Texas A&M baseball set to deploy their ace against Tennessee in CWS game 1

Texas A&M baseball set to start Ryan Prager against Tennessee in College World Series Final game 1

Texas A&M baseball is set to play their first ever game in the College World Series final. Though the Aggies have made it to Omaha several times, they have never yet advanced this far in the tournament. Resultantly, this is the biggest game ever in program history, which is kind of crazy to say given that this is only Schloss's third year; he already has this program on a bigger stage than it has ever been.

This is also just as big of a game for the Tennessee baseball program. They have not been in the College World Series final since 1951; thus, just as with Texas A&M baseball, this is the first national championship this Volunteer program has ever competed for, for all intents and purposes, in the lives of their entire fanbase.

With that in mind, starting off strong in game 1 is imperative for this Aggie squad. That's why the Aggies have elected to go with their ace in game one, as they have tabbed Ryan Prager for the start.

Prager has had a phenomenal year in 2024, functioning as a shutdown starter for the first 2/3 of the season. In the last part of the regular season, though, he got a little more up-and-down with his performances, which was concerning. Since the postseason began, however, Prager has returned to form and has absolutely been nails when he gets the starting nod.

He'll have to bring his best stuff against this Tennessee lineup. He saw the Vols for 2.1 innings of action in the SEC Tournament, giving up one run, but this was before he had broken out of his slump in earnest.

I'll be interested to see what happens if Prager struggles early on. Given that Shane Sdao is out of commission, the Aggies may have to get creative; however, they have several quality arms waiting in the wings. That said, I have full confidence that Prager will come out with his hair on fire in this one.