Photo by Brooke Allemand
Texas A&M Baseball
Series Preview: No. 19 Texas A&M at Missouri
Who: Missouri Tigers (27-15, 8-10 SEC)
Where: Taylor Stadium — Columbia, Missouri
When: Friday 3:00 p.m. CT (SEC+)
Friday 6:30 p.m. CT (SEC+)
Sunday 1:00 p.m. CT (SEC+)
Pitching matchups
What stands out the most looking at the Missouri Tigers are the similarities to the Texas Aggie baseball team, both statistically and in the win column. It's not that the stats between the two programs are just similar; the numbers are virtually identical. The Tigers have a .277 teambatting average. Texas A&M is sitting at .280.
Christina DeRuyter, TexAgs
A&M's impressive defensive numbers stand as perhaps the lone statistical advantage over Missouri this weekend.
Missouri has scored 265 runs in 2017. The Aggies have plated 267. Behind its strong starting pitching, Missouri boasts a 3.37 team ERA. Texas A&M's team ERA resides at 3.38. Through 42 games, what are the odds both schools' statistics are virtual mirrors of one another? Even the season records (29-13 vs. 27-15) are similar. About the only meaningful stat where the Aggies have a significant advantage is fielding percentage, with Texas A&M fielding at an elite .977 (.983 in SEC play) while Missouri has kicked the ball around at times with a .965 fielding percentage. But the numbers clearly show that we will see two well-matched teams battling this weekend in Columbia.
At the plate, Missouri relies on two run producers in the middle of their lineup, led by junior outfielder Trey Harris with a gaudy 12 home runs and 43 RBI to go with his .292 average. Junior catcher Brett Bond is the other primary power source for the Tigers with eight long balls, 30 RBI, and a .309 batting average. Connor Brumfield is the team's leading hitter at .323 and Kameron Misner is dangerous on the base paths with 16 steals. Otherwise, the rest of the Missouri batting order is serviceable but not particularly dangerous.
The weekend rotation has seen some minor tweaks in recent weeks. Due to a rain delay last weekend, new Missouri head coach Steve Bieser moved reliever Cole Bartlett into the Friday night role and pushed veteran staff ace Tanner Houck to the game two starting spot. It worked out perfectly as Bartlett threw a complete game surrendering only two runs. He's now 5-0 with a salty 2.39 ERA. So the coach has decided to leave the rotation as is for another week with Bartlett set to start today's 3:00 PM game and Houck taking the night cap of the doubleheader. Houck has been a hard luck loser in 2017 with a 3-6 record despite a 2.98 ERA. His numbers reflect the offensive struggles of the Tigers in SEC play (.229 batting avg). Missouri has a couple of capable relievers with TJ Sikkema (1.84 ERA, four saves) and Andy Toelken (3.51 ERA) both with very impressive hits-to-innings pitched ratios well below 1.0.
Overall, the Tigers have been a mystery in 2017. Taking over for long-time head coach Tim Jamieson, Steve Bieser jumped out of the gates quickly, winning 20 of his first 21 contests, including an impressive win over a ranked University of Houston squad and an opening conference weekend sweep of Alabama. But since the long winning streak that pushed them into the national rankings, the Tigers have stumbled to a 7-14 record over the past month.
Christina DeRuyter, TexAgs
The Aggies will rely on Corbin Martin to continue his emergence as a steady starter in the second game of Friday's double-header.
For Texas A&M, the recipe for success this weekend will need to be the same as it has been through the recent 14-4 stretch. The Aggies must get quality starts from weekend starters, and Kaylor Chafin and Mitchell Kilkenny must be stoppers at the back end of games from the bullpen. The good news is that Brigham Hill, Corbin Martin, and Stephen Kolek put together three quality starts for the first time all season last weekend against Tennessee. The inconsistent Martin has recently become the consistent Martin, and Hill seems to have corrected some mechanical issues that caused some erratic performances in recent starts. Given Missouri's quality pitching, the Aggie staff must match the Tigers pitch-for-pitch and have the mentality that 2-3 runs will likely win each game on Friday. While both offenses can produce some big hits, the firepower is not there to produce big numbers this weekend. Thus Texas A&M must get quality performances from every hurler that takes the mound for Friday's doubleheader to win this important SEC series.
At the plate, the Aggies need to register quality at-bats. Extend the pitch counts and put the ball in play. Force the inconsistent .965 Missouri defense to make plays in the field. The outcome could come down to the ability to manufacture a couple of runs, moving runners over and scoring players from third base with less than two outs. As usual, Texas A&M must rely on the top of the order with Nick Choruby, Logan Foster/Cole Bedford, and Braden Shewmake to generate runs. Shewmake emerged from his mimi-slump last week, and he could be primed for a big weekend.
Missouri has some speed and a few players who can steal bases, so Cole Bedford will need to be ready to gun down some runners stealing second base early to slow down the Tigers on the base paths and keep runners from getting in scoring position. And it goes without saying that the Aggies must continue to field at a high clip (.983 in SEC) and not allow any free base runners in a couple of games today that look to be low-scoring.
The Aggies are feeling good after going 5-1 in the last two SEC series. That's allowed Texas A&M to get into the black at 10-8 in conference and within striking distance of Arkansas and Mississippi State, two teams still left on the schedule. But frankly, both Alabama and Tennessee are near the bottom of the SEC. The competition significantly improves on the road in Columbia, Missouri this weekend.
