In the past eight games, the Aggies have racked up 84 runs on 107 hits with 13 home runs and 16 doubles. They have scored double-digit runs in their last seven games and find themselves in the midst of a dominating eight-game win streak.
No. 3 A&M has swept its past two SEC counterparts and will get the opportunity to keep its winning ways going at home when Alabama comes to Blue Bell Park for a three-game series.
The first pitch of the series is slated to be delivered Friday at 6:30 p.m., with the second game to follow Saturday at 2 p.m. and the finale to commence at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Even though the Aggies (30-7, 10-5) knocked off highly ranked Mississippi State last weekend and the Crimson Tide (23-14, 8-7) will come to College Station unranked, Rob Childress’ squad is not taking their opponent for granted.
“Just like any other game, you can’t look too far ahead,” junior right fielder Nick Banks said. “When Friday comes, we’re going to take it like any other game. It’s the most important game of the year.”
Banks has been one of the main catalysts behind the Aggies’ recent offensive flurry. His batting average has risen by a whopping 46 points in the past four games and he was named last week’s SEC Player of the Week, which he attributes to a slight adjustment with his mechanics at the plate.
“Just trying to make some minor movements with my hands to get them in the right place for me to be ready to hit,” Banks said. “I was having problems with that earlier in the year and he saw it, pointed it out to me and we have been working on that. Ever since then everything has been clicking.”
Childress said Alabama has a solid and experienced pitching staff the Aggies will have to match that if they hope to continue their hot streak.
“They’ve got great pitching and they’re very confident on the mound,” Childress said. “For us, we’ve got to make sure that we can match their pitching. It’s that good — it’s one of the best staffs in the conference — they’re coming off a weekend of winning two out of three at home against Ole Miss so they’re feeling really good about themselves.”
Sophomore Brigham Hill has been excellent in each of his two Friday night starts and the righty duo of Jace Vines and Kyle Simonds has given the Aggies a chance all season long.
But it has been the offense that has taken all the headlines in recent weeks for A&M. When the Aggies take the field against Alabama Friday, it is likely that every starter will boast a batting average better than .300. In other words, A&M doesn’t have just a few elite hitters who are producing the big numbers. It has a deep lineup with good hitters up and down the lineup that have the ability to suffocate opposing pitchers.
“We have one of the deepest offenses in the country, no doubt,” said junior Walker Pennington, who belted two home runs for the Aggies in Tuesday’s win over Texas State. “We all rely on each other so it’s nice where we are, and hopefully we can keep it rolling.”
The Tide are coming off of a series win against Ole Miss, so they won’t be short of confidence against the Aggies.
“They know how to pitch, they’ve been in these type of environments and I know we’ll get their best shot,” Childress said. “We need to make sure they get ours.”
All in all, maintaining their confidence and productivity at the plate will be pivotal for the Aggies moving forward.
“If we keep hitting the way we are as a team,” Banks said, “we’re going to be pretty hard to beat.”