Photo by Matt Sachs, TexAgs
Texas A&M Baseball
Series Preview: #3 Texas A&M vs. Fresno State
Who: Fresno State Bulldogs (11-2)
Where: Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park – College Station, Texas
When: Friday 6:30 pm CT (SEC Network+)
Saturday 2:00 pm CT (SEC Network+)
Sunday 1:00 pm CT (SEC Network+)
Sophomore lefty Ricky Tyler Thomas will get the ball for the series opener on Friday. He's registered two wins in three starts with a sparkling ERA of 1.56. His stat line reflects his dominance on the mound to start the 2016 campaign: 24 strikeouts, five walks, .206 opposing batting average. In 17.1 innings of work, Thomas has surrendered just one extra base hit and struck out 38 percent of the hitters he's faced.
The task for Texas A&M hitters may be even more daunting on Saturday against right-hander Jimmy Lambert, who boasts a perfect 3-0 record with a minuscule 0.40 ERA. The Aggies will have to earn every base runner against Lambert, who has yet to allow a free pass in 22.1 innings of action. The junior already has a complete game three-hit shutout against Youngstown State under his belt.
The matchup for the Aggie hitters does not get easier on Sunday. Anthony Arias is perfect on the year with a 2-0 record and an ERA of 0.98. Arias has allowed just 13 hits in 18.1 innings of work with opposing batters hitting .210.
Any way you slice it, this weekend Texas A&M will face its biggest test at the plate thus far. The Bulldogs are definitely formidable on the bump with a team ERA of 1.78.
Fresno State isn't as potent at the plate, but the Bulldogs do have some dangerous hitters. Center fielder Brody Russell leads the team with a .389 batting average and he'll be near the top of the Bulldog lineup. He also leads the team in RBI (12) and slugging percentage (.583). Left fielder Jake Stone hits behind Russell in the three-hole and is the only other Bulldog with an average above .300 at .326.
If there is a weakness on this team, it's in the field where the Bulldogs are fielding at a worrisome .955 as a team. Fresno State has already committed 22 errors through the season's first 13 games that has resulted in 21 unearned runs. In contrast, the pitching staff has allowed only 23 earned runs.
Third baseman Tatum McCarthy leads the team with five miscues. Stone has been charged with four errors and has fielding percentage of .857, which is extraordinarily low for an outfielder.
Jace Vines appears to be the guy positioned to take that role after taking the hill last Friday and giving up two hits and two walks in six innings of action. You hope to see him grab that Friday spot and not let go.
Freshman Tyler Ivey struggled but survived his last start. He moved up a day in the rotation and wasn't as sharp as he performed in previous weeks. He walked five batters and gave up four hits in just 4.1 innings, but still managed to exit unscathed and his 0.00 season ERA is still intact. He'll be on a full seven-day rest, so you'd expect to see him come back with a tighter outing.
Veteran relievers Andrew Vinson and Ryan Hendrix struggled a bit on Tuesday against Northwestern State. The Demons scored four runs in the seventh and eighth inning to make that mid-week game much tighter than anybody wanted or expected. Hendrix struggled with his control, walking three batters and throwing three wild pitches in 1.2 innings.
Abigail Cook, TexAgs
Ryne Birk and the Aggies' red-hot lineup will be tested all weekend against a strong pitching staff.
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It was a rainy, miserable mid-week game with few fans in the stands. You see outings like this under these conditions. Hendrix needs to show this weekend that Tuesday's struggle was the exception and not a trend.
At the plate, it's hard to identify where the team must find answers when six batters are hitting over .300 and the overall team batting average is a white hot .353. Going into the Yale weekend, the biggest question surrounded the struggles of veteran Ryne Birk. He promptly raised his average about 100 points and is now hitting at a .346 with six extra base hits.
The top of the lineup has been on fire, to say the least. J.B. Moss, Nick Choruby, Boomer White and Hunter Melton have all reached base safely in the last 10 games. That's an incredible statistic. White has reached base in all 13 games this season.
