COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The No. 23 Texas A&M softball team hosts fellow Lone Star ballclub Lamar University on Wednesday, with first pitch coming at 6:35 p.m. in the midweek contest.
The Aggies are coming off a 2-1 series defeat at the hands of No. 7 Auburn. After falling 8-1 on Friday, the team rallied on Saturday morning to hand the Tigers their only run-rule defeat of 2014-15. In a rain-lengthened second game Saturday, the Aggie bats were unable to get going and Auburn took the rubber match 12-4.
Fans unable to attend the game can listen to live on 95.1-3 FM, 12thMan.com or RadioAggieland.com. Download the RadioAggieland app to listen to the games, or tune in online. Additionally, each game on the Aggies' home slate will be broadcast on SEC Network +, with seven contests on the ESPN family of channels.
Instantaneous live mobile stats can be seen from any mobile device, as well as any computer at TAMUstats.com. Live stats will also be available for every game of the 2015 season through 12thMan.com. Click on the live stats link on the Aggie softball schedule page any time after first pitch to follow the action.
AT FIRST GLANCE
The Aggies are currently riding a 32-12 record and most recently cruised to two midweek victories over fellow Lone Star State ballclubs, taking down UTSA 5-2 and dominating North Texas 13-9 before falling to Auburn, 2-1, over the weekend. Senior Rachel Fox currently leads the Aggies in the circle, owning a 18-9 record with 17 complete games and six shutouts. Junior Katie Marks has also made an impact this spring, claiming a 11-1 record and eight complete games. The pair has combined for 29 wins, nine shutouts and 187 strikeouts. Freshman Tori Vidales leads the Aggie bats, with a .363 batting average, and paces the ball club with 38 runs, 45 hits, 15 home runs and 45 RBI.
LAST AT BAT
Most recently, Texas A&M recorded a 3-2 week with wins over two non-conference opponents and a single win over No. 7 Auburn. The Aggies defeated UTSA on Tuesday, winning a 5-2 game after taking a four-run lead in the bottom of the first. Senior pitcher Rachel Fox fanned ten batters, one shy of her season high, and allowed only two hits, giving away a single walk in her 17th victory. The week continued when A&M hosted North Texas on Wednesday, and relied on big hits to put the team on top 13-9. Freshman Tori Vidales went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate, hitting her 12th home run and leading the team with four RBI, three runs, adding five put outs to her total. Vidales added to her great weekend in the second game of the Auburn series, hitting two dingers in the same inning on her way to a three homer weekend. The Aggies handed Auburn their first run-rule loss on the year with a 12-4 beatdown Saturday morning and stand at 8-7 in conference play.
SCOUTING LAMAR
Lamar holds a 21-19 record and took two of three at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi over the weekend in Southland Conference play. Dating back to 1984, Lamar is 0-4 all-time vs. Texas A&M. Last season, Lamar dropped a doubleheader at Texas A&M by scores of 8-0 and 6-1. Lauren Napoli leads the Cardinals' bullpen, holding a 3.59 ERA with a 15-11 record in 29 appearances. Stephanie Meeuwsen paces the Lamar offense with a .381 batting average and 45 hits.
KS FOR DAYS
Senior Rachel Fox and junior Katie Marks are dominating in the circle, logging 29 wins in 44 games, one short of eclipsing last year's total of 30. Both pitchers fanned season-high batters in the last two tournaments of the spring, with Fox sending 11 Illinois State batters back to the dugout at the Texas A&M Invitational and Marks taking down six against Syracuse at the Mary Nutter Classic. Fox fell just short of her season high against UTSA, fanning 10 batters in a 5-2 victory.
THE POWER OF YOUTH
With the Aggies losing their top three hitters from 2014, the ball club was looking for power coming into this spring. The freshman and sophomore classes have found their way into the top five places in each batting statistical category and lead eight. Freshmen Tori Vidales, Kristen Cuyos, Erin Houthoofd and Ashley Walters have combined for 27 of the team's 42 homeruns and Vidales lead the team with 38 runs scored. The future is looking bright for the new bats.
YARD WATCH
The Aggies have exhibited some powerful hitting so far this season. Here is a list of players who have made deposits in the home run tank during the 2015 season:
GRAND SLAMS:
1 Cali Lanphear - Feb. 6 vs Utah
Tori Vidales - Feb. 7 vs UCLA
HOME RUNS:
15 Tori Vidales
6 Kristen Cuyos
Breanna Dozier
Cali Lanphear
4 April Ryan
2 Reagan Boenker
1 Erin Houthoofd
Celena Massey
Ashley Walters
OH WHAT A RELIEF IT IS
The Aggies have been making full use of their pitching staff, with the relief pitchers shining in early weeks of play. Senior Lauren Ainsley and junior Katie Marks has particularly strong performances at the SoCal Collegiate Classic and senior Rachel Fox proved she can do more than take over from the top at the against South Carolina, coming in to take over in the final victory of the three-game sweep. Sophomore Abby Donnell saw her first extended effort in the circle against Mississippi State and earned her first win of 2015, allowing just three hits in over five innings of work in the come-from-behind victory. Donnell added another relief W to her column during the Aggies' sweep of South Carolina. Ainsley made two appearances over the last week, pitching three innings and allowing zero hits against Georgia Tech as well as taking the circle against North Texas.
