COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The Aggies' perfect start is on the line as Texas A&M hosts the Texas-Pan American Broncs in a pair of games on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park. The Maroon and White enter the two-game series with a 16-0 record, the second-best start in school history, trailing only the 26-0 commencement of the 1989 campaign. Texas A&M are on the heels of an impressive performance at the Houston College Classic where they went 3-0 to claim the tournament title. The Maroon and White also hope to continue a 14-game home win streak.
#7 TEXAS A&M AGGIES (16-0) vs. TEXAS-PAN AMERICAN BRONCS (8-3)
Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park (6,100) • College Station, Texas
SCHEDULE - Tuesday - 6:35 pm • Wednesday - 3:05 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 - 4 (CB), 6 (D1B), 7 (USAT), 8 (NCBWA), 10 (BA); UTPA - unranked
SERIES HISTORY - A&M leads 60-18; Aggies have won last three meetings
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
• TUESDAY: #23 Turner Larkins (Fr., RHP, 1-0, 2.60) vs. #13 Parker Gallegos (Jr., RHP, 1-0, 0.68)
• WEDNESDAY: #15 Brigham Hill (Fr., RHP, 1-0, 1.35) vs. #28 Justin Quinonez (Fr., RHP, 1-0, 4.02)
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.
• 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/TEXAS-PAN AMERICAN SERIES NOTABLES
The Aggies have met on 78 prior occasions with Texas A&M owning a 60-18 overall advantage in the series. The squads have played 69 of the games in College Station, with A&M owning a 55-14 edge in the the local affairs.
UTPA owned the series early posting a 12-7 mark in games played between 1968-86, but the Aggies have stormed back to post a 53-6 mark in games played since 1987.
Last year, A&M won a pair of March games at Blue Bell Park. They won the Tuesday night affair, 13-0, and the Wednesday afternoon game, 6-2. TYLER STUBBBLEFIELD earned a victory in the 13-0 win, pitching 5.0 scoreless innings, scattering two hits and two walks while striking out six in 5.0 innings. The Aggies hit .403 in the two games and were paced by PATRICK MCLENDON (.625, three runs, one triple, one home run, five RBI) and JB MOSS (.571, three runs, one double, one RBI).
MORE ON TEXAS-PAN AMERICAN
Texas-Pan American returns to action after more than a week off. The Broncs had a pair of midweek games washed out last Tuesday and Wednesday and didn't have any games scheduled for the weekend. UTPA is 8-3 on the season. After starting 0-2, the Broncs have won eight of their last nine, including three-game sweeps of Abilene Christian and Lamar. The lone loss during the stretch was a 5-4 defeat at then-No. 6 Texas with the Longhorns needing a walk-off win in the ninth as UTPA gave up a 4-0 lead.
The Broncs are hitting .229 as a team with a .309 slugging percentage, .353 on-base percentage and 11 stolen bases in 11 games. Every day starters Logan Landon and Manny Loredo are both batting over .400. or higher. Landon is hitting .432 with four doubles, one triple, one home run, seven RBI and three stolen bases. Loredo is batting .400 with one double, one triple and seven RBI.
UTPA owns a 3.13 ERA on the season with one shutout and their holding opponents to a .229 batting average. Tuesday starter Parker Gallegos is 1-0 with a 0.68 ERA, earning a win against
Last season, the Broncs finished 27-30 overall and placed third in the Western Athletic Conference with a 17-10 record. UTPA finished strong down the stretch, going 8-3 in May.
The Broncs were once a regional power in baseball, advancing to the NCAA Championship on 13 occasions and finishing fourth at the 1971 College World Series.
UTPA boasts four former players who went on to play in Major League Baseball, headlined by the Tyrone Brothers, Jim and Wayne. Current Tampa Bay Rays pitching coach Jim Hickey and Marlin Marlins first base and infield coach Perry Hill both cut their teeth as players at UTPA.
This marks the last time A&M will play a “Texas-Pan American Broncs” squad. A recent merger between Texas-Pan American and Texas-Brownville is creating a new entity named “University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley.” The team will take the nickname Vaqueros and will remain in the Western Athletic Conference.
