Texas vs. Texas A&M? In Omaha? Come Sunday, it's happening
OMAHA, Neb. — When the eight-team College World Series bracket was finalized, Texas knew at some point it would have to play one of its two historic rivals.
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Which rival and in what situation was to be determined by the opening round of games. After the Oklahoma’s 13-8 win over the Texas A&M Aggies to start the day and Texas’ 7-3 loss at the hands of Notre Dame in the nightcap, the Longhorns know who they’ll face in an elimination game on Sunday.
“Our next target now is A&M,” Tristan Stevens said after Friday’s game.
As the Longhorns typically have under David Pierce, they downplayed the significance of the rivalry matchup and emphasized the need to play the style of game they strive for versus every opponent.
That said, there’s something pretty special about playing the longtime in-state rival at the College World Series for the fans of both teams who made the trip and also those watching at home.
Pierce’s job is to make sure that doesn’t affect how his team plays.
“It’s going to be huge for our fan base,” Pierce said Friday. “These guys downplayed it, and they should. We just can’t get caught up into playing Texas A&M. We have to keep it about us and just do our prep and they’re good. They swing the bats well. They’re a good team.”
Said Dylan Campbell: “I’d say we just kind of look at it as just another game. I know it’s bigger than that, but if we go into the game thinking ‘oh, this is a big game,’ like, (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 as much as we can.”
Playing as Texas draws a lot of attention in the first place. In the Greenville, N.C. super regional, Texas was bombarded with “horns down” by the East Carolina faithful in every part of Clark-LeClair Stadium. The same holds true for nearly every road ballpark the Longhorns walk into.
“Not a lot of teams like us anyway, so there’s nothing new with that,” Stevens said.
That embodies the attitude of the current Texas team, but what about the Texas A&M Aggies?
During press conferences Thursday and Friday, Aggie head coach Jim Schlossnagle and his players didn’t face a single question about the possibility of facing Texas. Of the two schools, only Longhorn players had to give answers about facing the maroon and white.
The two teams have played once this year, with the Aggies leaving UFCU Disch-Falk Field with a 12-9 win on March 29. Midweek games count toward the record just the same as weekend games, but they do not carry the same implications as an elimination game at the College World Series. Nor do previous postseason matchups the Longhorns took in 2014 and 2018, important as they were.
Texas is now in the losers bracket, meaning every game is an elimination game. Many members of the 2022 team were in this spot last year after dropping game one of the 2021 College World Series to Mississippi State.
Charles Schwab Filed Omaha will be packed for Sunday’s 1 p.m. contest. Every fan from College Station or Austin will want to not just win the game, but defeat the opponent and send them back home to Texas without a win in Omaha.
All that means is there’s more at stake than during any other iteration of the rivalry. It’s win or go home.
“It wouldn’t matter if it was A&M or whomever,” Pierce said. “It’s just a game we’re playing for our lives to continue, our baseball lives for this year.”
