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No. 18 Aggies Open NCAA Tourney at Fort Worth Regional

The 18th-ranked Texas A&M baseball team opens play in the NCAA Championship this weekend when the Aggies (36-22) travel to TCU to take part in the Fort Worth Regional at Lupton Stadium. A&M opens play

May 28, 2009

FORT WORTH - The 18th-ranked Texas A&M baseball team opens play in the NCAA Championship this weekend when the Aggies (36-22) travel to TCU to take part in the Fort Worth Regional at Lupton Stadium.

A&M opens play on Friday at 2 p.m. against two-time national champion Oregon State (35-17). TCU (36-16) will face Wright State (33-28) in the 7 p.m. game later that evening. The Aggies will face either the Frogs or Raiders on Saturday, with game time pending the result of Friday's contest with OSU.

Texas A&M will be making its 21st appearance in an NCAA Regional and 25th trip overall to the NCAA Tournament. The Aggies have claimed five regional championships (1993, 1999, 2004, 2007, 2008) and have made four trips to the College World Series (1951, 1964, 1993, 1999).

Last season, A&M won the College Station Regional for the second straight year, eventually falling short at Rice and the Houston Super Regional.

Fans can listen to all the action on WTAW-AM 1620. Those attending the games can hear the A&M broadcast on the low end of the FM dial. Free live audio of the games will be available worldwide on aggieathletics.com and radioaggieland.com.

In addition, gofrogs.com will provide free video of all Fort Worth Regional games on the internet.

#18 TEXAS A&M AGGIES (36-22) at NCAA FORT WORTH REGIONAL

A&M vs #25 OREGON STATE BEAVERS (35-17) • Friday, May 29 • 2:00 PM
#13 TCU HORNED FROGS (36-16) vs WRIGHT STATE RAIDERS (33-28) • Friday, May 29 • 7:00 PM

May 30-31 • 2:00 PM & 7:00 PM
June 1 (if necessary) • 7:00 PM
Lupton Stadium (3,500) • Fort Worth, Texas

Television: none
Radio: WTAW-AM 1620 (available inside Lupton stadium on low end of FM dial)
Gametracker: aggieathletics.com/ncaa.com
Free Live Video: gofrogs.com
Free Live Audio: aggieathletics.com/radioaggieland.com

PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS

FRIDAY: #30 Brooks Raley (So., LHP, 7-2, 3.74)

SATURDAY: #28 Ross Hales (Fr., LHP, 6-2, 3.98)

REGIONAL SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, MAY 29
2:00 PM Game 2: Texas A&M vs Oregon State
7:00 PM Game 1: TCU vs Wright State

SATURDAY, MAY 30
2:00 PM Game 3: Loser G1 vs Loser G2
7:00 PM Game 4: Winner G1 vs Winner G2

SUNDAY, MAY 31
2:00 PM Game 5: Winner G3 vs Loser G4
7:00 PM Game 6: Winner G4 vs Winner G5

MONDAY, JUNE 1
7:00 PM Game 7 (if necessary): same teams as G6

A&M SNAPSHOT

`09 Record: 36-22, 14-13 Big 12 (6th)
Streak: Won 2
Last 5/10: 2-3/4-6
Rankings: #18 (NCBWA), #25 (USAT)
Head Coach: Rob Childress, 4th year
at A&M: 155-90-1 (.632)
Overall: 155-90-1 (.632)
in NCAA Regionals: 7-2
in NCAA Tourney: 7-6
vs Oregon State: 1-1
vs TCU: 3-0
vs Wright State: 4-0
On the Web: aggieathletics.com

TICKET INFO

All-Session reserved seats for this weekend's Fort Worth NCAA Baseball Regional, hosted by TCU, have been sold out.

The only tickets that remain are for standing-room only (SRO) at the first- and third-base porches, the third-base line and the grass bank down the right field line. These tickets will be sold as single-game only. They are $15 for adults and $10 for youth (ages 3-to-17).

Single-game SRO tickets for Friday's games will be made available Thursday at 8 a.m. via TCU's Web site (www.GoFrogs.com) and through the Horned Frogs' Athletic Ticket Office in Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. SRO tickets for all games after Friday will only be sold the day of the game beginning at 8 a.m. on-line and 10 a.m. at Lupton Stadium. For more information, call (817) 257-FROG.

