The Battalion — October 15, 2026 by The Battalion

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INSIDE THIS EDITION

Thursday, October 15, 2026

NEWS: Gov. Greg Abbott speaks to Republican Party of Brazos County

SPORTS: Coaching hires, facility upgrades aims to improve A&M pitching

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PUBLICATION NOTICE

Thursday, October 22, 2026

23 years outfitting Aggieland’s Queen Charlotte Boegner reflects on more than 2 decades handcrafting Reveille’s ceremonial coats By Chasston Garcia Life & Arts Writer Rows of framed portraits depicting Texas A&M’s mascot, Reveille, and her handlers over two decades line the walls of seamstress Charlotte Boegner’s office at A&B Self Storage, Embroidery, and Sales. Surrounded by her legacy, Boegner reflected on 23 years as the woman behind the Queen of Aggieland’s symbolic ceremonial coats. Even before stepping into the role as Reveille’s seamstress, Boegner had spent her life sewing and designing. “I’ve sewn pretty much my whole life and competed in high school,” Boegner said. “And I was an engineering secretary in Houston and was not about to walk into an office with another dress that someone else had.” Boegner undertook the role of Reveille’s seamstress in 2003, creating a coat for retired Reveille VI after being approached by Reveille’s retirement family Dr. Charles Hall ‘54, Reveille’s VI’s veterinarian, and his wife Diana Hall. “When Reveille VI was ill, Diana had seen a Christmas tree skirt I had made in a craft store,” Boegner said. “And her husband, Dr. Charles Hall wanted [Reveille] to have a coat because she was losing her hair because of the liver or kidney disease that she had. And we made her one just out of quilt and fabric.” Boegner has since designed and crafted each ceremonial coat, starting with Reveille VI and spanning all the way to Reveille X, including specialty designs for the Blackout and Red, White and Blue football games, as well as A&M’s 150th anniversary. “There’s 50 of just the standard coat, and then we’ve done a specialty one for probably another 10 or 12 coats,” Boegner said. However, for Boegner, the process of designing Reveille’s traditional maroon ceremonial coat has remained the same, starting with a visit from the Mascot Corporals and Reveille. “Pretty much the first order of business to come is for her to meet us and fit her, and they bring … last year’s coat with them,” Boegner said. “Because, in some cases, they’re not finished in time for things that [Mascot Corporals] have to do, so she already has a coat made.” After getting Reveille’s measurements, Boegner begins the process of sewing a new ceremonial coat. “It takes three or four hours to stitch one side, then it takes another three or four hours to stitch the other side,” Boegner said. After sewing the ceremonial coat, Boegner then hands it to Embroidery Manager Ashley Taylor, who embroiders the coat’s signature designs. “[Boegner] usually marks it off, and then I’ll embroider the first side after doing applique, and then I have to measure,” Taylor said. “Because each Reveille is a different size, and she can also lose or gain weight.” The process of designing the specialty ceremonial coats, however, differs, with the pair working closely with the Mascot Corporals throughout the process. “We have the special ones [Mascot Corporals] come up with,” Taylor said. “They started doing that five, six years ago. The Mascot Corporal will come in and give us ideas. I’ll have it stitched on paper, and then they usually tell [Boegner] if it’s good or not.” Boegner and Taylor further customize the specialty coats with additional details that are embedded into the coat’s lining.

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A&M research develops new treatment for Parkinson’s Nanoflower treatments show early potential in cellular stress reduction, lab organisms By Josh Li News Reporter Texas A&M researchers have developed a novel treatment that protects cells from the toxic buildup linked to Parkinson’s disease, offering a potential new direction after decades of unsuccessful approaches. Parkinson’s, which affects over 8.5 million people worldwide, is caused by faulty, misfolded alpha-synuclein proteins, which accumulate in brain cells and cause the cells to die. Since scientists have historically struggled to find ways to block alpha-synuclein buildups, there is currently no way to slow the progression of Parkinson’s. However, A&M researchers’ new treatment, microscopic structures called nanoflowers that work to combat the accumulation of alpha-synuclein, might be able to change that. “Nanoflower is just a broad term for the shape,” graduate student and lead researcher Charles Mitchell said. “[The] materials form sheets like paper … [which] crumble in on themselves. They form little starbursts, [and] they look kind of like chrysanthemums.” Researchers use nanoflowers because they travel more safely than other small particles, which can damage cells due to their speed and rigidity. “There’s not pieces flying off and damaging other parts of the cell,” Mitchell said. “So they stay pretty contained and biologically active.” Although the nanoflowers form round-

Wesley Kwan - THE BATTALION

Lead researcher Charles Mitchell and research advisor Dmitry Kyrouski, Ph.D., pose in the lab at the Biochemistr/Biophysics Building on Friday, Oct. 9,2026.

