Jim Schlossnagle is a veteran coach in college baseball, and understands the grind of the SEC season when it comes to getting to Omaha and the College World Series.

Schlossnagle and Texas A&M will take on Oklahoma on Friday at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN.

In the SEC, Schlossnagle said it simply means more to the people, which is the main difference between other programs and conferences. But the depth of quality sets it apart as well.

“The league itself, it literally is, it’s such a gauntlet because of the level of play,” Schlossnagle said from Omaha as the Aggies get set to begin the CWS. “Every single team — Alabama and Kentucky didn’t make the NCAA Tournament. If you would have told me two weeks ago Alabama and Kentucky would be at Omaha, it wouldn’t shock me in the least, not for one second.”

Schlossnagle said he believes every single pitch has so much writing on it, just to win a game, much less a series. The Aggies coach admitted that he’s mentally drained after a three-game conference series

“There’s hall of fame coaches all across that league,” he said. “And so you know you’re not facing somebody that isn’t prepared. Every single one of them is prepared at the highest level. And every single school is committed at the highest level. There’s no step back.”