Texas A&M baseball fell to Kentucky 10-5 on Sunday, its conference record dropping to 1-8. It's been an incredibly disappointing season for the preseason No. 1 team, but Aggies coach Michael Earley was heated during and after the game for different reasons.
The Southeastern Conference has a travel curfew rule, and the Wildcats took advantage by slowing the game down after taking an early lead over the Aggies. Texas A&M entered the eighth inning down 8-2 but cut the lead to 8-5 after a triple from Terrence Kiel II and another run hit in by Wyatt Henseler.
Kentucky head coach Nick Mingione then began calling mound visits and defensive meetings, causing Earley to erupt in anger. Earley knew the game wouldn't go to the ninth inning if Kentucky prolonged the eighth until 4:30 p.m., leading to the shouting match between him and Mingione.
“It’s like even embarrassing to talk about, but I told (Ben) Royo if Kaeden (Kent) got out, strikeout on purpose to get to the bottom of the inning," Earley said.
I asked Texas A&M HC Michael Earley about potential strategy when facing a travel-curfew end of game situation:
— Tony Catalina (@Tony_Catalina) March 30, 2025
“It’s like even embarrassing to talk about, but I told Royo if Kaeden got out, strikeout on purpose…”
Full answer below: pic.twitter.com/PisOScV36L
A ninth inning comeback would've been unlikely, though the Aggies never got the chance due to the Wildcats' shrewd tactics.
What is the travel curfew rule?
SEC getaway day rules say that no new inning can begin after 4:30 p.m. local time Sunday on the final game of a series. The rule ensures teams can travel without major delays and allows athletes with Monday classes ample time to ...
