March 10, 2008
Texas A&M freshman Brooks Raley (Uvalde, Texas) was named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Co-Pitcher of the Week by a select media panel, the league office announced Monday.
Raley struck out 10 over 7 2/3 innings of shutout baseball in his first career start on Saturday night to lead the Aggies to a 2-1 win over defending Big East champ Rutgers. He faced four batters over the minimum on the night, and allowed just two baserunners into scoring position?-stranding both. The lefty allowed only eight balls to leave the infield on the night?-the three hits and five fly ball outs.
?Brooks controlled the tempo tonight,? A&M coach Rob Childress said after the game. ?He has worked very hard to earn this start, and I was really proud of his performance. He competed extremely well. I felt like his command got better as he went along.?
On the season, Raley sports a 2-0 record and 1.80 ERA. Through 15 innings of work, he has fanned 17 and is holding opponents to a .157 batting average.
Raley, who became the 16th pitcher in A&M history to earn the award, shared this week?â„¢s honor with Nebraska?â„¢s Johnny Dorn. Texas Tech?â„¢s Roger Kieschnick was named Big 12 Player of the Week.
Texas A&M (11-3) returns to action Tuesday when the Aggies welcome Centenary (9-2) to Olsen Field for a mid-week series. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. The series will conclude on Wednesday at 3 p.m. Both games will air locally on WTAW-AM 1620.
Fans are encouraged to bring new and used baseball equipment to the games this week, as the Diamond Darlings will be collecting the gear to benefit the Bryan Little League. In exchange for a donation, fans will receive a voucher for a discounted ticket to selected upcoming Texas A&M home games.
In addition, the new ?Take Me Out to the Ballgame? ticket promotion is in effect for both games, through which kids 12 and under will receive free admission with a paid adult. There is a limit of four kids per adult and all seats are general admission.