Aggies Host Penn State for Three-Game Series
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Texas A&M looks to continue their perfect start as the Aggies welcome the Penn State Nittany Lions to Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park for a three game series. Winners of their first four games, the Aggies are looking to start 5-0 for the first time since 2012, 6-0 for the first time since 2011 and 7-0 for the first time since 2006. The Aggies pitching staff enters the series with a 17-run scoreless streak. After allowing a run in the first inning of the series finale against Holy Cross, A&M pitchers finished the Sunday game with eight blank frames to close out the Crusaders and four pitchers combined to strikeout 16 in a 6-0 shutout against Stephen F Austin in midweek action. The Aggies continue to put up stout offensive numbers in nearly every offensive situation including average with runners on base (.326), average with bases loaded (.667), percentage reaching base as lead-off hitter (.531), average with runners in scoring position (.305), percentage of runners scoring from third with less than two outs (.875) and average with two outs (.411).
#23 TEXAS A&M AGGIES (4-0) vs. PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (0-3)
Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park (6,100) • College Station, Texas
SCHEDULE - Friday - 6:35 pm • Saturday - 2:05 pm • Sunday - 12:05 pm
RADIO - Sports Radio 1150 The Zone • Dave South (play-by-play)
LIVE VIDEO - SEC Network+ (WatchESPN credentials required through cable provider) • Will Johnson (play-by-play), Mark Johnson (color analyst)
LIVE AUDIO - 12thMan.com • radioaggieland.com (free)
LIVE STATS - 12thMan.com/tamustats.com (mobile devices)
RANKINGS - Texas A&M - 23rd (USAT), 16th (D1B), 22nd (NCBWA); Penn State - unranked
SERIES HISTORY - Texas A&M leads 7-1
SERIES STREAKS - A&M won last six meetings
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
• FRIDAY: #34 AJ Minter (Jr., LHP, 1-0, 0.00) vs #20 Nick Hedge (Jr., LHP, 0-0, 12.00)
• SATURDAY: #38 Grayson Long (Jr., RHP, 0-0, 12.27) vs #7 Nick Distasio (Fr., RHP, 0-1, 4.91)
• SUNDAY: #31 Matt Kent (So., LHP, 1-0, 0.00) vs #10 Taylor Lehman (Fr., LHP, 0-1, 14.73)
FOLLOWING THE ACTION
• RADIO — Fans can listen to all games locally on SportsRadio 1150 The Zone... Dave South (play-by-play) and selected commentators will call the action... pregame show begins 30 minutes prior to first pitch.
• INTERNET — 12thMan.com will offer live play-by-play and statistics for all home games... fans with cable providers offering access to SEC Network+ can watch all non-televised home games via the WatchESPN App using their cable provider access code.
• MOBILE PHONE — listen to the game on your iPhone, Blackberry or PDA free of charge ... log on to RadioAggieland.com for more information.
TEXAS A&M/PENN STATE SERIES NOTABLES
The Aggies are 7-1 all-time against the Nittany Lions, with all of the prior meetings coming in College Station. Penn State made their most recent appearance at Olsen Field in 2010 for a pair of midweek games. Texas A&M won the first game of the set 17-3 with Joe Patterson going 3-for-5 with a double a home run and four RBI at the plate and Michael Wacha striking out 11 in 6.0 scoreless frames. In the second game, the Aggies won 7-0 as Caleb Shofner drove in three runs with two doubles and Clayton Ehlert struck out 10 in 7.0 innings. A&M also swept a three-game series in 2001 and a single game in 1997. Penn State's first trip to College Station pitted the teams together on two occasions as part of the Aggie Continental Classic in 1994. A&M won the first meeting 8-7 in 10 innings and Penn State returned the favor with a 6-1 victory three days later.
MORE ON PENN STATE
Penn State stumbled out of the gate, getting swept in a three-game at Elon. The season opener was a nail-biter with the Nittany Lions getting edged out 16-15, but the Phoenix won the next two games convincingly, by scores of 7-2 and 11-6. Ryan Richter and Jim Haley both hit .400 for Penn State on the weekend with Richter going 5-for-12 (.417) with two doubles, one home run and two RBI and Haley hitting .400 (6-for-15) with one double and six RBI.
The Nittany Lions are coming off an 18-32 record in 2014. James Coates is the leading hitter returning from last season, when he batted .277 (38-for-137), but he opened the season by going 0-for-10 at the plate. In the weekend rotation, Nick Hedge is the only starter returning from last season. He posted a 2-5 record with a 6.21 ERA.
The Nittany Lions have made 19 NCAA Championship appearances with the last coming in 2000. Penn State has appeared in five College World Series, including 1952, 1957, 1959, 1963 and 1973. The Nittany Lions finished as runner-up to California in 1957.
