Texas A&M
UTSA
Midweek Preview: UTSA
Apr 10, 2023 | Baseball
Midweek: UTSA
- April 11, 2023 • Blue Bell Park
- Game Notes • Live Stats • Watch • Tickets
vs UTSA
- Tuesday, April 11 • 6 p.m. • SEC Network+
- Texas A&M: LHP Troy Wansing
- Stats: 2-1, 5.55 ERA, 24.1 IP, 41 K, 17 BB
- UTSA: RHP Uli Quiroga
- Stats: 4-1, 4.66 ERA, 36.2 IP, 34 K, 8 BB
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Fresh off a second consecutive SEC series win over the weekend at Auburn, the Texas A&M Aggies will kick off a stretch of four games in five days at Blue Bell Park, beginning Tuesday night with a midweek clash against UTSA.
The Roadrunners had won each of their first seven weekend series of the year before splitting the first two games last weekend at Charlotte and being unable to complete the series due to weather. They have dropped each of their past three midweek contests to UIW, A&M-Corpus Christi and UTRGV.
GAME COVERAGE
TV/STREAMING: Tuesday's game will be aired on SEC Network+... Will Johnson will be on play-by-play with Boomer White providing analysis.
RADIO: The game can be heard locally on SportsRadio 1150/93.7 The Zone... Andrew Monaco will be on the call for with Rody Barker providing in-game analysis... the pregame show begins 15 minutes prior to first pitch.
SOCIAL: Fans can get in-game updates on social media by following @AggieBaseball on Twitter.
SERIES NOTES vs THE ROADRUNNERS
- The Aggies have not dropped a game to UTSA in at Olsen Field since falling 6-3 on April 26, 2005
- The Aggies have won six in a row vs UTSA at Olsen Field since that loss in 2005
- Tuesday will mark the first time since 2015 that the teams have met; it is the longest gap between games since the series between the teams began in 1993
- Matt Dillard is the only Aggie to have played against UTSA previously, starting the middle game of a three-game series between Sam Houston and UTSA in 2021 for the Bearkats
GOLDEN BOY
Aggie shortstop Hunter Haas got a nod of approval from USA Baseball last week when he was named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List. He one of 45 total players on the list and is among a group of 24 players from across the country who played their way onto the watch list since the Preseason Watch List was announced on February 10. Haas enters Tuesday leading the Aggies in batting average (.383) and a .477 on-base percentage and has been error free in 31 of 32 games in the field.
JACE EARNING FACETIME FROM SEC
Freshman outfielder Jace LaViolette became the first Aggie this season to earn a weekly honor from the SEC, being named the SEC Freshman of the Week on Monday after a strong week against Texas State and Auburn. He led the entire SEC for the week with 10 RBI, eight of which came in a series win at Auburn. After smacking a two-run double in the Tuesday win over Texas State, LaViolette stayed hot and crushed three homers in the first two games of the series vs the Tigers, including his second career multi-homer game in Game 2 of the series. His totals now have his average up to .266 for the year after starting SEC play at just .210, and his home run (8) and RBI (34) totals both lead the team.
HALFWAY HOME
When Ryan Targac walked off Ole Miss in the finale at Blue Bell Park to clinch the series for the Aggies, it also got Texas A&M to the halfway point of the 2023 regular season. The second half of the season was very good for the Aggies in 2022, going 18-10 in the final 28 games of the regular season. They would reach the finish line in Omaha, winning 27 of their final 40 games overall.
COMING ALL THE WAY BACK
The Aggies spotted Texas State a five-run first inning last Tuesday, but answered with five runs of their own in the bottom half before holding the Bobcats off for a 10-9 win. That qualified as a come-from-behind victory and the five-run deficit was the largest overcome by the Aggies this year. In all, Texas A&M has eight come-from-behind wins in 2023.
NOT GIVING AWAY OUTS
The sacrifice bunt is a common offensive practice in college baseball, but not so much for the Aggies in 2023. In fact, the Aggies are one of two teams - along with Washington from the Pac 12 - of the 295 teams in Division 1 baseball who have yet to register a successful sacrifice bunt this season. In total, the Aggies have only attempted five bunts all season with four being successful hits.
A year ago in Jim Schlossnagle's first season as head coach, the Aggies put down seven successful sacrifice bunts with the last coming in the College World Series win over Texas on June 19, 2022. In total the 2022 Aggies tried 26 bunts with 23 of those attempts coming from players no longer on the roster. Only Austin Bost (2 bunt singles) and Jordan Thompson (1 sac bunt) are on the 2023 roster with bunt attempts registered in 2022.
MINNICH MADE
Senior outfielder Brett Minnich hopped on the injury shelf after just one at-bat of the 2023 season, but returned to the lineup against Texas and has made an immediate impact to the offense. Since his return the Aggies are hitting .315 as a team with 15 home runs and 62 total runs scored in eight games. Minnich himself has been outstanding in that stretch, homering four times with 10 RBI and hitting .400, while Jack Moss has been even better at the plate, hitting. 424 with nine runs scored.
MIDWEEK METTLE
College baseball sees most of its focus on weekend series, but success in midweek battles can pay big dividends in the later months of the season. The Aggies dropped their first midweek of 2023 to Lamar, but responded a week later with a 23-0 shelling of HCU and have won 6 of 7 midweek games since. Typically the Aggies have taken advantage of their midweek opportunities. Texas A&M was 9-1 in midweek games in 2022 and are now 15-3 in those games under Jim Schlossnagle after last week's win over Texas State. Since the start of the COVID-shortened 2020 season Texas A&M is 32-6 in midweek games.
PROMOTIONS TUESDAY NIGHT
- Educator/Teacher Appreciation Night - Teachers/school admins can purchase discounted GA tickets for $5 on game day.
- Tiff's Treats Tuesday - Chocolate chip cookies for the first 250 fans to the Howdy table by section 106
- 12th Man Rewards - Double Points Event - 200 Points - For more info visit HERE.
