It’s a slow and steady climb.
Now, steady progress needs to be shown.
Following a 4-0 week, Texas A&M baseball checks in at No. 23 in the latest D1Baseball Top 25. At 7-0, the Aggies will make their way to Arlington this weekend for the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series following a Tuesday date with Lamar.
Pitching ruled the week that was for the Maroon & White as Jason Kelly’s staff did not issue a single walk in any of the four victories vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Penn (x3).
To highlight how impressive an accomplishment that is, A&M baseball’s most recent occurrence of back-to-back games without allowing a base on balls was the 2018 SEC Tournament. It is the first four-game streak without a walk since at least 2000.
Gavin Lyons set the tone in his Tuesday start, and the weekend rotation of Shane Sdao, Weston Moss and Aiden Sims each answered the challenge to be sharper and more dominant vs. the Quakers.
Without them, A&M likely suffers at least one loss to Penn, and the Aggies very well could have dropped the series altogether.
“Anytime pitchers throw strikes, don’t walk anyone at all or don’t hit anyone at all, they just give you a chance to win,” Aggie skipper Michael Earley said on Sunday. “When you do that, and you throw some good stuff up there, and they get deep in games, they really give you a chance to win.
“If it wasn’t for those guys, we don’t win either of those first two ballgames. No doubt in my mind, clear as day, those guys kept us in the game.”
Offensively, Chris Hacopian (back) missed all four games this week, and Caden Sorrell suffered a nasty laceration on his right hand when he was spiked on Friday night. Sorrell did not start on Saturday or Sunday, and designated hitter Wesley Jordan joined him on the shelf in the finale with what was described as a “lower-body injury.”
On Friday, Boston Kellner’s walk-off double scored the game’s only run. A day later, Sawyer Farr’s pinch-hit double in the ninth saved the Aggies from being shutout before his walk-off walk claimed the series in the 11th.
Sure, the weekend was too close for comfort, but A&M’s record (7-0) is already improved over last year’s first seven games (5-2).
Now the challenge will be going from steady improvement to facing a major increase in competition level.
Facing ACC, Big Ten (the nation’s No. 1 team) and Big 12 opponents this week, the Aggies will be challenged at Globe Life Field.
Finding success vs. Virginia Tech, UCLA and Arizona State would allow Earley & Co. to continue their climb.