Penn State boasts 33 former players who went on to play Major League Baseball, including Hall of Famer Monte Ward. Ward enjoyed a 17-year career from 1878-1894, racking up 2,107 hits and 540 stolen bases on offense and a 164-103 record and 2.10 ERA in seven years as a pitcher. In 1879 he started 60 games, going 47-19 with a 2.15 ERA in 587.0 innings, without his arm falling off. Oddly enough, his pitching career ended due to an injury sustained sliding into a base. He is widely recognized as forming the first-ever 'sports labor union', the Brotherhood of Professional Base Ball Players A precursor to the World Series, the Dauvray Cup was played from 1887-1890, matching the American Association champion and the National League champion and named after Ward's wife, Helen Dauvray who donated the trophy for self-promotion.
Mike Scioscia, who signed a professional contract out of high school as a first-round draft pick (19th overall pick) in the 1976 amateur, possesses a computer science degree from Penn State, having spent his offseasons completing his coursework.
NOTES AND NOTABLES
• Head coach Rob Childress enters his 10th season at the helm of the Texas A&M baseball program, beginning the year with a 362-208-2 record. Last season, he led the Aggies to the postseason to extend their school-record streak to eight consecutive seasons.
• Texas A&M welcomes back 22 letterwinners, including five players who started more than 50 percent of A&M's games in the field last season. The Aggies also return 11 players who started at least 15 games, from last season's 36-26 team that advanced to the NCAA Championship. The Aggies return All-SEC Second Team performer in Nick Banks (OF).
• The Aggies enter the season ranked in the Top 25 in three of the five major college baseball polls, earning the No. 25 ranking in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll, the No. 23 spot in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll and the No. 17 position in the inaugural D1Baseball.com ranking.
FRIDAY'S PROBABLE STARTER: #34 A.J. MINTER
Making his second consecutive start after his first 52 appearances were out of the bullpen... pitched 5.0 innings in the season opener, allowing two unearned runs against Holy Cross on five hits and two walks while striking out seven... did not allow a run in his nine SEC appearances last season, going 2-0 with one save in 9.0 innings of work... earned wins against Florida and Ole Miss and picked up a save against Arkansas in SEC action last season... longest career outing is 2.2 innings, when he picked up a win against Florida, scattering two runs and striking out a career-high three in a win against Florida in the finale as A&M captured the series... as a freshman, did not allow a run in his first 13 appearances.
SATURDAY'S PROBABLE STARTER: #38 GRAYSON LONG
Enters play as the Aggies' active leader in wins (10), innings pitched (139.0) and strikeouts (98)... led the Aggies' with six wins last season... also ranked second on A&M with 15 starts and 89.1 innings pitched... started his sophomore campaign by allowing just one run in his first five starts, scattering 22 hits and 10 walks while striking out 22 batters in 34.0 innings... best career outing came against Auburn last season when he worked 8.0 shutout innings, fanning seven while scattering seven hits and one walk to help A&M stave of a series sweep... also earned SEC wins against Florida, eventual national champion Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Mississippi State, posting a 5-2 record in league action.
SUNDAY'S PROBABLE STARTER: #31 MATT KENT
Making his eighth career start and his four career weekend start... logged his longest-career outing in the finale of the opening series against Holy Cross, yielding just one unearned run on five hits while striking out three in 7.0 innings of work... prior to this season, both of his prior weekend starts came as a freshman in 2013, losses to Arkansas and LSU... was 1-0 with a 2.77 in his four starts as a sophomore... win came against Texas Southern (3/5/14), striking out a career nine while scattering three hits and one walk over 6.0 innings... has had success in long relief against SEC squads in the past including 5.0 scoreless innings at Mississippi State in 2014 and 5.0 blank frames at Ole Miss in 2013... his effort against Ole Miss in 2013 earned him SEC Freshman of the Week recognition.
LISTEN AROUND THE WORLD
A&M fans in Bryan/College Station will find it easier to find baseball broadcasts as every game will air on SportsRadio 1150 The Zone. Free live audio of every pitch of the 2015 season is also available online at 12thMan.com. Fans across the world can listen to Aggie games free of charge on their iPhone, Blackberry and other selected PDAs and cell phones through the Radio Aggieland app. To check availability or to set up your device to listen to Aggie baseball all season long wherever you go, visit radioaggieland.com.
BANKS EARNS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA
NICK BANKS picked up a pair of Preseason All-America honors. The sophomore outfielder was named to the Perfect Game's 2015 Preseason College All-America Second Team and D1Baseball.com Preseason All-America Second Team.
