This weekend will tell us a good bit about how the season folds out. Last weekend was fun getting to see Aggie Baseball for the first time in 2017, now we get to reveal a bit more about the makeup of this team. Good tune up for next weekend for sure.
Photo by Lexie Hudson, TexAgs
Texas A&M Baseball
Series Preview: No. 16 Texas A&M vs. Pepperdine
Who: Pepperdine Waves (3-0, 0-0 in West Coast Conference)
Where: Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park — College Station, Texas
When: Friday 6:30 p.m. CT (SEC+)
Saturday 2:00 p.m. CT (SEC+)
Sunday 1:00 p.m. CT (SEC+)
Pitching matchups
Friday night starter Ryan Wilson will pose a big challenge to the Texas A&M offense. Named to the preseason All-WCC first team, the lefty compiled an impressive 0.63 ERA in 2016 over 43 innings both in relief and as a starting pitcher. Opposing batters hit just .128 against Wilson in 2016.
Wilson will be the first big test for the retooled Aggie offense. The rest of the Pepperdine pitching staff is a work-in-progress. Saturday starter Max Gamboa was hit hard by St. Joe's, giving up eight hits and five runs in just four innings of action. Gamboa finished the 2016 season with a 2-9 record and a 3.74 ERA.
Will Jenson is projected to take the hill on Sunday. Last week, he gave up two runs on four hits and three walks in 4.2 innings. In the bullpen, Kiko Garcia closed out the Friday night win, preserving the 8-0 shutout. He worked the final 4.1 innings in efficient fashion, allowing just one base-runner on one single.
At the plate, the Waves have some pop in the middle of the lineup, and that showed last weekend as they scored 24 runs and hit four home runs against St. Joseph's. Leading the way is junior big man Ben Rodriguez. The 6-5, 240-pound first baseman led Pepperdine in slugging percentage last season, and he's picking up where he left off in 2017. Rodriguez hit .444, slammed two homers and collected a team-high six RBI last weekend. He's the big stick Aggie pitchers must contain to be successful in this series.
Before dealing with the power source in Rodriguez, Texas A&M pitchers will have to deal with lead-off hitter Quincy McAfee, who reached base safely seven times against St. Joseph's and crossed home plate five times. The shortstop is the Waves' effective table-setter for the power sticks in the middle of the order. Overall, five Pepperdine batters hit over .300, and the Waves finished the season-opening series with an impressive team slugging percentage of .520.
All eyes were on the heralded true freshmen hitters in the first week of the 2017 season. Aggie fans were not disappointed. Braden Shewmake has come out of the gates hot, hitting .442 and leading the team with eight RBI while looking good in the field at second base. OF/DH Logan Foster is hitting .500, and catcher Hunter Coleman is over the .400 mark at .444
Lexie Hudson, TexAgs
George Gutierrez made his presence known in his first four games as an Aggie, generating a team-high 16 total bases.
But the biggest freshman surprise at the plate has been Jorge Gutierrez, who may have forced Rob Childess to put him in the starting lineup after cranking out three home runs and generating a team-high 16 total bases in just seven at-bats. Tommy Gillman (.667) and Cam Blake (.333) have also looked impressive in limited plate appearances.
The freshmen are pushing hard on the veterans early. The big question is whether these talented fish can continue this impressive offensive production when the competition improves, and that happens tonight against preseason All-WCC hurler Ryan Wilson.
It wasn't just the freshmen that turned heads in week one. Senior Nick Choruby, who has had an up-and-down college career to this point, showed he's ready to shine in his final campaign as the Aggies' lead-off hitter. Choruby not only got on base frequently to set the table (.714 OBP), but he leads the team in hitting (.625). Most importantly, he leads the team by a wide margin with 10 runs scored. If Choruby can maintain this production in 2017, the Aggies will be in good shape offensively.
A couple of critical veterans struggled at the plate. Seniors Joel Davis (.250) and Austin Homan (.176) had a quiet first week. It's certainly no time to worry at this early stage, but the sooner these two can break out and become a vital component to offensive production, the better.
On the mound, Brigham Hill will have stiff competition tonight against Wilson on the other side. Hill will be pitching with more urgency than he did against Bowling Green, so watching how he deals with the added pressure will be of interest. From here on out, Hill will battle top-line arms on Fridays.
Stephen Kolek had a solid first weekend start, and he needs to keep building his confidence and feeding that momentum as he gains experience. Mitchell Kilkenny showed a little rust in his first start coming back from an injury in the fall, so a better performance is needed on Sunday in what should be a favorable matchup.
At closer, Aggie fans are still hoping that Corbin Martin can package his 1st-round potential and become a consistent, effective closer. It didn't happen last week. If Martin can't get it together quickly, junior Cason Sherrod could take over. He has been very impressive so far with good velocity and a nice breaking pitch. He's allowed just one hit and no walks in three innings so far. The MLB scouts took notice as well, and you'll see more radar guns come out when he hits the mound in the future. If Martin falters, Sherrod appears ready to take the closer role if necessary.
Where: Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park — College Station, Texas
When: Friday 6:30 p.m. CT (SEC+)
Saturday 2:00 p.m. CT (SEC+)
Sunday 1:00 p.m. CT (SEC+)
Pitching matchups
- Friday: Brigham Hill (RHP, 1-0, 0.00) vs. Ryan Wilson (LHP, 1-1, 0.00)
- Saturday: Stephen Kolek (RHP, 1-0, 1.80) vs. Max Gamboa (RHP, 0-0, 11.25)
- Sunday: Mitchell Kilkenny (RHP, 1-0, 5.40) vs. Will Jenson (RHP, 0-0, 3.86)
Pepperdine players to watch
Friday night starter Ryan Wilson will pose a big challenge to the Texas A&M offense. Named to the preseason All-WCC first team, the lefty compiled an impressive 0.63 ERA in 2016 over 43 innings both in relief and as a starting pitcher. Opposing batters hit just .128 against Wilson in 2016.
