Texas A&M beats Tennessee in opening game of 2024 College World Series final

Texas A&M defeated Tennessee 9-5 in the first game of the College World Series final on Saturday. The Aggies started hot, hitting a home run by Gavin Grahovac, and never let up. They took a six-run lead in the third inning and got off to a solid start by All-American Ryan Prager, who pitched after a short rest. He threw four good innings before turning the ball over to the bullpen, which staved off the Volunteers’ attempt to catch up.

Texas A&M is one win away from its first national championship. Game 2 is scheduled for Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.

Here are six takeaways from Saturday’s opening game.

1. When All-American outfielder Braden Montgomery was ruled out for the rest of the season with a broken ankle suffered during the first game of the College Station Super Regional against Oregon, Texas A&M called up sophomore Kaeden Kent. At the time, he hadn’t started a game since May 10 and had only 77 at-bats on the season.

But Kent was ready for his chance. He hit 1 for 4 off the bench that day and continued to grow into his role in the Aggies’ lineup. In Game 1 of the CWS championship series on Saturday, he hit 3 for 5 and hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning that was the cherry on top of A&M’s victory.

Kent, the son of former major league player Jeff Kent, said the support of his friends and family has been key to his success in his new role.

“I think it’s because of the support I get and the people who believe in me, the people who are behind me and who I can count on, like my parents or my brother,” he said. “I can look up in the stands and they can cheer for me, they can beat their chests like they can do it. That relaxes me a lot, I can kind of relax.”

Kent has hit 12 of 25 with two doubles and two home runs since entering the lineup on June 8.

Left-hander Ryan Prager, the Aggies’ All-American star, said Kent is just the latest example of the Aggies’ “next man up” mentality that has helped them get to this point.

“These guys may not have the most experience on the field, but they’re constantly on the bench or in practice,” he said. “When they get on the field and have the success they have, it’s a testament to how much work they put in outside of the game.”

2. A&M rose to the occasion on Saturday, as they have throughout the CWS. They played clean baseball throughout the game and followed their game plan with discipline, both on the mound and at the plate.

Although the Aggies fielded five seniors on Saturday, they also fielded four first- or second-year players who also performed well on the big stage.

Coach Jim Schlossnagle said it was no coincidence.

“Mental skills are something we train,” Schlossnagle said. “We invest a lot of time, effort and money in mental skills. Mental skills can be trained just like physical skills. The very first thing we do when we get our hitters to the batting cage on the first day of fall is talk about their routine and their ability to handle moments and play the game pitch by pitch.”

“That’s why when you play in the SEC and you play in Olsen Field in front of the 12th man — yes, it’s the College World Series, it’s the championship series — but when you’re in our dugout, it literally doesn’t feel any different. And I think that’s intentional.”

3. As a closer, left-hander Evan Aschenbeck is used to stepping in in tight situations. He did so again Saturday when Schlossnagle brought him out of the bullpen with one out in the seventh inning. A&M led 9-5, but Tennessee had just scored three runs on a walk and back-to-back home runs by Dylan Dreiling and Hunter Ensley, hit by two different pitchers.

Aschenbeck ended the momentum, striking out the next two hitters to end the seventh inning. He threw a 1-2-3 eighth before running into trouble in the ninth inning when Billy Amick and Dreiling hit back-to-back singles with one out. But again, the All-American went for it, striking out the next two hitters to end the game. He threw 2.2 scoreless innings and struck out six batters.

Aschenbeck enjoyed being able to play in such a big venue in front of a sold-out crowd in Omaha.

“(Pitching coach Max Weiner) always tells us if one player comes in and doesn’t have a good outing, the next one can’t either,” Aschenbeck said. “Our job as backups is to step in and catch the guys in front of us. To get that opportunity was great because the atmosphere was crazy. It’s the College World Series. Everything about it is cool.”

4. Tennessee has followed a strategy since mid-April of using left-hander Chris Stamos as a leadoff hitter for right-hander AJ Causey. That approach has worked well over the past two months. Tennessee is 9-2 in Stamos’ starts and, before Saturday, had not lost a game since April 19 at Kentucky. But the duo has faced tougher times in the NCAA Tournament and particularly in Omaha, where the Volunteers fell behind early in both outings against the duo.

Last Friday, in Tennessee’s opener against Florida State, Stamos managed just one out before Causey relieved him. The Seminoles scored seven runs in the first three innings, leaving the Volunteers to dig out of a big early hole.

On Saturday, Stamos allowed a home run. He struck out the next batter, but after a double and an error, Tennessee moved to the bullpen for Causey. A second run came on a two-out single, but Tennessee avoided further damage in the first inning.

A&M scored five runs (four earned runs) against Causey in the third inning on a walk, four singles and an error. The junior battled through the inning and got through the middle of the order again in the fourth before ending his night after 3.2 innings.

While the Stamos/Causey piggyback wasn’t as successful in Omaha, Tennessee committed to that plan long ago, and throughout the regular season they’ve routinely lost seven or eight innings in the openers of series. So while it’s unusual and exposes manager Tony Vitello and pitching coach Frank Anderson to criticism when it doesn’t work, it’s also understandable why Tennessee has stuck to that plan in its most important games of the season.

5. Sunday’s pitchers’ clash in Game 2 favors Tennessee. The Volunteers will rely on right-hander Drew Beam, who has been in their rotation for three years and is 9-2, 4.30 this season. They also have right-handers Nate Snead and Aaron Combs, the team’s two best relievers, fresh after not playing on Saturday.

A&M, meanwhile, is in an uncertain position on the mound. Schlossnagle said he has “no idea” who the Aggies will start. They are missing a starter after left-hander Shane Sdao was injured in the Super Regionals, and in Omaha they started only Prager and left-hander Justin Lamkin, who threw five innings on Wednesday.

A&M will likely rely on right-hander Chris Cortez (10-3, 2.98), who is the best reliever after Aschenbeck. He started the Aggies’ first three games of the week before moving to the bullpen, and he threw 5.2 innings out of the bullpen in the Super Regionals, so he will go far in games.

Expect a fair amount of Cortez on Sunday. Aschenbeck said he’ll be available after throwing 46 pitches in 2.2 innings on Saturday. He’s thrown on back-to-back days four times this season, but never after such a long outing. How early A&M can use him isn’t entirely clear, nor is whether they’d be willing to use him in a game they’re not leading in, with a potential third game looming on Monday. The Aggies will likely need someone to step on the mound and last at least an inning or two.

6. Winning the first game of the championship series is an advantage, but historically not a big one.

The CWS format was changed from an all-or-nothing championship game to a best-of-three series in 2003. This is the 21st CWS since that change. In the 20 previous finals, the winner of the first game has won the national championship 13 times, including each of the last two years.

That means the loser of the first game has bounced back and won in a row seven times. That’s Tennessee’s task now, and it’s not an easy one. A&M has never trailed in Omaha, hasn’t lost a game in the NCAA Tournament, and most recently lost two straight games to the same opponent on May 10 and 11 in Mississippi.