Nick Banks is slowly coming out of his early-season slump, but he's still not hitting at 'Nick Banks standards.' If the preseason All-American gets hot in the five hole with the top of the order having so much success currently, this offense could get even more productive.
The sky is the limit with this group.
Texas A&M will face its toughest competition of the season thus far this weekend against the 11-2 Bulldogs. This will also be the last weekend series before SEC play begins, so it's imperative for Rob Childress and the team to answer any outstanding questions going forward.
The first question is the starting pitching. The weekend rotation of Vines, Ivey and Simonds has been solid, but last week's performances were not ideal. The trio combined to walk nine batters and allowed 10 hits in 14 innings of work. Those aren't bad numbers, but they aren't dominating numbers either — especially considering the caliber of competition.
You'd like to see the starters go deep into their games and shutdown the opponent with clean, efficient outings with minimal walks.
At the plate, the Aggies will be facing a lot of left-handed pitching for the first time this season. Thus, we may see a few different lineups with either Walker Pennington or Jonathan Maroney swinging from the right side in place of Nick Choruby. That will likely shift Nick Banks to center field. The Aggies need to show they can do damage against southpaws.
Bottom line, the 12-1 Aggies need to keep this party going as the year now shifts into mid-season mode.
On Tuesday the Aggies will welcome the struggling Texas Longhorns to Olsen Field, and then the SEC slate begins at Auburn a week from today. So, it's critical to go into this next phase of the schedule on a high with some momentum.
That happens with a good weekend against the Bulldogs.
Where: Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park – College Station, Texas
When: Friday 6:30 pm CT (SEC Network+)
Saturday 2:00 pm CT (SEC Network+)
Sunday 1:00 pm CT (SEC Network+)
Pitching matchups
- Friday: Jace Vines (RHP, 2-0, 2.25) vs. Ricky Tyler Thomas (LHP, 2-0, 1.56)
- Saturday: Tyler Ivey (RHP, 2-0, 0.00) vs. Jimmy Lambert (RHP, 3-0, 0.40)
- Sunday: Kyle Simonds (RHP, 2-0, 1.69) vs. Anthony Arias (LHP, 2-0, 0.98)
Fresno State players to watch
The weekend battle between the Bulldogs and Aggies will resemble an arms race of the highest order. All six starting pitchers are a combined 13-0. The stingy pitching numbers were expected from the Aggies. However, through the first three weeks of the season, Fresno State's pitching has been one of the big surprises of 2016.Sophomore lefty Ricky Tyler Thomas will get the ball for the series opener on Friday. He's registered two wins in three starts with a sparkling ERA of 1.56. His stat line reflects his dominance on the mound to start the 2016 campaign: 24 strikeouts, five walks, .206 opposing batting average. In 17.1 innings of work, Thomas has surrendered just one extra base hit and struck out 38 percent of the hitters he's faced.
The task for Texas A&M hitters may be even more daunting on Saturday against right-hander Jimmy Lambert, who boasts a perfect 3-0 record with a minuscule 0.40 ERA. The Aggies will have to earn every base runner against Lambert, who has yet to allow a free pass in 22.1 innings of action. The junior already has a complete game three-hit shutout against Youngstown State under his belt.
The matchup for the Aggie hitters does not get easier on Sunday. Anthony Arias is perfect on the year with a 2-0 record and an ERA of 0.98. Arias has allowed just 13 hits in 18.1 innings of work with opposing batters hitting .210.
Any way you slice it, this weekend Texas A&M will face its biggest test at the plate thus far. The Bulldogs are definitely formidable on the bump with a team ERA of 1.78.
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If that wasn't enough of a challenge, Fresno State has a pretty good closer as well. Tim Borst has not allowed a run in seven appearances and leads the nation with six saves. Any way you slice it, this weekend Texas A&M will face its biggest test at the plate thus far. The Bulldogs are definitely formidable on the bump with a team ERA of 1.78.