ed shapes, the proteins they’re designed to protect against look very different. Misfolded alpha-synucleins gather into needle-like clusters that put significant stress on a cell’s mechanisms. “Alpha-synuclein can directly damage mitochondria … the powerhouse of the cell,” Mitchell said. Once mitochondria are damaged, energy production drops and cells lack the energy needed to survive. This leads to the death of brain cells — which the human body doesn’t replenish. The lab had previously experimented with nanoflowers and researched alpha-synucleins but never thought to combine the two. “I really wanted just to connect those two dots,” Mitchell said. “Let’s take something we’ve already worked on and see if it will

work in a biological setting.” Mitchell and his team first tested the treatment in cell samples and found that nanoflowers protected mitochondria, restored energy production and reduced the level of alpha-synuclein buildup. “All the signs reported to [be] good,” Mitchell said. “So then we decided, ‘Let’s use a disease model.’” A disease model allows researchers to test treatments on living organisms rather than just cells. Mitchell and his team used Caenorhabditis elegans, lab worms, that were modified to carry the same alpha‑sy READ MORE HERE nuclein buildup.

NEWS

10.15.2026

Gov. Abbott urges voter turnout nent, Gina Hinojosa. He addressed several controver-

tacts who have not yet voted.

said that my opponent, Gina Hinojosa, is to the far progressive left of Talarico,” Abbott said. “It’s true. She bragged about being the No. 1 most progressive left house member of the Texas House of Representatives. Let’s see how that shakes out.” Abbott continued his speech by taking credit for the current state of Texas’ economy which grew to $2.9 trillion in 2025 from its former $2.77 trillion in 2024. Abbott told attendees that Hinojosa’s policies serve as a direct threat to the state’s economic success. “Texas does have, by far, the best economy in the United States, and it has been that way during the entirety of my governorship,” Abbott said. “In this election, we face threats. All of the success would be pushed aside if the policies that Gina Hinojosa has voted for come true.” Throughout Abbott’s tenure, Texas became the nation’s leader for jobs added, with approximately 159,400 positions opened in 2025. Furthermore, Texas exports totalled almost $4.6 billion in June 2026, a 3.8% increase from the previous year. Abbott addressed that each of these feats are at stake if Hinojosa’s policies are implemented. Additionally in his speech, Abbott introduced his app, Abbott Impact, which allows users to sync their phone contacts with a voter database to identify con-

be. They’re going to trust you more than somebody who’s running for office. You’re gonna have more power to actually turn out more votes yourself by using that app.” Republican Party of Brazos County Precinct Chair Michael Hojnacki said he was already using Abbott Impact even before the event. A feature on the app allows users to send campaign postcards to people in their contacts at no cost, a feature that Hojnacki said he uses to reach future voters. “I downloaded [the app] a couple weeks ago, and it just really didn’t click as to what it did until I started monkeying around with it,” Hojnacki said. “If I want to send a postcard to a weak Republican, I can send that to him. Or if I got a swing voter that I think I might be able to turn, I’ll reach out to them.” Throughout his speech, Abbott’s main message centered around the importance of voting in the upcoming election. He emphasized that each individual voter has a role to play in winning the election. “This is not rocket science, this is common sense,” Abbott said. “Common sense is going to prevail. However, let me go back to where I began, and that is winning this election. This election is not won by speeches. It’s not won about TV ads or yard signs. This election is won by folks. Votes are what we need.”

Abbott speaks to Republican Party of sial issues including immigration, the gender transition “You are known and trusted by these people in your of minors, defunding the police and voter ID laws. contact list,” Abbott said. “You’re their family memBrazos County ahead of midterm election “By looking at the voting record, the experts have ber, a friend, a neighbor, coworker, whatever they may By Jolie Jackson News Reporter Gov. Greg Abbott paid a visit to the Republican Party of Brazos County’s Barbecue Dinner and Celebration as a keynote speaker on Oct. 7 at Tonkaway Ranch in College Station. In his keynote address, Abbott expressed the need for voter turnout for the upcoming election, stating that a historically red county doesn’t ensure a conservative ballot. “Just because you know Brazos County is red doesn’t mean that we can take for granted that everybody is going to turn out to vote,” Abbott said in his speech. “What we all have is a responsibility over the next month to ensure we get every voter in Brazos County to go out and cast their votes.” The crowd exceeded 180 guests, with attendees hearing from more than just the acting governor. Guests also heard from speakers such as Texas Senator Charles Schwertner, Texas Rep. Paul Dyson and Brazos County Republican Party County Chair Russ Ford who all shared Abbott’s sentiments. Abbott began the keynote by speaking on his oppo-

NEWS

10.15.2026

Meeting Texans in ‘the radical middle’ Why Caitlin Rourk believes she can be first Democrat to win TX-10 in over 2 decades By Ian Curtis Senior Enterprise Reporter Editor’s note: In the Spring, The Battalion profiled Chris Gober, Caitlin Rourk’s opponent for Texas’ 10th Congressional District. That profile can be found at thebatt.com. Caitlin Rourk is running for Congress in a district that hasn’t elected a Democrat in over two decades, and she’s not blind to that reality. But in a bid to replace Republican Rep. Michael McCaul — the only person to represent Texas’ 10th Congressional District since 2005 and who is not seeking reelection — Rourk believes in the power of what she calls the “radical middle.”

