COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The Aggies are looking to continue their perfect start as they host the Dartmouth Big Green, out of the Ivy League, for a three-game series. The Maroon and White are off to a 9-0 start, the best since 2006 when A&M began the year 10-0. Dartmouth has yet to see action in 2015. While it was the Aggies' offense grabbing the attention early on, the pitching staff has been brilliant recently. In the last four games, A&M pitchers have allowed just 29 hits and five walks in 36.0 innings (0.94 WHIP). The staff has recorded 28 strikeouts in the four games, posting a 1.00 ERA and holding opponents to a .223 batting average.
#23 TEXAS A&M AGGIES (9-0) vs. DARTMOUTH BIG GREEN (0-0)
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), 14th (D1B), 19th (NCBWA), 19th (CB); Dartmouth - unranked
SERIES HISTORY - Texas A&M leads series, 1-0
SERIES STREAKS - A&M won the only meeting, 4-3 at 2010 NCAA Coral Gables Regional
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
• FRIDAY: #34 A.J. Minter (Jr., LHP, 2-0, 0.00) vs. #31 Duncan Robinson (Jr., RHP, 7-3, 2.96 - 2014 stats)
• SATURDAY: #38 Grayson Long (Jr., RHP, 1-0, 4.66) vs #22 Louis Concato (Sr., RHP, 1-2, 3.60 - 2014 stats)
• SUNDAY: #31 Matt Kent (Jr., LHP, 2-0, 1.32) vs #12 Adam Frank (Sr., LHP, 0-2, 13.97 - 2014 stats)
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/DARTMOUTH SERIES NOTABLES
Texas A&M is 1-0 all-time against Dartmouth. The lone meeting came at the 2010 Coral Gables Regional with the Aggies winning 4-3. Trailing 3-2 in the eighth, Joe Patterson hit a solo home run to tie the game in the eighth and Kevin Gonzalez hit a game-winning solo home run in the ninth. John Stilson earned the win with 3.0 innings of scoreless relief, scattering three hits and two walks while striking out six.
TEXAS A&M VS. THE IVY LEAGUE
The Aggies are 4-1 all-time against the Ivy League, including 1-0 against Columbia, Dartmouth and Yale and 1-1 versus Cornell. Texas A&M has never faced Brown, Harvard, Penn or Princeton. The Aggies' last game against an Ivy League side came last season when the Maroon and White needed 11 innings to get by Columbia. Cole Lankford gave the Aggies the 8-7 victory with a walk-off double. The game also featured a three-run, pinch-hit dinger by MITCHELL NAU to tie the game at 7-7 in the bottom of the eighth.
The lone loss came in 1974 when A&M and Cornell split a two-game set with the Aggies winning the first game, 14-2, and dropping the second game, 14-9.
MORE ON DARTMOUTH
Friday's game marks the season opener for the Big Green... In 2014, Dartmouth finished 18-21 and won its seventh consecutive Rolfe Division title with an 11-9 Ivy League mark. The left side of the Big Green infield features two returning seniors in All-Ivy Second Team 3B Nick Lombardi, who hit .277 with 18 runs, nine doubles, three triples, five home runs and 26 RBI in 39 games, and SS Matt Parisi, who batted .273 with 18 runs, two doubles, three home runs and 12 RBI in 39 games. The top returners on the mound include senior Louis Concato (1-2, 3.60 ERA, 45.0 IP) and Duncan Robinson (7-3, 2.96 ERA, 40 K, 54.2 IP).
Dartmouth head coach Bob Whalen, in his 26th season as skipper, boasts over 500 wins, two Ivy League titles and 10 Red Rolfe Division crowns - all in the last 15 seasons.
The Big Green own 12 league titles, with the two most recent crowns coming in 2009 and 2010. Dartmouth has advanced to the NCAA Championship on seven occasions, including 1958, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1987, 2009, 2010. The Big Green played in the 1970 College World Series, winning their first game, 7-6 against Iowa State, before losing to Florida State (6-0) and USC (6-1). In their most recent CWS foray, Dartmouth lost the opener 12-8 to host Miami before rebounding to beat Florida International, 15-9. Texas A&M eliminated the Big Green, 4-3.
