After a hot start to the season, love was in the air during No. 5 Texas A&M softball’s 9-1 victory in five innings over Central Florida in the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational on Valentine’s Day.
Last time out, A&M handed Wichita State its first loss of the season in a lopsided 9-1 trounce. In the victory, the Aggies posted a six-run inning in the seventh to put the game away.
The Fightin’ Farmers had outscored opponents 60-15 heading into their Friday matchup. Their influx of transfer and freshman talent combined with their strong base of returning players has created an explosive medley of offense and defense.
Senior shortstop Koko Wooley sparked the Aggies’ massive day at home plate early with a lead-off double in the first inning, setting the tone and putting the team in position to take a quick 2-0 lead. The lefty made her mark on the Knights, going 3-3 with a triple, two doubles and two RBIs.
Wooley was named to the USA Softball Top 53 Player of the Year Watch List and received top 100 player rankings from D1 Softball and Softball America, joining senior left-handed pitcher Emiley Kennedy and graduate designated player Mac Barbara. Wooley’s performance showed why she deserved the honors.
Senior left fielder Kramer Eschete got in on the batting action. She went 2-3 and scored a run. Eschete leads the team in batting average at .579, narrowly beating out Wooley at .571.
“This year with me and Koko, it’s like the 9-1 punch,” Eschete said before the team departed for the Clearwater Invitational. “She’s either going to pick me up or I’m going to pass the bat to her, and she’s going to do something and get something done.”
Freshman second baseman KK Dement brought home a run and advanced a runner to third on a two-base knock to put the Aggies up two. The righty from Selma, California has made a name for herself in Aggieland by recording eight hits over the course of her first nine games, including a home run against Villanova. Dement was named to top 100 freshmen watch lists by Softball America and D1 Softball before the season.
The Aggies’ tried-and-true Kennedy got the nod from coach Trisha Ford for the second time in Clearwater. The lefty dealt for four innings, allowing three hits, one run and one base-on-balls. She recorded five strikeouts in 67 total pitches, 44 of which were strikes. Her season ERA moved to .61.
Washington transfer sophomore pitcher Sidne Peters relieved Kennedy and allowed one hit and three strikeouts in her single-inning outing, sealing the game for the Aggies.