“There’s a point where I think we have to get back to the fundamentals of what we believe in this country,” Rourk said. “I love the middle. I love the gray area. I love that place where you can find common ground. It’s really very gratifying.” The race to replace McCaul pits Republican lawyer Chris Gober — who serves as chief lawyer for Elon Musk’s America PAC — against Rourk, who said that her main goal would be to bring a sense of servant leadership back to a Congress that she says many voters feel is “dead.” “People would just say, ‘Well, you just can’t win, you can’t beat the Republicans,’” Rourk said. “ … And I’m like, ‘Well, of course not, because you’re not meeting those people where they are. You’re not listening. You’re not treating them with compassion. You’re not showing up in the way that you need to go earn votes and maybe convince them that civil service is not dead and that you can have public servants who can go to Congress and try to fix things.’” Path to politics Growing up in Northern Virginia, mere minutes outside of Washington, D.C., Rourk was surrounded by people who made a career out of public service. Her high school classmates’ parents were in the military, members of the foreign service and congressional staffers, which further provided a clear and everpresent inspiration for her, she said. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, these are just like the greatest public servants, they’re the best of America.’” Rourk said. “They’re in Washington, D.C., doing all these cool things, and I was naive about a lot of things, but I recognized that early.” That early enthusiasm for public service has persisted throughout Rourk’s life, and it’s led her to a congressional campaign of her own. “I’d see the monuments and I’d see the Capitol and I think, ‘Wow, those are the best of America,’” Rourk said. “Those are the people that go and they d o

extraordinary things and work hard for us, and represent the people that they were sent here from wherever in the country to represent. And I really believe we can get back to that.” After the 9/11 terrorist attacks — something she remembers vividly, growing up not too far from the Pentagon — Rourk intended to pursue a career in the military but was unable to enlist due to medical restrictions. It was only after attending the University of Chicago and working in public policy for several that Rourk finally found her way into the military as a staff officer working for the Texas Army National Guard and as part of the Army Reserve. Throughout her years of service, Rourk played an administrative role in multiple operations near the Mexican border, among other initiatives. She said that experience serving her country, and what she called the performative politicization of issues she witnessed firsthand, prompted her to decide to run for Congress. “I got really frustrated because I’m looking and I’m thinking, ‘God, this has become so performative on both sides,’” Rourk said. “And compromise is a dirty word. We have real problems. In my case, I [was] looking at [national] guardsmen who have been down on the border for … over 1,000 days, and I’m watching these big issues that we just don’t have the political will and the courage to contend with.” The ‘radical middle’ Rourk said her goal is to fix the common issues like affordability and a frustration with the nation’s leadership that she’s seen with constituents from “a downtown Austin skyscraper” to “a student at [Texas] A&M or Sam Houston” to “a rancher in East Texas or a timber landowner in Polk County.” “The thing that has become really clear to me is most people are just so distrustful of Congress, and they feel totally unrepresented,” Rourk said. “They feel their vote doesn’t matter. They feel the system doesn’t account for their needs.” Rourk pointed out areas — such as border security, where she critiqued both the Biden and Trump administrations’ approaches and expressed a desire to pass comprehensive immigration reform — where she tends to stand out from the national Democratic Party. “I think the Democratic Party has put a lot of candidates and a lot of elected officials into a box,” Rourk said. “They backed us into a corner and said, ‘Border security is a bad word.’ And I’m like, ‘I don’t believe that.’” In a candidate Q&A with Community Impact, Rourke said that a goal of hers in Congress would be to ensure that “any use of military force has a clear strategy for success.”

“I think there’s value for us as American citizens to go talk to everybody,” Rourk said. “ … We were just trying to have conversations with people and understand what was on their mind. What was that thing that’s keeping them up at night? ‘If Donald Trump was on your doorstep right now, what would you tell him? [If] the leader of the Democrats was on your doorstep right now, what would you tell him?’” Rourk says that reaching out to Republican voters and independents is a statistical necessity in TX-10. “The only way I win is the strategy that I just outlined, which is going and earning votes and earning trust,” Rourk said. “And I can’t just rely on the Democrats to keep fueling me because this isn’t a majorityDemocrat seat, right? Having that spirit of being driven by the people of this district, regardless of the letter and political party they typically affiliate with, it feels like a gift as a public servant, because I’m not going to be constrained by a lot of those things that I think people in both parties typically are.” Connecting with Aggies One way Rourk has been able to connect with voters across the district, she said, is through a method known as deep canvassing. Developed in the 2000s, deep canvassing is a method of developing rapport with voters that intends to go beyond surfacelevel conversations. Voter database and web service provider NGP VAN — which works closely with the Democratic Party — describes it as focusing on openended questions designed to foster greater connection with voters who may not be as open to conversations with certain candidates. Part of Rourk’s focus and use of deep canvassing has utilized college students — many of whom are Aggies — as campaign volunteers through a fellowship program that she hopes will give younger generations more of a say in their future through the program. “Having young people do that, college students and high school students, not only were people willing to listen and engage with them, but I would always tell them, ‘You have the most at stake in all of this,’” Rourk said. “I have a [5-year-old] and a 7-year-old. They have a lot at stake too, but you guys can vote.” Rourk also said that she would work with McCaul and his staff in order to continue the close relationship A&M has had with his office. But another goal of hers is to be an approachable presence for students and members of the Aggie community, she said, in the vein of the late Rep. Gerry Connally. “At A&M in particular, I’d be really excited to figure out how to create more of a council or a better way for students to feel like they actually had a line to me and my team beyond just the more formal structure, which we need to maintain and protect,” Rourk said.

