Aggies Face First Road Test at Houston College Classic
Mar 04, 2015 | Baseball
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS - The No. 11 Texas A&M Aggies head to Minute Maid Park for the 2015 Houston College Classic where they will face three former conference foes in the tournament, including former Big 12 colleague Nebraska on Friday, former SWC mate Houston on Saturday and former Big 12 and SWC counterpart Baylor on Sunday. It marks A&M's eighth trip to the tournament. The Aggies own an 11-10 record in the tournament play going 2-1 on four occasions and 1-2 three times. At the tournament, the Aggies are 4-3 against Houston, 3-4 against Rice and 4-3 against outside entities, including 2-0 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette, 1-0 vs. Tennessee, 1-0 vs. UC Irvine, 0-1 vs. Arizona State, 0-1 vs North Carolina and 0-1 vs. Utah.
#11 TEXAS A&M AGGIES (13-0) at HOUSTON COLLEGE CLASSIC
MINUTE MAID PARK (40,950) • HOUSTON, TEXAS
SCHEDULE - Friday - 3:35 pm (Nebraska) • Saturday - 7:05 pm (Houston) • Sunday - 2:35 pm (Baylor)
RADIO - Sports Radio 1150 The Zone • Dave South (play-by-play)
TELEVISION - Friday - ROOT Sports Southwest alternate • Sunday - ROOT Sports Southwest
LIVE AUDIO - 12thMan.com • radioaggieland.com (free)
LIVE STATS - 12thMan.com/tamustats.com (mobile devices)
RANKINGS - Texas A&M - 11 (USAT), 11 (CB), 14 (D1B), 14 (NCBWA), 22 (BA); Nebraska - unranked; Houston - 8 (BA), 12 (CB), 12 (NCBWA), 13 (USAT), 16 (D1B); Baylor - unranked
SERIES HISTORIES - A&M leads NU, 27-22; A&M leads UH, 109-57-1; A&M leads BU, 180-134-4
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
• FRIDAY: #34 AJ Minter (Jr., LHP, 2-0, 0.56) vs. NEBRASKA - #16 Chance Sinclair (Sr., RHP, 1-2, 5.74)
• SATURDAY: #38 Grayson Long (Jr., RHP, 2-0, 3.45) vs. HOUSTON - #26 Jake Lemoine (Jr., RHP, 1-0, 3.38)
• SUNDAY: #31 Matt Kent (Jr., LHP, 3-0, 2.29) vs. BAYLOR - #10 Austin Stone (Sr., RHP, 0-0, 4.91)
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/NEBRASKA SERIES NOTABLES
Friday will mark the 50th meeting between A&M and Nebraska with the Aggies owning a 27-22 advantage in the all-time series. The last time the teams met was in 2011 when the Aggies swept a three-game series at Olsen Field. Texas A&M has dominated the series lately, winning 8 of 9 since 2009, with the lone loss a 1-0 defeat in Lincoln in 2010.
TEXAS A&M/HOUSTON SERIES NOTABLES
Saturday marks 168th meeting between A&M and Houston with the Aggies owning a 109-57-1 advantage in the all-time series. The Cougars have won four of the last six meetings including a 10-8 decision last year on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park. In last year's game, the Aggies were unable to maintain a 4-2 lead, yielding five runs in the fourth inning along with a pair of game-deciding runs in the eighth. Troy Stein and LOGAN TAYLOR each had three hits and scored two runs for the Aggies.
TEXAS A&M/BAYLOR SERIES NOTABLES
Baylor marks one of two teams Texas A&M has played more than 300 times. The squads have faced off on 318 occasions with the Aggies owning a 180-134-4 edge in the all-time series. The 318 meetings trails only the 366 times the Maroon and White have squared off with Texas. The 180 victories are tied for the highest tally against an opponent, with A&M holding a 180-95-2 all-time record against Rice.
The last time the teams met was April 2012 when Baylor swept a three game series, winning the first game, 5-3, in College Station and then winning the next two, 1-0 and 7-5, in Waco. The last time the teams met at a neutral site was at the 2010 Big 12 Championship title game, with A&M registering a 5-3 win in 10 innings to claim the crown.
