COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The No. 24 Texas A&M softball team (33-20, 9-15 SEC) finishes the regular season at the Aggie Softball Complex this weekend with a two-game nonconference series against former Big 12 opponent Oklahoma State (24-25, 5-11 Big 12). The Aggies and Cowgirls face off at 7 p.m. CT on Friday before ending the series with a 4 p.m. CT game Saturday.
Fans can listen to both games this weekend worldwide via Sports Radio 1150 AM The Zone online at AggieAthletics.com or RadioAggieland.com, or on mobile through the Radio Aggieland app. Live mobile stats are also available at tamustats.com.
THIS WEEKEND
Maroon Fridays
Come to each Friday home game covered in maroon and you could win a prize as the Fan of the Game, who will also be entered into a grand prize drawing that will be announced at the end of the season.
Friday Giveaways
The first 200 fans through the gates on Friday night will receive a free pack of Adidas headbands. Students can enter a drawing for free Adidas gear, gift cards, signed memorabilia and more.
Softball Bingo
Also on Fridays, get ready for Softball Bingo by picking up a card at the 12th Man Rewards table to play along. The first three single bingo winners will receive a prize, and the first blackout card wins a team-autographed softball or poster.
Kids Run the Bases
Kids can stick around after Friday’s game to run the bases at the Aggie Softball Complex.
Saturday Giveaway
The first 200 fans through the gates on Saturday will receive a free pair of Aggie Softball sunglasses.
Junior Aggie Club Day
Members of the Junior Aggie Club will enjoy special activities on the concourse at Saturday’s game, with inflatables, a drawstring bag giveaway, face tattoos and poster making.
SENIOR DAY
Texas A&M will honor its eight-player senior class on Saturday after the seniors’ final regular-season game. Fans are encouraged to stick around after the game to honor the decorated class. Emily Albus, Allison Garrett, Amber Garza, Nicole Morgan, Kaydee Rayburn, Jenna Stark, Taran Tyler and Cassie Tysarczyk will be honored on Saturday.
LAST TIME OUT
The Aggies swept a Wednesday doubleheader against Lamar this week, run-ruling the Lady Cardinals, 8-0 in five innings, in game one before completing the series win with a 6-1 victory of LU in game two. Katie Marks tossed the first no-hitter of her career in the game-one win, nearly a perfect game for the sophomore transfer. Marks’ only blemish was a third-inning hit-by-pitch as she tossed four strikeouts through the shortened game to improve to 14-5 on the season. Senior Nicole Morgan was perfect at the plate in game one, going 3-for-3 with two runs scored and one RBI, and finishing the day at 5-for-6 with three runs scored. Senior Jenna Stark went 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored in game one, and senior Amber Garza was also 2-for-3, scoring one run and plating one. In game two, freshman April Ryan was 3-for-3 with three consecutive doubles, two runs scored and two RBI. Sophomore Lauren Ainsley (2-1) started game two and tossed four complete innings for the win, allowing just two hits and one walk. Freshman Abby Donnell picked up her sixth save of the season after giving up one unearned run on two hits and three walks through three frames.
SCOUTING OKLAHOMA STATE
Oklahoma State enters the weekend with a 25-24 record, with three wins in the team’s last 11 contests after dropping series to Texas Tech, Baylor and Texas, and falling in a 1-0 game to Tulsa on Wednesday night. The Cowgirls’ lone Big 12 series win came against Iowa State in Stillwater on April 4-5.
Offensively, the Cowgirls are hitting at a .289 clip as a team with 196 runs scored and 22 home runs. Shelby Davis paces the squad, hitting .389 (68-for-175) with four doubles, one triple, 15 RBI and 33 runs scored. The junior also leads the team with an astounding 39 stolen bases in 43 attempts. Tarah Ettinger (274, 31 RBI) leads OSU in home runs with seven and Tiffany Mikkelson (.304, six HR) has a team-high 34 RBI.
In the circle, the Cowgirl pitching staff has a 2.84 ERA, yielding 168 runs over 323.0 innings. The rotation has struck out 329 while walking 155 and holding hitters to a .229 average. Simone Freeman has seen the majority of the action, posting a 20-14 record to go along with a 2.06 ERA over 223.1 innings. The senior has thrown 22 complete games and four shutouts. Whitney Whitehorn is second on the team with a 4-8 mark and 4.01 ERA.
VS. THE COWGIRLS
The Aggies and Cowgirls last met in 2012 in a three-game Big 12 series in Stillwater. Texas A&M took a 2-1 series victory in its final conference meeting with OSU. The Aggies hold a 42-22 all-time advantage on the Cowgirls, winning eight of the last 10 meetings between the schools. The series dates back to the fall of 1980.
AGGIE CONNECTION
OSU Head Coach Rich Wieligman cut his teeth at Texas A&M, making a name for himself as the Aggies’ hitting coach from 2003-06. During that run, the Aggies led the country with a .336 hitting average in 2005 and advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals that year for the first time ever. The 2005 Aggies also won the team’s first-ever regular-season conference tournament.
