Five Thoughts: Aggies and Longhorns ... when it matters most

Five thoughts on A&M's regional draw

Link to full NCAA Tournament bracket: LINK

1. Bring on the Longhorns
When Texas A&M left for greener pastures in the SEC, the administration made it clear that it would like to continue to play Texas in all sports. DeLoss Dodds and the Texas brass, however, felt very differently. The Longhorns essentially black-balled the Aggies, so to speak, and wanted nothing to do with A&M. The move forced one of the best across-the-board rivalries in the nation to come to a screeching halt.

Fans of both programs knew that one day — sooner or later — the two sides would meet again in one of the major sports when it mattered most ... in the postseason. Volleyball has played at Texas in each of the last two years in the NCAA Tournament; A&M and Texas have also faced off in swimming, track and field and swimming. And come Friday afternoon at 3 p.m., you can add baseball to the list.

The Aggies drew the No. 3 seed at the Houston Regional and will meet the No. 2-seeded Longhorns at Reckling Park in game one ... prior to No. 1-seeded Rice vs. No. 4-seeded George Mason.

Krey Bratsen and Troy Stein have a strong familiarity with the series, having played against the 'Horns for two seasons. Daniel Mengden, Parker Ray, Blake Allemand and Cole Lankford were around but didn't play much in the final series back in 2012. But the players are fired up for a chance to rekindle this storied rivalry ... and to do so with everything on the line.

"It's awesome for us as a team to get to play Texas in a regional," Bratsen said. "I know it's going to be a fight ... it is every year. There is no difference in (the teams) when it comes to us two playing against each other."

"It's a great feeling ... especially getting to play Texas. It's awesome," Mengden added. "It's going to be a great game and a great atmosphere. You want to approach this like it's just another postseason game, but in the end it is Texas. Anybody who's an Aggie knows it's a rivalry and it's going to be a fight and a great game."

2. Scouting Texas
Here are some quick numbers on the Longhorns ... what they do well and where they struggle:

• Overall record: 38-18
• Big 12 record: 13-11
• Team offensive numbers: .266 / .363 / .358; 19 HR, 66 SB
• Leading hitter: Madison Carter - INF (.367 / .444 / .468 ... 1 HR, 9 RBI, 3-5 SB)
  
• Team pitching numbers: 2.45 ERA, .230 B/AVG
  
• Leading pitcher: John Curtiss - RHP (1-2, 2.51 ERA, 8 SV, .220 B/AVG)
  

The Longhorns — as they have been for quite a few years consecutively — can pitch it very well and are really deep on the mound but struggle at the plate. Texas likes to play small ball with the best of them, but like the Aggies this year, they're not quite built for the speed game. But they also are not able to play for the long ball because the middle-of-the-order bats just are not there. This game will likely come down to Mengden for Texas A&M vs. Dillon Peters for Texas. The first to crack will probably lose the game. You have to hope as an Aggie to see the very best Mengden that he can give you, because if it becomes a bullpen game, Texas — led by John Curtiss — has the upper hand.

3. Reckling "friendly" to the Aggies?
I wouldn't quite refer to Reckling Park as "friendly confines" or anything resembling that. But the fact is that this A&M squad went down to Rice in must-win mode and beat the Owls on their home field earlier this season. I will submit to you that A&M would not be in the field of 64 had it lost that game. The Aggies took momentum from that victory and took two of three at Mississippi State immediately following the trip to Houston. A&M had an RPI in the 60s prior to the win at Reckling and it got on a roll, sitting here today in the NCAA Tournament, in large part because of what took place in that midweek game.

Because of their success at Rice earlier this year, every player has gotten a taste of victory down there and that should greatly benefit the Aggies heading into the tournament. Now, once the ball is rolled out, it's about execution and what happens in between the white lines. But it should be noted that there are a bunch of Houston area players on the A&M roster. That combined with the mid-season success at Reckling Park could play in favor of the maroon and white this weekend.

"All of our kids have seen the facility and they have played on that field," A&M head coach Rob Childress said. "We walked a way with a win so there is a certain comfort there."

4. Moroney out for season, Taylor on the way back?
Childress announced that Jonathan Moroney has a broken right (throwing) wrist and is out for the rest of the season. I spoke to Moroney today and he is very upset about not being able to be a part of what happens on the field this weekend. It's a significant loss because Jonathan starts in the middle of the order against left-handers and is also a key right-handed bat for late-game pinch-hitting situations. His father, Ryan, told me that the injury occurred in practice last week after the team got back home from the SEC Tournament. He injured it while chasing after a fly ball during batting practice. Moroney will miss the entire summer but should be ready to go for fall ball.

Childress said that infielder Logan Taylor is is "50-50" right now as to whether he will be ready to play in the regional this weekend. He dislocated his right knee cap on a check swing against LSU about a month ago.

"We'll find out more today and tomorrow as far as the health of [Taylor]," Childress said. "He is improving every day."

5. SEC flexes muscle in NCAA Tournament announcement
For the first time in the history of college baseball, a single conference will be represented in the NCAA Tournament by 10 teams. The Southeastern Conference had sent nine programs to the field of 64 several times, but this year 10 teams are headed to the "Big Dance."

Florida and LSU are national top-eight seeds. Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Ole Miss are one of 16 hosts. The remaining five teams in the tournament field: Texas A&M, Arkansas, Kentucky, Alabama and Mississippi State. Six of the seven SEC West teams — all but Auburn — got into the tournament.

The Aggies, having gone through the gauntlet of the SEC, enter the NCAAs as a battle-tested group that will not be intimidated by the likes of Texas or Rice.

"It speaks to the strength of our conference," Childress said. "There are three very good teams at the Rice Regional but it won't be anything that we haven't seen."