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Texas baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle and his players spouted cliches about nameless, faceless opponents. Texas A&M’s players publicly touted a faux-enthusiasm for a rivalry series played between Ivy League foes Penn and Columbia.
Two different methods, both designed to tamp down the emotions associated with this weekend’s combustible clash between the Aggies and Longhorns ‒ a heated rivalry intensified by Schlossnagle’s decision to leave College Station for Austin last summer.
It just about worked on Friday night. In the middle of the seventh inning Saturday, though, emotions began to spill over the edge.
After Texas A&M pinch hitter Gavin Kash flew out to left field to end the top of the frame, he exchanged words with the Texas dugout. Several Longhorns leapt to the top step of their dugout to bark at him before he was corralled by his Aggies teammates.
Texas A&M coach Michael Earley said Texas centerfielder Will Gasparino said something to Kash on his way off the field after the flyout.
“It wasn’t instigated by Kash at all,” Earley said. “It was instigated by their center fielder. Our coach heard it. Somehow, he just flies out to left field and starts talking to the dugout. I’ve never seen that before in my life.”
WEINER: Texas vs Texas A&M: This key contributor in UT's Game 1 win didn't didn't play an inning
When asked, Earley declined to repeat what Gasparino said to Kash.
Kash spent his freshman season with the Longhorns in 2022 before transferring to Texas Tech for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Last year, he and Gasparino had another confrontation when the Texas center fielder ran Kash over on a play at first base.
The sequence Saturday ended in Kash’s ejection from the game. He’d ended up on the first-base side of the pitcher’s mound near the Texas dugout. NCAA rules allow umpires to eject players who leave their position on the field to go to the site of a potential altercation. He’ll be suspended for Sunday’s series finale.
“So now, because of that ejection, I lose the guy that I was going to start at first base tomorrow,” Earley said. “That’s a really tough thing in these games where the margins are so small. It’s real unfortunate for him. I’ll just leave it at that.”
RIOJAS: Texas vs Texas A&M: Ruger Riojas showcases moxie, athleticism and a 54 mph pitch in win
Schlossnagle said he missed the altercation entirely.
“I always go back to put my clipboard down and get a drink,” he said. “I hear a bunch of barking, which is normal, then I saw Kash yelling into the dugout. I don’t know who instigated that.”
Asked for their perspective on the incident, neither Texas reliever Thomas Burns nor infielder Ethan Mendoza shared their opinion on who instigated it.
The Longhorns added a crucial insurance run in the bottom of that seventh inning on Mendoza’s RBI double. That turned out to be the decisive run in a game Texas won, 3-2.
Both coaches praised their teams for how they managed their emotions Saturday. Earley cited the four baserunners the Aggies (24-18, 8-12 SEC) managed in the final two innings as evidence that the heated moment didn’t impact them through the rest of the game.
Through two games, Schlossnagle said he thinks the Longhorns (36-5, 17-2) have done a “great job” handling the mental challenges this rivalry can pose.
“No one talks about A&M, or (the game) having any sort of edge,” he said.
Reach Texas Insider David Eckert via email at [email protected]. Follow the American-Statesman on Facebook and X for more. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Get access to all of our best content with this tremendous offer.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas vs Texas A&M: Inside confrontation leading to Gavin Kash ejection
Continue reading...
Two different methods, both designed to tamp down the emotions associated with this weekend’s combustible clash between the Aggies and Longhorns ‒ a heated rivalry intensified by Schlossnagle’s decision to leave College Station for Austin last summer.
It just about worked on Friday night. In the middle of the seventh inning Saturday, though, emotions began to spill over the edge.
After Texas A&M pinch hitter Gavin Kash flew out to left field to end the top of the frame, he exchanged words with the Texas dugout. Several Longhorns leapt to the top step of their dugout to bark at him before he was corralled by his Aggies teammates.
Texas A&M coach Michael Earley said Texas centerfielder Will Gasparino said something to Kash on his way off the field after the flyout.
“It wasn’t instigated by Kash at all,” Earley said. “It was instigated by their center fielder. Our coach heard it. Somehow, he just flies out to left field and starts talking to the dugout. I’ve never seen that before in my life.”
WEINER: Texas vs Texas A&M: This key contributor in UT's Game 1 win didn't didn't play an inning
When asked, Earley declined to repeat what Gasparino said to Kash.
Kash spent his freshman season with the Longhorns in 2022 before transferring to Texas Tech for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Last year, he and Gasparino had another confrontation when the Texas center fielder ran Kash over on a play at first base.
The sequence Saturday ended in Kash’s ejection from the game. He’d ended up on the first-base side of the pitcher’s mound near the Texas dugout. NCAA rules allow umpires to eject players who leave their position on the field to go to the site of a potential altercation. He’ll be suspended for Sunday’s series finale.
“So now, because of that ejection, I lose the guy that I was going to start at first base tomorrow,” Earley said. “That’s a really tough thing in these games where the margins are so small. It’s real unfortunate for him. I’ll just leave it at that.”
RIOJAS: Texas vs Texas A&M: Ruger Riojas showcases moxie, athleticism and a 54 mph pitch in win
Schlossnagle said he missed the altercation entirely.
“I always go back to put my clipboard down and get a drink,” he said. “I hear a bunch of barking, which is normal, then I saw Kash yelling into the dugout. I don’t know who instigated that.”
Asked for their perspective on the incident, neither Texas reliever Thomas Burns nor infielder Ethan Mendoza shared their opinion on who instigated it.
The Longhorns added a crucial insurance run in the bottom of that seventh inning on Mendoza’s RBI double. That turned out to be the decisive run in a game Texas won, 3-2.
Both coaches praised their teams for how they managed their emotions Saturday. Earley cited the four baserunners the Aggies (24-18, 8-12 SEC) managed in the final two innings as evidence that the heated moment didn’t impact them through the rest of the game.
Through two games, Schlossnagle said he thinks the Longhorns (36-5, 17-2) have done a “great job” handling the mental challenges this rivalry can pose.
“No one talks about A&M, or (the game) having any sort of edge,” he said.
Reach Texas Insider David Eckert via email at [email protected]. Follow the American-Statesman on Facebook and X for more. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Get access to all of our best content with this tremendous offer.
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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas vs Texas A&M: Inside confrontation leading to Gavin Kash ejection
Continue reading...
