Series Preview: SEC slate begins with top-20 series at Blue Bell Park

Also included above is a TexAgs Live segment with Ryan Brauninger, Richard Zane and Scott Clendenin from Friday morning, previewing this weekend’s series vs. No. 17 Alabama.

Who: No. 17 Alabama Crimson Tide (17-1, 0-0 in SEC)
Where: Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park – Bryan-College Station, Texas
When:

Friday: 6 p.m. CT (SEC Network+/ESPN+)
Saturday: 2 p.m. CT (SEC Network+/ESPN+)
Sunday: 4 p.m. CT (SEC Network)

Pitching matchups

Friday: LHP Ryan Prager (2-0, 0.39 ERA) vs. LHP Zane Adams (3-0, 3.44 ERA)
Saturday: LHP Justin Lamkin (1-1, 2.28 ERA) vs. RHP Riley Quick (4-0, 1.76 ERA)
Sunday: LHP Myles Patton (2-1, 2.28 ERA) vs. RHP Bobby Alcock (2-0, 5.54)

Scouting Alabama

Rob Vaughn’s club ripped off 16 wins to start the year before dropping Sunday’s series finale Presbyterian. While such a lengthy winning streak to begin 2025 is impressive, a look at Alabama’s schedule reveals a weak non-conference slate, which is something the Crimson Tide have in common with the Aggies. The lone “power” conference opponent Alabama has faced is NC State, which fell out of D1Baseball’s top 25. Series with Bradley, North Dakota State and the aforementioned Blue Hose isn’t exactly a murderers’ row.

Gary CosbyJr.-Tuscaloosa News

Preseason first-team All-SEC selection Justin Lebron is hitting .380 with a .944 slugging percentage through 18 games.

Still, an experienced Tide team is off to a strong start because of their strong offense. Led by Justin Lebron — the nation’s leader in RBIs (43) and home runs (11) — Alabama has six qualified hitters boasting an OPS at or over 1.000, and the All-SEC sophomore shortstop is the only “underclassman” among them. Senior first baseman Will Hodo is hitting in Ted Williams’ territory a team-leading .406. Junior outfielder Richie Bonomolo Jr. is not far behind at .404. Senior backstop Kade Snell sits at .403, while junior third baseman Jason Torres, a Miami transfer, has a 1.183 OPS with seven home runs.

Unlike previous weekends, Alabama’s lineup does not feature a spot where A&M’s arms can take a breath, but that’s life in the high-power SEC.

Left-handed starter Zane Adams holds down the top spot in the rotation with a 92-95 mph fastball, a plus-curveball and a cutter, and with a successful year in 2025, the draft-eligible sophomore could move into the first round of July’s MLB Draft. Saturday starter Riley Quick has been effective with a 1.76 ERA but has only thrown 15.1 innings across his four starts. Penn transfer Carson Ozmer has held down the closer role, and the low-arm slot righty has found early success in T-Town, owning an unblemished ERA with a 0.91 WHIP while accumulating five saves in seven appearances.

Picked to finish 13th in the SEC preseason coaches poll, Vaughn & Co. will be eager to prove their quick rise into the top-25 is indeed warranted.

Texas A&M storylines to watch

If you heard Thursday’s conversation with Michael Earley on TexAgs Live, the Aggie skipper explained why A&M’s left-handed starters should be successful vs. SEC offenses. Without a doubt, Ryan Prager, Justin Lamkin and Myles Patton have been the strongest part of this A&M team through 16 games with a combined 2.04 ERA between them. The Southpaws owe their success to filling up the strikezone with “stuff” that “plays” vs. college hitters, regardless if they belong to the CAA or the vaunted SEC.

The game begins and ends with starting pitching, and the consistent Prager-Lamkin-Patton trio should keep the Aggies in most games.

It’s on defense and at the plate that A&M’s inconsistencies lie.

Will Huffman, TexAgs

Gavin Kash has played the last five games at first base for Texas A&M.

Beginning in the field, since moving Gavin Kash to first base ahead of the Texas Southern game, the Aggies have played five consecutive error-less contests. Three weeks ago, the fielding percentage sat at .949, but it has jumped to a more respectable .963. While far from elite, the strides shown on defense give reason for optimism. Continuing this run of clean baseball will be vital, with runs at a premium against SEC competition.

Offensively, Wyatt Henseler and Kaeden Kent have led the way, while others have started to round into form. Henseler (1.150) and Kent (1.130) are the only two Aggies over 1.000 in OPS. Meanwhile, Terrence Kiel II is hitting a team-high .420 and continues to be an offensive weapon despite being a true freshman.

Speaking of those starting to round into form, Kash saw his average dip to .148 after a 0-for-2 showing vs. Arizona two weeks ago. The Sour Lake product is now up to .250 and has nine hits in his last seven games. Designated hitter Hayden Schott is also comfortable over the Mendoza line at .241 and looks more confident and comfortable with his gap-to-gap approach. Lastly, the results might not show it, but Jace LaViolette is much closer to going on a tear than the naysaying doomsday narratives want you to believe. He’s slugging .556 despite hitting just .241 and has five home runs and a team-leading 20 RBIs.

And here’s the weekly reminder, and it’s much more pressing now: LaViolette is just one homer behind Daylan Holt for the program record. With a 111 mph missile for #55 on Tuesday night, “Lord Tubbington” moved within one of Holt’s 56. Will this be the weekend No. 17 passes No. 17 to become No. 1? Could be.

What’s at stake this weekend

Too many unknowns still remain with this A&M ball club. D1Baseball’s Kendall Rogers said as much during his Wednesday hit on TexAgs Live.

However, what is known is that the SEC portion of A&M’s schedule will be unforgiving, which makes taking care of business at home paramount.

To say this weekend is critical for the Maroon & White seems premature at face value, but dig into what remains ahead for these Aggies... Taking a top-20 series inside the friendly confines of Blue Bell Park to begin SEC play would be massive for the club’s record and resume and their overall psyche.

Earley’s squad has played cleaner defense and shown a better offensive approach across their last five games, but it’s no secret that the Aggies must be more consistent to actually build any real momentum. If they can combine the upticks in production on defense and offense with the safety blanket of this starting rotation, A&M could turn this thing around.

If that turnaround began in last weekend’s series victory, it must continue across this three-game series with the Tide.