Texas A&M pitcher Ryan Prager (18) throws a pitch during the Lone Star Showdown against Texas at UFCU Disch-Falk Field on Friday, April 25, 2025. Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Texas A&M Stars Hot, Shuts Out Mississippi State In Round 1 of SEC Tournament

Originally posted on Texas A&M Aggies on SI
By Aaron Raley | Last updated May 21, 2025 2:01 PM ET

They say that in the Southeastern Conference, "it just means more."

That seems to be the approach that Michael Earley and the 14th-seeded Texas A&M Aggies took in their first game of the SEC Tournament against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at the Hoover Met Wednesday afternoon, taking full advantage of the situation at hand and continued to persuade the college baseball world that they still have what it takes to contend for a national title despite the bumpy season that was 2025.

The Aggies brought an end to Mississippi State's five-game winning streak, shutting out the Bulldogs 9-0 behind a six-run second inning and a masterful performance on the bump from Ryan Prager, who went 5.1 innings, only allowing four hits, no runs, walking two, and striking out six.

The Aggie offense has struggled to even put six runs on the board as of late, let alone six runs in an inning, but the script seemed to be flipped Wednesday in a game that was postponed by

In the top of the second inning, Ben Royo would start the scoring for A&M by smashing a single into left field and scoring Bear Harrison.

After Kaeden Kent was hit by a pitch with a bases-loaded that scored another run, Jace LaViolette would clear the bases with a grand slam deep into the right field off of Bulldogs pitcher Ryan McPherson, giving the Aggies an early 6-0 lead in just the second inning.

Two more A&M runs would score in the third inning thanks to RBI by Sawyer Farr and Kaeden Kent, who despite going 0-2 at the plate had two runs batted in on the day batting from the leadoff spot, and Farr also notched a pair of "ribeyes" after a single in the seventh inning scored Terrence Kiel II.

Bear Harrison and Ben Royo both went 2-5 on the afternoon as the Aggies scored nine runs on 10 hits and no errors.

Mississippi State was held scoreless by the Aggie pitching, only mustering six hits and committing two errors.

The Aggies' playoff chances stay alive for at least one more day, and they now shift their focus to the No. 8-seeded Auburn Tigers tomorrow at 11:00 AM.

And potentially towards a regional berth, because after the year Earley and the boys have had, it would "just mean more."

This article first appeared on Texas A&M Aggies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: