It still blows my mind that all of those kids turned down 7 figure salaries/bonuses to play college ball.
Photo by Kirby Clarke, TexAgs
Texas A&M Baseball
Weekend Preview: Shriners College Classic at Minute Maid Park
Who: Friday - Texas Tech (9-1, 0-0 in the Big 12)
Saturday - TCU (7-1, 0-0 in the Big 12)
Sunday - Baylor (9-0, 0-0 in the Big 12)
Where: Minute Maid Park — Houston, Texas
When: Friday 3:30 p.m. CT (FSN)
Saturday 7:00 p.m. CT (FSN)
Sunday 5:00 p.m. CT (FSN)
Pitching matchups
Fresh off the school's second CWS appearance in three years, the Red Raiders are off to a hot 9-1 start with wins over MSU and Cal-Berkley that have resulted in a top-15 ranking. The A&M offense will face one of its toughest tests of the year against preseason All-American pitcher Davis Martin.
Martin earned freshman All-American honors in 2016 with a 10-1 record and a stingy 2.52 ERA. He also defeated Florida, 3-2, in the 2016 College World Series. So far in 2017, Martin is perfect at 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA.
At the plate, the Red Raiders are hitting the ball well, averaging 8.40 runs per contest. The danger spot in the batting order is first baseman Hunter Hargrave in the clean-up role. Through 10 games, the senior is hitting .385 with 17 RBI and a .791 slugging percentage.
TCU
If you paid attention to the Super Regional in College Station, then there's not much to preview. Virtually all of the major contributors from the 2016 team return after a CWS appearance. It's the same team that eliminated the Aggies in game three of the super regionals.
Nolan Brown (.400) and Luken Baker (.346/.692 slugging pct) are still the anchors of the Horned Frog offense, but this team and its consensus No. 1 ranking are based on its talented front-line arms and significant depth in the bullpen.
Despite so many returners, TCU continues to stockpile new talent, and the Aggies will see that new talent on Saturday when the team faces highly-regarded 6-6 lefty Nick Lodolo. The California native was the No. 41 overall pick by the Pirates in the MLB draft last June and is another in a long line of recent TCU players that turned down a seven-figure signing bonus to play for Gary Schlossnagle. With primarily left-handed hitting lineup, Texas A&M will have its hands full going up against arguably the best freshman lefty in college baseball.
On paper, the Baylor game looked like the one game where the Aggies could take a deep breath and take care of business. However, second-year head coach Steve Rodriguez has the Bears playing surprisingly well early in the season. While the 9-0 record is a little deceiving with wins over Niagara, South Alabama and Arkansas-Pine Bluff, the team is significantly improved from a year ago and will pose a challenge for the Aggies after coming off what will be two hard-fought, emotional games against nationally-ranked opponents.
The Texas A&M offense will face another long, talented left-handed freshman hurler when the Bears' Cody Bradford takes the hill on Sunday. His 2-0 record and 2.08 ERA are nothing to sneeze at and should not be taken lightly.
With the Aggies facing a pair of left-handed pitchers this weekend and being a predominantly left-handed hitting team, the right-handed batters will be counted on to have a bigger role in the offense. For Texas A&M to have any chance of success against TCU's Lodolo, guys like Walker Pennington, Logan Foster, Austin Homan and George Janca must have productive weekends for the Aggies to score runs.
Early in the season, the Aggies have received much of their offensive pop from left-handers like Nick Choruby, Braden Shewmake and Joel Davis. It's going to be too much to ask this trio to carry the offensive load against some quality, left-handed arms. Specifically, Pennington and Homan have to shake out of their early season doldrums if the Aggies expect to have a successful weekend in Houston.
On the mound, Brigham Hill will be in a classic pitcher's duel with preseason All-American Davis Martin. One mistake on a pitch out over the plate or a bobbled ground ball could be the ultimate difference in the Friday contest.
On Saturday, Stephen Kolek will have to be perfect hitting his spots because runs will be scarce going up against the highly-regarded lefty Lodolo. Kolek generally pitches to contact, so that means the Texas A&M defense must play near-flawless baseball in the field.
Brittany Broussard
Mitchell Kilkenny has struggled to find his stride in 2017, but he'll need to be on point against Baylor.
Baylor may not be as talented as the Aggies, but they are good enough to win this game with a favorable pitching match-up, throwing freshman lefty Cody Bradford. Mitchell Kilkenny is still trying to knock off the rust from missing the fall season, so consistency is the big theme for the sophomore. If he can avoid the big inning, the Aggies should be in good shape on Sunday, assuming they don't overlook the Bears after facing two nationally-ranked opponents.
In essence, the 2017 season starts this weekend in Houston. While Texas A&M competes against its SEC brethren for most of the season jockeying for in-conference position, the Aggies are ultimately competing against many of the Big 12 schools in Texas for seeding and regional hosting in the NCAA Tournament.
Will the road to Omaha go through Fort Worth, Lubbock or College Station? That won't be determined this weekend, but when the committee sits in a room and decides which 40-win team deserves to host, the head-to-head match-ups in the Minute Maid Classic will certainly play a factor.
But for Texas A&M, the short-term impact of this tournament is finding out who steps up against the better competition and who takes a step back. Ripping a couple of hits against Bowling Green at home is a much different animal than having success against an elite pitcher in Minute Maid Park. Will the upstart freshmen continue to lead the team at the plate, or will we see some struggles in a big environment against veteran, top-ranked teams?
Rob Childress will know a lot more about his team on Monday morning than he does right now. Aggie fans will know a lot more about this team, as well, and that knowledge won't just come from the wins and losses. How Texas A&M plays and competes against two of the top teams in the nation will be the measuring stick.
