COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The No. 1 Texas A&M Aggies head to the midway point of the conference slate as they host the Mississippi State Bulldogs in a three-game series on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park. The Aggies find themselves atop the SEC Western Division standings and 0.5 game behind Vanderbilt in the league's overall table. Texas A&M is sizzling at the plate, hitting .363 in the last eight games, including 10 doubles, one triple and 17 home runs. The Aggies have multiple home runs in each of the last five games, totaling 15 dingers over the span.
#1 TEXAS A&M AGGIES (31-2, 9-2 SEC) vs MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS (21-14, 5-7 SEC)
Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park (6,100) • College Station, Texas
SCHEDULE - Friday, 6:35 pm • Saturday, 2:05 pm • Sunday, 1:05 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
RANKINGS - Texas A&M - 1 (USAT), 1 (CB), 2 (D1B), 2 (BA), 2 (NCBWA); Mississippi State - unranked
SERIES HISTORY - Mississippi State leads 11-10. The Aggies have won the last two games
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
• FRIDAY: #38 Grayson Long (Jr., RHP, 6-0, 2.45 ERA) vs. #46 Lucas Laster (Sr., LHP, 4-1, 2.53 ERA)
• SATURDAY: #14 Kyle Simonds (Jr., RHP, 2-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. #33 Preston Brown (Jr., RHP, 4-3, 4.18 ERA)
• SUNDAY: #31 Matt Kent (Jr., LHP, 6-0, 3.14 ERA) vs. #32 Vance Tatum (So., LHP, 3-1, 3.83 ERA)
ACROSS THE BOARD IMPROVEMENT
The Aggies are hitting .041 higher than at the same time a season ago and the improvement can be seen sprinkled throughout the lineup. Below is a comparison of batting averages through 33 games from 2014 and 2015.Â
|
 |
2014 |
2015 |
|
.275 |
.319 |
|
|
.321 |
.425 |
|
|
.190 |
.282 |
|
|
.238 |
.350 |
|
|
.253 |
.333 |
|
|
JB Moss |
.267 |
.299 |
|
.295 |
.381 |
|
|
.269 |
.346 |
TEXAS A&M/MISSISSIPPI STATE SERIES NOTABLES
Mississippi State owns an 11-10 advantage in the all-time series against Texas A&M. The Bulldogs have won the last seven of the last nine meetings, but A&M won two of three last season in Starkville. The Aggies won the first five meetings, including two games in 1907 and three games in 1912. The teams did not meet again until the 1986 season when the teams met five times in two years. The Bulldogs won two regular-season games in College Station in 1986 and two regular-season games in Starkville in 1987. The Aggies beat Mississippi State at the 1987 Starkville Regional before eventually losing the title to Oklahoma State. In 1998, the teams met three times at the College Station Regional, with Mississippi State winning two of three, including the decisive championship game.
Last year, the Bulldogs won the opener of the series, 5-1, before the Aggies bounced back to claim the series with 6-3 and 6-4 wins. BLAKE ALLEMAND hit .500 (6-for-12) with five runs in the series. NICK BANKS batted .385 (5-for-13) with four RBI and Cole Lankford hit .385 (5-for-13) with three RBI. TY SCHLOTTMANN played earning his first two career saves in the series in 4.0 innings of work.
MORE ON MISSISSIPPI STATE
The Bulldogs enter the fray with a 21-14 overall record and 5-7 mark in SEC play. Mississippi State raced out to a 13-0 start but have been spinning their wheels in recent weeks, going 8-14 in the last 22 games. The Bulldogs opened up league play with series losses against Alabama, Kentucky and Auburn before rebounding to win two of three against No. 13 South Carolina last weekend.
Mississippi State is hitting .281 as a team and averaging 6.06 runs per game. The Bulldogs boast two players with batting averages over .350, led by Jake Vickerson with a .364 batting average, five doubles, one triple, one home run and 15 RBI and Jacob Robson with a .363 batting average, 32 runs, three doubles, one home run, eight RBI and 15 stolen bases.
