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Aggies Host No. 23 K-State to Close Regular Season

Texas A&M closes the regular season this weekend when the Aggies (34-18-1, 12-11-1) host No. 23 Kansas State (34-16, 13-10) in a three-game set at Olsen Field ... Friday's opener is set for 6:35 p.m.,

May 21, 2010

Game Notes (PDF format)

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Texas A&M closes the regular season this weekend when the Aggies (34-18-1, 12-11-1) host No. 23 Kansas State (34-16, 13-10) in a three-game set at Olsen Field ... Friday's opener is set for 6:35 p.m., with games scheduled for Saturday (2:05 p.m.) and Sunday (1:05 p.m.) ... Sunday will be "Senior Day" at Olsen Field, recognizing Tyler Dyer, Clayton Ehlert, Brodie Greene, Shane Minks, Joe Patterson and manager R.L. Florance ... A&M has won six straight and 12 of its last 14 overall ... the Aggies swept Oklahoma State in Stillwater over the weekend before returning home to down UT Arlington on Tuesday night ... K-State, meanwhile, is 5-5 in its last 10 games, but the Wildcats defeated rival Kansas in two of three over the weekend ... Texas A&M is 24-10 at home in 2010 while KSU is 6-8 on the road ... the Wildcats are 3-18-1 all-time at Olsen, with their last victory coming in 2004 (the teams tied in 2006).

#23 KANSAS STATE WILDCATS (34-16, 13-10 Big 12)
at
TEXAS A&M AGGIES (34-18-1, 12-11-1 Big 12)

Olsen Field (7,053) • College Station, Texas
SCHEDULE: Friday, 6:35 PM / Saturday, 2:05 PM / Sunday, 1:05 PM

TELEVISION: COX Sports TV (Sunday only) / Will Johnson and Alan Cannon
RADIO: WTAW-AM 1620 / Dave South and Scott Clendenin
LIVE AUDIO: aggieathletics.com • radioaggieland.com
LIVE STATS: aggieathletics.com

RANKINGS: A&M - RV (NCBWA, USAT); KSU - 23rd (USAT), 28th (NCBWA), 30th (Coll BB)
SERIES HISTORY: A&M leads, 34-10-1
A&M STREAKS: Lost 2 / Last 5 (3-2) / Last 10 (7-3)
LAST MEETING: KSU 4, A&M 3 (April 11, 2009 in Manhattan)

TEAM INFO: Texas A&M / Kansas State
streak: Won 6 / Won 1
conference rank: 5th, Big 12 (12-11-1) / 2nd, Big 12 (13-10)
RPI (NCAA/Boyd/Nolan): 31/31/30 / 41/40/38
Last 5 / Last 10: 5-0 / 9-1 / 2-3 / 5-5
Home / Away: 24-10 / 9-7-1 / 21-6 / 6-8

HEAD COACHES: Rob Childress (fifth year) / Brad Hill (seventh year)
at school: 190-110-2 (.632) / 225-161-3 (.582)
overall: same / 643-252-3 (16th year)
vs opponent: 9-3-1 vs KSU / 6-12-1 vs A&M

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS

  • FRIDAY: #50 Barret Loux (Jr., RHP, 9-2, 2.05) vs #23 Kayvon Bahramzadeh (So., RHP, 1-3, 5.97)
  • SATURDAY: #36 Ross Stripling (So., RHP, 5-3, 4.11) vs #32 Kyle Hunter (So., LHP, 8-1, 3.86)
  • SUNDAY: TBA vs #22 Justin Lindsey (So., RHP, 4-3, 5.68)

    FOLLOWING THE ACTION

  • TELEVISION - Sunday's game will air regionally on COX Sports Television ... Will Johnson (play-by-play) and Alan Cannon (commentary) will call the action.
  • RADIO - Fans can listen to the game on WTAW-AM 1620 ... Dave South, Scott Clendenin and Kevin Hurley will call the action all season long ... pregame show begins 15 minutes prior to first pitch.
  • INTERNET - aggieathletics.com will offer live play-by-play and statistics.
  • MOBILE PHONE - listen to the game on your iPhone, Blackberry or PDA free of charge ... log on to radioaggieland.com for more information.
  • TWITTER - Follow the team all season long, including live in-game updates, at @aggie_baseball.