10.15.2026

OPINION

Opinion: Battered Aggie Syndrome is a disease Fair-weather fans aren’t needed in the Brazos Valley humidity By Marie Kneeland Opinion Writer One of the best parts of being an Aggie is arriving at Kyle Field every Saturday during the fall semester to watch a football game. Last season was one for the history books, with the Aggies going 11-2. But, if you’ve been watching our football team these last few weeks, you’ve probably experienced one of the downsides of Aggie football — specifically, Battered Aggie Syndrome. When we lose a football game, or many, the Texas A&M fans start to get a little beat down. There are some groans. Some muttered comments. And then everyone takes to social media. After the Aggies’ 31-21 upset loss to the Kentucky Wildcats on Sept. 19, you would have seen some fans who were … more than battered. They were angry. Here are a few posts I saw on Yik Yak in passing that weekend: “No, it’s fine, Marcel [Reed]. I love roasting on the third deck so you can throw like you’re playing for the school of the blind and deaf.” “When I die, I hope the Aggie team shows up to my funeral and handles my casket so they can let me down one last time.” “BREAKING! Scientists have reported that Helen Keller is not dead but is alive and hiding on the Aggie football team wearing #10.” Suddenly, everyone is tearing up their Reed jerseys, posting hate on the internet and proudly proclaiming that they are going to pass on the next game. “Let’s just go home,” one user posted. A&M’s 35-6 loss to LSU brought more

of the same. Yik Yaks telling Reed to “get a job at Subway,” “attend a career fair” and “to work on his education since he has no hope for the NFL” multiplied until there was little else online. Former A&M quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel chimed in as well. “Better do some soul searching or you’re going to be the bitch of the [Southeastern Conference] this year boys,” he posted on X. I, for one, am thankful that my family doesn’t support me the same way that Aggies have been supporting our team this season. Can you imagine? “Mom, I failed that test.” “You what?” “It was difficult, and I wasn’t at my peak form — ” “That’s it. Get out of my house. You’ll never make it through college.” Then that one cool uncle who everybody

is fond of calls me “the bitch of the SEC.” So much for familial support. And who’s to say this isn’t how our Aggie football team feels? Playing for A&M should come with a guarantee that Kyle Field will be full of Aggies who will support you and cheer you on, no matter how well you play. Instead, they get negative posts calling them blind and students walking out after halftime. What happened to the Aggie Spirit? I’ll never forget the story of how the 12th Man was born. It was January 1922, and A&M was playing in the Dixie Classic. But the Aggies were losing … badly. Players kept succumbing to injury until we were down to just 11. As Aggies, however, we wouldn’t forfeit. Instead, the coach asked former student E. King Gill to exit the stands, take an injured player’s uniform and stand at the ready. Thankfully, the football team’s luck turned and the Aggies won. Gill, however,

never entered the game. When asked if he wished he’d been able to play, Gill only said: “I simply stood by in case my team needed me.” The reason Aggies stand through the games is not simply to boast our victories. It’s a show of loyalty, a declaration that we are ready if the team needs us, win or lose. Not all Aggies hopped on this hate train, of course. I saw plenty of “still my team” across my feed. And one person posted something that made me pause my daily doomscroll: “Okay, hear me out. I feel bad for [Reed] … he’s not the one who hyped himself up, that was all us.” There is another conversation here, tucked beneath the maroon and white of Aggieland, which applies to football fans as a whole: Is any criticism justified when the commentators themselves could not throw a football three feet? I hesitate to include long paragraphs of quotation, but the late President Theodore Roosevelt put this argument better than I ever could in his speech to the Sorbonne. “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena … who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds … and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” If I know anything, it’s that Aggies can never be classified as having cold and timid souls. That Aggie Spirit is what makes A&M one of the greatest universities in the nation. Marie Kneeland is an English honors sophomore and an opinion writer for The Battalion.

Illustration by Susana Lazcano — THE BATTALION

Illustration by Josie Six — THE BATTALION

Satire: Interviewing the bugs infesting my house These freeloading insects have got to go somewhere else By Thea Findlay Opinion Columnist It’s October again, and my unwanted ghost tenants have yet to move out, but I’ve heard rumors they’re starting to pack their bags. Recently, I was in the midst of a cat-andmouse chase with a cockroach. Casually sitting upside down on my ceiling, it was easily the third one I had seen in that exact spot yesterday, right next to the attic. I frantically ran to grab the broom, slapped it down and stomped on its tiny body with my roommate’s flip-flop — why would I dirty my own? That’s gross. One eye was on my target, yet a sliver of fear crept up into my consciousness, and mistakenly, I brushed the cockroach off into the abyss behind the pantry. Gone, but never forgotten, because that little thing was now scampering in our chip bags and sweet treats sitting atop the refrigerator. It wasn’t until after this saga that I had an encounter with a moth named Molly who I kindly caught in a towel and cup to release outside, when I was informed of my prejudices.