On the mound, Mississippi State owns a 3.85 ERA, .252 opponent batting and 265 strikeouts in 313.1 innings. Lefty Lucas Laster is the ace with a 4-1 record, 2.53 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 46.1 innings. Closer Trevor Fitts is 2-2 with five saves, a 1.45 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 18.2 innings.
The Bulldogs have a proud baseball tradition, including nine trips to the College World Series. In 2013, Mississippi State advanced to the championship series of the CWS where they fell to UCLA. The Bulldogs have earned a bid in the NCAA Championship on 34 occasions, including each of the last four years.
Mississippi State boasts 47 former players who have gone on to play in the Major Leagues. The group is led by 20-year veteran, four-time MLB All-Star and 3000-hit club member Rafael Palmeiro, five-time MLB All-Star Jonathan Papelbon and six-time MLB All-Star and 1989 NL Championship Series MVP Will Clark. Former Bulldog Del Unser is one of only two MLB players (Lee Lacy) to hit three pinch-hit home runs in consecutive at-bats.
FRIDAY'S PROBABLE STARTER:Â #38 GRAYSON LONG
SEC Pitcher of the Week twice in 2015... three weeks ago, fanned 14 of the 23 batters he faced in 6.0 innings at Alabama... named Most Outstanding Player at the Houston College Classic four weeks ago, scattering three hits and striking out a then career-high 10 batters without a walk in a 6-0 win against No. 16 Houston... in his last six starts he's 5-0 with a 1.50 ERA, 45 strikeouts and a 0.94 WHIP... enters play as the Aggies' active leader in wins (15), innings pitched (175.0) and strikeouts (143)... 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... last season he earned SEC wins against Auburn, Florida, eventual national champion Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Mississippi State, posting a 5-2 record in league action.
LONG'S CAREER TOTALS
|
Year |
W-L |
ERA |
APP/GS |
SV |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO |
AVG |
|
2013 |
4-2 |
3.52 |
12/10 |
0 |
46.0 |
39 |
19 |
18 |
25 |
38 |
.235 |
|
2014 |
6-2 |
3.12 |
15/15 |
0 |
89.1 |
98 |
32 |
31 |
28 |
55 |
.284 |
|
2015 |
6-0 |
2.45 |
8/8 |
0 |
44.0 |
34 |
15 |
12 |
18 |
56 |
.207 |
|
Career |
16-4 |
3.06 |
35/33 |
0 |
179.1 |
171 |
66 |
61 |
71 |
149 |
.254 |
SATURDAY'S PROBABLE STARTER:Â #14 KYLE SIMONDS
Making his second career start... did not receive a decision in his first start, pitching 5.0 innings with two unearned runs against Missouri... has not allowed an earned run in in his 27.0 innings of work... did not allow a run in his first 16 innings of action... earned a win in his last relief appearance, pitching 5.0 innings of relief at Alabama, allowing one unearned run on two hits while striking out four... earned a save in his first career appearance, retiring 12 of the 13 batters he faced, including four strikeouts, in series opener against Holy Cross... picked up his first career win against UTPA, scattering two hits and one walk while striking out one in 2.1 innings... owns a 1.9-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 0.94 WHIP... tabbed the 2014 NJCAA Division I Pitcher of the Year at Hutchinson Community College.
SIMONDS' CAREER TOTALS
|
Year |
W-L |
ERA |
APP/GS |
SV |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO |
AVG |
|
2015 |
2-0 |
0.00 |
10/1 |
1 |
27.0 |
16 |
3 |
0 |
10 |
19 |
.172 |
|
Career |
2-0 |
0.00 |
10/1 |
1 |
27.0 |
16 |
3 |
0 |
10 |
19 |
.172 |
SUNDAY'S PROBABLE STARTER:Â #31 MATT KENT
Induced three inning-ending double plays two weeks ago to work 6.0 shutout innings against Missouri despite allowing seven hits... named to the Houston College Classic All-Tournament Team as he stymied Baylor hitters for the better part of 7.1 innings, allowing two runs on six hits and one walk while striking out nine... owns a 13.0-to-1 K/BB ratio in 2015 and 7.08-to-1 for his career... opened season with a win against Holy Cross, yielding just one unearned run on five hits while striking out three in 7.0 innings of work... 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... 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.