    BIG 12 SNAPSHOT: TEXAS A&M (12-11-1)

  • SERIES WINS - Texas Tech (2 of 3), Missouri (2 of 3), at Nebraska (2 of 3), at Oklahoma State (sweep).
  • SERIES LOSSES - vs/at/at Baylor (2 of 3), at/vs/vs Texas (swept), Oklahoma (2 of 3).
  • SERIES SPLITS - at Kansas (1-1-1).

    BIG 12 SNAPSHOT: KANSAS STATE (13-10)

  • SERIES WINS - Oklahoma State (sweep), Nebraska (2 of 3), Baylor (sweep), Kansas (2 of 3).
  • SERIES LOSSES - at Texas Tech (2 of 3), at Missouri (swept, 2), at Oklahoma (2 of 3), Texas (2 of 3).

    A&M IN THE BIG 12

    Texas A&M has a 208-178-2 record in its 14th season in the Big 12 Conference ... the Aggies have won four league championships, regular-season titles in 1998, 1999 and 2008 and the postseason championship in 2007 ... in one of the tighter races in recent years, A&M finished sixth in the league last season at 14-13 ... the Aggies became the third program to reach 200 Big 12 wins with a March 27 victory over Missouri.

    SERIES HISTORY: KANSAS STATE

    Texas A&M leads the overall series with K-State, 34-10-1, and 30-9-1 since the formation of the Big 12 in 1997 ... the Aggies dropped last year's series in Manhattan after taking the opener, with all three games decided by two runs or less ... the Wildcats earned a walk-off series win in the finale with a game-ending sacrifice fly in a 4-3 victory ... A&M has won every series between the schools in league play in College Station, and 11 of 13 overall ... the Aggies swept Kansas State in 2008 at Olsen Field, outscoring the Wildcats 34-14 ... after dropping the first-ever Big 12 game between the schools in '97, A&M won the next 11-the longest winning streak of the series.

    A&M/KSU SERIES BREAKDOWN

  • Series Record: A&M leads, 34-10-1
  • A&M Streak: Lost 2
  • in College Station: A&M leads, 18-3-1
  • in Manhattan: A&M leads, 14-7
  • neutral sites: A&M leads, 2-0

    BIG 12 ERA (1997-present)
  • Overall: A&M leads, 30-9-1
  • in College Station: A&M leads, 15-2-1
  • in Manhattan: A&M leads, 11-7
  • at Big 12 Tourney: A&M leads, 1-0

    A&M vs K-STATE, BIG 12 SERIES HISTORY
  • overall: Won 11, Lost 2
  • in College Station: Won 6, Lost 0
  • in Manhattan: Won 5, Lost 2
  • A&M Streak: Lost 1
  • series opener: Won 9, Lost 4

    MORE ON KANSAS STATE (34-16, 13-10)

    Kansas State is 34-16 on the year and in second place in the Big 12 at 13-10 ... the Wildcats are ranked 23rd in the latest USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll ... K-State leads the Big 12 with a .323 batting average and 105 stolen bases, and ranks second behind Oklahoma in runs scored (395) ... the pitching staff ranks sixth with a 5.11 ERA ... sophomore Nick Martini (.429, 2 HR, 51 RBI, 18 SB) is a strong candidate for Big 12 Player of the Year ... the Wildcats took two of three from rival Kansas in split-site series last weekend, but before that had dropped their previous three league series (Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri) ... Brad Hill is in his seventh season as the K-State head coach with 227 wins ... for more information visit kstatesports.com.

    STATISTICAL COMPARISON: A&M vs K-STATE

    A look at how Texas A&M and Kansas State stack up statistically entering the weekend...

