After falling short last year in the Super Regional against No. 1 Texas, a bitter taste was left in the mouths of Aggie softball members as they headed into an uncertain season with the inclusion of Oklahoma and rival Texas.
While the 2024 Spring season did not end on a high note, the squad still finished with a 44-15 record and 15-9 in the Southeastern Conference.
Old favorites and new faces
With the departure of heavy hitters like catcher Juila Cottrill, second base Rylen Wiggins, first base Trinity Cannon, pitcher Shaylee Ackerman, infielder Sav Price and center fielder Jazmine Hill. The Aggies are looking to their 10 new freshmen and four highly-touted transfers to make an impact this fall.
Notable transfers included two players from Washington: sophomore P Sidne Peters and senior C Ojo Johnson. Peters held opponents last year to a .185 batting average and finished second in the Pac-12 in hits allowed per seven innings with 4.80.
Johnson, a three-year vet for Washington, started 112 games while posting 19 home runs, 65 RBIs and 48 runs. The Pearland native will be a massive help in the defensive end now that Cottrill is no longer the ace up the sleeve of coach Trisha Ford.
“Ojo is a great addition to our program, and we are happy to have her return to the Lone Star State,” Ford said in a 12th Man press release. “We needed to add an experienced catcher from the portal. Ojo has that experience collegiately and internationally. We are excited about her tools defensively and that she can add power to the lineup.”
Old foes turned friends is the story of junior P Grace Sparks and graduate INF Mac Barbara, who have both been on the other side of A&M victories in the past.
Barbara’s most notable appearance against the Aggies ended in a 7-5 loss during the Campbell/Cartier Classic in San Diego Calif. last February. Even though the San Diego State Aztecs lost the series, Mac tallied two hits, four RBIs and one home run.
Sparks is another familiar face, perhaps more familiar as the pitcher hails from an SEC rival, Ole Miss. The Dayton native will undoubtedly make a difference in the bullpen as she showed exactly what she could do against the Aggies last April. In Game One of the series, Sparks threw three innings, allowing only two hits and two runs, complemented with two strikeouts.
Grace was also an anchor for the Rebels last season, leading the team in ERA (2.14) and shut-outs (3). She also boasted 56 strikeouts and wins over top-ranked teams No. 8 Arkansas and No. 24 Kentucky during her 9-3 record.
With the possibility of some new starters with the inclusion of the transfers, questions surrounding the remnants of the old Spring rooster will undoubtedly be answered by the conclusion of the Fall season.
The Trisha Ford effect
Coach Trisha Ford, hired from Arizona State, has risen above and beyond expectations, posting a 79-36 record in her first two years in Aggieland with two NCAA Tournament appearances — the 21st consecutive appearance for the program.
If the Aggies want to continue that streak, Fall Ball is the best place to start.
The Maroon and White are set up for an interesting fall season, starting with six home games in the following order: Blinn College, McLennan CC, then the runner-up to the College World Series — Texas — on Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. Followed by Temple, the Maroon and White series on Oct. 24 and 29 and finally an away match up at Bobcat Softball Stadium to finish out the season against Texas State on Nov. 1 at 6:30 p.m.
