Credit to Ben Rikard | Associate Director, Athletics Communications – 12thman.com
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Texas A&M Aggies will be looking to make headway in SEC play this weekend when it hosts the No. 4 Florida Gators for a three-game series this weekend at Blue Bell Park.
Game 1 of the series is set for 6 p.m. on Friday, followed by a 5 p.m. start on Saturday and a 1 p.m. first pitch for the Sunday finale.
The Aggies ended a five-game losing skid on Tuesday with a win over Tarleton but have dropped each of their last four SEC games after clinching the series at Kentucky on April 22. They are currently tied with Alabama and Auburn for third place in the SEC West, 6.5 games back of division-leading LSU.
Florida, meanwhile, has been ranked near the top of the national polls throughout the season and has backed up the claim with a strong year to date. The Gators enter the weekend at 14-7 in SEC play, 2.0 games back of Vanderbilt for the SEC lead after a weekend sweep of Missouri.
They have used the same weekend rotation all season of Brandon Sproat, Hurston Waldrep and Jac Caglione all season and are scheduled to the same this weekend upon their arrival in the Lone Star State.
GAME COVERAGE
TV/STREAMING: Games on Friday and Sunday are set to be aired on SEC Network+ with Will Johnson and Boomer White on the call… the middle game of the series is to be aired nationally on the SEC Network with Dave Neal and Chris Burke on the call.
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 with Rody Barker providing analysis… Scott Clendenin will join the pair in the booth for the series finale… 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.
PROMOTIONS AT THE BALLPARK
ALL WEEKEND – TURN IT GOLD
Aggie baseball and Turn It Gold are partnering to raise awareness for childhood cancer. Turn It Gold will be on site selling gold Aggie jerseys while supplies last. Visit www.12thMan.com/turnitgold for details.
FRIDAY
Friday’s series opener will include the Friday Night Postgame Fireworks, scheduled for each Friday night home game during SEC play. Free tacos will be available for students in Section 12, and a limited number of Pepsi bubbly blasters will be given out to fans upon entry in the plaza.
SATURDAY
Ball 5 foam hands will be given away while supplies last at the Howdy Team table.
SUNDAY
It’ll be Sunday Funday a day early for the finale vs the Gators with kids 12-years old and under able to run the bases and get autographs following the conclusion of the game. There will be a giveaway for maroon youth Aggie script shirts, and the game will serve as a double-point game for 12th Man Rewards.
AGAINST THE GATORS
– The Aggies are 13-11 all-time against Florida, including 6-3 at Blue Bell Park
– Texas A&M won the first three series between the programs after joining the SEC, but have dropped each of the last three weekend series dating back to 2016
– The Aggies and Gators have met five times at the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala., with the Aggies winning four of those five matchups
TWO OF THE BEST IN THE SCHLOSS ERA
This weekend’s series will pit two of the top programs in the SEC against one another, and that has even moreso been the case over the last two years. Since Jim Schlossnagle took over the Aggie program for the 2022 season the Aggies have won 12 SEC series, which is tied for the most among SEC programs wit Florida, LSU and Tennessee in that span.
AGGIES GOING FOR A TOP-5 SERIES WIN
When the No. 4 Gators come to town this weekend it will mark the second time this year the Aggies have played host to an opponent ranked in the top five of the national polls, including the opening weekend of SEC play when LSU came to Blue Bell Park. A&M was not able to take that series against the Tigers, but if it can win the weekend vs Florida it would mark the second straight year to win a weekend series at home against a top-five opponent, having done it last year vs then No. 3 Arkansas. Since joining the SEC the Aggies have won five weekend series against top-five opponents at home, but you have to go back to 2008 (No. 4 Missouri) and 2009 (No. 5 Baylor) to find the last time it happened in consecutive seasons.
THOMPSON STEPPING UP
No Aggie impressed at the plate at Arkansas more than Jordan Thompson, going 4-for-10 with two home runs, six RBI and a pair of walks against the Razorbacks. He continued that hot streak on Tuesday vs Tarleton, picking up an RBI single and scoring twice in the win over the Texans. He has reached safely in each of his last five games overall, but has driven in at least one run in each of his last four games, marking the second time in his Aggie career he has achieved that feat.
BOST NEARING NEARING MORE MILESTONES
Austin Bost continues to add to his career totals as an Aggie and sits as the active leader on the roster in games played, at-bats, runs, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, RBI and walks. He enters the weekend with 187 career hits and with 13 more base hits this year would become the first Aggie since Braden Shewmake in 2019 to reach the 200-hit mark during an Aggie career. Bost also has socked 26 home runs in his career and needs three more to tie Brodie Greene’s total of 29, which currently stands alone as 10th all-time at Texas A&M.