KENT'S CAREER TOTALS
|
Year |
W-L |
ERA |
APP/GS |
SV |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO |
AVG |
|
2013 |
2-3 |
4.17 |
26/2 |
0 |
36.2 |
43 |
17 |
17 |
2 |
21 |
.299 |
|
2014 |
3-1 |
3.15 |
20/4 |
0 |
45.2 |
50 |
18 |
16 |
8 |
32 |
.284 |
|
2015 |
6-0 |
3.14 |
8/8 |
0 |
48.2 |
55 |
20 |
17 |
3 |
39 |
.289 |
|
Career |
11-4 |
3.31 |
54/14 |
0 |
131.0 |
148 |
55 |
50 |
13 |
92 |
.288 |
ALLEMAND JOINS THE 200-GAMES CLUB
With his appearance against Rice on April 7, Blake Allemand became the 17th player in Aggie history to play in 200 games. Six 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 .283 (196-for-692) with 18 doubles, five triples, four home runs, 88 RBI and 29 stolen bases. He has made 194 career starts, including 47 in 2012, 61 in 2013 and 53 in 2014.
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 hype in 2015, batting .425 (51-for-120) with 30 runs, six doubles, two triples, three home runs, 22 RBI and five stolen bases. He has reached base via walk, hit or HBP in all 32 of his games, sporting a .481 on-base percentage.
A SERIES-OPENING FIX
One of the things that doomed the Aggies in 2014 was an inability to win the opening game of the weekend, putting the Aggies behind the 8-ball for much of the year. 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 8-0 mark. In opening games, the Aggies are batting .296 and they have hit 13 of their 36 home runs. The pitching staff owns a 1.54 ERA and is holding opponents to a .200 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.
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 10 appearances this season. Simonds has not yielded an earned run in 27.0 innings, striking out 19 and scattering 16 hits and 10 walks. In his first career outing, he retired 12 of 13 batters he faced with the only batter reaching base on a HBP, blanking Holy Cross for 4.0 innings with four strikeouts. Simonds earned his first career win working 2.1 innings, scattering two hits and one walk while striking out one in a 4-1 victory against UTPA. Last Saturday, Simonds worked 5.0 innings of relief, allowing one unearned run to help the Aggies' secure their 24th consecutive win, setting an SEC record. In his first career start, Simonds allowed just two unearned runs on three hits and three walks while striking out one in 5.0 innings.
STOUT BULLPEN
The Aggie bullpen has been tested more frequently as the season has progressed and are stepping up to the challenge. Thirteen pitchers have combined to work 123.0 innings out of the bullpen, posting an 12-1 record, 12 saves, a 1.61 ERA, 94 hits and 35 walks while striking out 110. The bullpen sports a WHIP of 1.05, opponent batting average of .214 and a 3.14-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. At the Houston College Classic, the bullpen allowed just one hit in 7.2 innings of scoreless relief.
Texas A&M's bullpen has outstanding numbers in two key stats. The Aggie relievers have retired 71.4 percent (70-of-98) of the first batters they have faced. They've also stranded 77.8 percent (56-of-72) of the runners they have inherited.
