the 2022 NCAA College World Series and will face the winner of the Oklahoma-Virginia Tech Super Regional.
FOLLOW THE AGGIES
Visit 12thman.com for more information on Texas A&M baseball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M baseball team on Facebook, Instagram, and on Twitter by following @AggieBaseball.
POSTGAME NOTES
Game & Series Notes
Louisville Notes
Texas A&M Notes
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCES
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach Jim Schlossnagle
Opening statement...
"Just an awesome day for Texas A&M. I want to congratulate Louisville on a great year. What an awesome team. In my opinion, every team that makes it to this point is an Omaha club. It's just a matter of whether the ball bounces the right way or the other. I'm just so excited for our players. To be where we were three or four months ago to be sitting here, getting ready to hop on a plane to Omaha; I'm super super proud of them. Everything I could have ever dreamed of when making the move. I've said it multiple times how much I love TCU, but this was an awesome life change for me both personally and professionally. I can't think our players enough for making the baseball things come true. We're not finished. Now, we've got to get some rest and get ready to play some more baseball."
On bringing graduate LHP Jacob Palisch into the game in the ninth…
"I should have just trusted my instincts and gone out on the 2-2 pitch. I thought Brad (Rudis), it was his second time through the order. They (Louisville) had a pretty good look at him. He hasn't had a great breaking ball going lately. He throws a lot of strikes and has a good little changeup, but I just felt like the right-handed hitter he was facing was getting really good swings on him. I felt like we didn't really have a pitch to go to. I just felt like we could change the look, and that the batter was in swing mode. The pitch that Jacob is most comfortable throwing in any count is his slider, his breaking ball. Just wanted to go right to that and see what happened. It worked out."
On the difference between now and a year ago…
"At this point last year, I was in the Texas A&M Hotel and Conference Center, waking up consistently at 3:30 in the morning in a full-body sweat. I had just left a place that was so comfortable for this. I hadn't hired a staff yet. I didn't know the players. I knew we needed a lot of new players. To be sitting here, about to head to the College World Series, I know that this will sound coach-y, but every single ounce of the credit goes to the players. I knew we had special, special kids. I knew that for sure by the end of the fall. I knew that guys like this (Ryan Targac and Trevor Werner) were returning players that were super-talented players. I knew that they wanted to win, and I knew that they were willing to give up themselves for the opportunity to win. I knew that everybody that came from somewhere else, including myself and the coaches that came from somewhere else, we were just so excited to be here. It's an honor to be at a place like Texas A&M and play in the SEC. I think all I asked them to do was to be selfless, work their rear-ends off and just believe. Of course, playing good baseball is part of it, but once we got that going in the LSU series, we really haven't looked back. These guys stuck together, and I'm proud of them."
Sophomore second baseman Ryan Targac
On his home run in the sixth inning to tie the game…
"Really, to be honest, before that inning coach called all the hitters together, and he just said to go up there and get your pitch. Don't try to be the hero. Don't try and do too much. Just wait for your pitch and trust it. The whole entire day I was chasing stuff out of the zone, and I told myself that I knew where my zone was at. I knew what pitch to handle. I just put a good swing on it."
Sophomore third baseman Trevor Werner
On the team's confidence facing adversity…
"I think we got used to it a lot throughout the season, which wasn't always a good thing. But the majority of the time we came out on top. We kind of grew that confidence in one another, whether that's JT (Jordan Thompson) in the eight-hole hitting a homer yesterday, or three-four-five of Rock, Bost and Targac driving in runs constantly. Just trusting each other from that standpoint. Just having that belief that coach talked about."
On his belief in Texas A&M…
"I was in California playing summer ball last year. I would much rather be here, especially in Omaha. Coming in, we knew that the pieces were there. We just needed somebody to bring everybody together. We had the parts, and Coach (Schlossnagle) made us whole. That's what we were trying to do, and that's what we will keep doing."
LOUISVILLE QUOTES
Head Coach Dan McDonnell
Opening statement...
"We've got to congratulate Texas A&M. New coaching staff. New energy. Schloss (Texas A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle) and his staff did a great job and got those kids to believe and play the game the right way. I've known Schloss for a long time and I have a lot of respect for him. As much as it hurts for me, I'm obviously happy for him because I know how hard he works at this. He pours his heart and soul into it. When I get a chance to reflect, this was a special year for our group. Our guys did a lot of amazing things. We won the Atlantic division of the ACC. I still don't think our league gets the respect it deserves. We don't get treated like another league. It is what it is, we just have to overcome and be a little bit better. Do a little bit more. I like that challenge. It's fun. When I reflect on this group, this group got us back on track. I'm super proud of them for that. It was a really fun year. We did some neat things. I challenge these guys to hold their heads high and build off it. We pump out graduates. We pump out draft picks. We pump out big leaguers. We pump out winners. That's a credit to them, because they buy in and they help each other. It's really neat to see. This guy to my right (sophomore LHP Riley Phillips), he fought and he fought. He had some adversity throughout the middle of the year, but it was huge. He had to work hard to be where he's at, and we wouldn't be here if he didn't bounce back and give us that start in our regional. There's a lot of emotion right now, but when it's all said and done, I'll be super joyful and proud of this group. You hate it when it ends, but we've got a lot to celebrate."
