COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The No. 23 Texas A&M softball team (24-7) hits the road this weekend to take on the No. 5 University of Alabama, with the first pitch of the series coming at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. For the conference play portion of the season, @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 Alabama: The Crimson Tide is coming off an 11-0 victory over Georgia Tech, a team A&M will face in a week's time, in the middle of a ten-game homestand. The Aggies own a 2-3 mark in games on the road heading into the weekend.
Strength in the Circle: Both bull pens enter the series with strong pitchers going the distance for their ball clubs. Senior Rachel Fox and junior Katie Marks have combined to pitch 18 complete games in 2015. The Aggies have been utilizing their entire bullpen, with senior Lauren Ainsley coming on in relief against Mississippi State and sophomore Abby Donnell playing incredible in relief to earn two victories in back-to-back weekends. The Crimson Tide will throw Sydney Littlejohn and Alexis Osorio at the Aggies this weekend, who have combined to be the pitcher of record in 23 of Alabama's 30 outings, and combined to throw three perfect games this spring. The pair both boasts impressive ERAs, 1.06 and 1.76 respectively, and have fanned 140 batters over 135.4 innings of action. Whichever bull pen stays consistent and plays to their strengths will hold the edge over the other.
Fight to the End: The Aggies have several players who are coming up with big hits exactly when the ball club needs it. Against Mississippi State, 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. Dozier earned her keep against South Carolina, coming up big in the first of Sunday's doubleheader with her second walk-off home run in as many weeks. Sophomore April Ryan crushed the team's first walk-off homer of the season in Texas A&M's SEC home opener against Kentucky. A quick flare from freshman Erica Russell, who reached on a throwing error, gave junior Cali Lanphear time to race towards home for the winning run in the bottom of the tenth inning in last Friday's marathon outing against the Gamecocks. The Aggies have come from behind multiple times this season and will have to continue to battle the entire seven innings this weekend when facing the Crimson Tide.
Keep the Streak Alive: The Aggies enter the series having swept South Carolina in their last outing while Alabama, last year's national runner up, is coming off a 1-2 weekend against last year's national champion Florida Gators in their last league-play action. Both teams have a 6-3 conference record, which is league-best among teams that have played three SEC series. Texas A&M will need to keep its momentum going into the weekend to come out on top.
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 28 home runs so far this season, 15 have been hit by freshmen and 21 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. As the younger players get more experience under their belt, the quality at-bats and strong defensive play exhibited so far this season will be critical to defeating Alabama.
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.