In games decided four runs or less, the Aggie bullpen owns a 0.83 ERA and is holding opponents to a .222 batting average. ANDREW VINSON has 12 appearances in those games, allowing just one run, scattering 10 hits while striking out 11 in 17.0 scoreless innings. MARK ECKER has allowed just two unearned runs in the contests, allowing four hits and three walks while striking out 14 in 10.1 innings, posting five saves. RYAN HENDRIX has appeared in 10 of the contests, allowing two runs, one earned, on 11 hits and six walks while striking out eight in 13.0 innings. He has a 2-0 mark, five saves and a 0.69 ERA in the tight games.
SEEMS LIKE JUST LAST YEAR
Texas A&M is averaging 2.5 more runs per game and sporting a batting average .041 higher than the same point last season. Here's a comparison of the Aggies offensive numbers through 33 games in 2014 and 2015.
|
 |
2014 |
2015 |
|
W-L |
19-14 |
31-2 |
|
SEC W-L |
5-7 |
9-2 |
|
Batting Average |
.278 |
.319 |
|
Runs Per Game |
5.1 |
7.6 |
|
Runs |
168 |
252 |
|
Home Runs |
10 |
38 |
|
RBI |
153 |
236 |
|
Slugging Percentage |
.359 |
.484 |
|
On-Base Percentage |
.355 |
.413 |
STREAKS
• On March 7, 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 30 of the 32 games he's played this season.
• NICK BANKS has reached base (via walk, HBP or hit) in all 32 game he's played in 2015. He owns a .481 on-base percentage with 51 hits, 12 walks and two HBP over the span. It's the longest streak for an Aggie since Mikey Reynolds reached in 46 consecutive games in 2013.
• NICK BANKS enters the game on a 10-game hit streak, his second double-digit hit streak of the season. He is batting .459 (17-for-37) over the span with 11 runs, two doubles, two home runs and six RBI.
• MITCHELL NAU enters the game with a 10-game hit streak. He is batting .409 (18-for-44) over the span with 11 runs, three home runs and 13 RBI.
• KYLE SIMONDS has a streak of 27.0 consecutive innings without giving up an earned run, covering 10 outings. He has allowed three unearned runs, scattering 16 hits and 10 walks while striking out 19 over the span.
• The Aggies are on a 15-game win streak in midweek games. The string includes five games at the end of 2014, including wins over then-No. 16 Rice and then-No. 25 Sam Houston State.
• The Aggies have five consecutive games with multiple home runs, including five last Tuesday in a 19-4 win against Sam Houston State. The Maroon and White have 15 home runs during the stretch. LOGAN NOTTEBROK and MITCHELL NAU both have three home runs in the last five games.
• LOGAN NOTTEBROK has a home run in each of his last three games. His dingers have come in the series finale against Missouri and midweek games against Sam Houston State and Rice. Over the three games, Nottebrok is hitting .417 (5-for-12) with one double, three home runs and seven RBI.
QUICK DRAW
The Aggies are outscoring opponents a combined 68-20 in the first two innings of games, including 39-16 in first innings and 29-4 in second innings.
In the first inning of games, the Aggies are batting .333 (45-for-135) with a .439 on-base percentage and .489 slugging percentage. The Maroon and White have drawn 25 walks and have been hit by two pitches. The extra-base hits include 10 doubles, one triple and three home runs.
In the first inning of games, the A&M pitching staff has held opponents to a .238 batting average (30-for-126) and have struck out 37 of the 139 batters they've faced (26.6%).
In the second inning of games, the Aggies are batting .296 (37-for-125) with a .392 on-base percentage and .520 slugging percentage. The Maroon and White have drawn 16 walks and have been hit by five pitches. The extra-base hits include five doubles, one triple and seven home runs.
In the second inning of games, the A&M pitching staff has held opponents to a .234 batting average (29-for-124) and have struck out 36 of the 135 batters they've faced (26.7%).
NINTH-INNING CLAMPS
The Aggie pitching staff has yielded just six earned runs in the ninth inning or extra innings, a body of work that includes 32.0 innings and all six of the earned runs have come with Texas A&M leading by four or more runs.
