March 5, 2009
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The fourth-ranked Texas A&M baseball team continues its seven-game homestand and looks to build on a three-game win streak when the Aggies (9-2) host Utah (4-4) this weekend at Olsen Field.
Games on Friday and Saturday are set for 6:35 p.m. with Sunday's finale to start at 1:05 p.m.
A&M has won three straight and enters the weekend off a mid-week sweep of Stephen F. Austin, defeating the Lumberjacks 2-1 Tuesday night and 8-3 on Wednesday.
The Utes, who play at Sam Houston State Thursday night, won three of four last weekend at Cal State Bakersfield. Utah's trip to College Station will wrap up a 12-game road swing to start the year as the Utes play their home opener on March 12 against rival BYU.
The series between the schools is tied 2-2, with the last three meetings coming this decade at Olsen Field. A&M has won the last two against Utah, most recently a 6-1 win in 2006.
Fans can listen locally to all games on WTAW-AM 1620. Free live video of all games will also be available online at aggieathletics.com.
#4 TEXAS A&M AGGIES (9-2) vs UTAH UTES (4-4)
Friday, March 6 • 6:35 PM
Saturday, March 7 • 6:35 PM
Sunday, March 8 • 1:05 PM
Olsen Field (7,053) • College Station, Texas
Television: None
Radio: WTAW-AM 1620
Free Live Video: aggieathletics.com
Gametracker: aggieathletics.com
Free Live Audio: radioaggieland.com
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS (A&M vs Utah)
FRIDAY: #30 Brooks Raley (So., LHP, 2-0, 2.25) vs. #10 Andrew Wilding (Jr., RHP, 0-1, 3.00)
SATURDAY: #18 Alex Wilson (Jr., RHP, 1-1, 1.42) vs. #20 Jordan Whatcott (Jr., RHP, 1-0, 9.00)
SUNDAY: #50 Barret Loux (So., RHP, 0-0, 5.23) vs. #33 Bryn Card (Jo., LHP, 1-1, 1.84)
WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
• FRIDAY: none
• SATURDAY: none
• SUNDAY: kids 12 and under free with paid adult, limit four (Take Me Out to the Ballgame)...kids run the bases after the game, courtesy Schlotsky's
TICKET INFORMATION
Reserved seats are $11, while general admission tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for youth. Aggie students with a valid ID that do not have the all-sports option can get in for $4. Gates open 90 minutes prior to first pitch.
Season tickets and special ticket packages are currently on sale. For more information, contact the Athletic Ticket Office at 888-99-AGGIE or by logging on to aggieathletics.com.
PARKING INFORMATION
Lots immediately surrounding Olsen Field (100i, 100j, 100k) are reserved for season ticket and pass holders only. General parking is available in the southern lots of Reed Arena (100e, 100g) or in the West Campus garage. For much more detailed information, maps and more, visit Transportation Services online at transport.tamu.edu.
LEADING OFF
• Texas A&M is hitting .292 as a team with 13 home runs, 76 RBIs and 17 stolen bases, and is averaging 7.4 runs per game.
• The Aggie offense has totaled 10 or more hits in six of 11 games, and is undefeated in those contests.
• The Aggie pitching staff sports a 2.64 ERA, third-best in the Big 12, and has held opposing hitters to a .212 average. A&M pitchers have fanned a league-best 109 batters in 99 innings and sport a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3.5, also best in the conference.
• A&M starters are 6-1 on the year with a .286 ERA, and are holding opposing hitters to a .194 average.
• The Aggie bullpen is 3-1 with a 2.25 ERA and has recorded four holds and four saves...11 players have seen action in relief, with seven posting an ERA under 2.
• Aggie pitching has struck out 10 or more hitters in all but three games in 2009...the season high is 17 in a win over Wright State on Feb. 21.
• Texas A&M has been solid defensively on the young season, committing a total of eight errors (.981 fielding pct)...the Aggie defense has committed one error or less in nine of 11 games.
• Four regular starters are hitting over .340 on the year: 3B Brooks Raley (.382) and 1B Luke Anders (.341)...Petrich ranks fourth in the Big 12 in average (Shofner would lead the league, but is two at-bats shy of qualifying for the leaderboard).
• True freshman Brooks Raley leads the Big 12 with five stolen bases.
• Another true freshman, Ross Hales, leads the pitching staff with a 3-0 record and a 1.23 ERA.
• Junior Travis Starling has three saves on the year, tying him for the Big 12 lead...he now has 14 in his Aggie career, ranking him third all-time on the charts.
• Texas A&M has scored 37 of its 81 runs this season (or 46 percent) in the sixth inning.
• The Aggies have come from behind in six of their nine wins this year.
• Since the start of the 2007 season, A&M is 75-18 (.806) at Olsen Field...the Aggies are also 28-5 (.848) in that time in mid-week contests (Tuesday and Wednesday games).
MORE ON UTAH
Utah returns 15 letterwinners and seven starters from a 2008 team that went 26-28 and finished fourth in the Mountain West with a 10-14 record.
The Utes enter the weekend hitting .298 as ateam with seven home runs, 51 RBIs and 16 stolen bases, and are averaging 7.1 runs per game. The mound corps has a 5.99 ERA and opponents are hitting .286 against Ute pitching.
Pacing the Utah attack is junior Rick Cornu, the reining MWC Player of the Week, who is hitting .389 with three home runs and 15 RBIs on the young season. Cornu hit .444 with three HRs and 12 RBIs in the weekend series at Cal State Bakersfield.
Sunday's starter Bryn Card leads the pitching staff with a 1-1 mark, a 1.84 ERA and a .143 opponent average.
Bill Kinneberg (Arizona, 1980) is in his fifth season as the head coach at Utah and sports a record of 131-149 in Salt Lake City.
The Utes were picked to finish fifth this season by the league's coaches and select media, behind TCU, San Diego State, New Mexico and BYU.
Utah is one of three MWC opponents on the Aggies' slate in 2009, joining TCU and New Mexico. The Utes play their home games in 15,500-seat Franklin Covey Stadium, the home of the AAA Salt Lake Buzz (top farm club of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim).
SERIES HISTORY
The series between Texas A&M and Utah, which dates back 58 years, is tied at two.
The Aggies were knocked out of the 1951 College World Series by the Utes in the first-ever meeting between the schools, contested at Omaha's Municipal Stadium (now Rosenblatt Stadium).
Utah made its first trip to College Station in 2003 as part of the Aggie Continental Airlines Classic, with the teams splitting a pair of games. The Utes returned in `06 as part of the same tournament (now called Domino's Pizza Classic) where A&M took a 6-1 victory.
UP NEXT
Texas A&M will conclude its homestand with a pair of mid-week contests at Olsen Field.
The Aggies will face No. 7 Cal State Fullerton on Tuesday in a game televised by COX Sports TV. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m.
A&M will then host Northwestern State on Wednesday evening at 6:35 p.m. before opening Big 12 play at No. 6 Baylor next Friday.