March 31, 2008
No. 16 Texas A&M (21-6) looks to continue its winning ways when the Aggies open a five-game homestand with a pair against Stephen F. Austin (11-13) at Olsen Field.
Tuesday's game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. while Wednesday's finale will begin at 3 p.m.
A&M enters the series winners of four straight, three of which were of the come-from-behind variety. The Aggies, who have also won 12 of their last 15, concluded their first road trip of the year with a 5-2 record.
SFA has lost eight of its last 11 and heads to Olsen after dropping both games of a rain-shortened Southland Conference series at home this weekend to Northwestern State. The Lumberjacks are 2-7 in league play.
Fans can listen to every pitch locally on the flagship home of Texas A&M Athletics, News/Talk 1620 WTAW. Dave South, Scott Clendenin and Chuck Glenewinkel call the action all season long. All broadcasts begin 15 minutes prior to first pitch.
Stephen F. Austin LUMBERJACKS (11-13) at #16 Texas A&M AGGIES (21-6)
Tuesday, April 1 ?* 6:30 p.m. CDT
Wednesday, April 2 ?* 3 p.m. CDT
C.E. "Pat" Olsen Field (7,053) ?* College Station, Texas
RADIO: WTAW-AM 1620
LIVE VIDEO (Free): Aggies All-Access
GAMETRACKER: aggieathletics.com
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
TUESDAY
A&M - #13 Clayton Ehlert (So., RHP, 2-2, 3.20 ERA)
SFA - #32 Erich Lehmann (Jr., RHP, 1-2, 4.50 ERA)
WEDNESDAY
A&M - #16 Shane Minks (So., RHP, 4-0, 2.53 ERA)
SFA - #11 Kevin Thomas (Sr., RHP, 2-3, 7.12 ERA)
PROMOTIONS
The ?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.
On Wednesday, those in attendance can take advantage of the "Wednesday Triple Play" promotion, which offers fans two slices of pizza and a drink for $3.
Throughout the season, fans can also take advantage of the "Pick Six for $50" ticket special. For more information contact the Athletic Ticket Office at 888-99-AGGIE or online at aggieathletics.com.
LEADING OFF...
?* Senior 3B Dane Carter has hit safely in 25 of the Aggies' 27 games, and has reached base safely (hit or walk) in all 27.
?* Senior 1B Darby Brown is on a career-high 11-game hit streak and hit .500 with two HR and 12 RBI last week.
?* Junior SS Jos?© Duran has hit safely in a career-best 11 straight games, 16 of the last 17 and 22 of 27 overall.
?* Texas A&M has tallied double-figure hits in 17 games this year.
?* Of A&M's six losses on the season, five have been by two or fewer runs.
SCOUTING TEXAS A&M
Texas A&M is 21-6 overall and tied for second in the Big 12 with a 6-3 record. The Aggies enter the week on a four-game win streak that saw them pick up road victories at UTSA and Kansas.
A&M is hitting .312 and averaging 7.4 runs per game. The offense has pounded out 87 extra-base hits (47 doubles, 15 triples and 25 home runs), including 10 doubles this weekend in Lawrence, while stealing 44 bases.
Senior third baseman Dane Carter (.429, 5 HR, 27 RBI) leads the team and the Big 12 in numerous offensive categories and has hit safely in 25 of the team's 27 games in 2008. Junior shortstop Jos?© Duran (.411, 2 HR, 27 RBI) ranks second on the team almost every column, while senior Darby Brown (.315, 6 HR, 29 RBI) has been on a tear of late and leads the squad in homers and RBI. Two other starters (Luke Anders and Brian Ruggiano) are hitting over .300 for the year.
On the mound, the Aggies boast a 3.33 ERA, third-best in the Big 12. A&M pitching is averaging 8.6 strikeouts per game and is holding opposing hitters to a .236 average, second best in the conference. Freshman Brooks Raley (4-0, 3.37 ERA) and sophomore Shane Minks (4-0, 2.53 ERA), who will start Wednesday, lead the team victories. Sophomore Travis Starling (13 appearances, 3-0, 0.52 ERA) has a team-best six saves. The Aggie bullpen has been strong on the young season, posting a 9-2 record, six saves, 2.22 ERA and .227 opponent average.
A QUICK GLANCE: SFA
Stephen F. Austin enters this week's series with an 11-13 overall record and a 2-7 mark in Southland Conference play. The Lumberjacks have lost eight of their last 11 games.
The SFA baseball program was put on hiatus in 1995 and only recently was reinstated, with 2006 being its first season back. The 'Jacks, who went 15-41 in '06, posted the nation's fourth-best turnaround last season by going 31-28 (16-win increase). They return 10 letterwinners from the '07 squad.
Senior SS Jeff Brewer (.351, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 12 SB), along with senior OFs Noel Trevino (.310, 6 HR, 23 RBI) and Kevin Crabtree (.330, 2 HR, 21 RBI, 8 SB), pace the offense, while senior lefty Lance Luetge (3-2, 3.23 ERA) and junior RHP Richard Folmer (2-2, 4.91, 3 saves) lead the pitching corps.
Donnie Watson is in his third season as the head coach at Stephen F. Austin with an overall record of 57-82.
SERIES HISTORY
Texas A&M has won all 14 meetings with Stephen F. Austin, with every game being played at Olsen Field.
The Aggies have held SFA to two runs or less in the last nine meetings, including five shutouts.
MID-WEEK MAGIC
The Aggie baseball team has won 20 straight mid-week non-conference contests, including the first eight on the slate in 2008.
A&M won all 10 mid-week games last season and the final two of the 2006 campaign. The Aggies' last loss in mid-week action was on April 18, 2006, a 9-6 setback to No. 19 Houston at Olsen Field.
