Aggieland Illustrated Dec '25

ALSO INSIDE FOOTBALL REWIND TRISHA FORD Q&A MICHAEL EARLEY Q&A MISS REV MEMORIAL AND MORE...

DECEMBER • $3.95

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AGGIELAND ILLUSTRATED

CONTENTS FEATURES

18

Q&A WITH COACH TRISHA FORD

Softball gears up for the new season.

19

Q&A WITH COACH MICHAEL EARLEY Baseball is ready for a fresh start.

20

REVEILLE IX MEMORIAL

The 12th Man says its goodbyes to Miss Rev.

BY ROB HAVENS ‘88

21

FOOTBALL REWIND

Breakdown of our last six regularseason games with our favorite shots.

BY ROB HAVENS ‘88

IN EVERY ISSUE

ROB HAVENS ‘88

Publisher’s Note Snapshots Scoreboard The 12th Man

04 06 15 30

ON THE COVER: Cashius Howell celebrates his sack of LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier in the big win in Baton Rouge.

Photo By Rob Havens ‘88

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AGGIELAND ILLUSTRATED

Howdy Ags! What an amazing fall this has been! Our football team just wrapped up a historic 11-1 regular season and is preparing to host a first-round game in the CFP playoffs. December football at Kyle Field, what a great thing!

Inside this issue is our football rewind. Please enjoy looking back at the win over LSU and the great comeback over South Carolina. I asked Marcel Reed to give the win over the Gamecocks a nickname, and he said “Chills”. That works for me!

For the fans who got to experience the big win over LSU in Death Valley, it’s a memory I’ll remember for many years to come. The Aggies dominated the Tigers on a Saturday night in Tiger Stadium, and the fans cleared out the stadium in disgust, booing their coaches and team. The best part was celebrating with the team in the back of the endzone as the 12th Man Sawed ‘Em Off and celebrated the dismantling of one of our rivals.

“The Comeback” win over South Carolina was the biggest comeback in program history. The last two minutes of the first half were a nightmare, and most teams would’ve hung ‘em up.

But this team came back and dominated both sides of the ball to remain undefeated at 10-0.

We look forward to covering the Aggies in the playoffs and wish them the best as they compete for a national championship. Thank you, Coach Elko and staff, for getting us to the promised land of college football.

Our volleyball team has had a historic season as well. The victory over #2 Texas in Reed Arena before a record-setting crowd was the best atmosphere I’ve ever experienced for an Aggie Volleyball game! We wish them the best as they battle in the NCAA tourney for a chance to play for a natty.

On a personal note, the picture below is my grandson Jaxson with Coach Joni Taylor. The women’s team got off to a great start, and they beat Kansas State in Manhattan.

My son Tyler ‘20 is currently living there, while my daughterin-law attends vet school. Tyler and Jaxson went and cheered on the Aggies to the win, and she was gracious enough to take a picture with him after the game!

Thanks, coach!

Thanks & Gig’em!

FOR REAL-TIME UPDATES ON ALL THINGS AGGIE SPORTS, BE SURE TO FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM AND TWITTER!

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CALL BINFORD FOR ALL YOUR PEST CONTROL NEEDS! PUBLISHER/EDITOR

Rob Havens ‘88

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Sarah Pyatt ‘14 COPY EDITORS

Chelsea O’Neal Sweat ‘17 David Havens ‘27 GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Sarah Pyatt ‘14

Aggieland Illustrated is an independently owned, Aggie owned and operated publication and in no way reflects the views or opinions of Texas A&M University.

Aggieland Illustrated (ISSN 1932-9105) is published six times a year in the United States by Aggieland Illustrated, 3804 Gold Finch Circle, College Station, TX 77845-6220. Reproduction or use of editorial or graphics content in any manner without permission is prohibited. Photographs and manuscripts for publication are welcome but will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

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AGGIELAND ILLUSTRATED

SNAPSHOT

BTHOtu The 12th Man filled Reed Arena with 9,801 fans for the Aggie volleyball game against #2 Texas. It was the largest crowd in program history. The team responded with a highly entertaining 5-set match victory over the Horns (25-19, 25-23,17-25,19-25,1513). Photo by Rob Havens ‘88

