COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KRHD) — Texas A&M baseball will host an NCAA regional at Blue Bell Park this weekend, giving the Aggies a chance to play in front of their home crowd in the postseason.
Head coach Michael Earley said the opportunity to host was earned for the season the team has put together.
"It's a reward to these guys for the season we've had," Earley said. "While it means nothing, it's cool to look back and to be able to get to this point and get to play in front of our home crowd for a regional."
Texas A&M will open regional play Friday against Lamar. Earley named Shane Sdao as the starting pitcher for the opener.
Earley described Lamar as a complete team that has had an outstanding year.
"They're really good on the mound, offensively as well, just a complete team," Earley said. "It's gonna be tough. That's why they won their league."
Earley expressed strong confidence in Sdao heading into the start, acknowledging the right-hander has not had the individual season he wanted.
"The amount of belief I have in Shane is through the roof," Earley said. "Seasons can be made in the postseason. Shane is not a guy you bet against."
Sdao's teammate Clayton Freshcorn echoed that confidence.
"We fully trust him. There's no question that he's been working his tail off to figure out whatever's been going on," Freshcorn said. "I have no doubt that he'll go out there and do his thing and compete for us."
On the position player side, Earley confirmed that Nico will play third base, with Gavin at first base and Royo at second. Chris Hacopian will serve as the designated hitter as he continues to work through an injury.
"It's no secret he's been playing through some stuff," Earley said.
Hacopian said his preparation has remained steady despite the health challenges.
"Just health wise just progressing slowly, but overall just my routines have been similar and I'm just taking a lot of swings trying to get ready for what I'm gonna be able to do in the game and provide an impact from the offensive side," Hacopian said.
Earley said the team made some adjustments to its preparation this week, incorporating more live at-bats and high-speed defensive work to account for extended gaps between games following a stretch that included a week off before the Mississippi State series and another week off after.
"We did a little more high speed stuff from a defensive standpoint and from a hitting standpoint," Earley said. "I would say just a little more game simulated so you can get that nervous system spike so it's not down all week and then it hits a peak for the game."
The Aggies return to Blue Bell Park having experienced the energy of a postseason home crowd before, including what Earley described as a memorable Oregon super regional. He said playing in the SEC has helped prepare the team to handle loud, high-pressure environments.
"What does noise mean? Like why does it affect people either in a you try to do too much way or it affects you in a negative way," Earley said. "We've done a good job of controlling and just doing what we do as opposed to trying to play hero ball."
Earley said the team's consistency throughout the season is what he believes gives them the best chance to make a deep postseason run.
"If you're a team that hasn't done that all year and you've been inconsistent, when you get in situations that are tough, you don't know how to handle them," Earley said. "We've obviously at times been put through the wringer and have done nothing but respond with extreme resilience."
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