If this edition of the Aggie baseball team has any question marks, they're on the mound. A&M retooled in the offseason, adding some power arms and a new pitching coach, but they still have to prove they're significantly better than last year's ugly 5.66 team ERA.

After watching his charges struggle last season and not having any answers, pitching coach Nate Yeskie moved on to LSU in the offseason. Coach Jim Schlossnagle didn't wait long to hire a replacement, adding Seattle Mariners minor league pitching coordinator Max Weiner to replace him. Weiner will coach a pitching staff that has 14 pitchers who hit 95 mph or better on the gun during fall practice.

One of the pitchers who didn't hit 95 on the gun is taking the ball Friday night in A&M's season opener against McNeese. Lefthander Ryan Prager, who missed all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery, will open the year as the Friday night starter. As a true freshman, Prager went 1-4 with a 5.16 ERA, but also struck out 53 in 59 innings. His fastball sits around 90, but he has a good mix of pitches and has good command. Most importantly, he has the faith of his head coach, who turned to him in big situations in 2022, including in Omaha.

One of the power arms is scheduled to go Saturday night. Lefty Justin Lamkin went 3-3 with a 5.92 ERA last season, but seemed to find his groove late in his freshman season. Lamkin threw 7 innings of 1-hit ball against South Carolina in the SEC Tournament, which landed him on the All-Tournament team. His fastball, which gets into the upper 90s, is his go-to pitch and helped him strike out 74 batters in 59 1/3 innings last year. Opponents hit just .215 against him, but he walked 32 and gave up 7 homers. If his command has improved, Lamkin could be an ace in the making.

The final lefty in the initial starting rotation is Shane Sdao, who went 4-1 with a 4.78 ERA last season pitching mostly out of the bullpen. Sado's stuff isn't overpowering, but he struck out 46 in 43 innings of work. His game is getting ground balls, as giving up just 2 homers last season can attest to. He worked in a lot of high leverage situations last year, but only started two games.

The weekday starters haven't been announced yet, but there are several guys who figure to figure into the equation. Another lefty, Troy Wansing, was in and out of the weekend rotation last year as he pitched to a 3-4 record with a 5.50 ERA. He got a lot of strikeouts -- 72 in 52 1/3 innings -- but also walked 33. But he's got experience and a good pitch mix, so I would expect him to get the call to start at some point.

Another possibility is Tanner Jones, a transfer who went 7-3 with a 4.67 ERA at Jacksonville State last year. He has one of those big arms that topped 95 mph in the fall and struck out 84 hitters in 79 innings last year. A guy with consistent starting experience has to have considerable appeal.

A&M will enter the season with Evan Ashenbeck getting the nod as the team's closer, a role that he held at times last season. He was probably the team's best pitcher in 2023, going 8-1 with a 3.46 ERA and 3 saves in 26 appearances. He went multiple innings frequently last year, striking out 75 in 65 innings. Hopefully the lefty will have more help in front of him this year to reduce his workload.

The Aggies added a transfer who could be a huge help in the back end of the bullpen, literally and figuratively. Graduate Zane Badmaev, who transferred from Tarleton State, stands at 6-foot-8 and 270 pounds. He emerged as Tarleton's closer last year, going 1-2 with a 2.81 ERA and 4 saves. He struck out 46 in 32 innings and only walked 7. He's got a low-90s fastball and a solid slider, which allowed him to minimize hard contact last year (3 doubles and 4 homers allowed)

Righty Chris Cortez entered the portal for a short time in the offseason after a frustrating 2023, where he went 3-1 with a 7.34 ERA, was bounced from the starting rotation and struggled mightily with his command, walking 40 in 41 2/3 innings. He ended up staying, and the Aggies -- and scouts -- remain enamored with a fastball that can close in on triple digits. One of Weiner's biggest jobs will have been to try to fix Cortez, who can be dominant when he has command of his pitches. He could get another look in the rotation, but I'd like to see him get a couple innings in the mid- to late-going where he can just get out there and bring the heat.

When the Aggies got into a jam last year, Brad Rudis was frequently the guy Schlossnagle turned to to get them out of trouble. The junior went 5-0 with a 4.32 ERA in 17 appearances. His stats weren't great -- ..346 batting average against -- and he had 5 wild pitches and hit 3 batters, but opponents didn't make solid contact, either. He may not have the 95 mph heater some of his teammates have, but he has the boss' faith and he'll get the ball in high leverage situations again this year.

Two freshmen who could factor into things are righty Isaac Morton and left Kaiden Wilson. Morton was limited to just 8 innings in his senior season due to injuries, but was still drafted in the 19th round by the Milwaukee Brewers. The Minnesota native decided to come to A&M instead, and he seems to be back to full health as his fastball is again sitting in the mid- to upper 90s. Wilson, already 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, is one of the 95 mph-plus guys who is still working on his secondary pitches. But if he commands his fastball, he could still get some big outs.

One player who could see some time on the mound is All-American outfield Braden Montgomery. He wants to pitch, got some time on the hill at Stanford and has an explosive fastball, but not much in terms of results: a 2-1 record with a 12.21 ERA and 11 walks in 14 innings last season. He has the stuff to be a force on the mound, but he hasn't shown the command -- and A&M may prefer than he stay in the outfield and hit .350 instead.