SEC TOURNAMENT
Through games played on April 27, Texas A&M is ranked 11th in the conference. This weekend’s SEC games will decide the Aggies’ fate the Southeastern Conference Tournament, which features just the top 10 teams in the league. Though the Aggies are done with regular-season SEC games, the rest of the conference has one series left to play. Mississippi State and South Carolina are each 1.5 games ahead of Texas A&M. In the event of a tie after this weekend’s games, South Carolina holds the head-to-head advantage over the Aggies. Texas A&M and Mississippi State have not met this season, and a tiebreaker between the two schools would mean comparing the win-loss record of the Aggies and the Bulldogs vs. the highest-seeded common opponent in the conference. Currently, the highest-seeded common opponent is No. 2 Tennessee, who hosts No. 13 Ole Miss this weekend. Mississippi State holds an advantage in that instance, having taken a 2-1 series win over the Lady Vols earlier this year.
LEAGUE LEADERS
Among conference opponents, the Aggies continue to lead the league with 10 pickoffs. Senior Emily Albus’ .426 batting average ranks sixth among SEC hitters and her 80 hits are a league best, while her 16 stolen bases are listed at fifth. Senior Nicole Morgan ranks among the top 10 in the league with nine pickoffs (1st), a .738 slugging percentage (6th), a .505 on base percentage (8th), 51 RBI (T-5th), 13 home runs (T-6th) and 41 walks (4th). Freshman Abby Donnell’s six saves, 23 games finished and 27 games in relief are each league bests.
VS. THE NATION
The Aggies are currently No. 22 in the latest RPI rankings and are among the nation’s best in several statistical categories in the latest standings (through April 27). As a team, Texas A&M ranks 15th in fielding percentage (.974), 28th in home runs per game (1.06) and 29th in scoring (5.88). Seniors Nicole Morgan and Cassie Tysarczyk are tied for ninth in the nation in sacrifice flies with five each, and Morgan ranks 14th with 0.82 walks per game. Freshman Abby Donnell’s five saves rank sixth.
RANKING THE AGGIES
Texas A&M started the 2014 season with a No. 11 preseason ranking in both national polls and is currently ranked No. 24 in the NFCA/USA Today Top 25 Poll and 25th in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 Poll. The Aggies have played eight top-25 opponents this season, including seven in the top 15.
FOLLOW THE AGGIES
Get the latest news, updates and action from Aggie Softball by following the team’s official Twitter account @AggieSoftball. Fans on Facebook can also stay connected by liking the Aggie Softball page (facebook.com/TAMUSoftball).
LISTEN LIVE
Aggie Softball fans worldwide can listen to each game of the 2014 season live on AggieAthletics.com. All contests are provided by The Zone and can be heard on smartphones and HD radios via 95.1-3 The Zone HD on the Radio Aggieland app. Select games are also available in the Bryan-College Station area on Sports Radio 1150 AM. Every game will be live online at RadioAggieland.com and AggieAthletics.com.
MOBILE LIVE STATS
Fans who wish to follow the action of each game this season can also receive free, instantaneous live stats on any computer or smartphone by visiting TAMUstats.com. Users can access current live stats and stats from past games.
WATCH THE AGGIES ONLINE
For the 11th straight season, 12th Man TV will bring Aggies around the globe live video of Texas A&M softball. Fans will be able to watch all non-televised Aggie home games, along with select road games, through the all-new 12th Man TV. Subscription packages start at $11.95/month and include exclusive live and on-demand content not found anywhere else. For more information log on to AggieAthletics.com.
AGGIE SOFTBALL ON TV
The Aggies played six games on national TV during the regular season, beginning with two games vs. Kentucky that were aired on FSN South in early April. Of the Aggies’ six televised contests, four were played at the Aggie Softball Complex. The Aggies hosted 2013 national runner-up Tennessee on ESPNU in mid-April, and Texas A&M played another pair of games on ESPNU last when Florida came to College Station.
In addition to the five regular-season games, the entire SEC tournament, including both play-in games, will be broadcast on ESPN networks. The SEC Tournament is set for May 7-10 in Columbia, S.C.
TICKETS
All tickets may be purchased over the phone at 1-888-99-AGGIE OR 979-845-2311, online at tickets.12thManFoundation.com, or in person at The Zone at Kyle Field ticket office. Season tickets are currently available for just $125. Individual game tickets for softball will go on sale in January and are $10 for reserved (sections 4-8) and $8 for Adult General Admission (sections 1-3). Youth GA tickets are available for $5 each. Group rates are also available to groups of at least 20, and cost $8 for reserved seats and $3 for GA. Texas A&M students with no all-sports option may purchase a student walkup ticket for $5. Junior Aggie Club members are admitted free of charge to all Aggie softball games. Membership to the JAC is just $25, and information is available atwww.JuniorAggieClub.com.
SEASON PROMOTIONS
Each game at the Aggie Softball Complex features special promotions and incentives for fans in attendance. To check out updates to the team’s full 2014 promotional calendar, go to www.AggieAthletics.com/promotions.
PARKING
Parking for all Aggie softball games is available in Lot 100 at both Reed Arena and Olsen Field. For games that do not conflict with baseball, the entry gate on the Reed Arena side of the stadium will not be opened; fans are encouraged to park at Olsen Field for those games to allow easy access to the stadium entrance. Visitors may park for free when there is not a conflict with an A&M men’s basketball or baseball game. This does not include 24-hour numbered, 12th Man or timed spaces. Visit transportation.tamu.edu for more information.
UP NEXT
Texas A&M will learn its fate in the Southeastern Conference on Sunday evening when seeding is announced. The tournament is set for May 7-10 in Columbia, S.C. To learn more about Texas A&M softball, log on to AggieAthletics.com and follow @AggieSoftball on Twitter.