Everything Aggie coaches Buzz Williams and Nolan Cain said at the TexAgs 2023 Preseason Kickoff
As the summer months slowly begin to dwindle, it means that it will soon be time to turn the page toward a full slate of exciting college sports that includes football, basketball, and the lead-up to baseball.
TexAgs recently held their 2023 Preseason Kickoff Event, which benefits the Kidz 1st Fund. The fund was established by Coach Jimbo Fisher & Candi Fisher after their son was diagnosed with Fanconi anemia. The Kidz1stFund raises awareness & funds for FA research.
The kickoff event had no shortage of noteworthy speakers as basketball Head Coach Buzz Williams and baseball Assistant Coach Nolan Cain took the stage to field questions about their teams’ respective offseasons and the expectations for each program heading into the fall.
Coach Buzz, who led the Aggies to a 15-3 record in the SEC and a second consecutive conference title game, made it clear that the expectations are raised for this program in 2023. It’s hard to be better than that record, but when it comes to their early exit in the 2023 NCAA Tournament to Penn State, that is by all means a barrier they’re motivated to overcome in the new season.
As for Texas A&M’s baseball team, Assistant Coach Nolan Cain made it clear that they aim to be playing in Omaha every single season, and if it means being aggressive in the transfer portal to give this roster an added edge, then so be it. Furthermore, that only means that competition for playing time will be at an all-time high heading into the fall.
Here is everything Williams and Cain said at the TexAgs Preseason Kickoff event.
Buzz Williams notes the goal for the Aggies is a deep postseason run in 2023
“15-3 is hard to be better than. 0-1 in the NCAA Tournament, you can be better than that. Getting to the SEC Championship Game two years in a row, let’s get there again, but let’s win it this time.”
Williams: After a successful 2022 campaign, Aggie hoops is going international next season
“Every four years, you can take a foreign trip. ‘Foreign trip’ when I was younger meant Germany or Spain. In 2023, it means the Bahamas.”
Williams notes that culture begins with good habits, and those are cultivated in the offseason
“We have utilized this summer differently than any summer since I’ve been a head coach, and a lot of it has to do with the trip.
We’ve had OTAs. We’ve had three different OTAs throughout the summer.”
Coach Buzz is a hoops guru by day, and apparently a comedian by night
“I’m going to use the first week of August to figure out how to not lose to Wofford in the third week of December because TexAgs would blow up.”
Baseball Assistant coach Nolan Cain hinting that they'll be aggressive in the transfer portal
“We’ve done really well again this year in the portal. If you look at rankings, we’re anywhere from third to fifth in that area. There is a player out there that we’re trying to get a ‘yes’ from to push us over the top.”
Cain speaks highly of new pitching coach Max Weiner
“The thing I was most surprised about is (the Mariners) had him involved in the draft. He’s like another version of me. He knows everybody. He knows more people than I do.”
Cain: Aggie baseball is going all-in on bolstering their bullpen
“Something we were trying to attack in the portal this year was right-handed pitching and adding some dominant, dominant arms.”
Cain: What are the expectations for Aggie baseball? Playing in Omaha every single year.
“We plan on being in Omaha every single year. We were three wins away from doing that again this year. That is the expectation.”
Cain: Competition for playing time will be as competitive as ever
“There’s going to be the most competition for playing time that we’ve had. That’s how important this fall is going to be.”
Cain on his hopes for the future of Aggie baseball's home park
“In 2012, they renovated Blue Bell Park, and it was the nicest in the country. That’s what we want to do again, but let’s not just catch up with the Arkansas of the world or the Mississippi States of the world. Let’s plant another flag out there.”
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