A&M BASEBALL GAME PREVIEW: UT ARLINGTON

(Source: Texas A&M Athletics)
(Source: Texas A&M Athletics)

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Texas A&M Aggies head to Arlington for a non-conference game against the UTA Mavericks. The Maroon and White enter the fray winners of 11 of their last 13 games, including their current six-game hit streak. The run also includes winning seven of their last eight road games.

The Maroon and White are coming off a three-game series sweep at Alabama after consecutive weekend series wins against USA Today Coaches Poll Top 25 squads, including two weeks ago at No. 8 LSU and last weekend against No. 11 Auburn.

On March 25 the Aggies dropped a 17-3 decision in their second game at Vanderbilt. Since then, the Maroon and White have made a steady climb, going from 15-9 overall and 0-5 in the SEC, to a 26-11 overall mark and an 8-7 league ledger. The 11-2 record over the last 13 games includes winning series against No. 8 LSU and No. 11 Auburn. Pitching has keyed the turnaround. The pitching staff owns a 2.64 ERA and is holding opponents to a .207 batting average over the span. Relievers Kaylor Chafin and Cason Sherrod both own 3-0 records and newly minted closer Mitchell Kilkenny has five saves. Among the starters, Corbin Martin has emerged as a viable weekend starter, going 2-0 with a .286 ERA and .215 opponent batting average in his four starts over the span.

Offensively, Hunter Coleman and Nick Choruby have helped spearhead the re-emergence. Over the last 13 games, Coleman is batting .364 (12-for-33) with eight runs, one double, one home run, six RBI, six walks and a .463 on-base percentage. Choruby is hitting .353 (18-for-51) with 12 runs, one double, one triple, two home runs, six walks and a .441 on-base percentage.

The turnaround includes a 7-1 mark in road games. Offensively, Choruby is hitting .455 (15-for-33) with 10 runs, one double, one triple, two home runs and a .526 on-base percentage in those eight road games. On the mound, Martin has started three games, posting a 2-0 record and 1.89 ERA with wins at LSU and Alabama.

The Aggie bullpen has been a menace to opponents in April to pace the Maroon and White to an 8-1 record. In the nine games the Texas A&M bullpen is 5-0 with four saves, a 1.11 ERA and a .136 opponent batting average in 32.1 innings of work. The relievers boast a 0.87 WHIP and have 33 strikeouts for the month. Chafin leads the staff with 9.1 scoreless innings, scattering two hits and three walks while striking out nine to earn a 2-0 mark in his four appearances. Sherrod has a 2-0 mark with a 1.08 ERA, yielding one run on four hits and two walks while striking out six in 8.1 innings over three appearances. Kilkenny has four saves and a 2.70 ERA, allowing two runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out seven in 6.2 innings.

Dating back to the 2014 season, the Aggies have won 38 of their last 41 midweek contests, including a 9-1 mark in 2017. The Maroon and White are averaging 8.5 runs per game, hitting .306 with a .409 on-base percentage and 21 stolen bases. Cole Bedford is hitting .417 (10-for-24) with four runs, two doubles and five RBI in the midweek. Braden Shewmake is batting .415 (17-for-41) with 12 runs, five doubles, one triple, one home run and 12 RBI. Blake Kopetsky is hitting .406 (13-for-32) with eight runs, three doubles, two triples and eight RBI. Joel Davis is batting .364 (12-for-33) with 11 runs, one double, two triples, three home runs and 13 RBI. This season, the bullpen has been the key to the Aggies’ midweek success. They’ve worked 60.1 innings, posting a 1.64 ERA and holding opponents to a .175 batting average. The bullpen is 9-0 with one save in the midweek.

The game will be available for streaming on the Mavericks’ subscription-based UTAMavs.com feed.

The will air on SportsRadio 1150/102.7 The Zone.

TEXAS A&M AGGIES (26-11, 8-7 SEC) vs. UT ARLINGTON MAVERICKS (19-17, 10-5 SUN BELT)
Clay Gould Ballpark (1,600) • Arlington, Texas

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
• TUESDAY:  #23 Turner Larkins (Jr., RHP, 0-0, 3.24 ERA) vs. #11 Jake Wilcox (Jr., LHP, 2-1, 7.07 ERA)

SCHEDULE Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.
RADIO SportsRadio 1150/102.7 The Zone  •  Dave South (play-by-play)
LIVE VIDEO UTAMavs.com – subscription-based
LIVE AUDIO 12thMan.com
LIVE STATS UTAMavs.com
RANKINGS Texas A&M – 20th  (D1B), 23rd (BA), 25th (NCBWA); UTA – unranked
SERIES HISTORY Texas A&M leads  28-8

More News