The No. 5 Texas A&M baseball team will face the defending co-Big 10 champion Michigan State in a three day weekend series starting 6:35 p.m. Friday at Blue Bell Park.
The Aggies enter the series coming off a momentous sweep of Northwestern State. A&M roared back from a 1-10 deficit to win 14-10 in an epic game one finish and blasted the Demons 8-1 to clinch the two-game series. The Aggies will look to add those offensive numbers to an already steady defense come Friday night.
“I thought we played as well as we have in a long time,” A&M head coach Rob Childress said after Wednesday’s win. “I was proud of the way we played in every facet of the game: offensively, defensively and on the mound.”
The Spartans return 26 starters from a squad that won Michigan State its first conference title since 1979 including All-Big 10 performers centerfielder Tortsen Boss, pitcher Tony Bucciferro and second baseman Ryan Jones. An experienced Michigan State roster will provide A&M its first real test since the beginning of the 2012 season.
A&M, however, picked up where they left off after a 2011 College World Series run.
The Aggie defense has committed a mere three errors in 350 chances and lead the Big 12 with a .991 team fielding percentage. Junior outfielder Tyler Naquin and senior outfielder Brandon Wood have been especially hot from the plate. Naquin’s four-hit performance Wednesday tied a career-high and Wood’s four-hit outing Tuesday was a career-best.
Additionally, A&M is receiving a solid boost from its younger talent. Freshman second baseman Blake Allemand is hitting .500 after six hits in 12 at bats and had a 4-for-5 hitting performance Tuesday night, contributing mightily to the Aggies’ late-game rally. Freshman designated hitter Chance Bolcerek has followed suit with three hits in 10 at bats and two runs of his own.
Junior pitcher Michael Wacha, senior pitcher Ross Stripling and sophomore pitcher Rafael Pineda are the expected starting Aggie pitchers for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Wacha takes 19 strikeouts, 3 hits, 3 walks and zero runs after 12.2 innings pitched into Friday’s contest.