Details set for College World Series elimination game between Texas, Texas A&M

Day One of the College World Series is complete and the first elimination game is set to take place on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT. All games in Omaha mean a lot but this one will have a little more juice than usual thanks to an in-state rivalry.

Texas and Texas A&M will be the two opponents, as the long-time Lone Star State rivals will once again battle it out. While most know (and love) the football rivalry, the one on the baseball diamond is just as intense and will be at its peak on Sunday. Winner will get to advance and face the loser of the Notre Dame/Oklahoma winner’s bracket matchup, while the loser will pack their bags and go back home.

Shortly after the conclusion of the nightcap, the NCAA announced Texas A&M will be the home team.

Texas head coach David Pierce talked about renewing the rivalry on college baseball’s biggest stage. He said the matchup will be huge for the fans but wants his players to treat it as a normal game.

“It’s going to be huge for our fanbase,” Pierce said via Joe Cook of Inside Texas. “These guys downplay it and they should. We just can’t get caught up into playing Texas A&M. We have to keep it about us and do our prep. They’re good, they swing the bats well, and they’re a good team.”

Right fielder Dylan Campbell echoed Pierce, saying Texas is already viewing Texas A&M as the next man up. Not getting lost in the moment will be crucial since more is at stake than an in-state rivalry win.

“We look at it as just another game,” Campbell said. “I know it’s bigger than that, but if we go into the game thinking ‘it’s a big game,’ we don’t want to get sped up and stuff. We just want to take it one pitch at a time and try to minimize it as much as we can.”

Sunday will mark the second matchup of the season between the two. The Longhorns hosted the Aggies in Austin where head coach Jim Schlossnage got his first win in the rivalry. Texas A&M won a thrill 12-9 game thanks to Dylan Rock and his five RBIs. Only one regular-season game is scheduled a year and there’s only one opportunity to get a rivalry win.

Texas will have the chance to avenge its loss and get the last laugh, while Texas A&M will look to continue its recent three-game head-to-head winning streak. More than just bragging rights for a year’s time will be on the line on Sunday. Possibly the most important game in the baseball rivalry’s history is at stake.