The bullpen, which has yielded just five runs, four unearned, in the ninth inning and extra frames, has allowed just 20 hits and 15 walks in the 31.2 innings, with 36 strikeouts. MARK ECKER has accounted for 11.0 innings, yielding only two hits and three walk while striking out 14. RYAN HENDRIX has worked 9.0 innings, allowing two runs, one earned, scattering eight hits and three walks while striking out nine.
FINISHING STRONG
Texas A&M has outscored opponents 79-26 combined in innings 7-9 plus extra innings, including 32-8 in the seventh inning and 43-11 in the eighth inning. Opponents are outscoring the Aggies 7-3 in the ninth inning, but A&M has batted in the ninth just seven times while the foe has gotten their ninth-inning hacks in 30 of the 33 games. Texas A&M is outscoring opponents 1-0 in extra innings.
BOUNCE BACK
The Aggies bounced back in grand fashion after each of their two losses, toppling UTSA 11-1 and besting Missouri 14-6. Two games marked the two highest hit totals on the season, including 19 against UTSA and 17 against Missouri. The Aggies hit a combined .414 (36-for-87) and averaged 12.5 runs per game in the two contests. NICK BANKS hit .833 (5-for-6) with four runs, one RBI and one stolen base in the two games. LOGAN TAYLOR batted .667 (4-for-6) with three runs, one home run and six RBI.
DINGER WATCH
The Aggies already have 38 home runs on the season. Last year, A&M hit just 25 home runs on the year. The Aggies had just 10 home runs at this point in the season in 2014. A&M has hit 13 of their 38 home runs in series openers. The Aggies have 15 home runs in their last five games, including five home runs in a 19-4 win against Sam Houston State. A&M added five more home runs in the doubleheader sweep at Kentucky and logged two in a 4-3 win over No. 13 Rice.
MEN IN BLACK
The Aggies have a new black uniform in their wardrobe for the 2015 season. The squad is only permitted to wear the jerseys for games in which they are trying to complete a series sweep. They have had the opportunity to don the black unis on seven occasions this season, going 6-1. The uniforms have been especially friendly to the pitching staff that owns a 1.97 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 65 strikeouts in 64.0 innings of work in the look. The Aggies were unable to wear black jerseys in their series finale at Kentucky as the Wildcats elected to wear black in the second game of the doubleheader.
MEATGRINDER
Starting with the three-game series at Alabama, 23 of Texas A&M's last 33 games will be against teams that advanced to the 2014 NCAA Championship. The gauntlet includes seven SEC weekend series against NCAA tournament teams, including Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and South Carolina, two games against Sam Houston State and one game against Rice. The Aggies are currently 9-2 in the stretch.
BALANCED ATTACK
Coach Childress has the potential to pencil in a lineup that can include eight players with 20 to 30 RBI. MITCHELL NAU leads the squad with 30 RBI followed by LOGAN TAYLOR and RONNIE GIDEON with 27. BLAKE ALLEMAND has 24 RBI followed by NICK BANKS and JB MOSS with 22 apiece. HUNTER MELTON and RYNE BIRK close out the group with 21 and 20, respectively.
BALANCE OF POWER
Coach Childress has the potential to pencil in a lineup that can include nine players with at least three home runs. RONNIE GIDEON and LOGAN TAYLOR lead the team with six apiece. JB MOSS checks in with five home runs, followed by LOGAN NOTTEBROK with four. BLAKE ALLEMAND, NICK BANKS, RYNE BIRK, HUNTER MELTON and MITCHELL NAU all have three home runs.
1,000 WINS AT OLSEN FIELD
With their win in the Saturday game against Auburn, the Aggies secured their 1,000th win at the friendly confines of Olsen Field. Playing their 38th season at the now-Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park, the Maroon and White are 1,006-325-4 (.755) at the corner of George Bush Drive and Olsen Boulevard.
UP NEXT
The Aggies return to action for a rare Wednesday game as they host Abilene Christian in a 6:35 pm contest on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.