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SNAPSHOT

VICTORY SELFIE Wide Receiver Mario Craver takes a selfie with Aggie fans celebrating the Aggies’ 4925 win over the LSU Tigers. The Ags dominated the Tigers in the second half and had the home fans heading for the exits in the third quarter. Photo by Rob Havens ‘88

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AGGIELAND ILLUSTRATED

SNAPSHOT

THE COMEBACK Ashton Bethel-Roman stretches out to collect a 39-yard touchdown pass from Marcel Reed in the Aggies’ 28-point comeback win over South Carolina. The Aggies went into the locker room at halftime down 30-3, and would battle back to beat the Gamecocks 31-30 to remain undefeated. Photo by Rob Havens ‘88

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SNAPSHOT

HEART OF A CHAMPION EJ Smith IV breaks through the middle of the Longhorn defensive line en route to a touchdown! The transfer from Stanford came to A&M, knowing we already had a talented stable of running backs. Undeterred, he continued to work hard and contribute to the Aggies’ 11-1 regular season campaign, including rushing for the game-winning touchdown in the South Carolina comeback victory. Photo by Rob Havens ‘88

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VOLLEYBALL Our volleyball team has had a stellar season so far, earning a 23-4 overall record with a 14-1 conference record. The highlight of the season was a five-set victory over #2 Texas at Reed Arena.

CROSS COUNTRY The women’s team punched its ticket to the NCAA Championships with a team title at the South Central Regional for only the second time in program history.

They would place 31st at nationals to wrap up the 2025 season.

SWIMMING

ROB HAVENS ‘88

The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams defeated the TCU Horned Frogs in the Aggies’ home opener. Both teams beat SMU in Dallas, and the women’s team defeated U of H in Houston.

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HARRIS EQUESTRIAN The Aggies were 3-3 in the fall with a 1-2 record in the SEC. The Aggies’ best result was a victory over #3 Auburn in Aggieland.

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MEN’S BASKETBALL The team got off to a nice start, going 5-2 under the direction of new men’s coach Bucky McMillan. In the team’s sixth game against Manhattan, the team knocked down a program-best of 18 3-pointers to win 109-68.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

ROB HAVENS ‘88

Joni Taylor’s squad started the season 4-0, including an impressive win over the Kansas State Wildcats in Manhattan, KS. League play begins January 1st vs Oklahoma.

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COACH TRISHA

FORD

Q&A SOFTBALL PREVIEW

YOU PLAYED ULM ON FRIDAY TO OPEN UP THE FALL SLATE. WHAT DID YOU SEE, AND WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM THE NEW SQUAD? We had a little bit of a slow start, but I thought we came through, nicely played ten innings, we’ll kind of play ten innings as we go forward. We have a lot of new faces, a lot of new people in positions. Coach Harger reminded me that we just have Kennedy Powell, “KP,” playing third base, and pretty much everyone else is playing a new position. Frankie is playing right field, or she started in right field, and she played there last year quite a bit. Other than that, we’re gonna have a lot of new bodies in new places, so it’s the first year we won’t put Koko Wooley at shortstop or Emiley Kennedy on the hump.

Pitching-wise we did fine, obviously have some things to work on about the season and this team.

FOR YOU AND THE PLAYERS COMING BACK, HOW HAVE YOU HANDLED MOVING FORWARD? DO YOU TALK ABOUT THE WAY LAST YEAR WENT? DO YOU USE IT AS AN INCENTIVE? WHAT ABOUT MOVING FORWARD? Being straight up, I will probably never forget that feeling for the rest of my coaching career. But I am always someone who faces things straight on. We talk about it a lot. We have to learn from it. I hope to never have to go through that again. But we have to learn from it and move forward and grow from it.

That will be something that hopefully helps us to propel forward this year and for years to come. That’s always going to be a part of our history, and we have to kind of own it and move forward.

YOU SIGNED A HIGHLY REGARDED TRANSFER CLASS. WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN FROM THOSE FIVE, ESPECIALLY? Yeah, I mean, just athletic. You know, you have Paislie, who came in, who’s played middle infield her whole life, she’s just started in left field, and very unselfish, I would say, would be the two key components of this whole recruiting class. Tallen Edwards has been a gold glover at third base; she started at second base. Micaela Wark, another one that came in who’s obviously been a stable at Okie State, she played some first base for us. And then Taylor Pannell is another one from, she was big for us, we needed another arm and another leftie to be honest with you in the circle.