As a freshman, Banks batted .327 with 29 runs, 10 doubles, two triples, two home runs, 26 RBI and seven stolen bases. In 30 SEC contests, Banks ranked fourth in the league with a .360 batting average, going 41-for-114 with seven doubles, one triple, one home run, 15 runs and 16 RBI.
Following his successful rookie campaign, Banks earned Freshman All-America recognition from National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association and Collegiate Baseball. He was named All-SEC Second Team as well as earning a place on the SEC All-Freshman squad. Banks and Florida's Logan Shore were the only two freshmen to earn All-SEC status in 2014.
MAKING EVERY OUT COUNT
The Aggies are making every out count this season, hitting .411 (23-for-56) with two outs. Meanwhile, their opponents have scuffled, hitting .182 (8-for-44) with two outs. The Maroon and White have logged 24 RBI with two outs, an average of 6.0 per game. RONNIE GIDEON is batting .455 (5-for-11) with 11 RBI with two outs. JB MOSS hit .600 (3-for-5) with six RBI with two outs during the span.
SETTING THE TABLE
Aggie hitters leading off an inning have reached base in 17 of the 32 frames (.531), despite getting just six leadoff hits. A&M has drawn eight walks and have been hit by two pitches to start innings. JB MOSS is leading the team, reaching base three times in six innings leading off. LOGAN TAYLOR (2-2), MITCHELL NAU (2-3), NICK BANKS (2-4) and BLAKE ALLEMAND (2-5) have each reached multiple times when leading off innings.
BIG INNINGS
The Aggies have been producing plenty of big innings early in the 2015 campaign. The Maroon and White have scored multiple runs in 13 of their 32 innings on the year. Texas A&M has had eight innings with at least three runs and five “Big Innings” with at least four runs. Twice in 2015, A&M has logged seven runs, including the second inning of the season opener against Holy Cross and in the seventh inning of the second game of the year. The Aggies have batted through the line three times this season.
LOCAL BOY
With the departure of Krey Bratsen, the all-time Aggie leader in games played, newcomer BLAKE KOPETSKY takes over the role of the local boy. Kopetsky was a standout at Rudder High School in Bryan, earning three letters. He was tabbed an All-Texas 4A Third Team outfielder by the Texas SportsWriters Association as a senior in 2012. The last two years he played at Temple Junior College and returned home in the summers to star for the Brazos Valley Bombers.
Other recent players to hail from Bryan or College Station include Bratsen (2011-14), Luke Anders (2006-09), Nick Anders (2009), Kyle Nicholson (2004-07) and Keith Stein (2005-06).
TURNER BASEBALL
TURNER LARKINS has the distinction of being selected in the 2014 MLB First-Year Player Draft one spot before Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel. The Milwaukee Brewers selected Larkins out of Arlington Martin High School in the 28th round with the 836th overall pick. The San Diego Padres followed by drafting Manziel with the 837th pick.
TOUGH TESTS SPANGLE THE 2015 SCHEDULE
The Aggies will play 11 teams that participated in the 2014 NCAA Championship for a total of 27 games, including Alabama (3), Kentucky (3), Mississippi State (3), Arkansas (3), LSU (3), South Carolina (3), Ole Miss (3), Sam Houston State (2), Dallas Baptist, Houston, Nebraska and Rice.
The Aggies will play seven SEC series against teams that played in the 2014 NCAA Championship, including College World Series participant Ole Miss.
Four of A&M's opponents hosted a regional in 2014 and Ole Miss and Houston both played in Super Regionals. The Aggies' meat grinder of a schedule includes 18 games against squads that racked up 40 or more wins last season as well as three games each against Mississippi State (39-23), Alabama (37-23) and Kentucky (37-24).
ALLEMAND'S SENIORITY
BLAKE ALLEMAND enters the season as the most senior of veterans on the squad. Heading into Friday's game, Allemand has played in 171 games. With 29 more games, Allemand would become just the 17th Aggie to appear in 200 games. Five Aggies have appeared in 200 games in the 21st century, including school record holder Krey Bratsen (245 – 2011-014), Kevin Gonzalez (236 – 2008-11), Brodie Green (228 – 2007-10), Kyle Colligan (218 – 2006-09) and Brandon Wood (204 – 2010-13).
For his career, Allemand is hitting .278 (164-for-590) with 15 doubles, four triples, one home run, 68 RBI and 25 stolen bases. He has made 165 career starts, including 47 in 2012, 61 in 2013 and 53 in 2014.
CALL ON ME
Coach Childress has a pair of pitchers who he has called on 50 or more times in their career, including JASON FREEMAN and AJ MINTER. He also has a pair of arms nearing the 50-game plateau, including ANDREW VINSON with 49 and MATT KENT with 47.