“You just don’t get it,” Molly said. “Humans think they’re the only ones struggling with the heat, but y’all got running water and A/C in there. It just makes sense that we’d want to move in.” Luckily, thanks to my newfound source, I got to sit down with a few of these folks — bugs — and talk to them about their move into my house and their plans for the future. “We’re gregarious insects, you know, we live in groups,” Calypso the cockroach said. “I was sent out on the mission to find food and water, and when I was able to wiggle my way through the cracked window screen, I found a whole room upstairs with nothing but some boxes of decorations. So when I brought back the news, we started packing up real quickly. We don’t have movers, so even the babies had to carry what few things they had on their backs.” When I asked Calypso his thoughts on paying rent, he told me that the interview was over and asked me to close the attic ladder on my way out. With an abrupt end to the conversation, I pondered the rudeness and began to research Texas squatter laws. Who cares that they are dying out in the yard? They belong outside. After days of being iced out from the attic, I saw Calypso in the same spot of his near murder. He simply pointed me across the room toward the very cushion where an army of ants had tormented us last year. In a line beginning at the wall and travelling to our

trash can, these ants were taking our brown sugar and biting us in the process. In an act of protection, ant bait was set up awaiting an unlucky soul to carry the poison back to the colony. “Look, I get it,” Anthony the ant said. “Maybe we got a little bite-crazy last year, but think of it as a taste of the Halloween season, like tiny vampires. Oh boy, after those traps y’all set up though, I’ll say they almost collapsed our colony when Annie brought back that wretched poison.” I asked him about any plans to move out, since one would think that setting up literal poison to kill them was reason enough to leave. “No,” Anthony said. “Despite recent setbacks we’ve had in numbers, y’all did just restock the giant bag of sugar kept up in the cabinets, so we’ll be sticking around for the food, for sure. Actually, I think there’s a team chewing through the plastic bag to get to it as we speak. Y’all tried hard to keep us out, I’ll give you that.” While the ants had a more optimistic outlook on their stay in my house than the cockroaches and moths did, I broached the question of rent. Anthony declined to respond, citing “Calypso” and nothing more. The bugs were freeloading off me at this point. I was absolutely fed up with such disrespectful behavior because I will not be tormented by six-legged monsters in the corner of my room. Apparently, I was providing food, water and a roof over their

heads, and the thanks I got was nightmares. Hello, has anyone heard about the rising cost of living? Candidly, I was even scared at times to get in bed at night because they could be lurking in my sheets like freaks. I refused to stand for this and decided to put a pause on any journalistic ethics I was taught and harass these creatures until they answered me about chipping in a little bit of the rent. “It’s just not in the budget,” Calypso said. “Look, we don’t usually pay rent outside, so what makes you think we’re gonna do it here? You better figure out how to live with us because we were thinking about staying for the holidays. The Christmas tree decorations y’all have up here are cute, and we’ve never gotten into the spirit like that out in the yard.” Obviously, after hearing about their love for Christmas, it was an easy decision to buy Raid spray to instantly kill any bugs we see. Bye bye, bugs! Never let a bug talk down to you. In fact, if a talking moth ever comes up to you, just ignore it. No matter what lives they have in complex ecosystems, looking for a single ounce of kindness to survive the agonizing, extreme Texas weather, ignore it. You run this house, not them, so don’t let anyone forget the power you wield. Thea Findlay is a communication senior and opinion columnist for The Battalion.

SPORTS

10.15.2026

Crossing bylines: The Citadel Previewing Aggies’ matchup against Bulldogs with The Post and Courier’s Andrew Miller By Ian Curtis Senior Enterprise Reporter

Steve Carrasco IV — THE BATTALION

Rocio Salgado — THE BATTALION

Zachary Ford — THE BATTALION

Clockwise from top: Quarterback Marcel Reed (10) scrambles away from Arkansas defensive back Christian Harrison (1) during Texas A&M football’s game against Arkansas at Kyle Field on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. Wide Receiver Isaiah Horton (7) signals a first down during Texas A&M’s game against Arkansas at Kyle Field on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. Defensive end T.J. Searcy (18) chases down Arkansas’ quarterback KJ Jackson (7) during Texas A&M’s game against Arkansas at Kyle Field on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026 Running back Carsyn Baker (5) reacts after scoring a touchdown to put the Aggies up 7-0 during Texas A&M football’s game against Arkansas at Kyle Field on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026.

