Texas A&M baseball midseason grades: Aggies' passing test at midway point of SEC slate

After helping A&M finish sixth in the conference in 2025 with a 4.30 ERA, it's been a mixed bag for the starters in 2026.

Ahead of the Longhorns series, usual Sunday starter Aiden Sims was pushed to Saturday. Sunday was listed as "to be determined" with the assumption typical Saturday starter Weston Moss would get the ball, dependent on how the first two games panned out.

The switch was prompted by inconsistent results from the trio. Sims has been excellent, tallying a 6-0 record and a team-best 3.56 ERA over nine starts; Friday starter Shane Sdao and Moss have had their struggles.

Sdao has allowed 10 home runs, eight in SEC play. His ERA is 5.77, and he's 3-2 in nine starts. No only has he allowed 57 hits in 48⅓ innings, he has frequently been hit hard, especially with two strikes. He had his best conference outing against the Longhorns, allowing just five hits and four runs with six strikeouts over four innings.

For Moss, some of his struggles have seemed to stem from fluctuating velocity. A power pitcher who has sat in the mid-90s for much of his career has seen his fastball dip into the low-90s of late. His 6.69 ERA is the highest among A&M pitchers who have made at least six starts.

Relief pitching: B-

Where A&M has been most affected by injuries is the bullpen. The Aggies lost Caden McCoy before the season started due to a left elbow injury, and Josh Stewart was lost to an apparent left arm issue ahead of the start of SEC play. Still, Earley and pitching coach Jason Kelly have found a group of guys they can trust to help get the job done.

Four Aggies have made at least 15 appearances, with Gavin Lyons (4.87 ERA) leading the way at 16. The right-hander has made three starts as a midweek arm and has also been put in high-leverage situations — most recently against Texas, where he allowed just one run in 4⅓ innings of relief.

The duo of Juan Vargas (3.26) and Ethan Darden (3.72) routinely are the first to get the call in the middle innings. Both have pitched 19⅓ innings and have combined for 30 strikeouts and just 25 hits.

Perhaps the highlight of the pen has been closer Clayton Freshcorn (1.96). A&M has turned to the right-hander in several high-leverage spots, including getting out of a no-out, bases-loaded jam against Oklahoma without giving up a run. Freshcorn has tallied 23 innings, striking out 27 batters, issuing just four walks and allowing 17 hits.

Texas A&M pitcher Gavin Lyons (27) celebrates a final strikeout to win the Lone Star Showdown against Texas at Blue Bell Park on Saturday, April 11, 2026 in College Station, Texas. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman)

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Hitting: A

What a difference a year makes.

After finishing near the bottom of the SEC in several categories in 2025, this season A&M is top 10 nationally in home runs (73) and walks (231) and 16th in batting average (.316). The Aggies have scored 10 or more runs in half of their SEC games and are averaging 9.9 runs with a .288 batting average and .559 slugging percentage.

Featuring a lineup of six players hitting better than .300, A&M is third in the conference in doubles (80), fifth in triples (six) and leading the SEC in on-base percentage (.451). Center fielder Caden Sorrell is tied for seventh in the country with 17 home runs. Freshman third baseman Nico Partida is second on the team with 11 home runs, and first baseman Gavin Grahovac is right behind him with 10.

Among the five players with at least 100 at-bats, no one is hitting below .279 on the season.

Fielding: A

The Aggies finished ninth in the conference in 2025 with a .974 fielding percentage. At the halfway point of this year, they're in second place with a .983 percentage. A&M is first in errors (20) and second in stolen bases against (21) and has allowed only two passed balls.

Texas A&M head coach Michael Earley greets Texas Longhorns head coach Jim Schlossnagle ahead of game two of the Lone Star Showdown at Blue Bell Park on Saturday, April 11, 2026 in College Station, Texas. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman)

Coaching: A+

All eyes were on Earley as he entered his second season. After a year in which they were the consensus preseason No. 1 and missed the postseason altogether, Earley and his staff knew 2026 could be career-defining.

To his credit, the 38-year-old appears to have taken the challenge head-on, and his team has responded.

He has built a strong batting order and has managed the pitching totation well. The Aggies have routinely responded well to losses or poor games; A&M is 5-1 in games following a loss this season.

There's still a lot of baseball to be played with tough matchups against LSU, Florida, Auburn and Mississippi State on the horizon. But with the Aggies not only squarely in the postseason mix but also in the running to host a regional, it's hard not to look at Earley's Year 2 favorably.

Reach Texas A&M beat reporter Tony Catalina via email at Anthony.Catalina@statesman.com.