The Texas A&M baseball team kept its win streak alive Sunday when they completed their series sweep of Auburn.
Following the great performance by Matt Kent on Saturday, freshman Turner Larkins was next up on the mound and showed up in a big way for the Aggies. Larkins only gave up one earned run while striking out seven Auburn batters en route to a 6-1 victory.
Head coach Rob Childress spoke of his freshman pitcher’s performance.
“I’m very proud of Turner Larkins. I thought he was fantastic today, exactly what we needed,” Childress said. “And to get that out of a freshman is even more special.”
Sunday’s game held a new factor of anticipation as it wasn’t until the sixth inning that the Aggies took a lead. Auburn’s starting pitcher, Trey Wingenter, only allowed a single hit from the Aggies through the first five innings of play.
A&M (21-0) went on to rattle off four runs in the sixth and did not look back. It was in the eighth inning that the Aggies made a rally with two outs, in which they added two to their count and all but wrapped up the weekend series.
Coach Childress made sure to give credit to the Aggie faithful that supported the team throughout the whole weekend.
“I’m so thankful for the 12th Man,” Childress said. “You talk about the electricity from the first pitch on Friday night to the last pitch today. I couldn’t be more grateful for the crowd we have. A lot of the time you hold your breath on spring break weekend, that you may not have great crowds. But they were electric and definitely made an impact during the series.”
Although the No. 7 Aggies entered their first weekend series undefeated, there still could have been a case made that they were untested. Having only faced one ranked team so far in the season, A&M needed to come out and perform in a way that would reiterate the validity of its success.
Coach Childress spoke on the importance of setting the tone entering SEC play.
“We always talk about Sunday being championship Sunday,” Childress said. “Across the country everyone is playing for something. Whether it’s a sweep, avoid getting swept or to win a series. It’s very important that you’re able to come out and play well on Sundays. I was proud our group was ready to go.”
Aggie baseball will seek their 22nd straight win on Tuesday when they host Prairie View A&M for their last home game before taking the road for the first time in conference play.