Over the course of the 2013 season, Texas A&M has managed to rack up an undefeated 7-0 record in weekday games, outscoring their opponents 43-16 throughout those matchups.
On Tuesday night, A&M welcomes the University of Texas at Arlington to Blue Bell Park, hoping to continue its weekday perfection. For the Aggies, the midweek matchup brings a sour taste as, only last year, A&M suffered a 3-2 loss to the Mavericks on the same field.
A&M returns to College Station after upsetting No. 6 Ole Miss in the three-game Friday through Sunday series, two games to one. Following an 8-2 Friday loss and a rain delay on Saturday, A&M dropped the Rebels twice in a Sunday doubleheader, outscoring Ole Miss 12-7.
According to Southeastern Conference rules, Sunday doubleheaders are only allowed seven innings each. The Aggies used this to their advantage in game one, clinging to sophomore catcher Mitchell Nau’s pair of hits and RBIs to secure a 2-1 victory. In the second game Aggie hitters combined for 10 runs off of 13 hits, garnering a 10-6 win.
The A&M pitching staff will be forced to contend with an offense that put up 31 runs in a three-game away series against the University of Texas at San Antonio, winning the series 2-1.
The Aggies will continue to look to their young bullpen, many of which have stepped up in key moments. Head coach Rob Childress says the learning curve is proving to help all of the young players.
“Those young guys have done a great job,” Childress said. “They go out and throw strikes and make the other team earn everything they get. I’m very proud of the young guys being able to throw in the schedule. It’s been a challenge and its only going to continue to be that way and they have to grow up on the job.”
Pitching during the week has allowed the slow-to-start A&M offense to find its rhythm, holding opponents to two runs or less in five of the seven weekday games Northwestern State and Houston Baptist each scored five.
Freshman pitcher Andrew Vinson has earned seven appearances and holds a 2.89 ERA, striking out 10 batters and only giving up one home run in nine and a third innings as a reliever. Vinson praised the defense for the work that they have done behind the pitching staff.
“You feel like if you make mistakes as long as you keep it in the park the defense is going to make plays,” Vinson said. “Mikey [Reynolds] is one of the best shortstops I’ve ever played with and Krey [Bratsen] in the outfield just covers gap to gap. Our defense is unbelievable this year.”
One constant for the pitching staff has been the man behind the plate. Junior catcher Troy Stein has helped the young pitchers maintain composure while also contributing on offense, standing as third on the team in batting average (.318) and slugging percentage (.424). For Stein, though, baseball is a team game and that is how A&M looks to stay competitive down the stretch.
“It’s a team thing to be able to be a good offense,” Stein said. “It’s not about one guy getting going or having a great game it’s about getting guys on, getting them over and across the plate whether it be by home runs, walks or hit batters.”