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 372-208-2 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 25 of all five major polls, earning the No. 11 spot in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll and the Collegiate Baseball ranking, the No. 14 position in the D1Baseball.com ranking and NCBWA poll and the No. 22 spot 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).
FRIDAY'S PROBABLE STARTER: #34 A.J. MINTER
Making his fourth consecutive start after his first 52 appearances were out of the bullpen... has not allowed one earned run in 16.0 innings of work... had his longest career outing last week, working 6.0 innings, allowing three runs, one earned, on six hits and one walk while striking out seven in a no-decision against Dartmouth... fanned a career-high nine while scattering two hits and five walks in 5.0 innings in a win two weeks ago against Penn State... did not allow a run in his nine SEC appearances last season, going 2-0 with one save in 9.0 innings of work... earned wins against Florida and Ole Miss and picked up a save against Arkansas in SEC action last season... longest career outing prior to this season was 2.2 innings, when he picked up a win against Florida, scattering two runs and striking out a career-high three in a win against Florida in the finale as A&M captured the series... as a freshman, did not allow a run in his first 13 appearances.
SATURDAY'S PROBABLE STARTER: #38 GRAYSON LONG
Earned wins in the Aggies last two outings with a pair of 6.0 inning performances... allowed just one unearned run, scattering five hits and one walk while striking out three in a win against Penn State... yielded one run on five hits and two walks while striking out four in a win last week against Dartmouth... enters play as the Aggies' active leader in wins (12), innings pitched (151.0) and strikeouts (105)... 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... best career outing came against Auburn last season when he worked 8.0 shutout innings, fanning seven while scattering seven hits and one walk to help A&M stave of a series sweep... also earned SEC wins against Florida, eventual national champion Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Mississippi State, posting a 5-2 record in league action.
SUNDAY'S PROBABLE STARTER: #31 MATT KENT
Making his 10th career start and his sixth career weekend start... leads Texas A&M with three wins... owns a 17-to-1 K/BB ratio in 2015 and 6.36-to-1 for his career... logged his longest-career outing in the finale of the opening series against Holy Cross, yielding just one unearned run on five hits while striking out three in 7.0 innings of work... two weeks ago he won the Sunday game against Penn State, allowing two runs on eight hits while striking out six in 6.2 innings... 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... win came against Texas Southern (3/5/14), striking out a career nine while scattering three hits and one walk over 6.0 innings... 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.
SETTING THE TABLE
Aggie hitters leading off an inning have reached base in 49 of the 104 frames (.471), despite getting just 21 leadoff hits. A&M has drawn 21 walks and have been hit by five pitches to start innings. The Aggies have three leadoff home runs on the year. LOGAN TAYLOR (4-6) has reached base in four of his six plate appearances leading off, going 2-for-4 with two home runs, one walk and one HBP. MITCHELL NAU has reached on six of his 10 leadoff plate appearances, going 1-for-5 with three walks and two HBP. Other notables include LOGAN NOTTEBROK (4-6), and BLAKE ALLEMAND (8-16).
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.
MAKING EVERY OUT COUNT
The Aggies are making every out count this season, hitting .309 (43-for-139) with two outs. Meanwhile, their opponents have scuffled, hitting .214 (31-for-145) with two outs. The Maroon and White have logged 34 RBI with two outs, an average of 2.62 per game. RONNIE GIDEON is batting .333 (5-for-15) with 11 RBI with two outs. JB MOSS hit .538 (7-for-13) with eight RBI with two outs during the span. Other notable hitters with two outs include, NICK BANKS (7-for-13, 6 RBI).
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 .444 (20-for-45) with 13 runs, four doubles, one triple, one home run, 14 RBI and three stolen bases.
CALL ON ME
Coach Childress has three pitchers who he has called on 50 or more times in their career, including JASON FREEMAN, A.J. MINTER and ANDREW VINSON. MATT KENT is also nearing the half-century mark with 49 appearances.