NOTES AND NOTABLES
• Head coach ROB CHILDRESS enters his 10th season at the helm of the Texas A&M baseball program, beginning the year with a 375-208-2 record. Last season, he led the Aggies to the postseason to extend their school-record streak to eight consecutive seasons.
• The Aggies enter the week ranked in the Top 10 of all five major polls, earning the No. 4 spot in the Collegiate Baseball ranking, the No. 6 position in the D1Baseball.com ranking, the No. 7 spot in the USA Today Coaches' Poll, the No. 8 spot in NCBWA poll and the No. 10 position in the Baseball America ranking.
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 996-324-4 (.754).
TUESDAY'S PROBABLE STARTER: #23 TURNER LARKINS
Making his fourth career start... was fantastic in his first career start, scattering five hits while striking out nine in 5.1 innings against Stephen F Austin... two weeks ago, he was left with a no-decision against Houston Baptist, allowing one run on seven hits and one walk while striking out two in 5.1 innings... made quick work of Holy Cross in his first career outing, using just nine pitches to dispatch of the Crusaders in the eighth inning of the series finale win... owns a 8.5-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio... selected on pick before Johnny Manziel in the 2014 MLB First-Year Player Draft.
LARKINS' CAREER TOTALS
|
Year |
W-L |
ERA |
APP/GS |
SV |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO |
AVG |
|
2015 |
1-0 |
2.60 |
5/3 |
0 |
17.1 |
21 |
6 |
5 |
2 |
17 |
.296 |
|
Career |
1-0 |
2.60 |
5/3 |
0 |
17.1 |
21 |
6 |
5 |
2 |
17 |
.296 |
WEDNESDAY'S PROBABLE STARTER: #15 BRIGHAM HILL
Making his second career start and his third appearance... worked 1.1 innings in the second game of the season, allowing Holy Cross to score one run on four hits while striking out three... was brilliant in his first career start, a win against Incarnate Word, pitching 5.1 blank innings with three hits and two walks while striking out nine.
HILL'S CAREER TOTALS
|
Year |
W-L |
ERA |
APP/GS |
SV |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO |
AVG |
|
2015 |
1-0 |
1.35 |
2/1 |
0 |
6.2 |
7 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
12 |
.269 |
|
Career |
1-0 |
1.35 |
2/1 |
0 |
6.2 |
7 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
12 |
.269 |
SETTING THE TABLE
Aggie hitters leading off an inning have reached base in 56 of the 129 frames (.434), despite getting just 24 leadoff hits. A&M has drawn 23 walks and have been hit by five pitches to start innings. The Aggies have three leadoff home runs on the year. LOGAN TAYLOR has reached base in five of his eight plate appearances leading off, going 2-for-6 with two home runs, one walk and one HBP. MITCHELL NAU has reached on eight of his 13 leadoff plate appearances, going 2-for-8 with three walks and two HBP. Other notables include LOGAN NOTTEBROK (4-7), and BLAKE ALLEMAND (10-20).
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.
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.
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 .400 (22-for-55) with 14 runs, four doubles, two triples, one home run, 14 RBI and three stolen bases.
CALL ON ME
Coach Childress has four pitchers who he has called on 50 or more times in their career, including JASON FREEMAN, A.J. MINTER, ANDREW VINSON and MATT KENT.
Freeman leads all active Aggies with his 59 games which includes 56 relief appearances. For his career, the right-hander is 5-3 with a 4.81 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 67.1 innings. Minter is 5-0 with a 2.01 ERA, two saves and 69 strikeouts (25 BB) in 58.1 innings in 56 appearances, 52 in relief. In 55 games, all out of the bullpen, Vinson is 6-3 with a 2.98 ERA, two saves and 60 strikeouts (21 BB) in 63.1 innings. Kent counts 10 starts among his 50 games. The southpaw is 9-4 with a 3.29 ERA and 79 strikeouts (12 BB) in 109.1 innings.
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 nine games, including six starts. He's batting .359 (7-for-20) 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 eight of his nine games and he boasts a .458 on-base percentage.
