
It's almost time for Blue Bell Park's gates to open for the 12th Man, and for Michael Earley to redeem himself after a poor first season as the Texas A&M head coach in 2025.
With Jace LaViolette, Kaeden Kent, Wyatt Henseler and more critical pieces of the Aggie lineup now in the higher level of baseball, there were many spots left vacant in the A&M order, but thanks to the pickups of Maryland's Chris Hacopian and high school commit Nico Partida, those problems can be put to rest.
Not to mention the firepower that stuck around in College Station after the 2025 season.
Here is a potential lineup for the No. 25 ranked Texas A&M Aggies in the 2026 season, which is set to begin mid-February:
1. Terrence Kiel II
2. Gavin Grahovac
3. Chris Hacopian
4. Caden Sorrell
5. Nico Partida
6. Bear Harrison
7. Jake Duer
8. Wesley Jordan
9. Ben Royo
Bench: Blake Binderup, Sawyer Farr, Travis Chestnut
Obviously, nothing is set in stone, and both the order and personnel could be shifted around in just about any way imaginable, but this is definitely a lineup that Michael Earley could make work to start out.
Terrence Kiel's reliability on the basepaths, contact hitting, and raw speed make him the prime option for the leadoff spot.
There was a reason that Kiel was atop the order for most of 2025, and that was his ability to get on base, be it via hits or walks.
As long as he gets on base, the three that follow can really be put in any order.
Grahovac was the leadoff man for just about his entire freshman year in 2024, a role he would've easily kept in 2025 had he not gotten injured at the beginning of the year, and his blend of power and contact hitting should safely keep him near the order's peak.
Caden Sorrell and new Aggie Chris Hacopian both have the raw power that the three and four-hole hitters should possess, and with Hacopian also proving that he can hit for average just as well (.375 batting average in 2025), his bat belongs at third for his ability to get on base just as well as the top two, leaving Sorrell at the clean-up with his knack for RBIs.
Throwing a freshman into the heart of the order to start out may seem like quite a leap for some, but with a player of Nico Partida's caliber, it doesn't like too high of a risk for Michael Earley to start out.
And even if his bat is iffy, which shouldn't be an issue, the Aggies could have the next potential Shohei Ohtani on their hands, as Partida has shown his worth on the pitching rubber as well, with his fastball hitting as high as 97 miles per hour on the radar gun.
Catcher Bear Harrison showed how dangerous he could be with a bat in his hands during the middle-later part of 2025, and it will be fun to see how he does with a full campaign under his belt.
Another pair of new Ags in Jake Duer and Wesley Jordan could very well move up as the season moves along, but the seven and eight holes have to be filled by somebody, and neither man should present any worries in the lineup nor on the field.
And rounding out the list is Ben Royo in his second season with Texas A&M, and he also showed his worth to the team once he was given an opportunity during the 2025 season, starting 36 games and slapping 10 home runs and 23 runs batted in, which included a four-hit game in the first game against the Texas Longhorns and a multi-homer game against Lamar.
Even the bench has plenty of talent, with players such as Blake Binderup, Sawyer Farr, and a returning Travis Chestnut all ready to prove their worth again in the A&M lineup.
The Aggies kickstart their 2026 campaign on February 13 against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles.
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