Texas A&M Baseball
Series Preview: No. 17 Texas A&M vs. Kentucky
Who: Kentucky Wildcats (12-6, 0-0 in SEC)
Where: Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park — College Station, Texas
When: Friday 6:00 p.m. CT (SEC+)
Saturday 2:00 p.m. CT (SEC+)
Sunday 1:00 p.m. CT (SEC+)
Pitching matchups
Scouting Kentucky
After stumbling out of the blocks with an 0-4 start – Kentucky was swept by nationally-ranked North Carolina and lost a mid-week road game to Liberty – the Wildcats have come roaring back, winning 12 of their last 14 games under first-year coach Nick Mingione. Kentucky has gotten back on track with hot hitting (.330 team batting avg.) and good pitching at the top of the rotation (2.68 team ERA).
In his place will be Tyler Marshall, who is solid hitter at .324, but he lacks the power and run production of White. In addition, Kentucky signed one of the top high school catchers in the nation in T.J. Collett, but after an offseason injury, he's still working his way back to 100% and won't be available this weekend.
Despite those injuries, the Wildcats are humming along. Luke Becker, Zach Reks and Marcus Carson are all hitting above .375, and all three have good speed. They've stolen 16 bases combined and driven in 48 runs. Long-time starting shortstop and senior Connor Heady is the team's leading power-hitter in White's absence, with four home runs and a .300 batting average.
On the mound, Kentucky has the potential of any SEC team in the conference. Lanky 6-11 sophomore Sean Hjelle served as the team's closer last season as a freshman. His eight saves and mid-90's velocity earned him Freshman All-American honors, and he's taken over the Friday night starter spot with mixed results so far.
His 2-1 record and 7.06 ERA don't look in the least bit intimidating, but expect to see plenty of MLB scouts in the stands to see the big right-handed pitcher with pro potential. However, it's hard to overlook that he's already given up 30 hits in just 21 innings of work. Yikes. Its hard to project what will happen tonight. He could be untouchable or he could get knocked around pretty hard.
On Saturday, Kentucky will throw lefty junior Zach Logue, who started nine games last season and finished with a respectable 3-1, 2.29 ERA stat line in 2016. He's matched those numbers so far in 2017 with a 3-1 record and a shining 1.93 ERA. Logue will be a difficult matchup for a primarily left-handed Texas A&M batting order.
It doesn't get any easier on Sunday when the Wildcats send 6-7 right-hander Justin Lewis to the hill. He also garnered Freshman All-American honors after a promising 2016, and his 2.74 ERA is proof of that. What's most impressive about Lewis is control for a long pitcher; he's walked only four batters in 23 innings so far, and he's only surrendered 11 hits. You have to wonder how Kentucky lost six games this season with those weekend pitching numbers.
Marc Flores, TexAgs
Freshmen Braden Shewmake (left) and Logan Foster (right) have been Texas A&M's most productive hitters this season.
The Aggies have to play better baseball in every facet of the game. Outside of Braden Shewmake and Logan Foster, the team isn't hitting at all. Even quality at-bats have been few and far between over the past few weeks. It has to start with the veteran seniors that were expected to carry this team offensively.
Shortstop Austin Homan hit close to .350 as a junior in 2016. He's struggling at .217 with an anemic slugging percentage of .267. Nick Choruby has seen his batting average slip over 150 points in the last two weeks, and what makes matters worse is he's not doing the little things like sacrificing runners over or using his speed to create offense. With Choruby's struggles, the Aggies don't have an adequate lead-off hitter, and that's even more significant this season with Foster and Shewmake swinging well in the No. 2 and 3 holes.
But what Texas A&M needs the most is for former clean-up hitter Walker Pennington to snap out of his funk and force Rob Childress to insert him back in the middle of the order. If Pennington isn't an offensive factor all season, the Aggies will struggle to score runs. The team doesn't have another right-handed power source on the roster ready to be a big run-producer.