    A&M/KSU STATISTICAL COMPARISON
    Category A&M KSU
    Batting Avg. .301 .326
    Runs Per Game 5.9 7.9
    Home Runs 44 32
    Stolen Bases 88-127 105-139
    Earned Run Avg. 3.57 5.11
    Opponent Avg. .242 .286
    Strikeouts 488 340
    Saves 10 8
    Fielding Pct. .961 .973

    UP NEXT

    Texas A&M heads to Oklahoma City and the annual Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship ... pool play is scheduled for Wednesday through Saturday at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark, with the title game set for Sunday ... the 16 regional sites will be announced in the afternoon of Sunday, May 30, and the field of 64 will be revealed on Monday, May 31 at 11:30 a.m. live on ESPN.

    A LOOK BACK: UT ARLINGTON

    Texas A&M pounded out a season-high 17 hits en route to an 11-7 win over UT Arlington Tuesday evening before 2,671 fans at Olsen Field ... the Aggies scored four in the first and six more in the second en route to their sixth straight victory and 12th in the last 14 games ... already up three runs entering their second at-bat, the Aggies used the long ball to blow the game open ... Clayton Ehlert (3-6) battled through six innings to pick up the victory, giving up four hits, four runs and two walks while punching out a pair ... Greene, Matt Juengel, Gregg Alcazar and Joaquin Hinojosa had three hits each to pace the Aggie attack ... Nick Fleece earned his first save of the season and sixth of his career, allowing a run on three hits over the final 2.1 innings of the game.

    A LOOK BACK: OKLAHOMA STATE

    Texas A&M became only the third team in the 29-year history of Allie P. Reynolds Stadium to sweep Oklahoma State at home with three victories over the weekend in Stillwater (7-0, 5-3 in 10 innings and 6-1).

    FRIDAY - Barret Loux tossed a complete-game shutout to lead Texas A&M to a 7-0 win over Oklahoma State in the series opener before 397 fans at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium ... Loux (9-2) allowed four hits and a walk while fanning seven in the first complete game of his career ... only one Cowboy runner got to second base on the night ... Loux's tremendous start on the mound was complimented by a three-RBI performance from Brodie Greene went 3-for-5 and Adam Smith added a pair of hits ... Mike Strong (4-3) took the loss, giving up nine hits and six runs (five earned) over 4.1 innings.

    SATURDAY - Brodie Greene had two apiece, while Smith and Jackson drove home four of the five runs ... Stilson (7-1) picked up the victory in relief, allowing two hits and a walk over 2.2 shutout innings ... he struck out three ... Stripling went a career-high 7.1 innings and allowed eight hits and three runs ... he did not walk a batter and fanned five.

    SUNDAY - Brodie Greene had three hits and two RBIs to lead Texas A&M to a 6-1 win over Oklahoma State and a series sweep before 504 fans ... with the win, the Aggies clinched a spot in the upcoming Big 12 Championship and earned their first league sweep of 2010 ... the Aggies struck quick off OSU starter Andrew Heaney, as Brodie Greene launched a solo home run to left in the first ... Wacha turned away State in the last half of the inning, retiring the 3-4-5 hitters in order after allowing back-to-back singles to open the game ... it would be one of OSU's few threats of the day ... Wacha (7-2) went a career-high eight-plus innings, giving up nine hits, a run and a walk while punching out three ... John Stilson got the final three outs of the game on three pitches ... Heaney (5-2) suffered the loss, allowing six hits, four runs and three walks over 6.1 innings ... Greene finished the afternoon 3-for-4 with a double, home run and two RBIs. Matt Juengel added a home run and two RBIs.

    TEAM NOTES AND NOTABLES: OFFENSE/DEFENSE

  • Since being swept by Texas in mid-April, the Aggies have responded well ... A&M is 14-4 in the ensuing 18 games, sporting a .316 average with 19 home runs, a 2.93 ERA, a .227 opponent batting average and a .973 fielding percentage.
  • Texas A&M has averaged 6.8 runs over the last 18 games ... the Aggies are 23-3-1 this season when scoring six or more runs in a game.
  • A&M has pounded out 10 or more hits in 29 of 52 games this year ... the Aggies have reached double-digits in hits 12 times in the last 16 games ... the offense is hitting .301 on the year and averaging 5.9 runs per game.
  • The Aggies' 88 stolen bases is the 12th highest total in school history ... with 12 more swipes, the 2010 squad will become just the seventh ever to amass 100 steals in a season.
  • Texas A&M is fielding at a .981 clip over the last 11 games ... not surprisingly, the Aggies are 9-2 in those contests ... A&M did not commit an error over the weekend in Stillwater, the first three-game error-free stretch of the year ... Texas A&M has committed just one miscue in its last 44.1 innings.