Freeman leads all active players with his 55 games which includes 52 relief appearances. For his career, the right-hander is 4-3 with a 5.06 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 64.0 innings. Minter is 4-0 with a 2.55 ERA, two saves and 47 strikeouts (19 BB) in 42.1 innings in 53 appearances, 52 in relief. In 49 games, all out of the bullpen, Vinson is 4-3 with a 3.28 ERA, two saves and 56 strikeouts (21 BB) in 57.2 innings. Kent counts seven starts among his 47 games. The southpaw is 6-4 with a 3.32 ERA and 56 strikeouts (10 BB) in 89.1 innings.
2,500-WIN CLUB
The Aggies lead all SEC programs in all-time wins, but were recently joined by Mississippi State in the prestigious 2,500-win club. Texas A&M is currently one of just 13 NCAA Division I programs to reach the 2,500-win plateau, entering play with a 2,519-1,430-42 mark. Before February is over, two teams may join the 2,500-win club including another of SEC team. Mississippi State won its season opener, marking its 2,500th victory and the Bulldogs now boast 2,503 wins. Alabama (2,499) and Minnesota (2,494) are nearing the plateau. South Carolina would need 44 wins in 2015 to reach the plateau by the end of the year. Everybody is at least two decades worth of wins behind Fordham which owns 4,367 all-time wins.
PITCHER WEDGE
KYLE SIMONDS marks the only player on the squad to not play high school baseball. Simonds spent his springs at Grand Island (Neb.) Central Catholic High School playing golf. Skilled on the links, Simonds qualified for the Nebraska Class C state tournament all four years, finishing 11th at the championship as a junior. He got his share of baseball in the summers staring for American Legion squad Home Federal. He went 2-for-2 with one double, one home run and three RBI at the Cornhusker League All-Star Game in July 2012.
Simonds honed his pitching skills at Hutchinson Community College where he blossomed last year. As a sophomore, he was named the National Junior College Athletic Association Division I Pitcher of the Year, posting a 13-0 record (13 wins led the nation) and a 2.30 ERA. He broke single season school records for wins (13), complete-games (nine), shutouts (three) and strikeouts (103) in 2014.
The northpaw has been impressive in his two appearance this season. Simonds has not yielded a run in 6.1 innings, striking out eight and scattering three hits. In his first career outing, he retired 12 of 13 batters, he faced with the only batter reaching base on a HBP, as he blanked Holy Cross for 4.0 innings with four strikeouts. In his last appearance, Simonds scattered three hits over 2.1 innings against Stephen F. Austin, striking out four Lumberjacks.
1,000 WINS AT OLSEN FIELD
The Aggies enter the weekend series needing 13 home wins to reach the 1,000-win plateau at the friendly confines of Olsen Field. Now in their 38th season at the now-Blue Bell Park, the Maroon and White are 987-324-4.
FAST STARTS
The Aggies are outscoring opponents 20-1 in the first two innings of games, including 9-1 in the first inning and 11-0 in the second inning. A&M is hitting .412 (7-for-17) with four doubles, one home run and nine RBI in the first frame of games. The Maroon and White step offense up in the second inning, batting .524 (11-for-21) with two doubles, one triple, two home runs and 11 RBI.
RED, WHITE, AND BLUE
Three Aggies were blessed with the experience of traveling with the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team last summer. Sophomore outfielder NICK BANKS and junior pitcher AJ MINTER were selected to play and ROB CHILDRESS served as the team's pitching coach.
Team USA went 18-8-2 over the season and claimed the title at the Honkbal - Haarlem Week in the Netherlands. Banks appeared in 26 of the 28 games with 23 starts. He batted .241 (21-for-87) with 11 runs, two doubles, two home runs and 13 RBI. Minter appeared in nine games, logging a 0-0 record with a 0.00 ERA. He yielded just two unearned runs on four hits and seven walks while striking out 10 over 12.1 innings.
BAGS FULL OF AGS
JB MOSS has come to the plate with bases loaded on two occasions this season, going 2-for-2 with four RBI, logging a pair of two-run singles. Texas A&M has batted four times with bases loaded, going 2-for-3 with one sacrifice fly and five RBI.
DINGER WATCH
The Aggies have six home runs through the first four games. Last season, Texas A&M needed 14 games to register four home runs. RYNE BIRK and RONNIE GIDEON share the team lead with two apiece. JB MOSS and LOGAN TAYLOR have each added one.
UP NEXT
The Aggies return to action on Tuesday with a 6:35 pm contest against the Houston Baptist Huskies.