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 2.19 ERA, two saves and 63 strikeouts (25 BB) in 53.1 innings in 55 appearances, 52 in relief. In 53 games, all out of the bullpen, Vinson is 5-3 with a 3.06 ERA, two saves and 59 strikeouts (21 BB) in 61.2 innings. Kent counts nine starts among his 49 games. The southpaw is 8-4 with a 3.35 ERA and 70 strikeouts (11 BB) in 102.0 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 eight games, including five starts. He's batting .412 (7-for-17) 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 all eight of his games and he boasts a .524 on-base percentage.
TRENDING UPWARD
The Aggies are one of just 22 schools to log 200 or more wins between 2010-14. Over the five-year span, Texas A&M is tied with Kent State for 17th place with 203 victories. The Maroon and White are 203-116-1 (.636) over the span. The SEC boasts six teams with over 200 wins between 2010-14, including South Carolina (245), Vanderbilt (240), LSU (227), Florida (216), Arkansas (208) and Texas. The six leads all conferences, trailed by the ACC (5), Pac 12 (4) and Big 12 (4).
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 180 games. With 20 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 .280 (174-for-621) with 17 doubles, five triples, two home runs, 75 RBI and 26 stolen bases. He has made 174 career starts, including 47 in 2012, 61 in 2013 and 53 in 2014.
BIG INNINGS
The Aggies have been producing plenty of big innings early in the 2015 campaign. The Maroon and White have scored multiple runs in 32 of their 104 innings on the year. Texas A&M has had 18 innings with at least three runs and nine “Big Innings” with at least four runs. Twice in 2015, A&M has logged seven runs, including the second inning of the season opener against Holy Cross and in the seventh inning of the second game of the year. The Aggies have batted through the line four times this season.
POSTSEASON STREAK CONTINUES INTO 2015
Prior to the arrival of head coach ROB CHILDRESS, Texas A&M had never appeared in the NCAA Tournament more than four consecutive years. Advancing to the NCAA Houston Regional in 2014 extended the Aggies current string to eight consecutive years, something that had never happened before in the program's 113 year history.
Childress has led the Aggies to the postseason each of the last eight seasons, topping the previous-high water mark of four-straight trips, a feat that had happened only twice before at Texas A&M. Former head coach Tom Chandler led his squad to the NCAA Regionals each season from 1975 to 1978 and 11 years later the Aggies enjoyed a similar four-year run from 1986-89 under the direction of head coach Mark Johnson.
WALK'S AS GOOD AS A HIT
Texas A&M batters have taken advantage of the free passes in 2015. The Aggies are average 5.23 walks per game. The Maroon and White have 68 walks on the season, with 21 of them coming when leading off an inning. 35 of the 68 walks have resulted in runs, including each of the last two Sunday's when the Aggies have had four players walk and come around to score.
A HIT BY PITCH'S AS GOOD AS A HIT
Texas A&M batters have taken one for the team quite a bit in 2015, getting hit by 20 pitches in 13 games, an average 1.54 HBP per game. Eleven of the 20 players who have reached via an HBP have come around to score a run.
CATCHER'S INTERFERENCE IS AS GOOD AS A HIT
Two Aggies have reached via catcher's interference with both coming around to score.
2,500-WIN CLUB
The Aggies lead all SEC programs in all-time wins, but were recently joined by Mississippi State and Alabama in the prestigious 2,500-win club. Texas A&M is currently one of just 14 NCAA Division I programs to reach the 2,500-win plateau, entering play with a 2,528-1,430-42 mark. With 2,497 wins, Minnesota is just three wins away from becoming the 15th team to reach 2,500 wins. South Carolina would need 44 wins in 2015 to reach the plateau by the end of the year. Everybody is at least two decades worth of wins behind Fordham which owns 4,367 all-time wins.
INHERITANCE TAX
Texas A&M relief pitchers have stranded the last 18 inherited runners and 21 of 24 inherited runners on the season. The second game of the season was the only 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 SI-MONDS 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 sea-son school records for wins (13), complete-games (nine), shutouts (three) and strikeouts (103) in 2014.
