Texas A&M baseball fans breathe sigh of relief with major pitcher return announcement

The fall from grace for Texas A&M baseball last year is something that will be a sore spot for Aggie fans for quite some time— especially if the decision to retain Michael Earley ends up aging poorly. For now, though, the Aggies have made their bed, and this staff is making the best of things.

They've added some big time names through the portal, such as Maryland's Chris Hacopian, who will do a lot to spark some better production at the plate in the upcoming year. However, the loss of both Justin Lamkin and Ryan Prager was something that worried Aggie fans— how would A&M be able to replace that production on the mound?

After all, the pitching was not the issue for the Aggies last year. It was a lack of offense— but the pitching is what kept the Aggies in the game. Staying at that excellent level is a must headed into next season, and this latest announcement goes a long way to making that a reality.

RHP Josh Stewart announces return to Texas A&M, adding elite arm to Aggie bullpen

According to Ryan Brauninger of Texags, RHP Josh Stewart will be coming back to Aggieland next year.

This is a big move for the Aggies, who were weaker in the bullpen than they needed to be last season. As the year wore on, the loss of Stewart was felt more and more acutely— of course, a little more power at the plate would have offset some of those razor-thin margins, but that never really materialized.

Michael Earley has a long way to go to earn back the trust of this fanbase, but he's assembling a squad that can compete if things fall the right way. Of course, he wasn't able to be competitive with a far more talented team, so I wouldn't get too optimistic— but bringing Stewart back is still a huge move.