On the thin margin in Saturday's game…
"If you noticed in today's game, we just couldn't get guys off first. It was beyond frustrating. We had 13 hits to their five, and we had a lot of good at-bats, we had a lot of guys on first base. We tried everything. We tried the sac, and it didn't work. We tried to bunt, and it didn't work. We tried to steal, and it didn't' work. Whatever we tried, it didn't work. So, going in there in the ninth, you just sit on your hands and trust these guys. Last night, you've got to realize, we hit the wall twice. Those were almost home runs, and neither of those two guys scored. Today, if we hit the ball a little bit higher into the wind, we would've had a walk off. We would've won that game by a run. That's the fine line between winning and losing. That's not taking anything away from Texas A&M, because they earned it. But we were that close. That close to coming in here and winning those two games."
Sophomore LHP Riley Phillips
On the team's success throughout the season…
"It all started in the fall as soon as we stepped on campus. Coach Mac (Louisville head coach Dan McDonnell) did a great job, with the other coaches as well. If you weren't bought in, we didn't want you. That's what we had on this team; a bunch of guys that were bought in and committed to getting this program back on track. That's ultimately why you choose to come to Louisville."
The Aggies brought Jacob Palisch to the mound to grab the final three outs. The left-handed graduate transfer sat three Cardinals down in order, recording two strikeouts to secure the win and pick up his fifth save of the season.
From The Corner to The Heartland.
— Texas A&M Baseball (@AggieBaseball) June 11, 2022
Your Fightin' Texas Aggies will play in the College World Series.#GigEm pic.twitter.com/9da5HSFsqb
HULLABALOO CANEK CANEK#RoadToOmaha x #GigEm pic.twitter.com/sq98VTzW1j
— Texas A&M Baseball (@AggieBaseball) June 11, 2022
Starting pitcher Micah Dallas tallied four strikeouts in 4.2 innings. The right-hander escaped a bases-loaded jam in the third and recorded a three-up-three-down fourth before sophomore Will Johnston (3-1) and freshman Brad Rudis were brought out of the pen and each pitched 1.2 innings before Palisch polished it off. Collectively, the Maroon & White pitching staff held UL to seven scoreless innings and only three runs despite giving up 13 hits.
Offensively, sophomore Ryan Targac's 462-foot blast in the sixth evened the game before the Aggies managed to pull away in the seventh through the combination of a free base issued to Trevor Werner, Jack Moss single and a sac-fly by Dylan Rock that plated the winning run.
TOP AGGIE PERFORMERS
Jacob Palisch: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Will Johnston: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Ryan Targac: 1-for-4, R, RBI, HR
GAME SUMMARY
B1| Christian Knapczyk led off with a double to left field before a one-out, two-run homer by Dalton Rushing allowed Louisville to jump out to an early lead. UL 2, A&M 0
T3| A&M loaded the bases with a leadoff single up the middle by Kole Kaler, walk issued to Trevor Werner and Jack Moss single to right field. With no outs, Louisville walked a run home before a sac-fly by Austin Bost plated another to tie the game at two. A&M 2, UL 2
B5| With one out, Ben Metzinger reached on a fielder's choice and Rushing singled to center, allowing the Cardinals to advance into scoring position. Jack Payton singled up the middle with two outs, plating Metzinger. UL 3, A&M 2
T6| Ryan Targac launched a first-pitch, leadoff longball to even the score at three and force UL to turn to their bullpen. A&M 3, UL 3
T7| Werner took first on a hit-by-pitch and advanced to third on a Moss single. With one out, Rock plated Werner on a sac-fly to centerfield to give A&M their first lead and ultimately secure the win. A&M 4, UL 3
UP NEXT
The Aggies travel to Omaha, Nebraska, for the 2022 NCAA College World Series and will face the winner of the Oklahoma-Virginia Tech Super Regional.
FOLLOW THE AGGIES
Visit 12thman.com for more information on Texas A&M baseball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M baseball team on Facebook, Instagram, and on Twitter by following @AggieBaseball.