ALLEMAND'S SENIORITY
BLAKE ALLEMAND enters the season as the most senior of veterans on the squad. Heading into Tuesday's game, Allemand has played in 183 games. With 17 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 (175-for-629) with 17 doubles, five triples, two home runs, 76 RBI and 26 stolen bases. He has made 177 career starts, including 47 in 2012, 61 in 2013 and 53 in 2014.
INHERITANCE TAX
In the Aggies' 3-2 win against Baylor, A&M's bullpen had a string of stranding 18 consecutive inherited runners snapped. The Aggie relievers have still been rather salty on the season, allowing just five of 26 inherited runners to score. The second game of the season was the only other 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 eight of his nine inherited runners. KYLE SIMONDS has stranded all four runners he has inherited.
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 five appearance this season. Simonds has not yielded a run in 11.1 innings, striking out 12 and scattering seven hits and three walks. 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. He blanked Penn State for two frames in the series opener and pitched two scoreless innings of A&M's 6-0 shutout of then-No. 16 Houston at the Houston College Classic.
STOUT BULLPEN
The Aggie bullpen has been tested more frequently as the season has progressed and are stepping up to the challenge. Twelve pitchers have combined to work 52.2 innings out of the bullpen, posting a 5-0 record, seven saves, a 1.37 ERA, 34 hits and just eight walks while striking out 46. The bullpen sports a WHIP of 0.80, opponent batting average of .186 and an 5.8-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. At the Houston College Classic, the bullpen allowed just one hit in 7.2 innings of scoreless relief.
KYLE SIMONDS has worked the most innings, weaving 11.1 scoreless frames, scattering seven hits and three walks while striking out 12 in five appearances. He owns one of the Aggies' five saves, a four-inning outing in the season opener against Holy Cross. TY SCHLOTTMANN has been called on the most, with 10 appearances. The southpaw has worked 9.2 frames, earning a 1-0 record with 0.96 ERA, scattering five hits and two walks while striking out six. Eighth-inning set-up man ANDREW VINSON and dual closers RYAN HENDRIX and MARK ECKER have combined to work 18.1 scoreless innings – Vinson is 2-0, allowing two hits while striking out six over 6.2 innings in seven outings; Hendrix has four saves and has scattered four hits and one walk while striking out seven over 6.2 innings in six outings; Ecker has two saves and has allowed just one hit while striking out six over 5.0 innings in five outings..
SEEMS LIKE JUST LAST YEAR
Texas A&M is averaging 3.0 more runs per game and sporting a batting average .050 higher than the same point last season. Here's a comparison of the Aggies offensive numbers through 16 games in 2014 and 2015.
|
|
2014 |
2015 |
|
Batting Average |
.264 |
.314 |
|
Runs Per Game |
4.94 |
7.94 |
|
Runs |
79 |
127 |
|
Home Runs |
6 |
20 |
|
RBI |
72 |
117 |
|
Slugging Percentage |
.356 |
.510 |
|
On-Base Percentage |
.356 |
.412 |
STREAKS
On Saturday, NICK BANKS had a career-long 13-game hit streak snapped. The sophomore batted .438 (21-for-48) with four doubles, one triple, one home run and 14 RBI over the span. Banks has logged hits in 14 of the 15 games he's played in this season.
NICK BANKS has reached base (via walk, HBP or walk) in all 15 game he's played in 2015. He owns a .460 on-base percentage with 22 hits, six walks and one HBP over the span.
KYLE SIMONDS is on an 11.1 inning scoreless streak, covering five outings. He's scattered seven hits and three walks while striking out 12 over the span.
RYAN HENDRIX is unscored upon in six outings in 2015, covering 6.2 innings. He's scattered four hits and one walk while striking out seven over the span.
ANDREW VINSON is unscored upon in seven outings in 2015, covering 6.2 innings. He's scattered two hits while striking out six over the span.
MARK ECKER has not allowed a run in his last eight career outings, covering 9.0 innings. He's scattered two hits and two walks while striking out 10 over the span.
MITCHELL NAU is on a six-game hit streak. He's batting .333 (7-for-21) with five runs, three doubles and six RBI over the span.
The Aggies own a 14-game win streak at Blue Bell Park dating back to the 2014 season.
A FRIDAY NIGHT FIX?