NUMBER ONE SPOT
While the batting order has shuffled around throughout the beginning of the season, one name has stayed in the same position: senior Brittany Clopton in the leadoff spot for all be three games. At the top of the list in hits, Clopton has 45 all together and at one point reached the bags in 11 consecutive games, going hitless in only ten outings.
MOVIN' ON UP
With two homeruns in the Aggies' 11-5 win over Alabama, junior Cali Lanphear passed Adrian Gregory and Lisa Klam to move into tenth place on the Aggies' career home runs list. After a freshman year that saw her crush 21 hits out of the park, Lanphear added five in 2014 and has four so far this spring to bring her total to 30 bombs.
Freshman Tori Vidales is making her mark on Aggie Softball early in her career. After a four home run week, Vidales and her 15 bombs moved into the 10th place spot on single-season home run leaderboard and only nine dingers out of the top spot.
THEY CAN GO ALL. THE. WAY.
The Aggie bullpen has gone the distance this season, with senior Rachel Fox and junior Katie Marks throwing 24 complete games through 41 total contests. Most recently, Fox added another complete game victory with her part in the 5-2 victory over surging in-state foe UTSA.
GOING BACK TO CALI
The Aggies have become a mainstay in several California tournaments, taking at least one trip to the West Coast over the past four seasons. Texas A&M has a 24-11 record in the Golden State since 2011 including a 5-0 turn to open the 2014 season in Santa Barbara and 3-2 finish at the 2015 SoCal Collegiate Classic. The Aggies most recently added five more wins at the 2015 Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.
THE 2015 AGGIES
In its third season in the Southeastern Conference, Texas A&M welcomes seven newcomers to the 2015 squad with freshmen Kristen Cuyos(Pearland), Erin Hoothoufd (Beach City), Kayla Ober (Katy), Hailey Rebar (San Antonio), Erica Russell (Bryan), Tori Vidales (La Porte) and Ashley Walters (Kerrville). Returning to action are five sophomores, four juniors and an incredibly experienced four-member senior class. The Aggies will have to replace a prolific group of eight seniors from 2014 but retain four members of their pitching staff and several fresh faces who worked their way up the stat columns last season.
WELCOME BACK
The Aggies return 13 student-athletes from the 2014 squad, including an experienced pitching staff and plenty of hitting power. Right-handed pitchers Rachel Fox and Katie Marks led the Aggies in 2014, putting together 30 wins with a combined 193 Ks. Sophomore April Ryan is A&M's leading hitter, batting .295 with 43 runs and 40 RBIs.
RANKING THE AGGIES
Texas A&M currently stands in the No. 23/24 spot in the national polls. The Aggies' 2015 opponents in the top 25 are No. 3 Florida, No. 1 Oregon, No. 5/6 Alabama, No. 2 LSU, No. 13/14 Kentucky, No. 7 Auburn and No. 8/10 UCLA. In addition, South Carolina and Mississippi State are receiving votes.
SEC PRESEASON POLL
The Southeastern Conference coaches predicted a No. 9 finish for the Aggies in 2015, finishing behind No. 1 Florida, No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Kentucky, No. 4 LSU, No. 5 Georgia, No. 6 Missouri, No. 7 Auburn and No. 8 Tennessee. Rounding out the preseason poll are No. 10 South Carolina, No. 11 Mississippi State, No. 12 Arkansas and No. 13 Ole Miss. Nine of the 13 SEC softball teams appeared among the nation's top-25 in the USA Today/NFCA Preseason Poll. Points for the SEC poll were awarded on a 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12 basis. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team. The SEC did away with East-West divisions after the 2012-13 season in all sports but baseball and football.
FULL FEBRUARY
With four tournaments and two nonconference midweek games at the beginning of the season, the Aggies played over one third of their regular-season schedule in the month of February. Of the 56 scheduled games in 2015, 21 of them took place during the first four weeks of the season. The ball club exited the busiest month of the season with a 17-4 record and won the last ten times they stepped onto the diamond.
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.
AGGIE SOFTBALL ON TV
The Aggies will play at least seven games on national TV this season, beginning with the Sunday, March 8 game against Kentucky on the SEC Network at noon CT. Of the Aggies' seven televised contests, five will be played at the Aggie Softball Complex. The Aggies will host Auburn on ESPNU on Saturday, April 11 at 1 p.m. CT. A week earlier the Aggies and South Carolina will face off on the SEC Network – March 21-22. In addition to the seven regular-season games, each Texas A&M home game will be broadcast on the SEC Network + channel and the WatchESPN app. The entire SEC tournament,
including both play-in games, will be broadcast on ESPN networks. The SEC Tournament is set for May 6-9 in Baton Rogue, La.
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.
UP NEXT
The Aggies will hit the road for the first time in over two weeks to take on the number two ranked team in the country, the Bayou Bengals of LSU. Fans can tune into the RadioAggieland app and the game will be broadcast on SEC Network +/WatchESPN as well as live stats available through 12thMan.com