Defensively, the Aggies are in a difficult spot. Joel Davis isn't a natural first baseman, and that's why he's making mistakes. But, he's one of only two veterans that are swinging a decent stick at this point, and moving him to DH forces Foster to the outfield. Plus, Rob Childress really doesn't have a defensive first baseman to put in the lineup at his point.
At third base, the options are limited, as well. George Janca is struggling at the plate (.220) and in the field (.878), but his freshman replacement Jorge Gutierrez had two critical errors in the Tuesday loss to Texas, and since his hot start at the plate the first week of the season, he's been stone cold. Moving Shewmake to third base could be an option, but that leaves a hole at second base, where Gutierrez is listed as the back-up. Little-used freshman Tommy Gillman could also be an option there, but the staff has not been comfortable enough to rely on him so far this season.
Unfortunately, the remedy for the team's defensive woes will have to come from the current starters doing a better job of relaxing and making the plays in front of them.
The stakes are high, and the mission is crystal clear. The Aggies must win this series opener at home against a salty Kentucky squad. First of all, you have to win home series in the SEC to survive. Second, Texas A&M goes on a brutal six-game SEC road trip over the next two weeks with stops at LSU and Vanderbilt. Wins will be tough to generate at two of the toughest road venues in the SEC, so the Aggies need to hit that stretch with a 3-0 or 2-1 record.
Come out of this weekend at 1-2, and Texas A&M could easily be staring at a 3-6 or 2-7 record that will be very difficult to dig out of the rest of the way. It is critical the Aggies win this series, and to win it they have to play much better than they have the last two weeks.
Where: Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park — College Station, Texas
When: Friday 6:00 p.m. CT (SEC+)
Saturday 2:00 p.m. CT (SEC+)
Sunday 1:00 p.m. CT (SEC+)
Pitching matchups
- Friday: Brigham Hill (RHP, 4-0, 1.40) vs. Sean Hjelle (RHP, 2-1, 7.06)
- Saturday: Stephen Kolek (RHP, 1-0, 2.04) vs. Zach Logue (RHP, 3-1, 1.93)
- Sunday: Mitchell Kilkenny (RHP, 2-0, 2.70) vs. Justin Lewis (RHP, 2-1, 2.74)
Scouting Kentucky
After stumbling out of the blocks with an 0-4 start – Kentucky was swept by nationally-ranked North Carolina and lost a mid-week road game to Liberty – the Wildcats have come roaring back, winning 12 of their last 14 games under first-year coach Nick Mingione. Kentucky has gotten back on track with hot hitting (.330 team batting avg.) and good pitching at the top of the rotation (2.68 team ERA).
The Wildcats have made this recent run without two of the program's most talented players. Preseason all-American Evan White has been ruled out for this weekend.
The Wildcats have made this recent run without two of the program's most talented players. Preseason all-American Evan White has been ruled out for this weekend due to a lingering hamstring injury that has benched the power-hitting first baseman for the past couple of weeks. Prior to his injury, White was having the season everyone expected, hitting .433 with seven extra base hits in just nine games.In his place will be Tyler Marshall, who is solid hitter at .324, but he lacks the power and run production of White. In addition, Kentucky signed one of the top high school catchers in the nation in T.J. Collett, but after an offseason injury, he's still working his way back to 100% and won't be available this weekend.
Despite those injuries, the Wildcats are humming along. Luke Becker, Zach Reks and Marcus Carson are all hitting above .375, and all three have good speed. They've stolen 16 bases combined and driven in 48 runs. Long-time starting shortstop and senior Connor Heady is the team's leading power-hitter in White's absence, with four home runs and a .300 batting average.
On the mound, Kentucky has the potential of any SEC team in the conference. Lanky 6-11 sophomore Sean Hjelle served as the team's closer last season as a freshman. His eight saves and mid-90's velocity earned him Freshman All-American honors, and he's taken over the Friday night starter spot with mixed results so far.
His 2-1 record and 7.06 ERA don't look in the least bit intimidating, but expect to see plenty of MLB scouts in the stands to see the big right-handed pitcher with pro potential. However, it's hard to overlook that he's already given up 30 hits in just 21 innings of work. Yikes. Its hard to project what will happen tonight. He could be untouchable or he could get knocked around pretty hard.