    TEAM NOTES AND NOTABLES: PITCHING

  • Texas A&M leads the Big 12 and ranks third nationally in strikeouts per nine innings (9.13), and is second in the league and ninth nationally in hits allowed per nine innings (8.41) ... the Aggies are also second in the league and eighth nationally in earned run average (3.57) and third in the league and 15th in the country in walks allowed per nine innings (2.88).
  • Texas A&M's pitching staff enters the weekend with 488 strikeouts, the 10th highest total in school history ... 2010 marks the 19th time overall and fourth straight year that an Aggie team has reached the 400-strikeout plateau.
  • A&M pitching has struck out 10 or more batters in 22 games this spring ... the Aggies are averaging 9.13 punchouts per nine innings and feature a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3.13.
  • Aggie pitching has held opponents to two runs or less in 16 games.
  • The bullpen is 11-4 with a 3.32 ERA, five holds and 10 saves ... the pen is 10-for-11 in save opportunities this year ... A&M is 28-1 when leading after six, 29-1 after seven and 32-1 after eight ... a full bullpen chart can be found on page 29.
  • Texas A&M pitchers combined for 18 strikeouts in the March 12 win over No. 25 Washington State ... that tied for the most punchouts in a game by an Aggie staff since Jeff Granger fanned 21 in a win over Lubbock Christian on April 2, 1993 ... A&M also struck out 18 in a win over Texas-Pan American on March 30, 2001.

    TEAM NOTES AND NOTABLES: MISCELLANEOUS

  • Texas A&M has a 10-2 record in the month of May, which ties the school record for victories in the month ... only three other teams in school history have won 10 games in May, 1989 (10-3), 1999 (10-4) and 2003 (10-4) ... the Aggies have at least six games left in the month, including this weekend's series with K-State and a minimum of three at the Big 12 Championship.
  • Texas A&M's sweep of Oklahoma State was the first ever for the Aggies in Stillwater ... it was only the third time in the 29-year history of Allie P. Reynolds Stadium that OSU was swept in a three-game set ... it marked the first league sweep of 2010 for A&M and the first since taking all three against Nebraska last April ... A&M's last road sweep in Big 12 play had been at Kansas in March 2008.
  • The Aggies are 16 games over .500 (34-18-1) for the first time this year and for the first time since May 12, 2009 (34-18 after a 13-4 win over Texas State).
  • Six more victories would make the 2010 Aggies the 18th team in school history to reach the 40-win plateau.
  • Head Coach Rob Childress is 10 wins away from his 200th as a head coach, all coming at A&M.
  • The Aggies need three wins to reach 900 all-time at Olsen Field.
  • Saturday's 5-3 win over Oklahoma State in 10 innings was Texas A&M's first extra-inning win of the year ... the Aggies are 1-3-1 in 2010 in those contests ... it was also A&M's fourth extra-inning affair in Big 12 play.
  • Texas A&M's 6-5 loss to Oklahoma in 13 innings on April 24 was the second-longest Big 12 game in school history ... the longest was a 16-inning win at Nebraska on May 9, 2008.
  • The 8-8 tie with Kansas on April 3 was just the second Big 12 tie in Texas A&M history ... the first was a 1-1 draw with Kansas State at Olsen Field on May 14, 2006, and was also the most recent tie for the Aggies.
  • Texas A&M played 20 of its first 23 games at home ... the Aggies' lone trip out of College Station during the span was for the QTI Baylor Classic in Waco ... A&M played the entire month of March at Olsen Field except for the final game of the month in San Marcos ... the Aggies have nine regular-season games scheduled outside the state of Texas (Big 12 series at Kansas, Nebraska and OSU).