TEAM NOTES

  • A&M averages seven runs per contest and has totaled 80 home runs, 365 RBIs and 74 stolen bases.
  • A&M is 24-4 when recording 10 or more hits in a game.
  • A&M went 10-3 on its season-long 13-game homestand that wrapped up on May 8...the Aggies finished the regular season 27-9 at Olsen Field.
  • A&M finished 10-2 at home in Big 12 play this year.
  • Texas A&M ranks sixth nationally in strikeouts per nine innings (9.6), 15th nationally in fewest walks per nine innings (2.8) and 16th nationally in fewest hits allowed per nine (8.8).
  • Texas A&M ranks seventh in the league in batting average and third in ERA.
  • A&M finished second in the league in fielding percentage in conference games (.979) and ranks fourth for the entire season (.971).
  • A&M put together a string of 263 straight chances without an error from April 9-22.
  • The Aggie pitching staff leads the league in strikeouts (544) and K/BB ratio (3.4)...A&M also ranks second in opponent batting average (.254).
  • The Aggies' 544 strikeouts are a school record.
  • Aggie pitching has struck out eight or more batters in 42 of 58 games (72%) in `09, and 10 or more in 29 (50%)...the season high is 17 (Wright State, Feb. 21).
  • The Aggies have come from behind in 21 of their 36 wins this year.
  • Nine of A&M's 13 Big 12 losses in the regular season were by two runs or less.
  • A&M is 4-1 this season against top-five opponents...the Aggies have defeated UC Irvine (No. 5), Baylor twice (No. 5) and Rice (No. 1), while falling to Cal State Fullerton (No. 4)...A&M is 9-6 overall against ranked opponents.

    NCAA TOURNEY HISTORY

  • A&M will be making its 25th overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament and 21st trip to an NCAA Regional.
  • Texas A&M has made four trips to the College World Series (1951, 1964, 1993, 1999).
  • A&M sports a 54-52 all-time record in NCAA Tourney play.
  • The Aggies are 43-33 all-time in NCAA Regional games.
  • In their 20 previous regional appearances, the Aggies have advanced to the championship game 14 times.
  • A&M has won five regional championships (1993, 1999, 2004, 2007, 2008)...all but the `07 crown (Rice) were at Olsen Field.
  • The Aggies are seeded No. 2 in a regional for the second time since the super regional format was adopted in 1999...A&M was the No. 2 seed at the Houston Regional (Rice) in 2004 and went on to win the title.
  • Since the advent of the four-team regionals (1999), Texas A&M has been selected to the field of 64 five times (`99, `03, `04, `07, `08)...the Aggies have won the regional title in all but one of those seasons (`03).
  • A&M's overall record in four-team regionals is 16-6.
  • Last season, A&M was the No. 1 seed in the College Station Regional (Houston, Dallas Baptist, UIC)...the Aggies went 3-1 in claiming back-to-back regional championships for the first time in school history...A&M advanced to the Houston Super Regional (Rice) where they fell to the Owls in two games (9-7, 6-5).
  • A detailed history of the Aggies' NCAA Tourney results can be found on pages 11-12.

    A&M vs THE FIELD

  • The Aggies have faced two of the other three teams in the Fort Worth Regional already this season...A&M defeated TCU 4-3 in 10 innings on April 28 and swept a season-opening four-game series from Wright State at Olsen Field in late February...the Aggies last matched up with Oregon State in 2007.
  • Texas A&M's all-time record against the Fort Worth Regional field is 167-87-4...the Aggies are 159-85-4 against the Frogs, 4-2 vs the Beavers and 4-0 vs the Raiders.

    TCU SERIES HISTORY

  • TCU is one of the oldest and most-contested rivalries in Aggie baseball history...the first meeting between the schools took place in 1906.
  • The squads were both members of the Southwest Conference from 1923 until the dissolvement of the league in 1996.
  • A&M defeated TCU 13-2 in College Station in `07 in what was the teams' first meeting since the `96 season.
  • The Aggies have won nine straight against the Frogs and have not lost to TCU since 1995.
  • Three of the last four games, however, have been decided by one run.
  • Prior to last season's visit to Lupton Stadium, A&M's last trip to Fort Worth resulted in a 10-9 win on May 14, 1995.
  • TCU is the Aggies' fourth most common opponent all-time (248 games), trailing only Texas (353), Baylor (307) and Rice (270).
  • A&M is 3-3 against Mountain West teams in 2009 (1-0 vs TCU, 2-1 vs Utah, 0-2 vs New Mexico).
  • Not including the Frogs, A&M is 13-8 all-time against the current members of the MWC. New Mexico (5-3) is the most common opponent, followed by Utah (4-3), UNLV (1-2), Air Force (2-0) and BYU (1-0). The Aggies have never faced San Diego State.