Saturday - TCU (7-1, 0-0 in the Big 12)
Sunday - Baylor (9-0, 0-0 in the Big 12)
Where: Minute Maid Park — Houston, Texas
When: Friday 3:30 p.m. CT (FSN)
Saturday 7:00 p.m. CT (FSN)
Sunday 5:00 p.m. CT (FSN)
Pitching matchups
- Friday: Brigham Hill (RHP, 2-0, 0.00) vs. Davis Martin (RHP, 1-0, 1.38)
- Saturday: Stephen Kolek (RHP, 1-0, 1.80) vs. Nick Lodolo (LHP, 2-0, 2.70)
- Sunday: Mitchell Kilkenny (RHP, 1-0, 4.82) vs. Cody Bradford (LHP, 2-0, 2.08)
Opponent Breakdown
The Aggie offense will have one of its toughest tests of the year going up against preseason All-American and right-handed pitcher Davis Martin.
Texas TechFresh off the school's second CWS appearance in three years, the Red Raiders are off to a hot 9-1 start with wins over MSU and Cal-Berkley that have resulted in a top-15 ranking. The A&M offense will face one of its toughest tests of the year against preseason All-American pitcher Davis Martin.
Martin earned freshman All-American honors in 2016 with a 10-1 record and a stingy 2.52 ERA. He also defeated Florida, 3-2, in the 2016 College World Series. So far in 2017, Martin is perfect at 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA.
At the plate, the Red Raiders are hitting the ball well, averaging 8.40 runs per contest. The danger spot in the batting order is first baseman Hunter Hargrave in the clean-up role. Through 10 games, the senior is hitting .385 with 17 RBI and a .791 slugging percentage.
TCU
If you paid attention to the Super Regional in College Station, then there's not much to preview. Virtually all of the major contributors from the 2016 team return after a CWS appearance. It's the same team that eliminated the Aggies in game three of the super regionals.
Nolan Brown (.400) and Luken Baker (.346/.692 slugging pct) are still the anchors of the Horned Frog offense, but this team and its consensus No. 1 ranking are based on its talented front-line arms and significant depth in the bullpen.
Despite so many returners, TCU continues to stockpile new talent, and the Aggies will see that new talent on Saturday when the team faces highly-regarded 6-6 lefty Nick Lodolo. The California native was the No. 41 overall pick by the Pirates in the MLB draft last June and is another in a long line of recent TCU players that turned down a seven-figure signing bonus to play for Gary Schlossnagle. With primarily left-handed hitting lineup, Texas A&M will have its hands full going up against arguably the best freshman lefty in college baseball.
On paper, the Baylor game looked like the one game where the Aggies could take a deep breath and take care of business. However, second-year head coach Steve Rodriguez has the Bears playing surprisingly well early in the season.
BaylorOn paper, the Baylor game looked like the one game where the Aggies could take a deep breath and take care of business. However, second-year head coach Steve Rodriguez has the Bears playing surprisingly well early in the season. While the 9-0 record is a little deceiving with wins over Niagara, South Alabama and Arkansas-Pine Bluff, the team is significantly improved from a year ago and will pose a challenge for the Aggies after coming off what will be two hard-fought, emotional games against nationally-ranked opponents.
The Texas A&M offense will face another long, talented left-handed freshman hurler when the Bears' Cody Bradford takes the hill on Sunday. His 2-0 record and 2.08 ERA are nothing to sneeze at and should not be taken lightly.
Texas A&M players to watch
With the Aggies facing a pair of left-handed pitchers this weekend and being a predominantly left-handed hitting team, the right-handed batters will be counted on to have a bigger role in the offense. For Texas A&M to have any chance of success against TCU's Lodolo, guys like Walker Pennington, Logan Foster, Austin Homan and George Janca must have productive weekends for the Aggies to score runs.
Early in the season, the Aggies have received much of their offensive pop from left-handers like Nick Choruby, Braden Shewmake and Joel Davis. It's going to be too much to ask this trio to carry the offensive load against some quality, left-handed arms. Specifically, Pennington and Homan have to shake out of their early season doldrums if the Aggies expect to have a successful weekend in Houston.
On the mound, Brigham Hill will be in a classic pitcher's duel with preseason All-American Davis Martin. One mistake on a pitch out over the plate or a bobbled ground ball could be the ultimate difference in the Friday contest.
On Saturday, Stephen Kolek will have to be perfect hitting his spots because runs will be scarce going up against the highly-regarded lefty Lodolo. Kolek generally pitches to contact, so that means the Texas A&M defense must play near-flawless baseball in the field.
Brittany Broussard
Mitchell Kilkenny has struggled to find his stride in 2017, but he'll need to be on point against Baylor.
What's at stake this weekend
In essence, the 2017 season starts this weekend in Houston. While Texas A&M competes against its SEC brethren for most of the season jockeying for in-conference position, the Aggies are ultimately competing against many of the Big 12 schools in Texas for seeding and regional hosting in the NCAA Tournament.
Will the road to Omaha go through Fort Worth, Lubbock or College Station? That won't be determined this weekend, but when the committee sits in a room and decides which 40-win team deserves to host, the head-to-head match-ups in the Minute Maid Classic will certainly play a factor.
But for Texas A&M, the short-term impact of this tournament is finding out who steps up against the better competition and who takes a step back. Ripping a couple of hits against Bowling Green at home is a much different animal than having success against an elite pitcher in Minute Maid Park. Will the upstart freshmen continue to lead the team at the plate, or will we see some struggles in a big environment against veteran, top-ranked teams?
Rob Childress will know a lot more about his team on Monday morning than he does right now. Aggie fans will know a lot more about this team, as well, and that knowledge won't just come from the wins and losses. How Texas A&M plays and competes against two of the top teams in the nation will be the measuring stick.
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