After a crushing defeat to Texas in the Super Regional round of the NCAA Tournament, No. 7 Texas A&M softball looked to regroup as it opened up its 2025 season by opening the Aggie Classic with a doubleheader against Utah State and Purdue at Davis Diamond. 

The home crowd was not disappointed as after a relatively slow start, A&M hit back-to-back-to-back homers and eight total runs in the sixth inning to run away with the first game, 11-5. 

In its second game, the Maroon and White once again did not disappoint their home audience, capturing a 10-2 victory over Purdue while demonstrating great fielding and pitching in the process. Senior pitcher Emiley Kennedy was key in this game, tallying eight total strikeouts.

“I think overall, obviously, on our first day we wanna get two wins, ” coach Trisha Ford said. “I felt like the first game we were a little sluggish, maybe overthinking things, but I’m not quite sure, but we did enough to win,” coach Trisha Ford said about their game against Utah State. “In this last game, I thought we did a great job of coming out on offense inning after inning, and I felt like we threw really well.”

In game one, Utah State got off to a clean start at bat as sophomore infielder Tatum Silva was able to steal third then score off of a single RBI by junior third baseman Alex Bunton.

The Maroon and White struck back in their first time at bat this season when 2024 All-SEC second team senior shortstop Koko Wooley cannoned a double to center field, then Perez hit an RBI single to the right field allowing Wooley to tie the game at 1.

At the top of the second inning, Utah State’s senior 1B Giselle Gonzalez hit a far and out of reach foul ball — or so the crowd thought. A&M’s 2024 All-SEC Second Team senior outfielder Kramer Eschete took off from her position towards the left wall.As she dove towards the wall, she stretched outside the field of play, hauling the ball end after bobbling it in the air before securing the out.

“It is definitely a top-3 catch I’ve seen,” Ford said.“It was pretty amazing, it was big time. That’s why she is there. She continues to make big plays for us defensively and offensively.”

Utah State began rolling at the top of the third after Bunton was walked to get the bases loaded, senior center fielder Olivia Marble hit a double down center field that allowed senior SS Ariel Fifita and junior catcher Grace Matej to score. 

A&M began cracking down on its defense, refusing to allow any runs for two-straight innings while also committing no errors. Senior P Emily Leavitt came up huge, striking out two batters while also fielding two-hits that resulted in outs to keep Utah State’s scoring opportunities limited. 

Things began to get interesting as after three-straight innings without a run, A&M loaded the bases after Powell converted on a bunt. With two outs in the inning, Perez stepped up to the plate and fired a double RBI single to right-field, making way for Eschete and Wooley to score and even the match at three.

Utah State kept on pushing at the top of the sixth. After 2B sophomore Emerson Meggers stole second-base, Fifita demolished a left-field home run, resulting in a two-run score that gave Utah a lead which would prove to be short-lived.

At the bottom of the sixth inning, freshman INF Frankie Vrazel was walked to first-base and freshman 2B KK Dement hit a right-field single before Eschete stepped up to the plate. She stepped forward and crushed Utah State’s junior RHP Carly Limosnero’s pitch into deep center field allowing Vrazel and Dement to score.

The crowd began to roar and as their chants grew, so did A&M’s momentum as shortly after, Wooley hit an RBI into right-field, paving the way for Eschete to score and give A&M a one-run lead with just one out on the board.

The momentum continued to grow for the Maroon and White at the bottom of the sixth. With Powell hitting a single to get onto base senior DP Mac Barbara showed why she was a preseason top 100 player on Softball America and D1 Softball’s ranking as she launched an RBI home-run to the left-center to give A&M a 9-5 advantage.

It was an inning to remember for A&M. While the hitting was spectacular, the fans were even better. Just after Barbara hit her home-run, Perez decided to hit one of her own, also going left center to give A&M a 10-5 lead.

“It was awesome honestly,” Perez said. “It was a ‘Way’ pitch and I’ve been working on all the practices. It felt really good.”

The fans at Davis Diamond began going ballistic after senior center fielder Allie Enright gave A&M back-to-back-to-back home runs after she bombed a right field pitch that gave A&M a comfortable 11-5 lead heading into the final inning. 

The top of the seventh saw A&M lockdown Utah State. Sophomore P Sidne Peters struck out Bunton while Marble and Matej were fielded out to seal the win for the Maroon and White. 

A&M remained in action with its second game of the doubleheader against Purdue at Davis Diamond.

The Aggies’ A&M’s defense began strong, highlighted by Kennedy’s three strikeouts that gave Purdue no chance of dealing damage.

The Maroon and White couldn’t have asked for a better start on offense. Following a Wooley right-field single, a Powell left-field single and a Barbara walk, Perez did what she does best, striking a double RBI down the middle while bringing Wooley and Powell home.

The dream start continued for A&M after Purdue’s sophomore P Emma Bailey threw past the catcher allowing Barbara to steal home and give A&M a 3-0 lead after the first inning.

Perez again proved to be a star, hitting another RBI to bring in Wooley and give A&M a 6-0 lead heading into the third inning. 

Errors continued to hurt Purdue in terms of runs. A fielding error gave Johnson an opportunity to advance to third, then all the way home to give A&M two runs for the inning and eight for the game. Wooley and Powell were walked in to close the inning with A&M up 10-0.

The Boilermakers finally got something brewing up at the top of the fourth. After a left-field triple by sophomore CF Moriah Polar got them within striking distance, a sacrifice fly ball allowed Polar to score and put Purdue on the board — but it wasn’t enough to keep the visitors from being run-ruled.

The Aggies will be back in action on Friday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. when they host Baylor at Davis Diamond.