A&M Baseball appear back to near full strength as they head out on the road for a three-game series at the Alabama Crimson Tide. After missing their top two hitters for each of the last two weekends, Mikey Reynolds (.399) and Cole Lankford (.364) will both be back in the lineup again at the same time for conference play for the first time since April 7. The Aggies hit .288 in 12 league contests with both Reynolds and Lankford in the lineup and .228 in six games without them both in the lineup.
TEXAS A&M AGGIES (22-20, 7-11 SEC) at ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (25-18, 9-9 SEC)
SCHEDULE – Friday, 6:35 pm • Saturday, 6:05 pm • Sunday, 1:05 pm
RADIO – WTAW-AM 1620 (Dave South, play-by-play)
LIVE AUDIO – RadioAggieland.com
SERIES HISTORY – Texas A&M Leads 3-0
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
• Friday – Daniel Mengden (So., RHP, 4-2, 2.04 ERA) vs Charlie Sullivan (Sr., RHP, 3-4, 3.36 ERA)
• Saturday – Parker Ray (Jr., RHP, 0-0, 0.69 ERA) vs Justin Kamplain (So., LHP, 0-1, 5.40 ERA)
• Sunday – Rafael Pineda (Jr., RHP (3-4, 3.67 ERA) vs Spencer Turnbull (So., RHP, 4-1, 2.26 ERA)
The 15th-ranked Texas A&M softball team (35-12, 6-11 SEC) travels to Ole Miss (22-29, 2-19 SEC) this weekend to take on the Rebels in a three-game Southeastern Conference series in Oxford, Miss. The Aggies and Rebels face off in game one at 6 p.m. Friday, while game two is set for 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s series finale will happen at 1 p.m. All times are Central.
All three games can be heard live locally on Sports Radio 1150 AM, and worldwide via RadioAggieland.com and AggieAthletics.com.
LAST TIME OUT
Last weekend, A&M struggled against Georgia as the Bulldogs swept the series, but the Aggies started the week with a 14-0 run-rule win at Texas State. Junior Amber Garza and freshman Cali Lanphear led the team offensively last week, each hitting .571 through four games. Lanphear collected nine RBI on eight hits, including a triple and two home runs. Garza was 4-for-7 from the plate with five runs scored, three solo home runs and five walks.
SCOUTING OLE MISS
The Rebels are 22-29 this season with a 2-19 mark in SEC play. Madi Osias leads the team with a .388 average at the plate, pounding six home runs and four doubles that highlight a 26-hit performance this season. Allison Brown’s 48 hits, 15 doubles, 21 walks and 37 RBI are a team best. In the circle, Carly Hummel has pitched 137 innings, striking out 108 batters and giving up 94 earned runs for a 4.80 ERA.
The Aggies and Rebels have played three times in history, with A&M holding a 3-0 advantage. The teams last met in a College Station doubleheader in 2000.
MORGAN AT ASA/USA WNT TRYOUTS
Junior Nicole Morgan has been invited to the ASA/USA Softball Selection Camp, set for June 9-13. If chosen for the national squad, Morgan will travel to and play in several exhibition and international events this summer, culminating in the 2015 Pan Am Games and 2014 World Championship qualifiers August 5-18 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
NO-HIT MEL
Mel Dumezich threw three no-hitters over the span of 11 days for the Aggies, earning USA Softball National Player of the Week and SEC player of the Week honors on Feb. 26. The senior threw her career-first no-hitter against Stephen F. Austin (Feb. 20) and added a second vs. Southeastern Louisiana (Feb. 24) the same week. Dumezich’s third no-hitter in less than two weeks came against Illinois State and was her first seven-inning effort as the Aggies run-ruled SFA and SELU. Marking another milestone, Dumezich tossed her 100thcareer victory, against LSU, on April 12.
GRAND SLAMS GALORE
The Aggies have proven to be a threat at the plate with bases loaded, pounding six grand slams this season. Junior Nicole Morgan leads the way with three of her own. Morgan’s first four-RBI homer came early in the season as she topped the fence with three on base against Cal State Bakersfield on Feb. 9 for her second long ball of the game. On Feb. 17, Morgan plated four against Stephen F. Austin before clearing the bags at Missouri on March 9. Junior Amber Garza joined Morgan in the grand slam club with a four-RBI homer against Texas State on March 26 before adding her second and the team’s sixth against LSU on April 12. Junior Cassie Tysarczyk created the fifth grand slam for the team when she went yard with bases loaded vs. Colorado State on April 5.
