No. 3 Aggies Punch Ticket to NCAA Super Regional

By: Kyle Stafford, Athletics Communications

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – For the second time in the last three seasons and 10th time in program history, the No. 3 Texas A&M baseball team is headed to an NCAA Super Regional after defeating Louisiana, 9-4, in the Bryan-College Station Regional Final Sunday evening from Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park. Shane Sdao improved to 5-1 on the year after holding the Ragin’ Cajuns (42-20) to one run over 5.1 innings of work. The lefty also struck out six and did not issue a walk on the night. In relief, Chris Cortez punched out six of the eight batters he faced in 2.2 scoreless frames.

On the offensive end, the Aggies (47-13) slugged four home runs and racked up 13 hits in the win. The four homers upped the Maroon & White’s season total to 129, which is the most all-time in program history. Braden Montgomery, who was named the Most Outstanding player of the regional, led the charge as the junior went 2-for-6 on the night with a game-best four RBI. Jackson Appel, Jace LaViolette and Travis Chestnut rounded out the remaining multi-hit performers for Texas A&M.

The Aggies struck first in the third courtesy of an RBI single from Montgomery that plated Chestnut, who reached on a leadoff walk.

In the bottom half of the frame, Louisiana answered with a run of their own behind a pair of doubles.

Caden Sorrell put the Maroon & White back in front in the fourth with a monster solo home run that landed on Wellborn Road in right. The rookie’s 10th homer of the season traveled 430 feet and left the bat at 108 mph. Later in the frame, Montgomery broke the game open with a three-run homer over the Louisiana bullpen in right.

The junior’s long ball marked his 27th of the season and had a distance of 379 feet.

Following a 1-2-3 bottom half of the fourth from Sdao, Hayden Schott added to the lead with a solo homer to straightaway center. The senior’s long ball marked the team’s 128th of the season, which matched the 1999 squad for the program record.

In the seventh, Ali Camarillo broke the record with an opposite field solo shot to Section 12 in right. The junior’s historic home run traveled 373 feet and was his seventh of the 2024 campaign.

Gavin Grahovac capped off the record-breaking night with his 22nd home run of the season in the ninth, which broke the program’s freshman single-season record that was previously held by LaViolette. The rookie’s two-run opposite field homer to Section 12 extended the lead to 9-1.

Despite allowing three runs in the bottom half of the ninth, Texas A&M went on to win 9-4.