Aggies changed, expectations should, too NFL departures, new play callers, injuries leave A&M searching for new identity 6 games into 2026 By Elon Jent Sports Writer After Texas A&M football finished the 2025 regular season 11-1 and reached the College Football Playoff, expectations in Aggieland changed. Winning was no longer just something the 12th Man hoped for. The Aggies had shown it could be expected. So when A&M dropped its first two Southeastern Conference matchups to Kentucky and LSU this season, frustration quickly followed. A 34-7 win over Arkansas offered some hope, but a 27-6 loss to No. 14 Missouri sent A&M back to .500 at 3-3 overall and 1-3 in SEC play. Senior quarterback Marcel Reed became an easy target. After leading the Aggies to 11 straight wins to open last season, Reed and the A&M offense haven’t consistently looked like the same group through six games. There is a simple reason for part of that: they aren’t. A&M may still have Reed under center and head coach Mike Elko roaming the sideline, but much of the team that created those expectations is no longer in College Station.

Different faces

Different voices

If the 12th Man needed a reminder of how much talent left Aggieland over the offseason, the NFL provided plenty. Ten Aggies were selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, tying the program record. Five more signed with NFL organizations as undrafted free agents. Wide receiver KC Concepcion left after leading the Aggies in receiving during his lone season in Aggieland. Defensive end Cashius Howell departed after earning SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors. Then there was the offensive line. Four starters from last season’s unit were selected in the NFL Draft, leaving graduate center Mark Nabou Jr. as the lone returning starter up front. That group was a major part of A&M’s success. By the end of the 2025 regular season, the Aggies averaged 454.4 yards and 36.3 points per game while allowing an FBS-low 2.83 tackles for loss per game. That context matters when evaluating Reed. The senior hasn’t played well enough at times this season. Roster turnover does not erase missed throws or an offense struggling to find consistency against Kentucky and LSU, a trend that continued in the loss to Missouri. But quarterbacks don’t play alone. Reed isn’t standing behind the same offensive line or throwing to last season’s leading receiver or veteran tight end. The running back room has changed, too.

Not every important departure heard his name called during the NFL Draft. Former offensive coordinator Collin Klein left College Station following the 2025 season to become Kansas State’s head coach, ending his two-year stint directing A&M’s offense. Kansas State started the Klein era 3-0 before suffering its first loss, 31-26, on the road against then-undefeated Cincinnati. The Wildcats followed that with a 35-16 loss to the Houston Cougars, falling to 3-2 overall and 0-2 in the Big 12 play. Through five games, Klein’s Wildcats are averaging 35.6 points and 444 yards of offense per game. Klein’s move to Kansas State does not mean his departure is responsible for A&M’s offensive struggles. But it does serve as a reminder that the Aggies didn’t only have NFL-caliber talent to replace this offseason. They had to replace the man calling the plays, too. Holmon Wiggins spent the previous two seasons as A&M’s co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach before Elko promoted him to offensive coordinator following Klein’s departure.

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As Texas A&M football prepares to face The Citadel on Saturday, Oct. 17, there has perhaps never been a better time for a getright game against an FCS opponent. With the Aggies sitting at 3-3 with three road games and three games against ranked opponents remaining on their schedule, the 2-4 Bulldogs — though one of those wins came over FBS foe Charlotte — present a valuable opportunity to get things back on track. To figure out what the 12th Man can expect as A&M hosts its fellow Senior Military College for the first time since 2006, I spoke to Andrew Miller, who’s covered sports for Charleston, South Carolina’s, The Post and Courier since 1989. Miller said that inconsistent play and special teams woes have stymied what Bulldog fans hoped would be a successful year. “They felt like this was kind of going to be a breakout year for them, and, unfortunately, it just has not gone the way that they had hoped,” Miller said. “ … They’ve shown kind of bits and pieces of it, flashes of it, where they’ve been really good against Charlotte, they were really good, obviously, against [then-No. 15 South Carolina State], but they haven’t done that on a consistent basis.” For years, The Citadel was known for running a classic flexbone triple-option offense reminiscent of the service academies. But with the NCAA’s adoption of new blocking rules that prohibit cut blocking, or blocking below the waist, outside of the tackle box, the Bulldogs have had to modify their traditional option offense under head coach Maurice Drayton, Miller said. “It’s more based on some of the offenses that Coastal Carolina ran under Jamey Chadwell, who’s now at Liberty,” Miller said. “It’s kind of a hybrid. Sometimes they can line up in the ‘I’ formation. Sometimes they line up in a pistol. Sometimes they line up in a flexbone. They line up in a bunch of different formations. But if The Citadel is playing well and the offense is moving the ball, they’re getting some production in between the tackles.” It’s still a run-heavy attack — senior quarterback Quentin Hays, a pre-season All-Southern Conference First Team selection, leads The Citadel with a mere 402 passing yards and ranks second on the team with 292 rushing yards. Miller said that Hays has split time under center with fifth-year QB Nick Billoups, who has proved to be a clutch performer in both of The Citadel’s wins this season, leading the game-winning drive against South Carolina State. “He has proven that he can be a guy they can count on in those crucial moments,” Miller said. “Again, just neither guy has been consistent enough to kind of take over that QB1 role yet.” Fifth-year running back Gavin Garcia has led the way in the Bulldogs’ backfield, with 579 yards and six scores on the ground this season — when he’s not out hunting sharks, that is, Miller said. “I would call him slippery, that’s how I would describe him,” Miller said. “Really good first step. Has good high-end speed when he makes guys miss. He’s kind of a big home-run hitter.” Miller said that the Bulldogs’ defense has played decently so far this season, but the size advantage that a Power Four offense poses — especially for a military academy with physical recruiting restrictions — will be tough to overcome. However, The Citadel does have the advantage of history on its side: It’s upset FBS teams 10 times since 1978, including the win over Charlotte this year and a victory over Georgia Tech in 2019. “These are such tough matchups for teams like The Citadel because you’re playing bigger, more athletic guys,” Miller said. “Obviously, they went to Ole Miss last year, and they got it handed to them, as we like to say. But I don’t think they’re going to be intimidated by the atmosphere.” And while it’s the Bulldogs making their way to Aggieland this year, Miller did offer a tip for any Aggies who happened to find themselves in Charleston: Get some Southern seafood at Chubby Fish. “Now people are gonna get mad at me because I’m giving you a huge local secret here,” Miller said. “ … It’s a place where you actually can’t make reservations. You gotta go to the restaurant at about 5 [p.m.]. You wait in line to get in. It doesn’t matter who you are, how much money you have or anything. There are about 12 tables in the restaurant itself. It’s by far the best seafood I’ve had here in Charleston.”