The northpaw has been impressive in his four appearance this season. Simonds has not yielded a run in 9.1 innings, striking out 10 and scattering seven hits. 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.
STOUT BULLPEN
They have only been thrown in tight situations on a few occasions thus far in 2015, but the Aggies' bullpen has been solid. Twelve pitchers have combined to work 45.0 innings out of the bullpen, posting a 4-0 record, five saves, a 1.65 ERA, 33 hits and just five walks while striking out 41. The bullpen sports a WHIP of 0.84, opponent batting average of .205 and an 8.2-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
KYLE SIMONDS has worked the most innings, weaving 9.1 scoreless frames, scattering seven hits while striking out 10 in four 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 nine appearances. The southpaw has worked 7.2 frames, earning a 1-0 record with 1.17 ERA, scattering five hits and two walks while striking out six. RYAN HENDRIX leads the Aggies with three saves. He has made five appearances, working 5.2 scoreless innings, scattering three hits and one walk while striking out five.
FOR STARTERS
Aggie starting pitchers have been solid in 2015, posting a 9-0 record with a 2.00 ERA after 13 games. A&M starters are holding opponents to a .251 batting and boast a 3.67-to-1 strikeouts-to-walk ratio (77/21). AJ MINTER (2-0) owns a 0.56 ERA, has held opponents to a .210 batting average and has allowed just five runs, one unearned, while striking out 23 in 16.0 innings over his first three starts. MATT KENT is also 3-0 with a 2.29 ERA, allowing seven runs, five earned, in 19.2 innings of work. The junior lefty boasts A&M's two longest starts. He has issued just one walk on the season, while striking out 17.
SEEMS LIKE JUST LAST YEAR
Here's a comparison of the Aggies offensive numbers through 13 games in 2014 and 2015.
|
|
2014 |
2015 |
|
Batting Average |
.252 |
.342 |
|
Runs Per Game |
5.15 |
8.92 |
|
Runs |
67 |
116 |
|
Home Runs |
5 |
17 |
|
RBI |
62 |
107 |
|
Slugging Percentage |
.343 |
.540 |
|
On-Base Percentage |
.351 |
.443 |
STREAKS
NICK BANKS is in the midst of his longest career hit streak at 12 games. Banks has a hit in all 12 of the games he has played in 2015. He's batting .444 (20-for-45) with 13 runs, four doubles, one triple, one home run, 14 RBI and three stolen bases.
KYLE SIMONDS is on a 9.1 inning scoreless streak, covering four outings. He's scattered seven hits while striking out 10 (no walks) over the span.
RYAN HENDRIX is unscored upon in five outings, covering 5.2 innings. He's scattered three hits and one walk while striking out five over the span.
BLAKE KOPETSKY is on a six-game hit streak and the junior has reached base in all eight of the games he has played in this season. He owns a .412 batting average and .524 on-base percentage over the span, hitting 7-for-17 with four walks, three runs, one double, one triple, one stolen base and two RBI.
HUNTER MELTON is on a five-game hit streak. He's batting .444 (8-for-18) with three runs, one double, one home run and eight RBI over the span.
The Aggies own a 14-game win streak at Blue Bell Park dating back to the 2014 season.
MORE PITCHING AND BULLPEN NOTES
The Aggie bullpen has allowed one run in the last 24.2 innings of work dating back to the Saturday contest against Penn State. The relief pitchers have scattered 13 hits and two walks while striking out 20 over the span. The run includes three bullpen wins and four saves. The stretch included a string of 23.0 consecutive innings without yielding a run.
In the last 11 games, Texas A&M pitchers have held opponents to 84 hits and 18 walks while striking out 97 in 99.0 innings of work. The staff owns a 1.45 ERA, .228 opponent batting average and 1.03 WHIP during the span.
UP NEXT
The Aggies return to action Tuesday as they host the UT Pan American Broncs in a pair of games on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park. The Tuesday game starts at 6:35 pm and Wednesday's first pitch is slated for 3:05 pm.