On Saturday, Kentucky will throw lefty junior Zach Logue, who started nine games last season and finished with a respectable 3-1, 2.29 ERA stat line in 2016. He's matched those numbers so far in 2017 with a 3-1 record and a shining 1.93 ERA. Logue will be a difficult matchup for a primarily left-handed Texas A&M batting order.
It doesn't get any easier on Sunday when the Wildcats send 6-7 right-hander Justin Lewis to the hill. He also garnered Freshman All-American honors after a promising 2016, and his 2.74 ERA is proof of that. What's most impressive about Lewis is control for a long pitcher; he's walked only four batters in 23 innings so far, and he's only surrendered 11 hits. You have to wonder how Kentucky lost six games this season with those weekend pitching numbers.
Marc Flores, TexAgs
Freshmen Braden Shewmake (left) and Logan Foster (right) have been Texas A&M's most productive hitters this season.
Texas A&M storylines to watch
Shortstop Austin Homan hit close to .350 as a junior in 2016. He's struggling at .217 with an anemic slugging percentage of .267. Nick Choruby has seen his batting average slip over 150 points in the last two weeks, and what makes matters worse is he's not doing the little things like sacrificing runners over or using his speed to create offense. With Choruby's struggles, the Aggies don't have an adequate lead-off hitter, and that's even more significant this season with Foster and Shewmake swinging well in the No. 2 and 3 holes.
But what Texas A&M needs the most is for former clean-up hitter Walker Pennington to snap out of his funk and force Rob Childress to insert him back in the middle of the order. If Pennington isn't an offensive factor all season, the Aggies will struggle to score runs. The team doesn't have another right-handed power source on the roster ready to be a big run-producer.
Defensively, the Aggies are in a difficult spot. Joel Davis isn't a natural first baseman, and that's why he's making mistakes. But, he's one of only two veterans that are swinging a decent stick at this point, and moving him to DH forces Foster to the outfield. Plus, Rob Childress really doesn't have a defensive first baseman to put in the lineup at his point.
At third base, the options are limited, as well. George Janca is struggling at the plate (.220) and in the field (.878), but his freshman replacement Jorge Gutierrez had two critical errors in the Tuesday loss to Texas, and since his hot start at the plate the first week of the season, he's been stone cold. Moving Shewmake to third base could be an option, but that leaves a hole at second base, where Gutierrez is listed as the back-up. Little-used freshman Tommy Gillman could also be an option there, but the staff has not been comfortable enough to rely on him so far this season.
Unfortunately, the remedy for the team's defensive woes will have to come from the current starters doing a better job of relaxing and making the plays in front of them.
The Aggie bullpen must answer the bell. The weekend starting rotation of Hill, Kolek and Kilkenny has been stellar all season.
On the mound, the storyline is nothing new. The Aggie bullpen must answer the bell. The weekend starting rotation of Hill, Kolek and Kilkenny has been stellar all season. It's been the bullpen that's faltered in 2017. While Childress has moved on to freshman Landon Miner in the closer role, the keys to this weekend and the future are still junior fire-ballers Corbin Martin and Cason Sherrod. It's no secret that a top-level college team needs more than one functioning reliever. Kaylor Chafin has been effective at times and will be counted on to get some outs this weekend, but ultimately, Texas A&M needs two quality outings from Martin and Sherrod against the Wildcats.What's at stake this weekend
The stakes are high, and the mission is crystal clear. The Aggies must win this series opener at home against a salty Kentucky squad. First of all, you have to win home series in the SEC to survive. Second, Texas A&M goes on a brutal six-game SEC road trip over the next two weeks with stops at LSU and Vanderbilt. Wins will be tough to generate at two of the toughest road venues in the SEC, so the Aggies need to hit that stretch with a 3-0 or 2-1 record.
Come out of this weekend at 1-2, and Texas A&M could easily be staring at a 3-6 or 2-7 record that will be very difficult to dig out of the rest of the way. It is critical the Aggies win this series, and to win it they have to play much better than they have the last two weeks.
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