SPRING SPORTS BY TRAVIS L. BROWN • TRAVIS.BROWN@THEEAGLE.COM
Before the Texas A&M outdoor track and field season, Aggie head coach Pat Henry didn’t mince words about his newest middle-distance runner, freshman Athing Mu. “She may be one of the single greatest female track and field athletes to ever attend this institution,” Henry said. Mu in her only season with the Aggies proved her coach right, highlighting Texas A&M’s spring sports. Between the winter indoor season and the outdoor track slate, Mu set collegiate records in the outdoor 400-meter dash (49.57 seconds), the outdoor 800 meters (1:57.73), the indoor 600 meters (1:25.80), the indoor 800 meters (1:58.40) and was the anchor in the recordsetting outdoor 4x400meter relay (3:22.34) with her having a 48.85 split. Her indoor 800 time also set an
under-20 world record. “No matter what I do, there’s always more that can be done,” Mu said in the middle of the spring track season. “I’m in college right now, breaking collegiate records, but there’s still more that can be done. There’s things that are in America, like there’s records that are American records, World Junior records and there’s also world records. There’s always just another level that you can go to, so I’m doing it now.” After announcing in early June she would forgo the remainder of her college career and turn pro, Mu will have a chance to chase those dreams, foretold by Henry, beginning with the 2021 Olympics. As the Mu era in Aggieland came to a close, a new beginning arose
Athing Mu spent one season at Texas A&M, but she set numerous collegiate records. (AP photo)
for the Aggie baseball team with the hiring of former TCU coach Jim Schlossnagle. Schlossnagle took the Horned Frogs to the College World Series five times in the last 11 years. In 18 seasons at TCU, Schlossnagle tallied the most wins in school history with a 693-327 record, including a 255-107
conference record. He took the Horned Frogs to 15 NCAA tournaments, including seven super regionals. “The goal is a national title,” Schlossnagle said. “That’s it. There won’t ever be a day when the goal is any less than that.” The new skipper replaces 16-year Aggie veteran Rob Childress, whose contract expired on June 30. With a 29-27 record, including a 9-21 Southeastern Conference record, A&M missed the SEC tournament and snapped a streak of 13 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances. The Aggies finished in the bottom four in the SEC in batting average (.260), doubles (80), fielding percentage (.971), hits (493), home runs (66), slugging percentage (.417), WHIP (1.44) and walks
allowed per nine innings (3.97). The brightest spot to a down season was the efforts of All-American Will Frizzell, who finished ninth in the conference in batting average (.434), as well as third in home runs with 19 and first in slugging at a .686 clip. No effort was bigger than Frizzell’s 7-for-12, five home run series against Ole Miss, which saw the Aggies take two-of-three from the Rebels. It was one of their two conference series wins of the season. “I’ve been here 16 years and I’ve never had anybody hit that many home runs [in a series],” Childress said. The Aggie softball team made slightly better strides, making the NCAA tournament, but won only one game in the Norman Regional of the NCAA tournament, a 10-3 victory over Morgan State in the losers’ bracket. Two losses to No. 23 Wichita State ended the Aggies’ season with a 32-23 overall record, including an 8-16 SEC mark. Catcher Haley Lee paced the Aggies with a .422 batting average and blasted
25 home runs, which ranked tied for third in the nation. Lee also finished sixth in slugging percentage at a .955 clip. A&M men’s tennis team made the longest playoff run in the spring, advancing to the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament. Led by returning standouts Valentin Vacherot, Hady Habib and Carlos Aguilar, the Aggies cruised through the first three rounds against New Mexico, Oklahoma and Mississippi State, before losing 4-1 to No. 2 Florida in the Elite Eight. Florida also ended the Aggies’ run in the SEC tournament in the semifinal round. With the spotlight on new stars in all of A&M’s spring sports the 2022 season will feature breakout performances from the next generation of Aggie athletes and coaches.
Coming in 2021 - 2022 from The Academy for the Visual & Performing Arts at Texas A&M University
Growing Harmony • Cleopatra Boy • Vic’s Mix Brubeck Brothers Quartet Michelle N. Gibson and The New Orleans Original Buckshop SHE: A Choreoplay • SPORTSPLAY academyarts.tamu.edu T H E B R YA N - C O L L E G E S TAT I O N E A G L E
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