Texas A&M Baseball Series Preview: Auburn

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

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Texas A&M Aggies host the No. 11 Auburn Tigers in a three-game series on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park, starting Friday. Game times for the series are Friday at 6:32 pm, Saturday at 3:02 pm and Sunday at 1:02 pm.

The Aggies face a Top 25 team for the second consecutive weekend. The Maroon and White have won five of their last six games, including winning two-of-three at No. 8 LSU last week. The Aggies have won their last five regular-season series against teams ranked in the USA Today Coaches Poll Top 25. The string started with a three-game series sweep at No. 8 Mississippi State last April with the Aggies outscoring the Bulldogs 30-14 in Starkville. The Maroon and White ended the 2016 regular-season with 2-1 series wins against No. 5 Vanderbilt, No. 8 South Carolina and No. 6 Ole Miss.

Freshman Braden Shewmake ranks 16th in the nation in hits (47) and RBI (35), 26th in doubles (12) and 40th in total bases (72). He leads all Division I freshmen in RBI and ranks second in doubles and hits. He was recently named the Midseason National Player of the Year by D1Baseball.com.

The Aggie weekend rotation put in their most work of the season last week at LSU, combining on 21.2 innings of work. Brigham Hill and Corbin Martin both put in career-long outings on the mound at 8.0 innings apiece. Hill’s work earned him SEC Pitcher of the Week recognition as he pitched 8.0 shutout innings. Martin worked around three runs to earn his first-ever SEC victory as a starting pitcher. In the middle game of the series, Stephen Kolek was touched up for three runs in the third frames, but he battled through 5.2 innings to keep the Aggies in striking distance in the loss.

Friday and Sunday’s game will be available for viewing on SEC Network + with Will Johnson and Mark Johnson on the call. SEC Network + provides digital-only events to SEC Network subscribers through WatchESPN and the ESPN app on smartphones, computers, tablets and connected devices (Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One). All three games will air on SportsRadio 1150/102.7 The Zone.

EVENTS
Saturday
– Teal Game – Part of the “Step In. Stand Up.” Campaign to raise Sexual Assault Awareness

Sunday
– Military Appreciation Day – Active duty, reserves, retired military will receive 2 complimentary tickets. Additional tickets for the families of servicemen and women of the United States Military, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force are eligible for discounted tickets. To get your tickets, click here.

TEXAS A&M AGGIES (20-10, 3-6 SEC) vs. #11 AUBURN TIGERS (23-8, 7-2 SEC)
Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park (6,100) • College Station, Texas

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
FRIDAY:  #15 Brigham Hill (Jr., RHP, 5-2, 2.60 ERA) vs. #32 Casey Mize (So., RHP, 4-1, 1.58 ERA)
SATURDAY:  #12 Corbin Martin (Jr., RHP, 3-2, 3.90 ERA) vs. #7 Keegan Thompson (Jr., RHP, 4-0, 0.70 ERA)
SUNDAY:  #32 Stephen Kolek (So., RHP, 1-2, 5.15 ERA) vs. #13 Davis Daniel (Fr., RHP, 2-1, 4.83)

SCHEDULE Friday, 6:32 p.m. • Saturday, 3:02 p.m. • Sunday, 1:02 p.m.
RADIO SportsRadio 1150/102.7 The Zone  •  Dave South (play-by-play)
LIVE VIDEO FRIDAY AND SUNDAY ONLY!
SEC Network + (WatchESPN credentials required through cable provider) •  Will Johnson (play-by-play), Mark Johnson (color analyst)
LIVE AUDIO 12thMan.com
LIVE STATS 12thMan.com/tamustats.com (mobile devices)
RANKINGS Texas A&M – unranked; Auburn – 7th (BA), 8th (CB), 11th (USAT, D1B), 13th (NCBWA)
SERIES HISTORY Texas A&M leads 7-5

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Be Ready. Be Clear. Be Fast.
Texas A&M Athletics is committed to providing the 12th Man with the safest environment possible at its athletic venues. Be prepared on game day by reviewing the 12-1-1 Gig ‘Em Rule. Visit www.12thman.com/beclear for all information regarding the clear bag policy, which went into effect in August 2016 for ALL Texas A&M Athletics home events.

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