    PLAYER NOTES AND NOTABLES: HITTING

  • Senior CF Brodie Greene carries a 10-game hit streak into the weekend (.512, 4 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 15 runs) ... has had two or more hits in four straight games ... leads the team in 10 offensive categories (average, hits, runs, doubles, triples, home runs, RBIs, total bases, slugging percentage and on-base percentage) ... his 17 stolen bases rank second and he is the only player on the team to appear in all 53 games ... Greene had a career-high 16-game hit streak snapped March 26 against Missouri ... he has recorded a hit in 44 of 53 games this year, and multiple hits in 27 of 53 ... Greene reached safely (hit, BB or HBP) in 26 straight games from Feb. 26-April 10 and 49 of 53 overall ... his seven triples lead the Big 12 and rank 15th nationally.
  • Over the last 14 games (12-2 record), understandably several players have been hot...including senior DH Brodie Greene (.441, 3 HR, 12 RBI), sophomore 2B Adam Smith (.396, 4 HR, 16 RBI, 17 runs), sophomore 1B/DH Matt Juengel (.360, 4 HR, 15 RBI), freshman RF Tyler Naquin (.340, HR, 5 RBI, 10 runs) and junior C Kevin Gonzalez (.316, 2 HR, 10 RBI).
  • Senior SS Brodie Greene (.538, 10 runs) and sophomore 2B Adam Smith (.429, 3 HR, 12 RBI) are A&M's top hitters on the current six-game win streak.
  • Senior DH Joe Patterson has hit safely in 13 of the last 15 games ... Patterson had an 11-game hit streak snapped last Friday at Oklahoma State, the third double-digit hit streak for Patterson this season (11, 11, 10 games) ... in his last 12 games, he has had two or more hits in 10 ... in the month of May, Patterson is hitting a team-best .481 (25-for-52) with four doubles, two homers, 12 RBIs and 11 runs scored.
  • Freshman Tyler Naquin has emerged of late in right field ... over the last nine games, A&M has gone 8-1 and it's no coincidence that Naquin has shined in that span ... the Spring, Texas product is hitting .394 (13-for-33) with a home run, three RBIs and eight runs scored, while recording four outfield assists.
  • Following A&M's 7-1 win over Rice on April 20, sophomore 2B Adam Smith saw his average drop to .209 ... since then (17 games), Smith has raised his average 68 points ... over those 17 contests, the Spring product is hitting .371 with team highs in home runs (5), RBIs (20) and runs scored (19) ... Smith has played 27 games at second base this season and is fielding at a .992 clip, committing just one error in 125 chances.
  • Junior OF Joaquin Hinojosa is hitting .276 with five RBI and four runs scored in the leadoff spot (7 games), the highest average by an Aggie in the top spot this season.
  • Junior C Kevin Gonzalez is hitting .400 over the Aggies' six-game win streak with a home run and five RBIs.
  • Brodie Greene became the 13th player in school history to play in 200 games when he got the starting nod against Oklahoma on April 23 ... Greene also notched his 200th career hit in his first at-bat that evening, an RBI double.

    PLAYER NOTES AND NOTABLES: PITCHING

  • At the latest NCAA report (May 16), sophomore RP John Stilson ranked second nationally in both strikeouts per nine innings (13.20) and hits allowed per nine innings (5.10) ... he ranked third in earned run average (1.05).
  • Three Aggie pitchers rank in the top 30 nationally in earned run average ... John Stilson (3rd, 1.05), BARRET LOUX (14th, 2.05) and Michael Wacha (27th, 2.37).
  • Junior BARRET LOUX ranks fifth nationally in strikeouts (111), seventh in strikeouts per nine innings (11.99), 10th in hits allowed per nine (6.16) and 14th in ERA (2.05) ... Loux has punched out 10 or more hitters five times this year.
  • BARRET LOUX is 4-0 with a 1.73 ERA in his last five Big 12 starts, fanning 40 and holding teams to a .186 average over that span ... Loux tossed his first career complete game, a shutout, last Friday at Oklahoma State and was named Big 12 Co-Pitcher of the Week for his performance.
  • Sophomore John Stilson has made a huge impact in his first season in Aggieland ... Stilson has made 26 appearances in relief so far in 2010, has picked up seven wins and eight saves, and has punched out 88 in 60 innings of work (1.5 per inning) ... while not qualifying for a save, he has slammed the door on five other Aggie victories in 2010 ... has allowed one run over his last 10 outings (17.2 innings) ... opponents are hitting .163 against him.
  • Freshman Michael Wacha ranks sixth in the Big 12, and behind teammates John Stilson and BARRET LOUX, in ERA (2.48) ... Wacha is 4-0 with a 1.30 ERA over his last four starts, holding opponents to a .216 average ... went eight-plus in Sunday's 6-1 win at Oklahoma State, allowing just one run.