Does Texas A&M continue to ride the wave of momentum this weekend and set up some colossal showdowns with the Razorbacks and Bulldogs, or do the Aggies fall back to the middle of the pack with a bevy of teams treading around the .500 mark? That is really what's at stake the weekend. Does A&M separate from the pack and move into the upper division of 4-5 teams vying for the conference crown with a shot at a regional host, or do they take a step back and fight with the others in the SEC peloton for an NCAA berth and a No. 2 or No. 3 seed?
This weekend will determine just how big the series with Mississippi State and Arkansas will be in the coming weeks. FYI, both of those series are at Olsen Field as well. As with any SEC series at the end of April, there's a lot on the line for this Texas Aggie squad on the road.
Where: Taylor Stadium — Columbia, Missouri
When: Friday 3:00 p.m. CT (SEC+)
Friday 6:30 p.m. CT (SEC+)
Sunday 1:00 p.m. CT (SEC+)
Pitching matchups
- Friday(1): Brigham Hill (RHP, 5-3, 2.92) vs. Cole Bartlett (RHP, 5-0, 2.39)
- Friday(2): Corbin Martin (RHP, 5-2, 3.40) vs. Tanner Houck (RHP, 3-6, 2.98)
- Sunday: Stephen Kolek (RHP, 2-2, 3.92) vs. TBA
Scouting Missouri
What stands out the most looking at the Missouri Tigers are the similarities to the Texas Aggie baseball team, both statistically and in the win column. It's not that the stats between the two programs are just similar; the numbers are virtually identical. The Tigers have a .277 teambatting average. Texas A&M is sitting at .280.
Christina DeRuyter, TexAgs
A&M's impressive defensive numbers stand as perhaps the lone statistical advantage over Missouri this weekend.
At the plate, Missouri relies on two run producers in the middle of their lineup, led by junior outfielder Trey Harris with a gaudy 12 home runs and 43 RBI to go with his .292 average. Junior catcher Brett Bond is the other primary power source for the Tigers with eight long balls, 30 RBI, and a .309 batting average. Connor Brumfield is the team's leading hitter at .323 and Kameron Misner is dangerous on the base paths with 16 steals. Otherwise, the rest of the Missouri batting order is serviceable but not particularly dangerous.
The weekend rotation has seen some minor tweaks in recent weeks. Due to a rain delay last weekend, new Missouri head coach Steve Bieser moved reliever Cole Bartlett into the Friday night role and pushed veteran staff ace Tanner Houck to the game two starting spot. It worked out perfectly as Bartlett threw a complete game surrendering only two runs. He's now 5-0 with a salty 2.39 ERA. So the coach has decided to leave the rotation as is for another week with Bartlett set to start today's 3:00 PM game and Houck taking the night cap of the doubleheader. Houck has been a hard luck loser in 2017 with a 3-6 record despite a 2.98 ERA. His numbers reflect the offensive struggles of the Tigers in SEC play (.229 batting avg). Missouri has a couple of capable relievers with TJ Sikkema (1.84 ERA, four saves) and Andy Toelken (3.51 ERA) both with very impressive hits-to-innings pitched ratios well below 1.0.
Overall, the Tigers have been a mystery in 2017. Taking over for long-time head coach Tim Jamieson, Steve Bieser jumped out of the gates quickly, winning 20 of his first 21 contests, including an impressive win over a ranked University of Houston squad and an opening conference weekend sweep of Alabama. But since the long winning streak that pushed them into the national rankings, the Tigers have stumbled to a 7-14 record over the past month.
Texas A&M storylines to watch
Christina DeRuyter, TexAgs
The Aggies will rely on Corbin Martin to continue his emergence as a steady starter in the second game of Friday's double-header.
At the plate, the Aggies need to register quality at-bats. Extend the pitch counts and put the ball in play. Force the inconsistent .965 Missouri defense to make plays in the field. The outcome could come down to the ability to manufacture a couple of runs, moving runners over and scoring players from third base with less than two outs. As usual, Texas A&M must rely on the top of the order with Nick Choruby, Logan Foster/Cole Bedford, and Braden Shewmake to generate runs. Shewmake emerged from his mimi-slump last week, and he could be primed for a big weekend.
Missouri has some speed and a few players who can steal bases, so Cole Bedford will need to be ready to gun down some runners stealing second base early to slow down the Tigers on the base paths and keep runners from getting in scoring position. And it goes without saying that the Aggies must continue to field at a high clip (.983 in SEC) and not allow any free base runners in a couple of games today that look to be low-scoring.
What's at stake this weekend
The Aggies are feeling good after going 5-1 in the last two SEC series. That's allowed Texas A&M to get into the black at 10-8 in conference and within striking distance of Arkansas and Mississippi State, two teams still left on the schedule. But frankly, both Alabama and Tennessee are near the bottom of the SEC. The competition significantly improves on the road in Columbia, Missouri this weekend.
Does Texas A&M continue to ride the wave of momentum this weekend and set up some colossal showdowns with the Razorbacks and Bulldogs, or do the Aggies fall back to the middle of the pack with a bevy of teams treading around the .500 mark? That is really what's at stake the weekend. Does A&M separate from the pack and move into the upper division of 4-5 teams vying for the conference crown with a shot at a regional host, or do they take a step back and fight with the others in the SEC peloton for an NCAA berth and a No. 2 or No. 3 seed?
This weekend will determine just how big the series with Mississippi State and Arkansas will be in the coming weeks. FYI, both of those series are at Olsen Field as well. As with any SEC series at the end of April, there's a lot on the line for this Texas Aggie squad on the road.
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