KANSAS REVIEW
Texas A&M recorded its first three-game Big 12 series sweep in five seasons this weekend over the Kansas Jayhawks at Hoglund Ballpark in Lawrence.
A&M opened the weekend with a 13-6 win over KU, beginning the game with an eight-run first. Darby Brown set career highs by going 5-for-5 with five RBI in the victory, and true freshman Brooks Raley moved to 4-0 on the hill on the day.
The Aggies trailed Kansas 6-3 entering the eighth inning of Saturday's game, but a three-run shot by Luke Anders in that frame tied the contest. The game went into extra innings and, in the 10th, Raley singled in the game winner and Dane Carter followed with a two-run single as A&M defeated Kansas, 9-6.
Texas A&M opened up a 6-0 lead after 1 1/2 innings on Sunday, but the Jayhawks responded with a seven-run second to take the lead. Down 8-6 in the seventh, Brown connected on a two-out, two-run home run--his second of the day--to tie the contest. The Aggies would get another two-run single from Carter in the eighth to sweep the series with a 10-8 victory.
CARTER's BIG YEAR
Senior third baseman Dane Carter is having a career season for Texas A&M.
While his career-best 16-game hit streak was snapped on March 16 against Texas Tech, Carter responded with a currently active eight-game streak and has hit safely in 25 of the Aggies' 27 contests overall.
He has now reached base safely (hit or walk) in all 27 games of the year.
In addition, he leads the team in seven offensive categories and the Big 12 in three (average, triples and on-base percentage).
CARTER, CONTINUED
After struggling with injury during 2007, Dane Carter has already bested his totals from last season through the first few weeks of 2008.
dane carter: 2007 vs 2008
CATEGORY 2007 TOTALS 2008 NUMBERS
games played 37 27
games started 19 27
batting average .203 .429
hits 15 45
runs scored 14 29
doubles 2 4
triples 0 5
home runs 1 5
RBI 11 27
slugging pct. .270 .705
TURNING THE CORNER
Senior DH/1B Darby Brown had a tough start to the 2008 campaign, beginning the year 2-for-23 at the plate (.087 average).
With a mammoth home run off the top of the batter's eye in center field against Nicholls State on March 5, Brown has turned the corner in a big way, hitting .391 over the last 17 contests...
brown's turnaround
CATEGORY FIRST 10 GAMES LAST 17 GAMES
batting average .087 .391
hits-at bats 2-for-23 27-for-69
home runs 0 6
RBI 3 26
slugging pct. .174 .725
runs scored 5 14
DURAN STEPS UP
The Aggies knew entering 2008 that they would have to replace all-conference selection and third-round draft pick Brandon Hicks (.338, 10 HR, 59 RBI) at shortstop.
After a strong battle in the offseason, junior transfer Jos?© Duran won the opening-day nod, and has not disappointed. The Fort Worth native is near the top of the A&M offensive charts in nearly every category.
A comparison between Hicks and Duran, through the first 27 games of their respective seasons:
duran vs. hicks (through 27 games)
CATEGORY HICKS-2007 DURAN-2008
batting average .367 .411
hits 40 46
runs scored 37 24
doubles 12 6
triples 1 4
home runs 3 2
RBI 26 27
slugging pct. .578 .589
walks 17 12
stolen bases 17 6
LEGGING IT OUT
Texas A&M has hit 15 triples over the first 27 games of the season. A closer look at this accomplishment:
?* The Aggies set a school record in late February with three triples in each of three consecutive games (McNeese State, Ohio State, Arkansas). What makes this feat even more impressive is that the last time a Texas A&M team had three triples in ANY game before last week was on April 11, 1999, when the Aggies defeated Kansas State 7-2 in St. Joseph, Mo.?-a stretch of 519 games.
?* Senior third baseman Dane Carter had two triples in the Feb. 26 win over McNeese State, the first time an Aggie had two triples in one game since Chad Hudson on May 21, 1999 in a 10-3 win over Oklahoma in the Big 12 Tournament in Oklahoma City.
?* Carter has five triples on the season, just four shy of the single-season school record (9, Brian Thomas, 1993).
TURN, TURN, TURN...TURN
Texas A&M tied a school record with four double plays in the Feb. 27 win over Nicholls State.
While the feat has been accomplished often, the last time the Aggies did turn four double plays in one game was against Clemson in the NCAA Super Regional championship on June 6, 1999 (499 games ago).
A STRONG PEN
The Texas A&M bullpen has been very impressive in the first part of the season.
A total of 14 Aggies have seen action in relief, posting a combined 2.22 ERA and picking up nine wins and six saves. In 105 innings of work, opposing teams have managed 87 hits (.227 average) and 26 earned runs while striking out 109 times.
Rutgers put five earned runs up against the Aggie pen in the 7th inning on March 8. Removing that inning from the numbers, A&M's relief corps would sport a 1.81 ERA.
Of the players that have made more than one appearance out of the pen this year, five are holding opponents to an average of .200 or less in those outings.
POUNDING THE ZONE
Texas A&M pitchers have struck out 233 batters while walking 92 in their 243 innings of work thus far, or a 2.5 K/BB ratio. In 2007, A&M's pitching corps posted a 2.1 K/BB mark for the full season.
The Aggie staff, which has fanned eight or more batters in 20 of the 27 games in 2008, is averaging 8.63 strikeouts per nine innings?-second-best in the Big 12.
It's not just one or two arms that are carrying the strikeout load, however. Seven players have posted 18 or more Ks this spring, led by freshmen Barret Loux (34) and Brooks Raley (33).