COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The No. 22 Texas A&M softball team hosts Houston in a midweek contest this Wednesday, with first pitch at 6:05 p.m. at the Aggie Softball Complex.
This is the Aggies' second Wednesday game of the season, the previous being a 5-1 loss to No. 2 ranked Oregon last week.
Fans unable to attend the game can listen to it live on 1620 AM, 12thMan.com or RadioAggieland.com. Download the RadioAggieland app to listen to the games, or tune in online. Additionally, each game on the Aggies' home slate will be broadcast on SEC Network +, with seven contests on the ESPN family of channels.
Instantaneous live mobile stats can be seen from any mobile device, as well as any computer at TAMUstats.com. Live stats will also be available for every game of the 2015 season through 12thMan.com. Click on the live stats link on the Aggie softball schedule page any time after first pitch to follow the action.
AT FIRST GLANCE
The Aggies are currently riding a 12-4 record and are coming off an undefeated turn in the desert at the Mary Nutter Classic, defeating BYU, UCSB, Cal State Fullerton, Syracuse and Stanford, who is receiving votes in both polls. Returning five starters and four pitchers, the Aggies bring back experienced talent while also welcoming a crop of seven fresh faces to the diamond. Despite returning 13 letterwinners and four pitchers, Texas A&M will take the field without its top three hitters last season but sophomore April Ryan, who looks to pick up where her teammates left off, is coming off a season where she hit .295 with 14 doubles and 40 RBIs. The Aggies also bring back their top two pitchers in seniors Rachel Fox and Katie Marks. The duo combined for 30 wins last season and already has 11 through last weekend.
LAST AT BAT
The Aggies went 5-0 last weekend at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. A&M opened with an 8-5 victory over BYU on opening day. The Aggies took on two California ball clubs on their second day on the West Coast, besting UCSB 7-0 and taking down Cal State Fullerton 2-1 in a defensive battle. The team closed out the weekend undefeated with a 9-1 run-rule victory over Syracuse and a 4-0 finale win over Stanford.
SCOUTING HOUSTON
Houston is off to a 7-11 start to 2015, losing five of their last six. Junior Selena Hernandez leads the Cougars on offense, going 7-for-15 last weekend with a double and a home run. The Aggies lead the all time series 16-6 but lost the most recent meeting, falling 2-1 last April when the team's met at the Cougar Softball Complex.
KS FOR DAYS
Senior Rachel Fox and junior Katie Marks are dominating in the circle, logging 11 wins in 16 games, well on their way to overtaking last year's total of 30. Both pitcher fanned season-high batters last weekend, with Fox sending 10 BYU batters back to the dugout and Marks taking down six against Syracuse.
THE POWER OF YOUTH
With the Aggies losing their top three hitters from 2014, the ball club was looking for power coming into this spring. The freshman and sophomore classes have found their way into the top five places in each batting statistical category and lead eight. Freshmen Tori Vidales and Kristen Cuyos have combined for nine of the team's 14 homeruns and sophomore April Ryan leads the team in 14 runs scored. the future is looking bright for the new bats.
HOME RUN TANK
The Aggies have exhibited some powerful hitting over the past two weekends. Here is a list of players who have made deposits in the home run tank so far during the 2015 season:
GRAND SLAMS:
1 Cali Lanphear - Feb. 6 vs Utah
Tori Vidales - Feb. 7 vs UCLA
HOME RUNS:
5 Tori Vidales
3 Kristen Cuyos
2 April Ryan
2 Cali Lanphear
1 Reagan Boenker
Breanna Dozier
OH WHAT A RELIEF IT IS
The Aggies have been making full use of their pitching staff, with the relief pitchers shining in early weeks of play. Senior Lauren Ainsley and junior Katie Marks has particularly strong performances at the SoCal Collegiate Classic and senior Rachel Fox proved she can do more than take over from the top at the Aggie Classic.
CONSISTENCY IS KEY
While the batting order has shuffled around throughout the beginning of the season, one name has stayed in the same position: senior Brittany Clopton in the leadoff spot. Leading the Aggies in hits, Clopton has 17 all together and has reached the bags in six consecutive games, going hitless in only four.
GOING BACK TO CALI
The Aggies have become a mainstay in several California tournaments, taking at least one trip to the West Coast over the past four seasons. Texas A&M has a 24-11 record in the Golden State since 2011 including a 5-0 turn to open the 2014 season in Santa Barbara and 3-2 finish at the 2015 SoCal Collegiate Classic. The Aggies most recently added five more win at the 2015 Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.
THE 2015 AGGIES
In its third season in the Southeastern Conference, Texas A&M welcomes seven newcomers to the 2015 squad with freshmen Kristen Cuyos (Pearland), Erin Hoothoufd (Beach City), Kayla Ober (Katy), Hailey Rebar (San Antonio), Erica Russell (Bryan), Tori Vidales (La Porte) and Ashley Walters (Kerrville). Returning to action are five sophomores, four juniors and an incredibly experienced four-member senior class. The Aggies will have to replace a prolific group of eight seniors from 2014 but retain four members of their pitching staff and several fresh faces who worked their way up the stat columns last season.