Dartmouth boasts 34 former players who have gone on to play Major League Baseball. The group is highlighted by four-time Red Rolfe who starred with the New York Yankees for 10 seasons (1931, 34-42). He finished his career with 1,394 hits. Recent Big Green to enjoy lengthy MLB careers include Brad Ausmus and Mike Remlinger. Ausmus played for 18 seasons, earning one All-Star appearance and logging 1,579 hits. Remlinger also made one All-Star Game appearance in his 14-year career where he posted a 53-55 record with 20 saves and a 3.90 ERA.
New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson lettered for the 1967 Dartmouth squad. Alderson mentored Moneyballer Billy Beane when he served as Oakland A's general manager from 1983-97.
FRIDAY'S PROBABLE STARTER: #34 A.J. MINTER
Making his third consecutive start after his first 52 appearances were out of the bullpen... has not allowed an earned run in 10.0 innings of work... looking to get past 5.0 innings for the first time in his career... 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... fanned a career-high nine while scattering two hits and five walks in 5.0 innings last Friday against Penn State... 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 prior to this season was 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
Rebounding with bad first outing to allow just one unearned run on five hits and one walk while striking out three in 6.0 against Penn State last Saturday to earn the win…enters play as the Aggies' active leader in wins (11), innings pitched (145.0) and strikeouts (101)... 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 ninth career start and his fifth 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... last week he won the Sunday game against Penn State, allowing two runs on eight hits while striking out six in 6.2 innings... 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.
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.
SETTING THE TABLE
Aggie hitters leading off an inning have reached base in 40 of the 72 frames (.556), despite getting just 18 leadoff hits. A&M has drawn 16 walks and have been hit by four pitches to start innings. The Aggies have three leadoff home runs on the year. LOGAN TAYLOR (4-4) has reached base in all four of his plate appearances leading off, going 2-for-2 with two home runs, one walk and one HBP. MITCHELL NAU has reached on five his eight leadoff plate appearances, going 1-for-4 with three walks and one HBP. Other notables include LOGAN NOTTEBROK (4-5), RONNIE GIDEON (3-4), JB MOSS (6-13) and BLAKE ALLEMAND (5-11).
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.
MAKING EVERY OUT COUNT
The Aggies are making every out count this season, hitting .333 (33-for-99) with two outs. Meanwhile, their opponents have scuffled, hitting .192 (19-for-99) with two outs. The Maroon and White have logged 30 RBI with two outs, an average of 3.33 per game. RONNIE GIDEON is batting .333 (5-for-15) with 11 RBI with two outs. JB MOSS hit .545 (6-for-11) with eight RBI with two outs during the span. Other notable hitters with two outs include, NICK BANKS (5-for-9, 4 RBI), MICHAEL BARASH (3-for-7, 1 RBI) and MITCHELL NAU (4-for-9, 2 RBI).
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.
Banks is living up to the publicity in 2015. He's batting .433 (13-for-30) with nine runs, two doubles, one triple, eight home runs and three stolen bases.
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).
Kopetsky has appeared in six games, including three starts. He's batting .400 (4-for-10) with three runs, one double, one triple, four walks, two RBI and one stolen base. Kopetsky has reached base via a hit, walk or hit-by-pitch in all six of his games and he boasts a .571 on-base percentage.
TRENDING UPWARD
The Aggies are one of just 22 schools to log 200 or more wins between 2010-14. Over the five-year span, Texas A&M is tied with Kent State for 17th place with 203 victories. The Maroon and White are 203-116-1 (.636) over the span. The SEC boasts six teams with over 200 wins between 2010-14, including South Carolina (245), Vanderbilt (240), LSU (227), Florida (216), Arkansas (208) and Texas. The six leads all conferences, trailed by the ACC (5), Pac 12 (4) and Big 12 (4).