AGGIES IN OMAHA ??#RoadToOmaha x #GigEm pic.twitter.com/zy8Ejf39Ka
— Texas A&M Baseball (@AggieBaseball) June 11, 2022
???????? ???? ?????? ?????????????? ??@AggieBaseball is headed to ?????????? for the 7th time in program history!#MCWS x #RoadToOmaha pic.twitter.com/guJhXIErko
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) June 11, 2022
POSTGAME NOTES
Game & Series Notes
- No. 5-seeded Texas A&M punched its ticket to the College World Series with a 4-3 victory over 12th-seeded Louisville on Saturday.
- Today's attendance of 6,656 marked the sixth-largest postseason crowd in Blue Bell Park history.
- The Aggies are now 2-1 against the Cardinals with all three meetings coming in the postseason.
Louisville Notes
- Dalton Rushing gave the Cardinals and early 2-0 lead in the first as the junior belted a two-run homer, his team-leading 23rd of the season. The dinger marked his second of the NCAA Tournament. Rushing extended his hitting streak to 12 games.
- Christian Knapczyk registered a game-high four hits, setting a new career high.
- Ben Metzinger tallied two hits, marking his 28th game with two-or-more base knocks and hit .500 (5-for-10) in the Super Regional.
- Cameron Masterman moved his hitting streak to seven games with a single in the eighth inning.
Texas A&M Notes
- Texas A&M will make their seventh appearance in the College World Series and first since 2017.
- The Aggies have now swept their last two Super Regionals after defeating Davidson, 7-6 (16) and 12-6, in 2017.
- Aggie head coach Jim Schlossnagle becomes the 13th head coach to reach the College World Series at two different schools and will make his sixth CWS trip. His previous appearances include 2010, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 at TCU.
- Schlossnagle has won his last five Super Regionals and holds a 6-2 ledger all-time.
- Ryan Targac evened the game in the sixth with a solo home run to left center, his 15th of the season. It marked his first home run since belting one against Florida in the SEC Tournament (5/26).
- Dylan Rock provided the game-winning run on a sacrifice fly to center in the seventh.
- Will Johnston earned his third win of the season as the southpaw fanned two in 1.2 innings of work.
- Brad Rudis struck out one in 1.2 innings out of the bullpen and has not allowed a run in his last four appearances.
- Jacob Palish earned his five save of the season, closing out the ninth with a pair of strikeouts.
- Jack Moss continued his hot hitting in the postseason going 2-for-5 and is hitting a team-high .560 (14-for-25) in the NCAA Tournament. He registered his team-high 34th multi-hit game of the season and extended his hitting streak to 11 games.
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCES
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach Jim Schlossnagle
Opening statement...
"Just an awesome day for Texas A&M. I want to congratulate Louisville on a great year. What an awesome team. In my opinion, every team that makes it to this point is an Omaha club. It's just a matter of whether the ball bounces the right way or the other. I'm just so excited for our players. To be where we were three or four months ago to be sitting here, getting ready to hop on a plane to Omaha; I'm super super proud of them. Everything I could have ever dreamed of when making the move. I've said it multiple times how much I love TCU, but this was an awesome life change for me both personally and professionally. I can't think our players enough for making the baseball things come true. We're not finished. Now, we've got to get some rest and get ready to play some more baseball."
On bringing graduate LHP Jacob Palisch into the game in the ninth…
"I should have just trusted my instincts and gone out on the 2-2 pitch. I thought Brad (Rudis), it was his second time through the order. They (Louisville) had a pretty good look at him. He hasn't had a great breaking ball going lately. He throws a lot of strikes and has a good little changeup, but I just felt like the right-handed hitter he was facing was getting really good swings on him. I felt like we didn't really have a pitch to go to. I just felt like we could change the look, and that the batter was in swing mode. The pitch that Jacob is most comfortable throwing in any count is his slider, his breaking ball. Just wanted to go right to that and see what happened. It worked out."
On the difference between now and a year ago…
"At this point last year, I was in the Texas A&M Hotel and Conference Center, waking up consistently at 3:30 in the morning in a full-body sweat. I had just left a place that was so comfortable for this. I hadn't hired a staff yet. I didn't know the players. I knew we needed a lot of new players. To be sitting here, about to head to the College World Series, I know that this will sound coach-y, but every single ounce of the credit goes to the players. I knew we had special, special kids. I knew that for sure by the end of the fall. I knew that guys like this (Ryan Targac and Trevor Werner) were returning players that were super-talented players. I knew that they wanted to win, and I knew that they were willing to give up themselves for the opportunity to win. I knew that everybody that came from somewhere else, including myself and the coaches that came from somewhere else, we were just so excited to be here. It's an honor to be at a place like Texas A&M and play in the SEC. I think all I asked them to do was to be selfless, work their rear-ends off and just believe. Of course, playing good baseball is part of it, but once we got that going in the LSU series, we really haven't looked back. These guys stuck together, and I'm proud of them."