She’s been great. I think the biggest thing about Taylor is I recruited her for her insides and her mentality on the field, so trying to get her obviously acclimated to Aggieland, which she has loved. But also getting into our other pitchers’ ears on how to handle pressure, and how to handle big situations. If you look at Taylor’s career, her freshman year, she didn’t kind of have things figured out. Not until really after her sophomore year did she become kind of nails in the circle, so its something I really lean hard on her to bring to the table. But they’ve been a fun group. Lots of energy.

Paislie is probably the quietest of the group, but she’s got that dry humor; she’s really fit in nicely and is starting to swing the bat really well for a little thing. I’ve been teasing her with some offensive things. But she’s doing a great job and obviously played middle infield her whole life, so she moved out to the outfield, and we’re still trying to figure things out. We just have a lot of moving parts right now. Which we should be.

I think Mya is everything that I thought she was going to be, and I hope more, but she understands her swing, she’s more comfortable in her skin, and that’s probably the best way I can put it. She understands which pitches to attack and how to attack them. If she has a bad game, she doesn’t get super low, she understands kind of the business part of it, the professionalism, so Friday, she had a rough game. I’m pretty sure she’s watched the film and already texted Coach Harger and talked through some things, but she just understands what it takes to be a high-level hitter at this level. She’s just a super, super kid. I’m excited about her and Wark; I think they are going to be a really good one-two punch.

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ROB HAVENS ‘88

HOW HAVE YOU SEEN MYA’S CONFIDENCE CONTINUE TO GROW AT THE PLATE?

Q&A BASEBALL PREVIEW

COACH MICHAEL

EARLEY

WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN FROM WITHIN THE PROGRAM THAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT THE UPCOMING SEASON? I think the biggest thing is just that we have a lot of really good players returning, and we were able to pick up some good players out of the portal. I just like the group of guys, their character, and their makeup. We had a really tough fall, and it just excites me that their overall work ethic and talent level are really good, and when you put those two things together, you can have a really good team.

WHAT KIND OF DIFFERENCE HAS CLIFF PINNINGTON MADE SINCE JOINING THE STAFF LAST SUMMER? He made a massive difference. He’s a really, really good baseball coach. A better person. He fits our mentality, too. This is a family program. We want everyone to feel like they are a part of something, especially in an era where things are more transactional over transformational so he fits that part of it, but he’s an extremely intelligent baseball mind and he’s really really helped improve. I think obviously we gotta play the games, but we’ve really improved how we do our infield defense on a day to day and our base running. With that, he’s helped take a lot of things off my plate, so I can focus on the things I need to focus on to help make the team better. So he’s just been a massive addition, as big an addition as any single player was this offseason.

OBVIOUSLY, THERE ARE A COUPLE OF MONTHS BEFORE THE FIRST GAME, BUT IF YOU HAD TO PENCIL IN A LINEUP TODAY, WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE? Ah, come on, man! (laughs) I don’t know, I’ll tell you right now I don’t know. That’s that coach speak. I’ll tell you this, Grahovic, Sorrell, and Hacopian are going to be in there somewhere, and we will figure the rest out. I feel good about not knowing, especially in the infield. I know we got the guys, I just don’t know where to put ‘em yet. Which I’m not supposed to know where to put them yet, I have until February 13th to figure that out.

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST THING YOU LEARNED FROM LAST SEASON THAT’S GONNA HELP YOU THIS SEASON? I just think everything, everything you do for the first time. I can’t pinpoint one thing specifically. I think what I learned is that I love doing this. It’s never easy but even when it’s hard, it’s something I truly enjoy and enjoy the challenge and still love players. I learned everything I could possibly imagine about how the season went, the swings in emotion, the ups and downs. I think for me, personally, and this program, it’s going to prove to be a really good thing. I got about five years of experience in one single year. So I’d say the biggest thing I learned is a lot of everything, to be honest with you. Now that you’ve been through it, you look back and reflect, man, that was painful, don’t get me wrong, I would change it in a heartbeat, but it was really beneficial.