    SMITH, LOUX EARN BIG 12 WEEKLY HONORS

    Texas A&M's Adam Smith and Barret Loux were named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week and Co-Pitcher of the Week, respectively, by a select media panel on May 17.

    Loux tossed his first career complete game, a shutout, in a 7-0 win at Oklahoma State on May 14. The junior held an OSU team, which entered the weekend with a .311 batting average, to just four hits, while allowing one walk and striking out seven. Loux allowed just one runner to reach second base on the night, as he won his fourth straight outing and improved to 9-2 on the year.

    Smith, meanwhile, hit .471 with two home runs and nine RBIs to lead the Aggies to a 5-0 week and just the third sweep by a visiting team in the 29-year history of OSU's Allie P. Reynolds Stadium. On May 11, the sophomore broke a 1-1, sixth-inning tie at Houston with his first career grand slam. Smith opened the scoring on May 14 in Stillwater with a solo home run, and tripled off the wall on Saturday afternoon to drive in a pair in an eventual 10-inning win over the Cowboys.

    The award was Loux's second of the season and career, while Smith took home his first career Big 12 weekly honor. Loux was named Co-Pitcher of the Week on March 8, while Smith became the second Aggie to earn POTW honors this spring (Brodie Greene, Feb. 22).

    FIVE AGGIES NAMED TO ACADEMIC ALL-BIG 12 TEAMS

    Five members of the Texas A&M baseball team were named to the Academic All-Big 12 teams by the league office on May 18.

    Sophomores Tyler Dyer and Clayton Ehlert and junior Barret Loux earned second-team accolades. Loux made the team for the second consecutive year, while Dyler, Ehlert, Stripling and Uriegas are first-time honorees.

    Nominated by each institution's director of student-athlete support services and the media relations offices, the baseball academic all-league squad consisted of 43 first team members combined with 26 on the second team. First team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA, and the second team are those who have a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA.

    To qualify student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters. All position players nominated must have participated in 60 percent of their team's scheduled contests, while pitchers are required to have at least one inning pitched per game played by the team or have appeared in 20 percent of their team's total games. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are also eligible.

    LOUX, STILSON ON GOLDEN SPIKES AWARD WATCH LIST

    Texas A&M pitchers John Stilson and Barret Loux earned spots on the Golden Spikes Award watch list, announced by USA Baseball on May 3.

    The 60-man list will be cut in half on June 1, when semifinalists are announced, with five finalists being tabbed a week later and the award presented on July 13 in Anaheim, California.

    STILSON NAMED QUARTERFINALIST FOR CBF NAT'L PITCHER OF THE YEAR

    Texas A&M sophomore John Stilson was named one of 25 quarterfinalists for the College Baseball Foundation's Pitcher of the Year Award.

    Stilson joins Texas pitchers Cole Green, Brandon Workman and Chance Ruffin as the Big 12's representatives on the list. The Pitcher of the Year Award will be presented in Lubbock on July 2 as part of the College Baseball awards show.

    2010 PHILLIPS 66 BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP

    The 14th-annual Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship is scheduled for May 26-30 at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark in downtown Oklahoma City.

    The eight-team championship will be in a two-division, pool play format for the fifth straight season in 2009. The winner of each bracket will meet in the championship game, with the victor earning the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Championship. Texas is the defending champion.

    Oklahoma City and AT&T Bricktown Ballpark will be the host of the event through the 2011 season.

    For ticket information, contact the Oklahoma Redhawks at (405) 218-1000.