Series Preview: Texas A&M at the Frisco College Baseball Classic

Also included above is Diamond Talk with David Nuño, Ryan Brauninger, Richard Zane and Scott Clendenin from Friday’s edition of TexAgs Radio.

Who: Washington St. (6-3, 0-0 Pac-12), Iowa - Sat (6-3, 0-0 Big-10), Wichita St. - Sun (2-7, 0-0 AAC)
Where: Frisco Classic (Riders Field – Frisco, Texas)
When: 

• Friday vs. Washington State: 7 p.m. CT (PPV streaming - www.flobaseball.tv/signup)
• Saturday vs. Iowa: 6 p.m. CT (PPV streaming - www.flobaseball.tv/signup)
• Sunday vs. Wichita State: 6 p.m. CT (PPV streaming - www.flobaseball.tv/signup)

Pitching matchups

Friday: Nathan Dettmer (RHP, 1-0, 0.75) vs. Grant Taylor (RHP, 1-0, 3.52)
Saturday: Micah Dallas (RHP, 2-0, 0.63) vs. TBA
Sunday: Ryan Prager (LHP, 0-0, 1.80) vs. TBA

Scouting - Frisco Classic

Comparison By the Numbers

Friday 7 p.m. CT - Washington State

The Cougars were 26-23 in 2021, and they sit at 6-3 after two weeks in 2022. The Aggies will draw right-handed Grant Taylor on Friday. Taylor has been solid with a 1-0 record and a 3.52 ERA. He’ll provide a challenge for an A&M offense that is still trying to hit its stride. Offensively, Washington State has three hitters to watch. Kyle Russell (.394), Jack Smith (.343) and Jacob McKeon (.333) don’t have eye-popping power numbers, but they swing the bat well and find ways to get on base with an impressive team on-base percentage of .382. 

Saturday 6 p.m. CT - Iowa

The 5-3 Hawkeyes are coming off a solid 26-18 campaign in 2021. On paper, Iowa appears to be the most balanced and capable team the Aggies will face this weekend. Luckily, it appears Iowa will send its ace, Adam Mazur, to face Wichita State on Friday. He has been dominant through two winning starts with a 0.66 ERA,18 strikeouts and only two walks. Instead, the Aggies have officially drawn the TBA for Saturday’s contest. The likely candidate is grad transfer Connor Schultz, who was a three-year weekend starter at Butler, and he has been very good in 2022 for Iowa with a  0.78 ERA over two starts. Iowa has two productive hitters to deal with on Saturday. Keaton Anthony is hitting .440 with a 1.400 OPS and a .800 slugging percentage. Peyton Williams sports a .387 batting average with a 1.113 OPS, six RBIs and a home run. Overall, Iowa has almost identical team offensive statistics to the Aggies. The numbers suggest this will be an evenly matched contest. 

Sunday 6 p.m. CT - Wichita State

For you oldtimers, this isn’t the powerhouse Wichita State Shockers in the 1980s-1990s under legendary coach Gene Stephenson. That program was a mainstay in Omaha. The current Shockers are not even close to that level. At 2-7, Wichita State is struggling with the highest team ERA of any participant in the Frisco Classic field as well as the lowest batting average and offensive output. That’s not a good omen, but we are just nine games into the season. Statistics can be skewed at this point. Wichita State has not listed a starter for game three on Sunday against the Aggies. Will Stevens, the game three starter for the Shockers’ first two weekend series has a 24.00 ERA, allowing eight runs in three innings of work. That said, I’m guessing A&M will see somebody new and inexperienced on Sunday. With a team ERA of 6.93, Wichita is having a hard time finding answers on the bump.  

Texas A&M storylines to watch

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

Werner has missed the Aggies’ last five games as he continues to deal with an oblique injury. Werner hit .500 with six RBIs on opening weekend vs. Fordham.

It’s not rocket science what Texas A&M needs to do this weekend. The team has struggled to drive in runners in scoring position. Despite hitting for a higher average with the highest slugging percentage of the four participating teams this weekend, A&M ranks third in runs scored, which is a clear indication of struggles getting the big hit in scoring situations. Hopefully, the Aggies will have their top hitter Trevor Werner back in the lineup. Jim Schlossnagle indicated his status was still up in the air as of Thursday morning.

When you look at the sparkling pitching numbers from the weekend starters (all under 1.80 ERA), you have to wonder how this team lost twice to Penn last weekend. Take a peek at the bullpen numbers, and you have your answer. SEC play is just 14 days away, and the Aggies have a ton of questions about the bullpen. The staff needs to find those suitable answers sooner rather than later, and that needs to start this weekend. While the field in Frisco isn’t elite, the competition level is better than what A&M faced the first two weeks. Until the Aggies find 3-4 reliable arms, this season will be a roller coaster. An inconsistent bullpen can overshadow other elements of the game. Finding trusted relievers is the highest of priorities this weekend. All eyes will be on Jacob Palisch, Robert Hogan, Joseph Menefee and Chris Cortez, but Schlossnagle mentioned this week that he’ll be trying out some new arms in Frisco as well.      

What's at stake this weekend

Usually, at this early stage of the season, I tell you the Aggies don’t have to worry about the results. They need to focus on themselves and play well, and let the chips fall where they may. A loss here or a loss there in early March won’t hurt you.

With that said, the losses to Penn puts a little more pressure on the Aggies to win a minimum of two games in Frisco. If the Aggies can only manage one win, the team comes home at 6-4, and the SEC schedule is looming. The early portion of the schedule is supposed to be when SEC schools roll up a bunch of wins against lesser competition because the SEC schedule is so brutal. A&M will have a hard time making a regional if they slide into conference play at 9-5. That puts some urgency in winning this weekend.