Series Preview: Texas A&M vs. Fordham
Also included above is a radio segment with Ryan Brauninger, Richard Zane and Scott Clendenin from Friday morning, previewing this weekend’s series between Texas A&M and Fordham.
Who: Fordham (24-19, 11-9 Atlantic-10 in 2021)
Where: Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park – Bryan-College Station, Texas
When:
Friday: 6:30 p.m. CT (SEC Network+)
Saturday: 2:30 p.m. CT (SEC Network+)
Sunday: 12 p.m. CT (SEC Network+)
Pitching matchups
Friday: Nathan Dettmer (RHP, 3-2, 4.37 in 2021) vs. Gabe Karlso (RHP, 4-2, 5.01 in 2021)
Saturday: Micah Dallas (RHP, 4-3, 3.51 in 2021) vs. Brooks Ey (RHP, 0-4, 4.99 in 2021)
Sunday: Ryan Prager (LHP, 0-0, 0.00) vs. TBD
Scouting Fordham
Ah, it’s time.
It doesn’t get any better than an Opening Day trip to Olsen Field. Hope springs eternal. But with an accomplished new head coach, that phrase has a lot more meaning for the Aggies in 2022.
First in the box will be the Fordham Rams. It should be noted that the Rams will have as many as six starters in the lineup returning and two of four primary starting pitchers back for the 2022 campaign. Who they don’t have returning is one of the greatest pitchers in Rams history. Matt Mikulski had one of the best seasons in collegiate baseball history, finishing the 2021 season with a 9-0 record and a 1.45 ERA. He garnered numerous All-American honors and was eventually drafted in the second round by the San Francisco Giants after striking out a whopping 124 batters in 68 innings of work.
In his place on Friday will be senior Gabe Karlso, who was a 4-2 with a 5.01 ERA last year. Saturday starter Brooks Ey went winless in 2021 with an 0-4 record and a 4.99 ERA. That's a long way from Mikulski numbers. On paper, the Ram pitching staff doesn't look very intimidating, but last year was last year, and 2022 is 2022. The Aggies can’t look at those high pitching numbers and relax. Fordham could unwrap a stud freshman arm this weekend, or one of these veterans may have figured it out in the offseason. It's opening weekend, and we have no current numbers to know just how this team will play.
On offense, Fordham returns a majority of starters at the plate, including its top hitter from 2021, C.J. Vasquez, who hit .312. Senior outfielder Jason Coules had a very productive year at the plate, hitting .297, stealing 22 bases and scoring a team-high 29 runs. 3B/2B Zach Selinger led the Rams in run production with 29 RBIs. It should be noted that projected infield starter Jack Harnisch (.269, 13 RBIs) is the son of former Houston Astros starting pitcher who was part of what many MLB insiders consider one of the worst trades in MLB history. Harnisch and future Astros stars Steve Finley and Curt Schilling were traded to Houston for the aging Glen Davis in the early 1990s.
While many hitters return, last year’s offensive production wasn’t very dangerous. Despite a solid .273 team batting average, the team managed just 15 homers all season with a team slugging percentage of .377. In comparison, Texas A&M hit 66 home runs with a team slugging percentage of .417, and the Aggies weren’t considered an offensive juggernaut in 2021.
Texas A&M storylines to watch
Expect the storylines to change and shift significantly over the next three to four weeks as Jim Schlossnagle shuffles through a new roster with 21 newcomers and eight D1 transfers. It’s a given that somebody we haven’t been talking about in our preseason articles will pop up and become a key player. It seems to happen every year. Who will it be in 2022?
For now, all eyes will be on the starting rotation with only one returning starter — Nathan Dettmer. He was a solid starter on the back-end of the rotation, but he’s being asked to anchor the Friday night role for now. Dettmer has added some velocity, and his breaking pitches have been pretty nasty so far this spring.
Micah Dallas was probably the most visible D1 transfer in the offseason. He comes to Aggieland via Texas Tech with plenty of Big 12 experience under his belt. Pundits felt Dallas had the inside track to grab the Friday night spot, but he’s been up and down so far in the early spring. However, he’ll be given every opportunity to solidify his role in the starting rotation. Freshman lefty Ryan Prager flashed enough on the rubber to beat out a lot of older, veteran arms to win the Sunday starting job for opening weekend. He’s a freshman, and the staff needs to know if he can handle the pressure of pitching in front of 6,000 rowdy Aggie fans.
There’s a big battle for innings in the bullpen, and many veterans and young live arms hitting 95-97 mph on the radar gun looking to earn a steady role on the back-end. We’ve heard glowing reports about Joseph Menefee, Robert Hogan, Jacob Palisch, Brad Rudis, Kristian Curtis and Chris Cortez. Look for most of those guys to get some time on the hill this weekend as the staff is looking for data points to figure out what they have to work within SEC play.
At the plate, guys like Kalae Harrison (SS), Kole Kahler (2B), Trevor Werner (3B), Troy Claunch (C), Logan Britt (CF) and Jack Moss (1B/DH) have proven in the offseason that their names will be written on the lineup card for most of the 2022 season. What will be interesting to follow this weekend and beyond is the first base position and how much Moss plays in the field vs. how much he is the designated hitter. He will be hitting in the middle of the batting order. That’s a given. But his role in the field is still developing. Austin Bost was one of the most productive hitters in 2021, but he’s been hurt most of the spring and just now returning to action in the past week or so. He’ll have a battle on his hands for playing time with graduate transfer Dylan Rock having a good spring in left field and Brett Minnich being productive at the plate and on the base paths. Again, where does Bost play? Then there is Taylor Smith, who has been a home run machine this spring. It's a good problem for the Aggies with more productive bats than available spots. All of these guys will get a chance in these first three to four weeks to win a full-time job, and it starts Friday against Fordham.
What’s at stake this weekend
I could say something literary and dramatic here, but the TexAgs readership is too intelligent for that.
Specifically, not much is at stake this weekend in terms of the results.
Barring a shocking series of events, the Aggies should come out on top of the Rams this weekend. However, this team needs to come out of the gates strong and establish an attitude and an identity to build early season momentum. You know Schlossnagle wants to make a statement this weekend to get the fanbase excited, and of course, you want to see the players get off to a good start to get the bad taste out of their mouth from the 9-21 (SEC) team in 2021.
It’s a new coach. It’s a new staff. It’s a new team. Time to make a statement and have a feel-good opening weekend series against a team the Aggies should handle if all goes well.
Enjoy the new era of Aggie baseball, Ags. This should be fun.