As the Waves' number one hurler in 2017, Wilson opened the season combining on a one-hit shutout of St. Joseph's in a tournament in Hawaii. Wilson will be the first big test for the retooled Aggie offense.
As the Waves' number one hurler in 2017, Wilson opened the season combining on a one-hit shutout of St. Joseph's in a tournament in Hawaii.Wilson will be the first big test for the retooled Aggie offense. The rest of the Pepperdine pitching staff is a work-in-progress. Saturday starter Max Gamboa was hit hard by St. Joe's, giving up eight hits and five runs in just four innings of action. Gamboa finished the 2016 season with a 2-9 record and a 3.74 ERA.
Will Jenson is projected to take the hill on Sunday. Last week, he gave up two runs on four hits and three walks in 4.2 innings. In the bullpen, Kiko Garcia closed out the Friday night win, preserving the 8-0 shutout. He worked the final 4.1 innings in efficient fashion, allowing just one base-runner on one single.
At the plate, the Waves have some pop in the middle of the lineup, and that showed last weekend as they scored 24 runs and hit four home runs against St. Joseph's. Leading the way is junior big man Ben Rodriguez. The 6-5, 240-pound first baseman led Pepperdine in slugging percentage last season, and he's picking up where he left off in 2017. Rodriguez hit .444, slammed two homers and collected a team-high six RBI last weekend. He's the big stick Aggie pitchers must contain to be successful in this series.
Before dealing with the power source in Rodriguez, Texas A&M pitchers will have to deal with lead-off hitter Quincy McAfee, who reached base safely seven times against St. Joseph's and crossed home plate five times. The shortstop is the Waves' effective table-setter for the power sticks in the middle of the order. Overall, five Pepperdine batters hit over .300, and the Waves finished the season-opening series with an impressive team slugging percentage of .520.
Texas A&M players to watch
All eyes were on the heralded true freshmen hitters in the first week of the 2017 season. Aggie fans were not disappointed. Braden Shewmake has come out of the gates hot, hitting .442 and leading the team with eight RBI while looking good in the field at second base. OF/DH Logan Foster is hitting .500, and catcher Hunter Coleman is over the .400 mark at .444
Lexie Hudson, TexAgs
George Gutierrez made his presence known in his first four games as an Aggie, generating a team-high 16 total bases.
The freshmen are pushing hard on the veterans early. The big question is whether these talented fish can continue this impressive offensive production when the competition improves, and that happens tonight against preseason All-WCC hurler Ryan Wilson.
It wasn't just the freshmen that turned heads in week one. Senior Nick Choruby, who has had an up-and-down college career to this point, showed he's ready to shine in his final campaign as the Aggies' lead-off hitter. Choruby not only got on base frequently to set the table (.714 OBP), but he leads the team in hitting (.625). Most importantly, he leads the team by a wide margin with 10 runs scored. If Choruby can maintain this production in 2017, the Aggies will be in good shape offensively.
A couple of critical veterans struggled at the plate. Seniors Joel Davis (.250) and Austin Homan (.176) had a quiet first week. It's certainly no time to worry at this early stage, but the sooner these two can break out and become a vital component to offensive production, the better.
On the mound, Brigham Hill will have stiff competition tonight against Wilson on the other side. Hill will be pitching with more urgency than he did against Bowling Green, so watching how he deals with the added pressure will be of interest. From here on out, Hill will battle top-line arms on Fridays.
Stephen Kolek had a solid first weekend start, and he needs to keep building his confidence and feeding that momentum as he gains experience. Mitchell Kilkenny showed a little rust in his first start coming back from an injury in the fall, so a better performance is needed on Sunday in what should be a favorable matchup.
Overall, Rob Chidress is still holding dress rehearsals for the middle relief positions later in the season.
Overall, Rob Chidress is still holding dress rehearsals for the middle relief positions later in the season. Guys like Kyle Richardson, Landon Miner, John Doxakis, Kaylor Chafin and others will get more opportunities to prove themselves, and the staff is hoping 2-3 guys separate from the pack and look ready to battle when the SEC race starts in a few weeks.At closer, Aggie fans are still hoping that Corbin Martin can package his 1st-round potential and become a consistent, effective closer. It didn't happen last week. If Martin can't get it together quickly, junior Cason Sherrod could take over. He has been very impressive so far with good velocity and a nice breaking pitch. He's allowed just one hit and no walks in three innings so far. The MLB scouts took notice as well, and you'll see more radar guns come out when he hits the mound in the future. If Martin falters, Sherrod appears ready to take the closer role if necessary.
What's at stake this weekend
Once again, Texas A&M needs to worry about Texas A&M this weekend. Next week at the Minute Maid Classic, pundits will start putting these games in the context of national rankings and implications for the post-season. For now, the Aggies need to play good, solid baseball which they did last week.
The freshmen need to prove they can hit against better quality pitching this weekend. A couple of the veterans need to break out of a slow start at the plate, and the Aggies need to find out who will be reliable out of the bullpen – both in middle relief and at the closer spot. Simply, just play good ball.
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