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 176 games. With 24 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 (168-for-605) with 15 doubles, four triples, two home runs, 73 RBI and 26 stolen bases. He has made 170 career starts, including 47 in 2012, 61 in 2013 and 53 in 2014.
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 23 of their 72 innings on the year. Texas A&M has had 11 innings with at least three runs and seven “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 four times this season.
CALL ON ME
Coach Childress has three pitchers who he has called on 50 or more times in their career, including JASON FREEMAN, AJ MINTER and ANDREW VINSON. MATT KENT is also nearing the half-century mark with 48 appearances.
Freeman leads all active players with his 57 games which includes 54 relief appearances. For his career, the right-hander is 5-3 with a 4.93 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 65.2 innings. Minter is 5-0 with a 2.28 ERA, two saves and 56 strikeouts (24 BB) in 47.1 innings in 54 appearances, 52 in relief. In 51 games, all out of the bullpen, Vinson is 4-3 with a 3.19 ERA, two saves and 57 strikeouts (21 BB) in 59.1 innings. Kent counts eight starts among his 48 games. The southpaw is 7-4 with a 3.28 ERA and 62 strikeouts (10 BB) in 96.0 innings.
POSTSEASON STREAK CONTINUES INTO 2015
Prior to the arrival of head coach ROB CHILDRESS, Texas A&M had never appeared in the NCAA Tournament more than four consecutive years. Advancing to the NCAA Houston Regional in 2014 extended the Aggies current string to eight consecutive years, something that had never happened before in the program's 113 year history.
Childress has led the Aggies to the postseason each of the last eight seasons, topping the previous-high water mark of four-straight trips, a feat that had happened only twice before at Texas A&M. Former head coach Tom Chandler led his squad to the NCAA Regionals each season from 1975 to 1978 and 11 years later the Aggies enjoyed a similar four-year run from 1986-89 under the direction of head coach Mark Johnson.
POSITION CHANGES
Although nothing is set in stone, the Aggies are entering the season anticipating position changes for a few of starters. LOGAN TAYLOR, who started 43 games at shortstop in 2014, has been working in the outfield and is expected to open the season in leftfield. LOGAN NOTTEBROK, who notched 27 starts at third base and was the designated hitter on nine occasions, has been working out at first base. BLAKE ALLEMAND is getting most of his work at shortstop in the preseason. Although he has 28 career starts at shortstop, most of his work the last three years has come third base (76) and second base (57).
BOLT RETURNS TO STAFF
WILL BOLT returns to College Station for the first year of his second stint on Rob Childress' coaching staff. He previously served a two-year stint as a volunteer assistant coach at Texas A&M in 2006-07. Bolt's primary functions include coordinating the offensive game, mentoring the infielders and serving as third base coach.
In addition to serving as a volunteer assistant under Childress, Bolt was also a four-year starter at Nebraska from 1999-2002, while Childress was serving as an assistant coach under Dave Van Horn. Bolt spent the last three seasons as an associate head coach for Nebraska under Darin Erstad. He helped the Huskers get back to the NCAA Championship in 2014 after a five-year hiatus.
RELATIVELY SPEAKING
NICK CHORUBY - father, Shawn Choruby, was an outfielder for the Aggies in 1984-85.
RONNIE GIDEON - father, Ron Gideon works in the Colorado Rockies organization as a development supervisor with the New Britain Rock Cats. He played in the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets organization from 1984-90, starting as a first baseman before spending the last two years as a pitcher.
LEE MAY GONZALEZ - cousin, Michael Gonzalez, is an 11-year MLB veteran, including stints as a relief pitcher with the Pittsburgh Pirates (2003-06), Atlanta Braves (2007-09), Baltimore Orioles (2010-11), Texas Rangers (2011), Washington Nationals (2012) and Milwaukee Brewers (2013). Has appeared in 509 games, all in relief, with a 17-24 record, 56 saves, 3.14 ERA and 511 strikeouts in 444.1 innings. Best season to date came in 2006 with the Pirates, going 3-4 with a career-high 24 saves, a 2.17 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 54.0 innings.