SPORTS

10.15.2026

Fresh tools in place to aid Aggie pitching Future looks bright with new coaching hires, players, development center ahead of season By Brody Vaughn Associate Sports Editor At the end of the 2026 season, the future of Texas A&M baseball’s pitching staff looked dim. With a team ERA of 5.24 and a Southeastern Conference-leading .273 opponent batting average, an overhaul was needed. With a new assistant coach, 14 newcomers and a multi-million-dollar upgrade in facilities, the Aggies have a plan in place to flip the script and return to glory, not far removed from a National Championship appearance three years ago. New face The A&M pitching staff seemed poised to make waves after a disappointing 2024 season. Redshirt junior left-handed pitcher Shane Sdao was ready to anchor the staff after returning from Tommy John surgery, and graduate right-handed pitcher Josh Stewart was set to lead the bullpen. Things didn’t go according to plan, however. A combination of injuries and poor play led to the firing of associate head coach Jason Kelly following the 2026 season, and the search for improvement began. Head coach Michael Earley landed on Barry Enright to take charge, a Minor League pitching coordinator and director of pitching for the Athletics. Enright boasts a vast coaching career, including a stint as pitching coach for the Los Angeles Angels. For Enright, the move from professional to college wasn’t on his radar, but a pitch from Earley made the move feel obvious. “I felt like God opened a door,” Enright said. “Mike had a heck of a pitch; [I] believe in him. In my experience with the Angels and whatnot, I was interviewing him as much as he was interviewing me. You got to have the right people in the room and people who want to row the boat the same way.” Enright provides a fresh perspective when it comes to pitching: Take a statistical approach to determine who the best guys to put on the mound are. “I always tell people you get put into three categories,” Enright said. “That’s strikeout percentage, walk percentage and a weak contact category. You got to be able to develop pitches in an arsenal and create misses.” In order to fulfill that strategy, Earley and Enright had to look to the transfer portal to find arms that could succeed in those three categories. Rebuild

The loss of Sdao, Stewart and many more had the Aggies looking far and wide for production. A combination of transfers and freshmen were brought in to help bolster the Aggie rotation. “These kids were awesome in raising the floor,” Enright said. “Getting some good arms in here, add some depth, add some pieces that can really start on Sundays or Tuesdays, there’s a plethora of those guys coming in.” A&M brought in seven transfer arms, headlined by senior RHP Johnny Nuanez from Wichita State and sophomore RHP Wade Cooper from Texas State. Eight freshman pitchers are joining the fold as well, with guys like LHP Chandler Hart and RHP Josh Horvath looking to earn some time on the mound. The sentiment from both coaches and players has been the same: This staff has all the ability to make an impact. “We are talented,” senior RHP Clayton Freshcorn said. “Extremely talented. This is going to be a staff that has a chance to be one of the best, for sure. As long as we handle our business and do what we know we can, we’ll be just fine.” Freshcorn feels especially confident in Enright’s ability to lead this group, praising him for his extensive knowledge of what it takes to be a great pitcher. “For the cases that Barry makes and the way that he can tunnel pitches,” Freshcorn said. “The way that he can pitch call and stuff like that, we have the ability to strike out a lot of people. So, whenever you strike out a lot of people, you win a lot of games.” The factors in attracting the depth of arms to College Station wasn’t just pitches from Enright and Earley, but a new multi-million dollar facility constructed specifically to cater to development. Investment in development The Eric Foss Family Player Development Center, spearheaded by former head coach Jim Schlossnagle, wrapped up construction prior to the start of the 2026 school year. The 28.3-million-dollar project includes new locker rooms, a team clubhouse, a weight room and a fully equipped pitching lab filled with all the tools a player could need to develop. Both players and coaches are impressed with the product, with Freshcorn voicing his praise of some of the technology he never even thought could be used in pitching. “It is the best. It’s incredible,” Freshcorn said. “I mean, it’s almost scary how much technology we have in there. Like, I turned around, and I saw my skeleton on a screen, never seen that before. I don’t know what it even was, but it’s incredible.” The development center isn’t only a tool to strengthen players in-house but also a great pitching point in the recruiting process. Earley was even able to use the unfin-

