Credit to Ben Rikard | Assistant Director, Athletics Communications – 12thman.com
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – With the SEC season past the midway point, the road does not get any easier for the Texas A&M Aggies who will open a three-game series at No. 7 Arkansas on Thursday at Baum-Walker Stadium.
The Aggies dropped a midweek contest on Tuesday to Sam Houston but have still won each of their last four SEC series to climb back to 9-9 in the league, just 2.5 games back of division-leading LSU.
Texas A&M took two of three at No. 13 Kentucky last week and will be looking to take a series from Arkansas for the second straight year.
The Razorbacks, meanwhile, swept Tennessee the last time they played at Baum-Walker Stadium; however, they enter Thursday on the skids after dropping each of their past four games, including being swept last weekend at Georgia.
GAME COVERAGE
TV/STREAMING: Thursday’s series opener is set to be aired nationally on ESPNU with Tom Hart and Chris Burke on the call … the pair will also have Saturday’s series finale on the SEC Network … Friday’s middle game is set to be aired on SEC Network+ with Brett Dolan calling the action with Troy Eklund on analysis.
RADIO: Each game can also be heard locally on SportsRadio 1150 AM/93.7 FM The Zone…. Andrew Monaco will be in the booth for all three games… the pregame show begins 15 minutes prior to first pitch.
SOCIAL: Fans can get in-game updates on social media by following @AggieBaseball on Twitter.
AGAINST THE RAZORBACKS
– The Aggies are 49-46-1 all-time against Arkansas
– Texas A&M is 21-21 all-time in Fayetteville
– The Aggies have not won a series in Fayetteville since taking two of three games in 2016
– Texas A&M is 11-17 vs the Razorbacks since joining the SEC in 2013
CONSECUTIVE RANKED OPPONENTS ON THE ROAD
The Aggies made it over a difficult hurdle last week when they took the series from No. 13 Kentucky in Lexington, but now they have to hit the road to battle another ranked opponent at No. 7 Arkansas. Since it joined the SEC, Texas A&M has never won series in consecutive weeks on the road against ranked opponents.
FOUR SEC SERIES IN A ROW FOR THE AGGIES
Texas A&M won eight of its 10 league series a year ago, including each of its final seven weekends. But such things are a difficult task in the SEC and the Aggies’ series win at Kentucky was their third straight after dropping its first two. It is the first time since the 2016 and 2017 seasons the Aggies have had consecutive seasons with a streak of at least four consecutive series wins in SEC play. The 9-9 record in the SEC is only one game off the pace of the 2022 squad who was 10-8 at the through six series.
WANSING GIVES AGGIES SOLID START
The Aggies have been in search of quality starts since the beginning of SEC play and finally got one from left-hander Troy Wansing in Game 2 of the series at Kentucky. The Purdue transfer went 6.0 innings and left with the lead against the No. 13 Wildcats in what was his first weekend start since Week 2 at Tennessee. It was the longest outing by a starting pitcher since Nathan Dettmer logged 6.0 innings against LSU in the league opener on March 17.
SAVING THE BEST FOR THE BLUEGRASS
Texas A&M had to dig deep to pick up the doubleheader sweep on Saturday at Kentucky and closer Will Johnston played a big role in that. The lefty picked up the save in each game of the twinbill, throwing just 25 total pitches for the day. He struck out three of the four hitters he faced on just 14 pitches in a 1.1-inning save in Game 1 and followed that by working around a leadoff single in the ninth of Game 2 and punching out two of the final three hitters to end an 8-7 Aggie win. They were Johnston’s third and fourth saves of the season and marked the first time the Aggies have converted saves on each end of a doubleheader since Andrew Vinson and Mark Ecker had saves in a twinbill sweep of the Wildcats in 2015.
P.S., THIS IS AUSTIN
If you didn’t know better, it would be easy to look past Austin Bost in the Aggie lineup if you base it on 2023 numbers only. But SEC teams know better and the senior was on his game last weekend at Kentucky, reaching base in seven of his 14 plate appearances. That included a key 3-for-5 outing in Game 2 highlighted by a go-ahead, two-run double with two outs in the top of the ninth. It was his first multi-hit game since April 1 vs Ole Miss and marked the third time this season the Aggies have erased a ninth-inning deficit to walk away as victors.
LAVIOLETTE NOT LOOKING LIKE A FRESHMAN
Aggie outfielder Jace LaViolette earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors after his big series at Auburn, and has continued his strong play within the SEC since. He leads the Aggies with 10 home runs and 41 RBI, along with 11 stolen bases. Each total is the most by an Aggie freshman since Braden Shewmake led the team in each category in his 2017 breakout campaign. John Byington holds the Aggie freshman record for home runs (17) and RBI (78), set during the 1987 season.