COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The No. 23 Texas A&M softball team (21-7) returns home to host the University of South Carolina Gamecocks, with the first pitch of the series coming at 1 p.m. on Friday (GAME TIME MOVED DUE TO WEATHER). 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 South Carolina: The Gamecocks are coming off a 2-1 weekend over Tennessee, the first series victory over an SEC top ten program for head coach Beverly Smith. A&M leads the all-time series 16-13 but fell 2-1 last spring in the first SEC matchup of the programs. The Aggies own a 2-3 mark in games played in College Station against USC heading into the weekend.
Strength in the Circle: Both bull pens enter the series with pitchers throwing a lot of innings in a great number of outings. Senior Rachel Fox and junior Katie Marks have combined to pitch 17 complete games in 25 appearances in 2015. The Aggies are coming off a weekend both pitchers relieved in early weekend action, with senior Lauren Ainsley coming in on Friday and sophomore Abby Donnell playing incredible in relief in Saturday's victory. The Gamecocks will likely throw Nickie Blue at the Aggies on Friday, who has seen action in 23 of South Carolina's 30 outings, and holds an impressive 1.01 ERA in 118 innings pitched. Julie Sarratt will also see action and, while she has only seen 78 innings, she's holding a steady 3.86 ERA with nine wins credited to her name and six complete games. Whichever bull pen can outlast the other team's batters will have a distinct advantage over the weekend.
Coming up Clutch: The Aggies have several players who are coming up with big hits exactly when the ball club needs it. Last weekend, junior Breanna Dozier came on to hit with A&M trailing by one and propelled the Aggies to a 10-8 victory over the Bulldogs. Sophomore April Ryan crushed the team's first walk-off homer of the season in Texas A&M's SEC home opener. Sophomore Abby Donnell came on to relieve junior Katie Marks in the second game of the Mississippi State series and allowed only three hits en route to the only Aggie win of the season. Several members of the bench have heard their number called and answered in kind, ready and able at the drop of a hat. Texas A&M will have to trust the entire ball club to come out on top of the Gamecocks.
Maintaining Momentum: The Aggies enter the series having won only one game last weekend, falling 2-1 to Mississippi State, while USC is streaking, winning four of the last five battles including a series win over Tennessee. Of A&M's seven losses during the 2015 slate, the ball club hasn't dropped consecutive games and won 12 straight in last February and early March. The Aggies are 12-3 at home and the Gamecocks are just 2-1 on the road this spring. The team that is able to harness their winning power and drive will have an edge over the weekend.
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 24 home runs so far this season, 13 have been hit by freshmen and 19 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, with sophomore April Ryan and freshman Tori Vidales being featured among the top three in all but one batting category. Â 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 South Carolina. The Gamecocks, on the other hand, returned seven starters from last year's NCAA Tournament-qualifying team. Back from 2014 are team leaders in home runs (Sarah Mooney, 12), runs batted in (Kaylea Snaer, 35), walks (Snaer, 31) and stolen bases (Ansley Ard, 9). The battle of the ages will be key in deciding how the series plays out.
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 12thMan.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.