    Series Record: A&M leads, 159-85-4
    A&M Streak: Won 9
    in College Station*: A&M leads, 32-9-1
    in Fort Worth*: A&M leads, 26-16
    neutral sites*: A&M leads, 3-0
    in NCAA Tourney: never faced
    Rob Childress vs TCU: 3-0
    Jim Schlossnagle vs A&M: 0-3
    * since 1971

    OREGON STATE SERIES HISTORY

  • OSU and A&M last faced off in 2007 at the Domino's Pizza Aggie Baseball Classic...the Aggies split a pair of meetings with the then defending national champions, who would go on to win the title again later that June.
  • Kyle Colligan started both games against the Beavers in center field...Brodie Greene and Luke Anders were defensive replacements in the 6-5 loss to OSU.
  • The Beavers also played in A&M's tournament in 2000, one month after the squads met at the Spalding Baseball Fiesta in the old Albuquerque Sports Stadium.
  • Oregon State's game against the Aggies in 2007 marks the last time A&M has faced a Pac-10 team.
  • Texas A&M is 53-37-1 all-time against members of the Pac-10 Conference. Arizona (22-21-1) is by far the Aggies' most common opponent of the group, followed by Washington State (7-4), UCLA (8-1), Washington (8-1), Oregon State (4-2), USC (2-4), Cal (2-2), Stanford (0-1) and Arizona State (0-1)...A&M has never faced Oregon, who reinstated baseball this season after a 28-year absence.
  • A&M is 2-3 against Pac-10 teams in NCAA Regional play...The Aggies lost to Arizona in the 1976 Midwest Regional in Edinburg, Texas; split a pair of meetings with Cal in the `92 East Regional in Gainesville; downed UCLA en route to the `93 Central I title at Olsen Field; and were eliminated by Stanford in the `97 West Regional in Palo Alto.

    Series Record: A&M leads, 4-2
    A&M Streak: Lost 1
    in College Station: series tied, 2-2
    in Corvallis: never faced
    neutral sites: A&M leads, 2-0
    in NCAA Tourney: never faced
    Rob Childress vs OSU: 1-1
    Pat Casey vs A&M: 2-3

    WRIGHT STATE SERIES HISTORY

  • `09 marks the second straight year that Texas A&M will participate in a regional that features the Horizon League champion (2008, UIC).
  • The teams met for the first time in history in a season-opening, four-game series at Olsen Field this February.
  • The Aggies outscored WSU, 42-13, in sweeping the series, but it was not an easy weekend.
  • A&M scored four in the fifth and used a 10-run sixth in the series opener to break open a tie ballgame.
  • The Aggies then rallied to win the first game of a Saturday doubleheader with a walk-off single, scoring two in the seventh and one in the eighth to tie the contest.
  • A&M trailed the Raiders by four entering the last of the sixth on Sunday, but put up a five spot and added two more in the eighth to nail down the sweep.
  • The Aggies have played just one other game against current members of the Horizon League, and it was 2008's NCAA Regional-opening victory over UIC at Olsen Field.
  • Texas A&M is 14-9 all-time against teams from the state of Ohio. Ohio State (7-9) is the most common opponent, followed by Wright State (4-0), Miami University (2-0) and Bowling Green (1-0).

    Series Record: A&M leads, 4-0
    A&M Streak: Won 4
    in College Station: A&M leads, 4-0
    in Dayton: never faced
    neutral sites: never faced
    in NCAA Tourney: never faced
    Rob Childress vs WSU: 4-0
    Rob Cooper vs A&M: 0-4

    UP NEXT

    The winner of the Fort Worth Regional will meet the winner of the Austin Regional (Texas, Texas State, Boston College, Army) next weekend in a best two-of-three series (site TBD) with one of the eight College World Series slots up for grabs.

    TURNING THE CORNER?

    A&M hit a late-season swoon that saw the Aggies pick up just two wins in an eight-game stretch, beginning with an emotional 11-9 loss to Texas on May 8 at Olsen Field.

    Over that eight-game span, which included a Big 12 tourney-opening 5-2 setback to Missouri, A&M hit just .252 as a squad and averaged just over five runs per game.

    On the team's day off in OKC, the Aggies held a team meeting about "getting it done" offensively that seems to have brought big results.

    A&M battered the Oklahoma and Texas Tech pitching staffs to close out its stay in Bricktown, including pounding two starters who stymied the Aggies in regular-season matchups--OU's Michael Rocha and Tech's Miles Morgan.

    It's just been two games, but the Texas A&M offense is flying high heading into this weekend's regional in Fort Worth.

    Below is a comparison of the two stretches of games, including runs per game, hits with runners in scoring position and percentage of hits that were home runs:

    BREAKING DOWN THE LAST 10 GAMES
    Avg. RPG H w/RISP HR Pct.
    first 8 .252 5.1 13 (.186) 19% (13)
    last 2 .425 14.0 16 (.444) 3% (1)

    RACKING UP THE Ks

    With a fourth-inning strikeout of Texas Tech's Justin Berry on May 23 in Oklahoma City, A&M's Ross Hales delivered the pitching staff the all-time school record for punchouts in a season.

    Entering NCAA Regional play, the Aggies have fanned 544 batters, more than any other team in program history. The previous record was 536, set by the 1991 and 1999 teams.

