After dropping five of the past seven games, including a weekend 1-2 series loss against Auburn, Texas A&M aims to refocus against the Sam Houston State Bearkats on Tuesday at Olsen Field.
The unranked Aggies, who fell from the polls following the Friday and Saturday losses, enter the weekday match with the Bearkats saddled with recent conference defeats. For sophomore third baseman Blake Allemand, the difference in each of those games has been just a few innings.
We played pretty well the last couple of games, Allemand said. We just had a few innings get away from us that made the difference in the game. Weve been hitting the ball hard.
A&M comes into the Tuesday game riding a 9-0 mid-week winning streak, a stretch annual rival Sam Houston State will look to break behind big-time hitters Kevin Miller and Carter Burgess. Boasting a .348 and .344 batting average, respectively, the two combine for 81 hits and 31 RBIs and will test A&Ms young bullpen.
Offensively for the Aggies, sophomore first baseman Cole Lankford remains on a hot streak, batting .414 through his past 21 games with 16 RBIs, seven doubles, two triples and a home run. He will look to extend his ten-game hitting streak, the longest of his career.
Allemand will also serve to boost A&Ms production offensively, having gone 27-for-35 through the past 25 games. After starting the season 0-for-17 in his first six games, the sophomore has rallied, notching a team-high 17 RBIs during the 25-game span.
The favorite to start on the mound against the Bearkats for A&M is sophomore pitcher Corey Ray, who threw four and one-third innings in the Aggies Saturday loss to Auburn.
Despite the loss, Ray said his defense played well and provided great coverage behind him.
I was able to throw some strikes, and I had a great defense playing behind me today, Ray said. They were playing pretty well and I trusted Coach Childress and his pitch calls.
In addition to Ray, fans should expect an appearance by senior pitcher Kyle Martin, who has struggled recently as the former Friday starter. A&M head coach Rob Childress said Martin needs to rebuild his confidence. Low-pressure weekday matchups provide proper opportunity, a method proven successful for senior pitcher Rafael Pineda who recently returned to the weekend rotation.
Its all confidence to me right now, Childress said of Martin. Obviously its some mechanical things. Hes not executing his pitches or commanding his fastball, and thats the bottom line. Hes making mistakes over the plate and teams arent missing them and weve got to get him right between the ears and right mechanically. Were counting on him and need him, and were going to get him back.
First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Tuesday at Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.