TAMU secures College World Series berth: 'Plan executed to perfection'

The No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies baseball team edged out the No. 9 Louisville Cardinals 4-3 on Saturday (June 11) to secure a berth in the 2022 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) College World Series (CWS) in Omaha, Nebraska, according to a TAMU-issued press release that was ran by Bryan-College Station CBS affiliate KBTX. 

It's the first time in half a decade the Aggies will vie for the ultimate prize, with seven overall CWS appearances under their belt, the release said.

"Plan executed to perfection," graduate student Troy Claunch, who came to Aggieland from Oregon State, said in a tweet. "I love this team. I love this school. I love these fans."

TAMU achieved the feat as a host of the Super Regional at Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park, per the release.

The Aggies tied the game twice, with sophomore Ryan Targac’s solo homerun (HR) in the sixth setting up the path to victory, the university reported.

In the seventh, graduate student Dylan Rock swatted the go-ahead sacrifice fly that sent sophomore Trevor Werner, who took a free base at the start of the frame, home.

Southpaw closer Jacob Palisch retired three Louisville batters in the bottom of the ninth to grab his fifth save of the season and thrust TAMU to the CWS, the release said.

Starter Micah Dallas fanned four Cardinals in 4.2 innings on the mound while relievers Will Johnston and Brad Rudis took over to give way for Palisch, according to the release.

The CWS, which will begin on Thursday (June 16), is simply a Big XII reunion and probable Southeastern Conference (SEC) preview for the Aggies with formal conference rivals Texas and Oklahoma having also won their respective Super Regionals.

TAMU will face the Sooners for the chance to take on the Texas-Notre Dame winner.

The victory came a day before what would've been President George H.W. Bush's 98th birthday, per the campus's official Twitter account.

Bush, the 41st U.S. president, and First Lady Barbara Bush had a close relationship with the university.

The George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum is located at TAMU and serves as the first couple's final resting place.