Once again, we save our normal, narrative baseball recaps for the regular season.
On Friday night, Texas A&M defeated Sam Houston in a 12-inning exhibition at Blue Bell Park, 22-7.
Below, you will not find an accurate storytelling of who drove in runs when or which pitchers escaped jams or anything of the sort. Simply put, there is too much to keep up with when a combined 22 different pitchers toe the rubber. Instead, an unofficial line score and box score for all of the Aggie performers have been provided below.
Here are some observations from the action between the Aggies and Bearkats.
1. Yes, it was just 13 pitches, but... Weston Moss looked impressive. Like, really impressive. The right-hander dominated the top of the SHSU order in the first inning, fanning a pair in a 1-2-3 frame. Remember, this was Michael Earley’s most trusted bullpen arm a season ago — even pitching through mononucleosis during the middle of the SEC slate. Now a junior, the Montgomery Lake Creek product appears poised to snag one of the weekend spots. While there was no radar gun available on Friday, the fastball had noticeable extra life, and the slider had more bite than we had seen before. Moss also threw the slide piece to all three men he faced, getting each Bearkat to buckle at least once.
Why not more from Moss vs. Sam Houston? Earley and Jason Kelly obviously wanted to maximize the number of pitchers who threw. Indeed, 11 Aggie arms covered the dozen frames.
2. What will the Aggie rotation look like? Shane Sdao is still on his way back from Tommy John surgery that cost him the entirety of 2025. The left-hander figures to be a weekend arm, if not A&M’s Friday night guy. As mentioned above, Moss impressed, and becoming a starter seems like the natural progression for him. But who else factors into the discussion?
Well, there are plenty of options.
Right-hander Aiden Sims was the only Aggie to get more than one inning, and he retired all six Bearkats he faced, fanning four of them.
Gavin Lyons, another sophomore righty, figures to be in that mix, but the Connecticut kid was less than sharp in the 11th.
Oh, and Ethan Darden’s southpaw, cross-fire delivery is going to be an uncomfortable at-bat for opposing hitters, regardless if he’s a starter or trotting in out of the bullpen.
In all honest, pitching was suffocating during the first half of the night as Sam Houston didn’t get its first hit until the sixth, a leadoff single that ruined any hopes for a combined Perfect Exhibition.
3. These freshmen can play. Allow us to introduce you to Boston Kellner, Nico Partida, Luke Billings and Jorian Wilson.
Kellner — a Chandler, Arizona, native — started the night at shortstop and went 2-for-5, including RBI base hits in the fifth and ninth, respectively.
Partida, a Pearland Oiler, provided the biggest swing of the night — a three-run home run in the sixth inning. The 6-foot, 195-pounder went opposite field, shooting it down the right-field line and sneaking it inside the foul pole.
Oh, as a two-way player, Partida also pitched in the 10th, allowing a run on three hits with two strikeouts. The kid throws gas, and it’s really easy to dream on.
Not to be outdone, Billings added a three-run shot to left center in the ninth to make it 15-3. The outfielder/pitcher from Prosper is incredibly strong, and just like Partida, he took his turn on the bump in the 12th, tossing a 1-2-3 frame.
Those two rookies accounted for two of A&M’s three homers on the night as Ben Royo added a solo shot in the ninth.
Wilson is a physical specimen, and he filled up the box score, going 2-for-3 with three runs scored, two driven in, two stolen bases and three total free passes. Which brings us to...
4. Size stands out. A new hammer from Hallettsville has arrived, as Wilson stands in at 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, and he looks like he’s about to hit a home run every time he stands in the box.
Gavin Grahovac has always looked like a big leaguer, and he might look better right now than ever before, as rehab from that shoulder injury has allowed him to actually lift for the first time in his life.
Including Wilson and Grahovac, Friday’s roster included nine position players at 6-foot-2 or bigger. Standing 6-foot-6, Blake Binderup is certainly among that group, and he had a pair of doubles in the late innings.
Earley has some “first of the bus” guys in Year 2, and that doesn’t include Marco Jones, who is currently preparing to face Mississippi State on the gridiron.
5. Expect the Aggies to run more. The addition of Cliff Pennington to Earley’s staff signaled that the Maroon & White will likely be more aggressive on the base paths. Terrence Kiel II can fly. Travis Chestnut can burn. Others will likely factor into the running game as well. On Friday, big Jorian Wislson led the way with a pair of stolen bases, the second of which came on a 3-0 pitch. Stunningly, A&M only stole four bases vs. SHSU.
The Ags will be back at Blue Bell Park next Friday to conclude their fall slate as they host TCU on Oct. 10.
Line Score
SHSU - 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 3 0 7R 11H 3E
A&M - 0 0 0 1 4 3 0 3 5 3 0 3 22R 24H 1E
Unofficial Box Score
Texas A&M Position Players
1. Boston Kellner (R) - SS - 2-for-5, 2 RBI, 3 R, BB, HBP, SB, 2 K
2. Caden Sorrell (L) - RF - 1-for-4, K
3. Gavin Grahovac (R) - DH - 2-for-4, 2B, R, K
4. Wesley Jordan (R) - 1B - 1-for-4, R
5. Jake Duer (L) - LF - 1-for-3, R, K
6. Bear Harrison (R) - C - 1-for-2, 2 R, BB
7. Nico Partida (R) - 3B - 2-for-3, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R, K
8. Terrence Kiel II (S) - CF - 1-for-2, BB
9. Travis Chestnut (R) - 2B - 1-for-7, SB, K, GIDP
10. Jorian Wilson (L) - EH - 2-for-3, 2 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB, HBP, 2 SB, K
(Lineup used after the seventh inning)
1. Gavin Grahovac (R) - DH - See above
PH. Blake LaBuda (R) - PH, 10 - 0-for-1, R, 2 BB
2. Zane Becker (R) - C - 3-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R
3. Luke Billings (R) - RF - 2-for-4, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R
4. Jorian Wilson (L) - LF - See above
5. Ben Royo (R) - SS - 2-for-2, HR, 4 RBI, R, BB
6. Travis Chestnut (R) - CF - See above
7. Sawyer Farr (S) - 2B - 0-for-2, BB
8. Blake Binderup (R) - 1B - 2-for-3, 2 2B, 2 R, K
9. Boston Kellner (R) - 3B - See above
10. Sam Erickson (R) - EH - 1-for-3, R
Texas A&M Pitchers
Weston Moss - RHP - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Clayton Freshcorn - RHP - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Aiden Sims - RHP - 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
Ethan Darden - LHP - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
MJ Bollinger - RHP - 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Hunter Vincent - LHP - 0.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
Juan Vargas - RHP - 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
Cole Hubert - LHP - 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
Nico Partida - RHP - 1.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Gavin Lyons - RHP - 1.0 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
Luke Billings - RHP - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
