As the newly anointed No. 1 team in the country, Texas A&M did not disappoint in its mid-week game against Sam Houston State. Behind a record-setting third inning, the Aggies rocked the Bearkats with 19 runs.
Now, they face a stretch of 27 games, 21 of which are against teams who participated in the 2014 NCAA Tournament. The first test begins Thursday night against the Kentucky Wildcats on the road in Lexington.
Kentucky (18-11, 4-5 SEC) comes in facing its second consecutive top ranked team this weekend, after winning the series at former No. 1 LSU last weekend. The Wildcats boast a 8-3 record at home this season. Ka’ai Tom leads the team in RBI (30), batting average (.387) and has two home runs this year. He is also 10-for-10 when stealing bases this year.
Three Aggie hitters have more than 25 RBIs this season, while five others have more than 15. Mitchell Nau leads the team in RBI (27), while Logan Taylor and Ronnie Gideon both have six home runs this year. Additionally, every Aggie in the lineup has hit one home run so far. Nick Banks has been a putting on a hitting clinic lately, batting .435 this year with 20 RBI.
On Thursday, Grayson Long will start on the mound for the Aggies. Long is 5-0 this year with a 2.50 ERA and 50 strikeouts. Kentucky will send Zack Brown to the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
Friday night, the Aggies (28-2, 7-2 SEC) will send out Kyle Simonds for his second straight start. Simonds made his first career start last weekend against Missouri, and had an impressive debut, working five innings and allowing only three hits. He will face off against Kentucky’s Dustin Beggs. Game time is set for 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Matt Kent will get the nod for A&M. Kent has a 2.78 ERA this year with a 6-0 record. Kentucky will give Kyle Cody the start in the 1:05 p.m. game.
The Aggies’ combined record away from Olsen is 6-1 this season. This is the first time the Aggie baseball program will travel to Lexington since becoming a member of the SEC in 2012.