HOME RUN HITTERS
A&M has hit 79 home runs this season, including 26 in SEC play, and is nearing the program’s single season record of 81, set in 2011. Lanphear leads the team with 16 long balls, followed by Morgan with 14. Senior Meagan May broke the program’s career home run record with 57 and reached the 60-bomb mark at Tennessee. Ten different Aggie hitters have gone yard this season, five of them hitting in the double digits.
LEAGUE LEADERS
The Aggies’ early success in their first season in the Southeastern Conference has shown in the SEC overall statistics. A&M ranks second in the SEC in overall stats in slugging percentage and home runs, and leads the SEC with three runners picked off. Lanphear’s .886 slugging percentage is an SEC best, and she ranks second among league players with 16 home runs. Dumezich’s 23 wins are second best in the SEC, and her 35 appearances are tied for first. Dumezich leads the conference with 28 starts in the circle.
VS. THE NCAA
Through games played on April 21 the Aggies hold a No. 17 RPI ranking and are among the best in the nation in several statistical areas. As a team, A&M is second in the country in home runs per game (1.68), third in slugging percentage (.583), 21st in scoring (6.3) and 26th in win-loss percentage (.745). Individually, Dumezich is ninth in victories (23), 25th in saves (3), 32nd in strikeouts (188) and 24th in shutouts (6). Morgan is 25th in home runs (14), and Lanphear ranks 14th in home runs per game (0.36), ninth in slugging percentage (.886) and 12th in home runs (16).
NATIONALLY RANKED
A&M started the season ranked No. 17 in both national polls and is now sitting at No. 15 in the NFCA/USA Today poll and 18th in the ESPN.com/USA Softball top 25. The team’s No. 4 national ranking on March 19 was the highest since the end of the 2008 season when the reigning national runners-up were second in the final poll.
TICKETS
Individual game and season 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, while individual game tickets for softball are $10 for reserved (sections 4-8) and $8 for 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.
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 at www.JuniorAggieClub.com.
The “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” promotion returns in 2013, allowing four (4) kids under 12 to be admitted free on Sundays with the purchase of one adult ticket. All seats in this promotion are General Admission. Children must be accompanied by an adult purchasing a ticket to qualify for the promotion. Everyone, regardless of age, is required to have a ticket in the General Admission section, though GA tickets for children under 2 are free of charge.
PARKING
Parking for all Aggie softball games is available in Reed Arena lot 100G and Olsen Field lot 100J. 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.
EVERY GAME ON RADIO
All of the Aggie softball team’s games this season will be broadcast by The Zone. Select games will be aired locally on Sports Radio 1150 The Zone, while the remaining contests can be heard on any smartphone or HD radio worldwide via 95.1-3 The Zone HD. Links to the online broadcasts for each game can be found at RadioAggieland.com and AggieAthletics.com.
The Zone’s Program Director, Louie Belina (away), and Tim Schnettler (home) will be calling the pitch-by-pitch, with David Batson providing color commentary. Former Texas A&M softball Director of Operations Stephen Grove will add analysis in select games as well.
WATCH THE AGGIES ONLINE
For the 10th 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.
AGGIES ON THE TUBE
At least three Aggie softball games will be played on national television this season. A&M’s April 13 home game vs. LSU was aired on ESPN, while the Sunday, April 14, game between the two schools was broadcast live on FSN. ESPNU televised the A&M-Tennessee matchup on March 23 in Knoxville, Tenn. In addition to the three regular season games, the ESPN Network will show the entire SEC Tournament nationwide, including the two play-in games. All times are Central.
UP NEXT
The Aggies return to College Station next weekend to close out the regular season with a three-game SEC series against Mississippi State. The team will then compete in its first SEC Tournament, May 8-11. To learn more about Texas A&M softball, log on to AggieAthletics.com and follow @AggieSoftball on Twitter.