Fresno State isn't as potent at the plate, but the Bulldogs do have some dangerous hitters. Center fielder Brody Russell leads the team with a .389 batting average and he'll be near the top of the Bulldog lineup. He also leads the team in RBI (12) and slugging percentage (.583). Left fielder Jake Stone hits behind Russell in the three-hole and is the only other Bulldog with an average above .300 at .326.
If there is a weakness on this team, it's in the field where the Bulldogs are fielding at a worrisome .955 as a team. Fresno State has already committed 22 errors through the season's first 13 games that has resulted in 21 unearned runs. In contrast, the pitching staff has allowed only 23 earned runs.
Third baseman Tatum McCarthy leads the team with five miscues. Stone has been charged with four errors and has fielding percentage of .857, which is extraordinarily low for an outfielder.
Texas A&M players to watch
There's no question about the overall quality and depth of the Texas A&M pitching staff, but three weeks into the season the Aggies are still searching for the staff ace who takes the ball on Fridays and is able to match zeros with top-shelf pitching on the other side.Jace Vines appears to be the guy positioned to take that role after taking the hill last Friday and giving up two hits and two walks in six innings of action. You hope to see him grab that Friday spot and not let go.
Freshman Tyler Ivey struggled but survived his last start. He moved up a day in the rotation and wasn't as sharp as he performed in previous weeks. He walked five batters and gave up four hits in just 4.1 innings, but still managed to exit unscathed and his 0.00 season ERA is still intact. He'll be on a full seven-day rest, so you'd expect to see him come back with a tighter outing.
Veteran relievers Andrew Vinson and Ryan Hendrix struggled a bit on Tuesday against Northwestern State. The Demons scored four runs in the seventh and eighth inning to make that mid-week game much tighter than anybody wanted or expected. Hendrix struggled with his control, walking three batters and throwing three wild pitches in 1.2 innings.
Abigail Cook, TexAgs
Ryne Birk and the Aggies' red-hot lineup will be tested all weekend against a strong pitching staff.
{"Module":"photo","Alignment":"right","Size":"large","Caption":"Ryne Birk and the Aggies\u0027 red-hot lineup will be tested all weekend against a strong pitching staff.","MediaItemID":55062}
At the plate, it's hard to identify where the team must find answers when six batters are hitting over .300 and the overall team batting average is a white hot .353. Going into the Yale weekend, the biggest question surrounded the struggles of veteran Ryne Birk. He promptly raised his average about 100 points and is now hitting at a .346 with six extra base hits.
The top of the lineup has been on fire, to say the least. J.B. Moss, Nick Choruby, Boomer White and Hunter Melton have all reached base safely in the last 10 games. That's an incredible statistic. White has reached base in all 13 games this season.
Nick Banks is slowly coming out of his early-season slump, but he's still not hitting at 'Nick Banks standards.' If the preseason All-American gets hot in the five hole with the top of the order having so much success currently, this offense could get even more productive.
The sky is the limit with this group.
What's at stake this weekend...
The first question is the starting pitching. The weekend rotation of Vines, Ivey and Simonds has been solid, but last week's performances were not ideal. The trio combined to walk nine batters and allowed 10 hits in 14 innings of work. Those aren't bad numbers, but they aren't dominating numbers either — especially considering the caliber of competition.
You'd like to see the starters go deep into their games and shutdown the opponent with clean, efficient outings with minimal walks.
At the plate, the Aggies will be facing a lot of left-handed pitching for the first time this season. Thus, we may see a few different lineups with either Walker Pennington or Jonathan Maroney swinging from the right side in place of Nick Choruby. That will likely shift Nick Banks to center field. The Aggies need to show they can do damage against southpaws.
Bottom line, the 12-1 Aggies need to keep this party going as the year now shifts into mid-season mode.
On Tuesday the Aggies will welcome the struggling Texas Longhorns to Olsen Field, and then the SEC slate begins at Auburn a week from today. So, it's critical to go into this next phase of the schedule on a high with some momentum.
That happens with a good weekend against the Bulldogs.
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