Photos by CJ Smith — THE BATTALION

Top to bottom: Pitching coach Barry Enright walks from the mound back to the dugout during Texas A&M baseball’s exhibition game against Rice at Olsen Field on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. Left-handed pitcher Cooper Powell (40) prepares to pitch during Texas A&M baseball’s exhibition game against Rice at Olsen Field on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026.

ished version of the center to lure talent to College Station. “We’ve had some really good players in the old barn we used to hit in,” Earley said. “But when you’re recruiting a 16-year-old kid, it does catch your eye. And even with the portal guys, that place is amazing. I mean, the Foss Center is unbelievable.” All the tools are in place to build toward

a better future, and with the right man leading the charge, the sky is the limit. “I think our depth is really good,” Enright said. “I’m wondering — our floor has been raised. I think our ceiling is going to be my question mark. How good do we want to be? How good can we be?”

A&M soccer struggles to find footing in SEC

Spencer Halstead — THE BATTALION

Goalkeeper Makenna August (1) takes a goalkick during Texas A&M soccer’s game against Florida at Ellis Field on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026.

Defensive lapses, missed opportunities leave Aggies winless in conference play By Gracie Streetman Sports Writer With a 4-9 overall record and a 0-6 start to Southeastern Conference play, Texas A&M soccer is still searching for its

first SEC victory. Through six conference matchups, the Aggies have been outscored 18-6, conceding an average of three goals per game. Despite flashes of competitiveness, A&M has struggled to sustain a strong performance for a full 90 minutes. In its match against Florida on Sept. 27, the steady performance came too late. The Maroon and White allowed four first-half goals after struggling against the Gators’ pressure and aggressiveness. Against the Georgia Bulldogs, the Aggies started strong but lost their 1-0 halftime lead after conceding twice in just three minutes. A similar

pattern emerged against Mississippi State, where an improved second-half performance could not overcome a two-goal halftime deficit. “We need players that are going to fight and be aggressive and know what it means to play in this program and know what the standards need to be every single time we’re on the field,” head coach Bobby Shuttleworth said. “It can’t be that we’re really good one game and we’re doing all those things and then the next game it’s not that. That’s not what this program is, and hasn’t been in the past, and not what it’s going to be in the future.” Those inconsistencies have extended to the offensive end, where missed opportunities have made overcoming defensive mistakes even more difficult. Against Georgia, A&M recorded 11 second-half shots but failed to find the back of the net. A&M faced similar frustration against Mississippi State, outshooting the Bulldogs 15-11 overall and 11-2 in the second half but converting just one opportunity into a goal. Across all six matches, A&M took 78 shots, including 31 on frame, but scored just six times. While those struggles have kept A&M out of the win column, the team’s youth offers both an explanation for its inconsistencies and a reason for optimism. Freshman forward Ireland Churchill has emerged as one of the Aggies’ brightest spots. The 17-year-old Eastvale, California native scored twice against Kentucky and assisted sophomore defender Lucy Landherr’s first career goal against Mississippi State. She is also the only freshman to have started every match this season. Churchill’s aggressive style of play has made her a difficult matchup for opposing defenders. Against Mississippi State, repeated fouls against the freshman culminated in a red card for fifth-year D Ashley Tutas, marking the fifth foul against Churchill. Shuttleworth praised Churchill’s physicality and willingness to battle for pos-

session, identifying her aggressive approach as something the rest of the team needs to embrace. “It seems like every game she’s getting six, seven fouls against her, so I think she put herself in good spots,” Shuttleworth said. “We need more people that are going to fight, try to be physical, use their arms and be aggressive.” Senior F Taylor Jernigan returned to the pitch against Alabama after suffering a season-ending injury in 2025. The senior’s return brought much-needed experience back to the young team. With 11 freshmen on the roster this season, adjusting to the speed and physicality of conference competition comes with experience. In its first SEC match against Kentucky, A&M had seven freshmen starting on the pitch, compared to Kentucky’s three. “You can see from our game in Kentucky that there were some nerves going into that game,” Shuttleworth said. “I think our team continues to grow, and we have. We started seven freshmen, so they’ve never experienced SEC soccer before. Now they have, and they’ll be better for those experiences. We just have to continue to grow and stay united within our group and keep doing the things that we know put us in positions to be successful.” Jernigan, who has witnessed the team’s struggles from both the sidelines and the field, believes the Aggies have the potential to compete if they can sustain their strongest performances. “There’s been so many moments in games where you can see the real potential shining through,” Jernigan said. “If we can really just attack, and we use that for a full 90 minutes, I think we would be better off.” With four regular-season matches remaining and only 12 teams eligible for the SEC tournament, A&M has limited opportunities to translate its improvement into victories. The Aggies’ next chance comes against South Carolina on Thursday, Oct. 15, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. at Ellis Field.

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