LEE MAY GONZALEZ - uncle, Eric Gonzalez, played for the Aggies in 1992-93 and is currently the head coach at Laredo Community College. As a junior in 1992, Eric batted .287 with 31 runs, 14 doubles, one triple, one home run, 26 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 55 games.
CASON SHERROD - grandfather, Horace “Bud” Sherrod, played football at the University of Tennessee and was Most Valuable Player of the 1951 Cotton Bowl Classic as a defensive end, helping lead UT to a 20-14 win over the Texas Longhorns. He spent one season in the NFL, playing for the New York Giants in 1952. He is a member of the University of Tennessee Athletic Hall of Fame.
CODY WHITING - mother, then Joy Tiner, was a 1990 All-America in softball at Cal State Fullerton, batting .311 with 30 runs and 17 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.
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 8.1 innings, striking out eight and scattering five 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. In his last outing, he blanked Penn State for two frames in the series opener.
1,000 WINS AT OLSEN FIELD
The Aggies enter the week needing eight 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 992-324-4 (.753).
2015 SEC TOURNAMENT
The 2015 SEC Baseball Tournament is scheduled for May 19-24 at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Ala., a suburb of Birmingham. The tournament, being held in Hoover for the 18th consecutive year, for the third consecutive year, the tournament will be a 12-team field. The regular-season division winners will claim the top two seeds and the next 10 teams by conference winning percentage, regardless of division will claim the remaining berths in the tournament. The 5-12 teams will play a single-elimination opening round on May 19, followed by a double-elimination format until the semifinals, when the format will revert to single elimination through the championship game.
FAST STARTS
The Aggies are outscoring opponents 31-2 in the first two innings of games, including 15-2 in the first inning and 16-0 in the second inning. A&M is hitting .368 (14-for-38) with a .500 on-base percentage, six doubles, one home run and 14 RBI in the first frame of games. The Maroon and White step offense up in the second inning, batting .436 (17-for-39) with a .510 on-base percentage, three doubles, one triple, four home runs and 16 RBI.
SEVENTH HEAVEN
The Aggies have been able to create late separation, outscoring opponents 17-2 in the seventh inning. The Maroon and White are batting .372 (16-for-43) with two doubles, three home runs and 14 RBI in the seventh. A&M is also outscoring foes 10-2 in the sixth and 11-6 in the eighth, for a combined 38-10 margin in innings 6-thru-8. The Aggies have yet to bat in a ninth inning.
HWĂM′Ē
The Aggies have 13 home runs through the first nine games. Last season, Texas A&M needed 36 games to register 13 home runs. RONNIE GIDEON and LOGAN TAYLOR lead the Aggies with three home runs. RYNE BIRK and JB MOSS have two apiece.
INHERITANCE TAX
Texas A&M relief pitchers have stranded the last 11 inherited runners and 14 of 17 inherited runners on the season. The second game of the season was the only game the bullpen has allowed inherited runners to score, when three of the six scored in A&M's 16-11 win over Holy Cross. TY SCHLOTTMANN has been the most tested out of the bullpen and he has been up to the task, stranding six of his seven inherited runners.
STOUT BULLPEN
They have only been thrown in tight situations on a few occasions thus far in 2015, but the Aggies' bullpen has been solid. Tem pitchers have combined to work 31.2 innings out of the bullpen, posting a 1.99 ERA with 24 hits and just four walks while striking out 29. KYLE SIMONDS has worked the most innings, weaving 8.1 scoreless frames, scattering five hits while striking out eight in three appearances. He owns one of the Aggies' two saves, a four-inning outing in the season opener against Holy Cross. TY SCHLOTTMANN has been called on the most, with six appearances. The southpaw has worked 5.1 blank frames, scattering two hits and two walks while striking out five. Along with Simonds, MARK ECKER and RYAN HENDRIX each have recorded a save.