    The `09 Aggies became only the eighth staff in school history to reach the 500-strikeout plateau.

    In addition, one of the things coach Rob Childress preaches is making the opponent earn everything they get. The Aggie staff has done a great job of that as well, posting up to this point the highest strikeout-to-walk ratio not only in the Big 12 but in the history of A&M baseball.

    GOING BIG FLY

    The Aggie bats have gone on a tear of late to move the `09 squad amongst the school's most proficient home-run hitting teams of all time.

    Luke Anders' solo home run against Texas Tech on May 23 in Oklahoma City made the 2009 Aggies just the seventh team in school history to hit 80 home runs in a season.

    A&M has hit 23 home runs in its last 13 games.

    RALEY, GREENE, PATTERSON HIGHLIGHT ALL-BIG 12 PICKS

    Eight Texas A&M players were recognized last week when the Big 12 revealed the annual all-conference teams in Oklahoma City.

    Sophomore Brooks Raley (utility) and junior Brodie Greene (second base) were first-team selections, while junior Joe Patterson (DH) was named to the second team.

    Five others--Luke Anders, Kyle Colligan, Kevin Gonzalez, Ross Hales and Alex Wilson--earned honorable mention recognition from the league's head coaches.

    Greene, a junior from Bullard, led the Aggies with a .352 average during the regular season with 11 home runs, 33 RBIs, 10 stolen bases and a team-best 68 hits.

    Raley, from Uvalde, is one of the nation's top two-way players. The sophomore was A&M's Friday-night starter all season long, and led the squad with a 7-2 record, 3.09 ERA and a .216 opponent average. He also hit in the lineup and played the outfield, compiling a .312 batting average and leading the team in four offensive categories.

    Patterson, a junior from Tulsa, carried a 10-game hit streak into the Big 12 Championship. In just 118 at-bats, Patterson ranked second on the team with 43 RBIs and smashed 10 home runs, He hit .415 in league play with 24 RBIs, both team highs, as the team's primary designated hitter.

    COLLIGAN NAMED TO BIG 12 ALL-TOURNEY TEAM

    Texas A&M senior center fielder Kyle Colligan was named to the Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship All-Tournament team by a vote of the media.

    Colligan hit .583 (7-for-12) in leading the Aggies to a 2-1 mark in this year's tournament. He had a triple, two RBIs and two runs scored and tallied at least two hits in every game. Colligan helped pace the A&M offense to 28 runs in the team's final two games in Oklahoma City.

    RALEY SEMIFINALIST FOR GOLDEN SPIKES AWARD

    Texas A&M sophomore Brooks Raley has been named one of 30 semifinalists for the 2009 Golden Spikes Award, USA Baseball announced.

    The Golden Spikes Award is in its 32nd season and is given to the top amateur baseball player in the country. A voting panel will select five finalists and the eventual winner, who will be presented with the award at the MLB All-Star FanFest in Saint Louis in July.

    Raley joins Missouri's Kyle Gibson, Kansas State's A.J. Morris, and Oklahoma's J.T. Wise as the Big 12 representatives on the list. For a complete list of semifinalists or for more information, visit goldenspikesaward.com.

    TOURNEY EXPERIENCE

    Six position players and seven pitchers have a combined 75 games worth of experience in the NCAA Tournament entering this weekend's action.

    CAREER NCAA TOURNAMENT EXPERIENCE
    Player Games Starts
    Kyle Colligan 13 13
    Luke Anders 13 13
    Brodie Greene 13 9
    Kevin Gonzalez 6 6
    Kyle Thebeau (P) 6 4
    Travis Starling (P) 6 0
    Barret Loux (P) 2 2
    Brooks Raley (P) 2 2
    Caleb Shofner 2 0
    Clayton Ehlert (P) 1 1
    Alex Wilson (P) 1 1
    Nick Fleece 1 0
    Shane Minks (P) 1 0

    PROTECT THE BALL

    Continuing the theme of making the opponent earn everything it gets, Texas A&M's defense has done a great job of keeping miscues to a minimum in 2009.

    If the season ended today, the Aggies would have the third-highest fielding percentage in school history.

    A&M also finished the year with the best Big 12 fielding percentage in school history.

    RECORD DAY FOR BIG 12

    The Big 12 set a conference record when eight teams were selected to the field of 64 that will compete for this year's national championship.

    The league landed two national seeds, No. 1 Texas and No. 7 Oklahoma, with both the Longhorns and Sooners hosting. Three other squads are No. 2 seeds at regionals--A&M (Fort Worth), Kansas State (Houston) and Missouri (Oxford)--while Oklahoma State (Clemson), Kansas (Chapel Hill) and Baylor (Baton Rouge) earned No. 3 seeds.