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The Texas A&M baseball team dropped a Sunday afternoon contest to SEC rival Kentucky, 10-5. The loss secured a series win for the Wildcats while the Aggies fell further into the conference cellar.
Things got testy in the final moments of the rubber match due to some shady tactics being used by the Kentucky staff. Aggies coach Michael Earley had to be forcibly restrained after sparking a shouting match with the opposing dugout.
The Wildcats were on a “travel curfew” for the final game in College Station. With nearly 1,000 miles separating the schools, Kentucky needed to catch a flight home as opposed to taking a 15-hour bus ride back to campus.
SEC rule states that no new inning should start after 4:30 PM local time in these situations. It allows time for teams to promptly arrive to the airport, travel home, and get ready for classes on Monday morning. The curfew came into effect Sunday.
Texas A&M trailed by five runs in the bottom of the eighth frame. Aggies infielder Ben Royo stepped into the batter’s box with two outs in the inning. His at-bat started around 4:28 PM.
With the travel curfew in mind, Kentucky pitching stalled at the direction of its coaching staff. Wildcats reliever Jackson Nove made sure to take as much time as possible in between pitches.
He was successful in his attempts to make the at-bat last past 4:30 PM. In doing so, he ensured that there would be no ninth inning played. Texas A&M was down to its last out in the baseball game with the game shortened. It severely hampered any comeback hopes.
Michael Earley knew exactly what Kentucky coach Nick Mangione was doing. He erupted outside the dugout while watching the ‘Cats burn precious seconds.
Here’s the full situation and clip.
Kentucky & Texas A&M head coaches (Mingione & Earley) exchanged some heated words back and forth because Kentucky had what’s called a “travel curfew” (does happen sometimes but rare). No new inning could be started after 5:30/4:30 EST/CST. The… pic.twitter.com/Jvv00dm1tR— Harrison Cordell Fant (@Fantavious9) March 31, 2025
Royo would eventually walk before the ensuing batter flied out to end the game. Texas A&M fell to 1-8 in conference play and 13-14 overall.
Michael Earley was asked about the end-of-game situation after the loss. He was fully aware of the deadline, which led him to take a drastic approach.
“It’s embarrassing to talk about, but I told Royo that if Kaeden [Kent] got out, then strike out on purpose so we can get to the bottom of the inning… You should be able to play that game [out], but that wasn’t the case.”
-Michael Earley
Royo did not strikeout, though it might not have mattered with the time so close. The home team was robbed of its final three outs.
Texas A&M’s early season struggles on the baseball diamond have continued into SEC play. The Aggies entered the year as a national title favorite. They’ve since run into speed bumps.
The unexpected start hasn’t gone over well with the fanbase. It’s led to online criticism of both players and coaches.
The Aggies hope to turn things around in Year 1 of the Michael Earley era. They were able pick up their first SEC victory in the opener vs. Kentucky, but back-to-back losses kept the elusive first series win out of reach.
Next up is a midweek matchup with Incarnate Word before a trip to Knoxville to face the top-ranked Tennessee Volunteers.