FOR STARTERS
Aggie starting pitchers have been solid in 2015, posting a 7-0 record with a 1.46 ERA after nine games. A&M starters are holding opponents to a .234 batting and boast a 3.11-to-1 strikeouts-to-walk ratio (53/17). AJ MINTER (2-0) has held opponents to a .179 batting average and has allowed just two unearned runs while striking out 16 in 10.0 innings over his first two starts. MATT KENT is also 2-0, allowing three runs, two earned, in 13.2 innings of work. The junior lefty boasts A&M's two longest starts. He has not issued a walk on the season, while striking out nine.
ENTRANCE EXAMS
Freshmen BRIGHAM HILL and TURNER LARKINS have been sharp in their early tests as starting pitchers. In a combined three starts, the duo is 2-0 with a 0.56 ERA and 20 strikeouts (4 BB) in 16.0 innings of work. The rookies will work on lengthening their starts as all three outings went 5.1 innings. Larkins has two starts under his belt, going 1-0 with a 0.84 ERA, allowing one run on 12 hits and two walks while striking out 11 in 10.2 innings. Hill recorded a victory against Incarnate Word, pitching 5.1 shutout innings with three hits and two walks while striking out nine.
A WALK'S AS GOOD AS A HIT
Texas A&M batters have taken advantage of the free passes in 2015. The Aggies are average 5.67 walks per game. The Maroon and White have 51 walks on the season, with 16 of them coming when leading off an inning. 27 of the 51 walks have resulted in runs, including last Sunday's 5-2 win over Penn State when four of the five runs to score reached base via the walk.
A HIT BY PITCH'S AS GOOD AS A HIT
Texas A&M batters have taken one for the team quite a bit in 2015, getting hit by 18 pitches in seven games, an average 2.00 HBP per game. Nine of the 18 players who have reached via an HBP have come around to score a run.
SEEMS LIKE JUST LAST YEAR
Here's a comparison of the Aggies offensive numbers through nine games in 2014 and 2015.
2014 2015
Batting Average .277 .351
Runs Per Game 5.67 9.67
Home Runs 5 13
Slugging Percentage .372 .562
On-Base Percentage .378 .459
Stolen Bases 10 11
STREAKS
NICK BANKS is in the midst of his longest career hit streak at eight games. Banks has a hit in all eight of the games he has played in 2015. He's batting .433 (13-for-30) with nine runs, two doubles, one triple, eight RBI and three stolen bases.
RYNE BIRK has a career-long seven game hit streak. The sophomore is hitting .448 (13-for-29) with eight runs, three doubles, one home run and four RBI over the span.
KYLE SIMONDS is on an 8.1 inning scoreless streak, covering three outings. He's scattered five hits while striking out eight over the span.
The Aggies own a 10-game win streak at Blue Bell Park dating back to the 2014 season.
RECENT TRENDS AND NOTES
- The Aggie bullpen has not allowed a run in the last 12.1 innings of work dating back to the Saturday contest against Penn State. The relief pitchers have scattered four hits and one walk while striking out eight over the span. The run includes a bullpen win and a pair of saves.
- The Texas A&M pitching staff enters the weekend with a 17.1 inning scoreless streak. The Aggies allowed Houston Baptist to score a run with two outs in the top of the first, but have been lockdown since then, with eight blank innings to close out the win against the Huskies and a shutout against Incarnate Word. The staff has allowed just 10 hits in the 17.1 inning span. Earlier this season, A&M recorded a 25.0-inning scoreless streak.
- Half of the 22 runs the A&M pitching staff has given up in 2015 came in the Aggies' 16-11 win over Holy Cross. With that cavalcade of runs taken out of the equation, Texas A&M owns an 0.88 ERA, is holding opponents to a .205 batting average and sports a WH/IP of 0.96. Without the 16-11 game in the equation, A&M's bullpen owns a 1.37 ERA, is holding opponents to a .156 batting average, sports a WH/IP of 0.65.
- In the last seven games, Texas A&M pitchers have held opponents to 49 hits and 13 walks while striking out 61 in 63.0 innings of work. The staff owns a 1.00 ERA during the span.
UP NEXT
The Aggies return to action Tuesday when they host the Dallas Baptist Patriots in a 6:35 pm contest on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.