ROB HAVENS ‘88

WHAT DOES PITCHING ROTATION LOOK LIKE? It’s a lot of competition. I mean, we feel like with Sdao and Moss, we are going to have two of the best starters in the country and a lot of depth on that front. Figuring out Caden McCoy, Freshcorn, Aiden Sims, guys like that, maybe they fit that Sunday role or Friday and Saturday. Sdao and Moss are going to be the guys, but they are still going to have to earn it in the spring, and I think they will, but we have some other guys that I’m excited about. Josh Stewart coming back. Cole Hubert is a freshman, I think he’s got a chance to have some sort of role. Ethan Darden from Clemson, MJ Bollinger, we just don’t know where they fit yet. They had decent falls, I think they have to improve a little bit, but we feel like we have the top two, top starters you need to compete, and we’ll have to figure out the rest. Getting Castro back will be big for us.

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GOODBYE, MISS REV...

THE 12TH MAN ASSEMBLES TO REMEMBER REVEILLE IX

BY ROB HAVENS ‘88

ROB HAVENS ‘88

On October 10, 2025, the Aggie family assembled on the Simpson Drill Field to bid farewell to the “First Lady of Aggieland,” Miss Reveille IX. The Aggie Corps of Cadets lined up in formation, and the Aggie Band played the Spirit of Aggieland as the 12th Man united in song and gave its respects to the former official mascot of Texas A&M University. She served as mascot from May 2015 to April 2021 before retiring and serving the remainder of her life at the Stevenson Companion Animal Life-Care Center. Miss Reveille IX served as an unrelenting living symbol of the Aggie spirit, both on campus and into her retirement. After the service, she was laid to rest just north of Kyle Field in the Reveille Memorial, alongside the previous eight Reveilles.

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2025

FOOTBALL REWIND

BY ROB HAVENS ‘88

GAME 7 TEXAS A&M 45 - ARKANSAS 42

PHOTOS COURTESY OF AGGIE ATHLETICS

A rainstorm delayed the beginning of this game, and it was significant as the Hogs were traversing through a storm of their own after firing Sam Pittman and naming former A&M offensive Coordinator Bobby Petrino as interim coach. Arkansas had plenty of offense, and Bobby wanted nothing more than to beat his former team that had handcuffed his ability to run his offense under Jimbo Fisher. The Aggies jumped out to an early 21-6 lead as Reed completed touchdown passes to Bethel-Roman and Boerkircher while adding a rushing TD of his own. But the Hogs battled back to get within one at the break. The Aggies increased the lead to eleven thanks to KC Concepcion’s 17-yard touchdown recepcion and a 29-yard field goal by Bond. Taylen Green willed the Hogs to stay in the game by rushing for one TD and passing for two in the second half. Ruben Owens II would rush for two touchdowns in the second half, and the Aggies would prevail 45-42. It was the thirteenth time for the Aggies to beat the Hogs since joining the SEC.

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GAME 8 TEXAS A&M 49 - LSU 25

ROB HAVENS ‘88

This is a game that the Aggie fans who attended will remember for years to come. The team entered a sold-out and intimidating Death Valley on a Saturday night and ended the game with a few thousand Aggies in the back of the endzone, sawing ‘em off to the echo of an empty stadium. Not only did the Aggies dominate the second half, but they sent the school into chaos, forcing the firing of its head coach and athletic director. No one comes into Tiger Stadium on a Saturday night and dominates LSU, but the Aggies did.

Trailing 14-18 going into the third quarter, Marcel started the scoring with a five-yard touchdown scramble that gave the Aggies the lead. Less than two minutes later, LSU punted to KC Concepcion, who weaved his way through the Tiger defense, racing across the field for a 79-yard touchdown. The Ags would extend the lead when Reed found Morrow for a 24-yard score of his own. In the fourth quarter, Boerkircher would bust his way through the Tiger D for a one-yard score, and Morrow would send the last fans to the exits with an eleven-yard touchdown run. The Tigers would score a meaningless touchdown with a minute to play as our fans mockingly applauded their efforts.

