Jim Schlossnagle says Texas A&M must reevaluate 'everything' ahead of College World Series

Texas A&M fell just short of an SEC Championship win Sunday following an impressive run through the conference tournament as 10-seed. The Aggies’ pitching played a major role in their tournament run, as a multitude of their aces delivered when it mattered most.

And following the championship loss, head coach Jim Schlossnagle was asked if he would reevaluate his lineup ahead of the NCAA Baseball Tournament.

“Obviously, yeah. We are going to have to reevaluate in everything.” Schlossnagle said. “We really need to get some rest, especially for (Troy) Wansing and (Brandyn) Garcia and (Evan) Aschenbeck, need to get those guys some rest. Those guys really need some rest.”

There’s no doubt that the Aggies bullpen could use some rest ahead of their regional matchup, with pitchers like Troy Wansing pitching eight innings versus Tennessee and allowing just one hit on the day and Justin Lampkin stepping up versus South Carolina with a one-hit day of his own along with nine strikeouts in seven innings.

But veteran pitcher Nathan Dettmer’s struggles have continued on the mound, pitching the first 2.2 innings of the championship game and allowing seven hits, four runs, and four errors. This has been the first of his three seasons with the Aggies where he’s had a losing record, with is ERA rising to a career high 6.34 after Sunday’s game.

“And Dettmer, he’s proven, you know, last year and years before that he’s capable of doing it. He’s just in, really, a season-long funk. Hasn’t come out of it. Whenever he’s called upon, we’ll believe that it’s going to be his first good game,” Schlossnagle said.

Schlossnagle’s group had no byes in the tournament, playing in six consecutive games between Tuesday and Sunday heading into the NCAA Tournament. But he made it clear that despite coming up short in the conference championship game their recent run of success is still a privilege.

“Let me just say thanks to the City of Hoover and Birmingham and everybody here. Everybody’s been awesome. It’s such a first-class tournament, and you know, to answer your question, to play so many games in a row at the SEC tournament, that’s a get-to, that’s not a have-to. You get to do that. It’s not like we’re digging ditches, man. It’s just baseball. It’s an awesome experience,” Schlossnagle said. “Feels like a mini-version of the College World Series, and it really is an honor to be here, so thanks to the SEC staff everything and they do for us, and the policemen for the rides back and forth to the ballpark.”

Next up the Aggies will face off with Cal State Fullerton in the Stanford Regional Friday at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN2.