One of the things that doomed the Aggies in 2014 was an inability to win the opening game of the weekend. Last year, A&M struggled the first night of series, going 3-11 in openers (3-13 if you count the SEC Tournament and NCAA Houston Regional). This season, the Maroon and White have already exceeded the opening night win tally with a 4-0 mark. On Friday nights, the Aggies are batting .311 and they have hit 10 of their 20 home runs. The pitching staff owns a 1.00 ERA and is holding opponents to a .180 batting average in series/tournament openers. Last year, A&M hit .227 in their series openers, averaging just 3.21 runs per game. The pitching staff posted a 3.62 ERA and yielded a .249 batting average to foes.
MORE PITCHING AND BULLPEN NOTES
· In the last 11 games, the Aggie bullpen has allowed two runs in the last 33.2 innings of work dating back to the Saturday contest against Penn State. The relief pitchers have scattered 16 hits and five walks while striking out 25 over the span. The run includes four bullpen wins and six saves. The stretch included a string of 23.0 consecutive innings without yielding a run. Aggie relievers own a 0.53 ERA and have held opponents to a .144 batting average over the span.
· In the last 14 games, Texas A&M pitchers have held opponents to 98 hits and 22 walks while striking out 127 in 126.0 innings of work. The staff owns a 1.29 ERA, .214 opponent batting average and 0.95 WHIP during the span.
· The Aggie pitching staff was the talk of the Houston College Classic. The staff combined to post a 0.67 ERA and hold opponents to a .156 batting average during the tournament. A&M allowed three runs, just two earned, in 27.0 innings of work. The Aggies came two botched pickoff attempts away from allowing just one run total for the three games. The staff sported a 7.5-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (30/4) and a miniscule 0.67 WHIP.
PICKING UP STEAM
The Aggies' weekend starting rotation had their most outstanding performance in their most recent whirl. They sported their best combined numbers across the board in the Houston College Classic.
STARTING PITCHER COMBINED STATISTICS
|
|
ERA |
W-L |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO |
OBA |
WHIP |
K/BB |
|
Holy Cross |
2.87 |
2-0 |
15.2 |
14 |
9 |
5 |
7 |
15 |
.230 |
1.34 |
2.14 |
|
Penn State |
1.02 |
3-0 |
17.2 |
15 |
3 |
2 |
6 |
18 |
.224 |
1.19 |
3.00 |
|
Dartmouth |
2.50 |
2-0 |
18.0 |
19 |
8 |
5 |
4 |
19 |
.271 |
1.28 |
4.75 |
|
Houston College Classic |
0.93 |
2-0 |
19.1 |
13 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
25 |
.191 |
0.72 |
25.00 |
FOR STARTERS
Aggie starting pitchers have been solid in 2015, posting a 11-0 record with a 1.77 ERA after 16 games. A&M starters are holding opponents to a .239 batting and boast a 4.64-to-1 strikeouts-to-walk ratio (102/22). AJ MINTER (3-0) owns a 0.43 ERA, has held opponents to a .213 batting average and has allowed just six runs, one earned, while striking out 29 in 21.0 innings over his first four starts. MATT KENT is 4-0 with a 2.33 ERA, allowing nine runs, seven earned, in 27.0 innings of work. The junior lefty boasts three of A&M's four longest starts. He has issued just two walks on the season, while striking out 26. After a rough outing his first time out, GRAYSON LONG has regrouped in his last three starts. Over the span, he is 3-0 with a 0.47 ERA in 19.0 innings of work. He has allowed just two runs, one earned, on 13 hits and three walks while striking out 17 during the stretch.
DINGER WATCH
The Aggies already have 20 home runs on the season. Last year, A&M didn't hit their 20th home run until the 50th game of the season and hit just 25 home runs on the year. The Aggies had just six home runs at this point in the season in 2014, one ahead of Logan Taylor's current tally of five. A&M has hit 10 of their 20 home runs on Friday nights.
UP NEXT
The Aggies open up SEC play on Friday as they host the Auburn Tigers in a three-game series on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park. First pitches are slated for 6:35 pm on Friday, 4:05 pm on Saturday and 1:05 pm on Sunday.