WELCOME BACK
The Aggies 13 student-athletes from the 2014 squad, including an experienced pitching staff and plenty of hitting power. Right-handed pitchers Rachel Fox and Katie Marks led the Aggies in 2014, putting together 30 wins with a combined 193 Ks. Sophomore April Ryan is A&M's leading hitter, batting .295 with 43 runs and 40 RBIs.
RANKING THE AGGIES
Texas A&M starts the 2015 season with a No. 24 preseason ranking in both national polls. The Aggies' remaining 2015 opponents in the top 25 are No. 1 Florida, No. 2 Oregon, No.4/5 Alabama, No. 11/10 Kentucky, No. 14 UCLA, No. 14/15 LSU and No. 16/16 Auburn. In addition, South Carolina, Cal State Fullerton, San Diego State and Mississippi State are receiving votes.
SEC PRESEASON POLL
The Southeastern Conference coaches predicted a No. 9 finish for the Aggies in 2015, finishing behind No. 1 Florida, No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Kentucky, No. 4 LSU, No. 5 Georgia, No. 6 Missouri, No. 7 Auburn and No. 8 Tennessee. Rounding out the preseason poll are No. 10 South Carolina, No. 11 Mississippi State, No. 12 Arkansas and No. 13 Ole Miss. Nine of the 13 SEC softball teams appeared among the nation's top-25 in the USA Today/NFCA Preseason Poll. Points for the SEC poll were awarded on a 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12 basis. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team. The SEC did away with East-West divisions after the 2012-13 season in all sports but baseball and football.
FULL FEBRUARY
With four tournaments and two nonconference midweek games at the beginning of the season, the Aggies will play over one third of their regular-season schedule in the month of February. Of the 56 scheduled games in 2015, 22 of them will take place during the first four weeks of the season.
FOLLOW THE AGGIES
Get the latest news, updates and action from Aggie Softball by following the team's official Twitter account @AggieSoftball. Fans on Facebook can also stay connected by liking the Aggie Softball page (facebook.com/TAMUSoftball).
LISTEN LIVE
Aggie Softball fans worldwide can listen to each game of the 2015 season live on AggieAthletics.com. All contests are provided by The Zone and can be heard on smartphones and HD radios via the Radio Aggieland app. Select games are also available in the Bryan-College Station area on Sports Radio 1150 AM. Every game will be live online at RadioAggieland.com and 12thMan.com.
MOBILE LIVE STATS
Fans who wish to follow the action of each game this season can also receive free, instantaneous live stats on any computer or smartphone by visiting TAMUstats.com. Users can access current live stats and stats from past games.
AGGIE SOFTBALL ON TV
The Aggies will play at least seven games on national TV this season, beginning with the Sunday, March 8 game against Kentucky on the SEC Network at noon CT. Of the Aggies' seven televised contests, five will be played at the Aggie Softball Complex. The Aggies will host No. 20 Auburn on ESPNU on Saturday, April 11 at 1 p.m. CT. A week earlier the Aggies and South Carolina will face off on the SEC Network – March 21-22. In addition to the seven regular-season games, each Texas A&M home game will be broadcast on the SEC Network + channel and the WatchESPN app. The entire SEC tournament, including both play-in games, will be broadcast on ESPN networks. The SEC Tournament is set for May 6-9 in Baton Rogue, La.
TICKETS
All tickets may be purchased over the phone at 1-888-99-AGGIE OR 979-845-2311, online at tickets.12thManFoundation.com, or in person at the West Side of Kyle Field ticket office. Season tickets are currently available for just $125. Individual game tickets for softball will go on sale in January and are $10 for reserved (sections 4-8) and $8 for Adult General Admission (sections 1-3). Youth GA tickets are available for $5 each. Group rates are also available to groups of at least 20, and cost $8 for reserved seats and $3 for GA. Texas A&M students with no all-sports option may purchase a student walkup ticket for $5. Junior Aggie Club members are admitted free of charge to all Aggie softball games. Membership to the JAC is just $25, and information is available at www.JuniorAggieClub.com.
PARKING
Parking for all Aggie softball games is available in Lot 100 at both Reed Arena and Olsen Field. For games that do not conflict with baseball, the entry gate on the Reed Arena side of the stadium will not be opened; fans are encouraged to park at Olsen Field for those games to allow easy access to the stadium entrance. Visitors may park for free when there is not a conflict with an A&M men's basketball or baseball game. This does not include 24-hour numbered, 12th Man or timed spaces. Visit transportation.tamu.edu for more information.
UP NEXT
The Aggies return home for the final tournament of February, the Texas A&M Invitational. Texas A&M will play Boston University and Illinois State on Friday, Feb. 27, with rematches with both opponents on Saturday, Feb. 28. They'll close the weekend facing UTSA on Sunday, March 1. To learn more about Texas A&M softball, log on to 12thMan.com and follow @AggieSoftball on Twitter.