COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The No. 20 Texas A&M softball team (17-4) opens Southeastern Conference play this weekend, hosting the No. 10 Kentucky Wildcats (13-3) in a three game series starting at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. For the conference play portion of the series, @AggieSoftball will be releasing our #KeysToTheSeries weekly feature, including position battles, dominant streaks, hits, pitches and everything in between to get you ready for the weekend.
Scouting Kentucky: The Wildcats are coming off an incredibly successful season, making an appearance at the 2014 Women's College World Series and were picked to finish third in the SEC in 2015. Kentucky dominated the only previous times the teams have met, winning the final two games of the series after the Aggies took the first. This will be Kentucky's first trip to College Station in softball, leading the all-time series 2-1.
Battle behind the Plate: One of the most important positions in this series will be the catcher. Kentucky's probably starter, senior Griffin Joiner, was a pre-season All-SEC selection. Joiner is also hitting at a .396 pace, with 13 runs on 19 hits and a team-leading 23 RBIs. The team captain has started all 207 of her career games and provides undeniable strength and leadership to her team. The Aggies have gone back and forth between two catchers, sophomore Celena Massey and freshman Ashley Walters. Behind the plate, Massey is known for her incredible defensive skills and frames pitches exceptionally well. Walters has grown incredibly in her role and also provides the Aggies with an offensive spark, batting .327 with sixteen hits, including a team-high four doubles. Look for both teams to try to capitalize on errors behind the plate and punish their opponent by stealing bases.
Consistency in the Circle: The Aggies will need to utilize consistency and balance in their pitching staff as conference play gets rolling. Senior Rachel Fox currently leads the ball club with a 10-3 record and 81.1 innings pitched. Fox fanned a season-high 11 batters against Illinois State and has 67 strikeouts on the season. Junior Katie Marks has also seen a good amount of action, carrying 6-0 record into league play. Marks has walked only nine batters so far and paces the team with a 1.12 ERA. The duo has racked up 16 wins in 19 appearances. Figuring out how to utilize both strong pitchers, as well as senior Lauren Ainsley and sophomore Abby Donnell, will be a key to the team's success in SEC play. Kelsey Nunley leads the Cats in the circle with a 1.97 ERA and a 5-1 record with 42.2 innings pitched. Kentucky has been extremely balanced within its pitching staff, as Megan Price (2.20 ERA) follows right behind Nunley with 47.2 innings and a 7-2 record.
Keeping Streaks Alive: The Aggies enter the series on a 10-game win streak, tied for the third longest in program history, and need to keep the momentum in the right direction against Kentucky. Senior Brittany Clopton has been batting in the leadoff position for the majority of the season and has shown why. The left fielder has had a hit in 11 consecutive games, with only four empty outings on the year, and is third on the team with a .446 on-base percentage.
Power of the Youth: The ball club has been propelled through the beginning of the season by several new faces and younger players. The Aggies lost a great deal of experience and leadership with the 2014 class but the newcomers have stepped into their roles quite nicely. Of the 19 home runs so far this season, 11 have been hit by freshmen and 16 have been hit by underclassmen. The batting order typically features six underclassmen at the start of each game. Most of the hitting statistics categories are either led by or filled with underclassmen. As the younger players get more experience under their belt, the quality at-bats and strong defensive play exhibited in non-conference play will be critical to defeating a very talented Kentucky team.
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.
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.