February 19, 2004
No. 21 Texas A&M will host South Alabama in a three-game series this weekend at Olsen Field. Game times are set for 3 p.m., 3 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively.
The Aggies enter the series with a record of 4-0 after a 15-1 thrashing of Sam Houston on Tuesday, and a three-game sweep of Texas A&M - Corpus Christi last weekend.
This weekend will mark the first three games of the season for the Jaguars. Last season South Alabama was defeated in their regional championship game by Florida State and finished the season with a record of 42-19 and a No. 26 national ranking.
LISTEN TO AGGIE BASEBALL ON THE RADIO
Fans who are unable to attend Texas A&M baseball games can listen to all the action live on AM-1620 WTAW. Airtime for all games will be 15 minutes prior to first pitch.
The baseball broadcasting team features legendary broadcaster and "The Voice of the Aggies" Dave South. Joining Dave in the botth will be WTAW sports director Tom Turbiville, baseball media relations director Chuck Glenewinkel and frequent contributor to A&M sports broadcasts Will Johnson.
WATCH AGGIE BASEBALL ON THE WEB
Fans can watch all home and select away Aggie baseball games this season live online through Aggie Ultimate Access, a subscription service of AggieAthletics.com. Membership to AUA is $4.95 a month or $49 per year and includes video highlights, features and behind-the-scenes access from football, basketball and baseball, as well as the live baseball games.
Fans can also pay on an a-la-carte basis for $3.95 per game, which includes just the live game coverage. Sign up at AggieAthletics.com.
TICKETS TO AGGIE BASEBALL
Fans can purchase season and individual tickets for all Texas A&M Athletic events by calling the Athletic Ticket Office at (979) 845-2311 or (888) 99-AGGIE. Fans can also purchase ticket online at www.12thManFoundation.com.
POSSIBLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
GAME 1: Friday, Feb. 20 - 3 p.m. South Alabama Starter: Bert Heath Texas A&M Starter: Zach Jackson GAME 2: Saturday, Feb. 21 - 3 p.m. South Alabama Starter: Joey Doan Texas A&M Starter: Justin Moore GAME 3: Sunday, Feb. 22 - 1 p.m. South Alabama Starter: Jeramy Simmons Texas A&M Starter: Robert Ray
TEXAS A&M vs. SOUTH ALABAMA HISTORY
All-Time Series Record: 4-0 Record in College Station: 3-0 Record in Mobile, Ala.: 0-0 Neutral Record: 1-0 Year Site Score Situation 1981 Olsen Field A&M - 9; USA - 3 Regular Season 1981 Olsen Field A&M - 10; USA - 4 Regular Season 1989 Olsen Field A&M - 17; USA - 6 NCAA Regional 1991 Baton Rouge A&M - 12; USA - 0 NCAA Regional
TEXAS A&M HEAD COACH MARK JOHNSON
Texas A&M head coach Mark Johnson is currently in his 20th season. He is the winningest skipper in Texas A&M history.
Johnson has a career record of 808-384-2 and his winning percentage of .678 ranks him in the top 15 among active Division I coaches. Johnson has led the Aggies to 12 NCAA regional tournaments and nine times Texas A&M has reached the regional championship game. Under Johnson, the Aggies have made two College World Series appearances (1993 and 1999). Five of Johnson's teams have won conference championships (SWC: 1986, 1989, 1993; Big 12: 1998, 1999).
In 1998 and 1999, Johnson was named the Big 12 Coach of the Year. He is also a five-time recipient of the ABCA Regional Coach of the Year award.
In January of 2001, Johnson was inducted into the the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame and in December of 2002, he was inducted into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame.
Coach Johnson has led 12 Texas A&M teams to 40-win seasons and five of those teams have won 50 or more games.
Before becoming the head coach at Texas A&M in 1984, Johnson spent 15 years as an assistant with stints at New Mexico (1970-1971), Arizona (1972-1976), Mississippi State (1977-1982) and Texas A&M (1983-1984). Johnson was tutored by some of college baseball's most respected and recognized coaches, including Tom Chandler (Texas A&M), Ron Polk (Mississippi State), Jerry Kendall (Arizona), Frank Sancet (Arizona) and Bob Leigh (New Mexico).
JIM LAWLER: ASST. COACH OF THE YEAR
Longtime Texas A&M baseball coach Jim Lawler was named the 2003 National Assistant Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association and Baseball America Magazine.
Lawler, a native of Carroll, Iowa, came to Texas A&M as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator when Johnson became the head coach in 1985. In 1989, Lawler was promoted to his current position of assistant head coach.
Lawler has seen his recent pitching staffs continue to be among the nation's best. Texas A&M has had a pitcher earn All-America honors in eight of the last 14 seasons.
Four Aggie pitchers under Lawler's tutelage--Chris Clemons, Kelly Wunsch, Jeff Granger and Chance Caple--were drafted in the first round of the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. Lawler has watched a total of 10 Aggie pitchers get drafted in the first two rounds of the draft, including 2003 second-rounders Brian Finch, Logan Kensing and Scott Beerer. In Lawler's 19 years at A&M, 51 Aggie hurlers have been drafted.
Currently, Lawler has several of his former pitchers in professional baseball, including big-leaguers Ryan Rupe, Casey Fossum and Wunsch.
Lawler came to Texas A&M from the University of Texas-El Paso, where he was the head coach. Prior to his stint there, Lawler was the head coach at Gonzaga, where his 1980 team finished the season ranked ninth in the country.
BIG 12 PITCHER/PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Zach Jackson debuted in an auspicious manner for the 2004 Aggies after transferring to Aggieland from Louisville. The junior lefty needed just 93 pitches to toss a seven-inning no-hitter (complete game due to 10-run rule) with eight strikeouts and one walk in a 15-0 victory over NCAA Division I independent Texas A&M Corpus Christi. It was the 10th no-hitter in history by Aggie pitchers, the sixth (of a current seven) in Big 12 annals and the first solo gem since the Aggies' Matt Blank fired a no-hitter against Texas-Pan American in the 1996 home opener.