Ryan Prager of the Texas A&M Aggies delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Tennessee Volunteers during the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship on June 22, 2024 at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
OMAHA, Neb. – It was the type of matchup you’d expect to see on the biggest stage: an elite pitcher facing what might college baseball’s most powerful offense in game one of the 2024 Men’s College World Series final.
The pitcher, Texas A&M’s Ryan Prager, had to face a Tennessee lineup that hit 178 homers, the most in the nation, as twilight fell on Charles Schwab Field.
Would Prager be able to shut them down? Would the Aggies offense be able to provide enough run support if Tennessee got to him?
The second question was answered, at least partially, on the third pitch of the game, when A&M leadoff man Gavin Grehovac launched an 0-2 fastball into a stiff breeze that carried and carried until it was over the right field wall, giving A&M a 1-0 lead. After Jackson Appel scored from second on Hayden Schott’s single, Prager went to the mound with a 2-0 before he threw a pitch.
Tennessee was able to scrape out eight hits against Prager and got five runners into scoring position, but only were able to muster two runs, as the Aggies’ starter remained poised and attacked, throwing 60 of his 81 pitches for strikes. The Aggies pitching held up, as they took game one 9-5 on Saturday evening.
It’s easy to be confident behind a lead, and confidence is something that Prager and the A&M pitching staff have worked on all season with Max Weiner, who came to A&M after five seasons with the Seattle Mariners organization, where he served as pitching coordinator, helping to develop a staff that includes the likes of Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo and Bryce Miller.
“What he’s done, I think he’s just instilled confidence in guys,” Prager said on Friday. “Not that guys didn’t have it before, but it’s a new level of it. He’s given you the evidence and helped guys get better, whether it’s stuff. But really the mentality of it, he makes sure everybody is confident in themselves over confident in their stuff.”
By the time he stepped to the rubber to start the bottom of the third, the A&M lead was 7-1, after the Aggies sent nine batters to the plate and scored five runs in the top of the frame.
It’s also easier to be confident when you’ve faced an opponent before and Prager has – recently, too, throwing 2.1 innings to open Texas A&M’s 7-4 loss to Tennessee in the SEC tournament on May 23. He allowed one run on three hits, taking a no decision, and Tennessee went on to win the SEC title.
