Returning players:

Caden Sorrell (So.; .275, 11 HR, 43 RBI; Freshman All-SEC)

New additions:

Sam Erickson (Fr.; 2023 Texas All-State MVP)

Marco Jones (Fr.; 4-star defensive end for the football team)

Sorrell played most of 2024 in left field, but has made the move over to the right side with Jace LaViolette back in center and Braden Montgomery in the minors. One of the better freshmen hitters in the nation, Sorrell got hot late in the regular season and continued to blossom in the postseason, homering twice in the regional and once in Omaha. He’ll start every and will likely slot in the middle of a stacked lineup.

If something happens to Sorrell, there are some talented young men backing him up. Erickson homered twice during A&M’s fall exhibition games and Jones is an absolute monster in baseball terms — he’s 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds. If there’s a bench-clearing incident, opposing teams will hide from him at all costs.

Returning players:

Jace LaViolette (Jr.; .305, 29 HR, 78 RBI; First-team All-American)

New additions:

Terrence Kiel Jr. (Fr.)

LaViolette is not only the power bat for this team, you can make an easy argument he is for all of college baseball as well. That’s why he’s the top prospect for the 2025 MLB Draft, to boot. LaViolette brings the whole package: power, speed, average, an improving eye at the plate and, by the way, he’s only committed one error in two years while playing both right and centerfield. He hit second last season with Montgomery behind him, so it will be interesting to see whether new coach Michael Earley keeps him behind Gavin Grahovac in the 2 slot or moves him down.

Returning players:

None.

New additions:

Gavin Kash (Sr.; .300, 15 HR, 51 RBI at Texas Tech)

Kash slumped to a .300 average last year. Think about that. 2024 was a disappointment for Kash, and he still had an OPS of .926. But Kash is capable of more, and showed in 2023 when he hit .327 with 26 dingers and 84 RBI, scoring a first team All-Big 12 nod in the process. He’ll move from first base to the outfield this year with the Aggies, but his bat should play extremely well with the likes of LaViolette, Wyatt Henseler, Matt Bergevin and Sorrell around him in the lineup.

Returning players:

Hayden Schott (team-high .335, 8 HR, 63 RBI)

The vocal leader of the team, resident wiseass and wearer of the all-important number 12, Schott’s importance goes well beyond his patient approach at the plate and tendency to find the gaps in key situations. Schott fought his way through knee injuries last year to hit .335, and he should have a lot of success now that he’s fully healthy and has a bunch of sluggers in the lineup around him. He led the team in hits last season and was fourth in total bases (131) and RBI; he has a great opportunity to do improve on those numbers in a second run through the SEC.