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ROB HAVENS ‘88

GAME 9 TEXAS A&M 38 - MISSOURI 17

ROB HAVENS ‘88

The Aggies dominated the Tigers in ‘24 as they expected to face Marcel Reed, but Conner Weigman returned as the starter and lit up Missouri in a 41-10 rout. They were ready for some payback, but instead, they got the Marcel Reed they expected last year. He threw for 20/29 for 221 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-17 victory over the #19 Tigers in Columbia. Reuben Owens II rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns, while KC Concepcion piled up 84 yards through the air, including the play of the day, a 48-yard touchdown recepcion. Not to be outdone, Mario Craver had six receptions for 59 yards and 17 yards rushing. The Aggie defense, led by linebacker Daymion Sanford, held the Tigers to only 284 yards of offense. He also forced a fumble, which Dalton Brooks recovered and raced to the two-yard line. EJ Smith IV would punch it in from there to extend the Aggie lead. The special teams play of the game came from Brooks as well, as he took a direct snap in punt formation, came around the end, and raced the length of the field for a huge gain. Cashius Howell recorded five tackles in the game, including a strip sack that gave him 10.5 sacks so far this year.

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GAME 10 SOUTH CAROLINA 30 - TEXAS A&M 31

ROB HAVENS ‘88

A historic game in program history began simply enough as the teams traded field goals to begin the game. Then LaNorris Sellers completed a 50yard touchdown pass to give S Carolina the lead. They would extend their advantage to close out the quarter with a sack fumble scoop and score that silenced the sold-out crowd. With less than two minutes left in the half, the Aggies looked to get back in the game, but an interception in the end zone followed by an 80-yard catch and run touchdown resulted in a 27-3 score.

USC would intercept another Reed pass and hit one more field goal for a 30-3 lead at the break. The Aggies would fight back as Reed completed a 27yard TD pass to Isaiah Williams (first career touchdown), a 39-yard TD pass to Bethel-Roman, and a 14-yard TD pass to Nate Boerkircher to make the score 30-24 with two minutes left in the third. EJ Smith IV would score the winning touchdown from four yards out to give the Ags a 31-30 advantage.

Looking to extend their lead, the Aggies failed on a trick play that resulted in a turnover. The defense would once again stop the Gamecocks, holding them to zero points in the half, and the Aggies would win 31-30 marking a historic comeback for Texas A&M!

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GAME 11 SAMFORD 0 - TEXAS A&M 48

ROB HAVENS ‘88

The #3 Aggies faced their final non-conference foe when the Samford Bulldogs came to town. Elko and the staff had a couple of goals. Get the starters a little work and get everyone else some live game reps, while keeping everyone healthy. That is exactly what happened as the starters hung 28 points on the Dogs in the first twenty minutes of the game. Marcel Reed completed two touchdown passes to Bethel-Roman in the first quarter, a 3-yard and a 58-yard bomb. He would also connect with KC Concepcion on a sevenyard touchdown recepcion. Amari Daniels had a big day with a career-high 106 yards on nine carries with his first touchdown of the season. Two-sport athlete Marco Jones (football/baseball) led the defense with seven tackles in the victory. True freshman Tiger Riden Jr scored the first touchdown of his Aggie career, as did senior Preston Landis from Rockwall, Texas. The victory gave the Aggies their first-ever 7-0 undefeated record at home. It was also the first shutout of the Mike Elko era.

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GAME 12 TEXAS A&M 17 - TEXAS 27

ROB HAVENS ‘88

The Aggies headed to Austin riding a historic eleven-game winning streak with a chance to play for an SEC championship. The first quarter was a defensive battle that produced no points for either side. The Horns would connect on a 41-yard field goal to give them the lead with 12:04 left in the half. The Aggies would tie it up when Zirkel hit one from 31 yards out to tie the game at three. The Ags would force a three-and-out, and KC Concepcion would create a spark when he returned the ensuing punt for 30 yards to the Texas 42-yard line. The offense would drive to the eight-yard line, where Concepcion would take a handoff around the end and into the endzone to give the team a 10-3 lead at half. Texas would score the next 17 points before the team finally hit pay dirt again when EJ Smith IV completed a 59-yard drive with a 13-yard touchdown run through the middle of the Texas defense. Arch Manning would extend the lead to ten again with a 35-yard touchdown run up the middle. The Aggies would fight back and drive 57 yards to the Texas 18, but a pass to the goal line would be intercepted, effectively ending the Aggies’ hope for a comeback win.

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EMMITT

ROB HAVENS ‘88

SMITH

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THE 12TH MAN JOHNNY

MANZIEL

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