Following their sweep of Georgia this weekend, the Aggies have one mid-week game before their SEC schedule really begins to heat up.
Here is a look ahead to the most pivotal SEC series A&M has remaining on the schedule.
Texas A&M at Mississippi State – Apr 15-17
Depending on how Sunday shakes out for the Bulldogs against Florida, A&M will enter Starkville either tied for first place or one game back of first in the SEC West. MSU has been an all-around hitting nightmare for opposing pitching staffs with 10 hitters who have 10 or more RBI this season and four of those have over 20 RBI. This series will decide who the SEC West leader will be going into the back stretch of the season. The Aggies and Bulldogs are virtually first and second in every hitting category in the league so far and this series should provide a tough test for the Aggie pitching staff. It has shown struggles this season and playing in an unfriendly environment like Dudy Noble Field means this series will show a lot about the Aggie staff. The Florida series showed some flaws but this series will determine if any serious changes need to be made moving forward.
Vanderbilt at Texas A&M – May 5-7
The Commodores are a very talented squad and were in the College World Series Finals just last season. They have a pretty manageable schedule to ride until they travel to College Station and will likely be ranked among the top in the country when they roll into Olsen Field. They have power bats all over the lineup and currently lead the league in runs scored and runs batted in. They have yet another solid pitching staff and A&M has struggled against good staffs such as in the sweep at Florida. The Aggies have a lot of power in the lineup but consistency throughout has been an issue this season. The Aggies hit well when playing at home, it is just going to be a matter of if they can do it consistently against a tough Vanderbilt pitching staff. If A&M can get the bats rolling consistently and the pitching staff is just decent at best, A&M will have a shot at a huge home series win.
Texas A&M at South Carolina – May 13-15
The Gamecocks are the current leader of the SEC East and they have lost just one game at home thus far. They do not present a matchup issue as far as their bats are concerned but their pitching staff, like a majority of the teams in the SEC East, is terrific. They currently lead the league in just about every pitching category, most notably ERA (2.54) and opponents’ batting average (.215). Teams struggle getting on base against them and when facing a lethal staff like that, A&M might struggle a bit, especially on the road. The Aggies possess a lot of power but hitting with runners in scoring position has been a big question mark this season. In this series, A&M will have to capitalize when they have runners in scoring position. If they do not, then they could see themselves swept out of a potential big seed in the NCAA tournament. The SEC is stacked with talent this year and this will be one of the more entertaining series of the season. It also could decide whether or not A&M will be a national seed come June, which will determine if the Aggies could potentially host a Super Regional.