Sophomore second baseman Ryan Targac
On his home run in the sixth inning to tie the game…
"Really, to be honest, before that inning coach called all the hitters together, and he just said to go up there and get your pitch. Don't try to be the hero. Don't try and do too much. Just wait for your pitch and trust it. The whole entire day I was chasing stuff out of the zone, and I told myself that I knew where my zone was at. I knew what pitch to handle. I just put a good swing on it."
Sophomore third baseman Trevor Werner
On the team's confidence facing adversity…
"I think we got used to it a lot throughout the season, which wasn't always a good thing. But the majority of the time we came out on top. We kind of grew that confidence in one another, whether that's JT (Jordan Thompson) in the eight-hole hitting a homer yesterday, or three-four-five of Rock, Bost and Targac driving in runs constantly. Just trusting each other from that standpoint. Just having that belief that coach talked about."
On his belief in Texas A&M…
"I was in California playing summer ball last year. I would much rather be here, especially in Omaha. Coming in, we knew that the pieces were there. We just needed somebody to bring everybody together. We had the parts, and Coach (Schlossnagle) made us whole. That's what we were trying to do, and that's what we will keep doing."
LOUISVILLE QUOTES
Head Coach Dan McDonnell
Opening statement...
"We've got to congratulate Texas A&M. New coaching staff. New energy. Schloss (Texas A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle) and his staff did a great job and got those kids to believe and play the game the right way. I've known Schloss for a long time and I have a lot of respect for him. As much as it hurts for me, I'm obviously happy for him because I know how hard he works at this. He pours his heart and soul into it. When I get a chance to reflect, this was a special year for our group. Our guys did a lot of amazing things. We won the Atlantic division of the ACC. I still don't think our league gets the respect it deserves. We don't get treated like another league. It is what it is, we just have to overcome and be a little bit better. Do a little bit more. I like that challenge. It's fun. When I reflect on this group, this group got us back on track. I'm super proud of them for that. It was a really fun year. We did some neat things. I challenge these guys to hold their heads high and build off it. We pump out graduates. We pump out draft picks. We pump out big leaguers. We pump out winners. That's a credit to them, because they buy in and they help each other. It's really neat to see. This guy to my right (sophomore LHP Riley Phillips), he fought and he fought. He had some adversity throughout the middle of the year, but it was huge. He had to work hard to be where he's at, and we wouldn't be here if he didn't bounce back and give us that start in our regional. There's a lot of emotion right now, but when it's all said and done, I'll be super joyful and proud of this group. You hate it when it ends, but we've got a lot to celebrate."
On the thin margin in Saturday's game…
"If you noticed in today's game, we just couldn't get guys off first. It was beyond frustrating. We had 13 hits to their five, and we had a lot of good at-bats, we had a lot of guys on first base. We tried everything. We tried the sac, and it didn't work. We tried to bunt, and it didn't work. We tried to steal, and it didn't' work. Whatever we tried, it didn't work. So, going in there in the ninth, you just sit on your hands and trust these guys. Last night, you've got to realize, we hit the wall twice. Those were almost home runs, and neither of those two guys scored. Today, if we hit the ball a little bit higher into the wind, we would've had a walk off. We would've won that game by a run. That's the fine line between winning and losing. That's not taking anything away from Texas A&M, because they earned it. But we were that close. That close to coming in here and winning those two games."
Sophomore LHP Riley Phillips
On the team's success throughout the season…
"It all started in the fall as soon as we stepped on campus. Coach Mac (Louisville head coach Dan McDonnell) did a great job, with the other coaches as well. If you weren't bought in, we didn't want you. That's what we had on this team; a bunch of guys that were bought in and committed to getting this program back on track. That's ultimately why you choose to come to Louisville."
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Johnston, Will (3-1)
L: Hawks, Ryan (5-3)
S: Palisch, Jacob (5)
Batting:
HR: Targac, Ryan 1
RBI: Rock, Dylan 2 ; Bost, Austin 1 ; Targac, Ryan 1
SF: Rock, Dylan 1 ; Bost, Austin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Werner, Trevor 2 ; Targac, Ryan 1 ; Kaler, Kole 1
HBP: Werner, Trevor 1
Batting:
2B: Knapczyk, Christian 1
HR: Rushing, Dalton 1
RBI: Rushing, Dalton 2 ; Payton, Jack 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Knapczyk, Christian 1 ; Metzinger, Ben 1 ; Rushing, Dalton 1
CS: Seng, Chris 1 ; Humphrey, Isaac 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF/INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
INF/RHP
/ BaseballMedia Availability: Michael Earley
Thursday, October 09
Media Availability: Caden Sorrell
Thursday, October 09
Media Availability: Aiden Sims
Thursday, October 09
Media Availability: Michael Earley
Thursday, October 02
