A string of tough match-ups start Tuesday and Wednesday for the No. 4 Aggies as they host Northwestern State for a two-game midweek bout.
“They are extremely well coached,” A&M head coach Rob Childress said. “I have coached with [Lane Burroughs] and his kids play extremely hard. They had a great weekend out in Tucson … We’ll certainly have our hands full. ”
For A&M the season has gotten off to a strong start, both in terms of offensive production and pitching staff.
Offensively, A&M has outdone its opponents by outscoring foes 110 to 23, and is coming off a sweep of Yale this past weekend where the Aggies managed 35 runs in three games. A major piece of that production was due to the bat of junior infielder Ryne Birk, who went 9-for-13 (.692) with six RBIs and three triples.
After dealing with back soreness, All-American junior outfielder Nick Banks returned to the lineup for A&M and was 5-for-13 with three RBIs and a double. Senior outfielder J.B. Moss also tallied six RBIs this weekend and currently leads the team with 19 on the season.
“They are extremely well coached,” A&M head coach Rob Childress said. “I have coached with [Lane Burroughs] and his kids play extremely hard. They had a great weekend out in Tucson … We’ll certainly have our hands full. ”
For A&M the season has gotten off to a strong start, both in terms of offensive production and pitching staff.
Offensively, A&M has outdone its opponents by outscoring foes 110 to 23, and is coming off a sweep of Yale this past weekend where the Aggies managed 35 runs in three games. A major piece of that production was due to the bat of junior infielder Ryne Birk, who went 9-for-13 (.692) with six RBIs and three triples.
After dealing with back soreness, All-American junior outfielder Nick Banks returned to the lineup for A&M and was 5-for-13 with three RBIs and a double. Senior outfielder J.B. Moss also tallied six RBIs this weekend and currently leads the team with 19 on the season.
A&M (11-1) has done well in the later innings, outscoring opponents 82 to 12 after the third inning this season.
“We just have to try and not get too high and not think too much into it,” Birk said. “Just keep working and hopefully it keeps clicking for us.”
Meanwhile, the NSU Demons (6-5) had a good weekend, going 3-1 at the Arizona Tournament in Tucson, where they also beat Pac-12 powerhouse Arizona on their home field.
Daniel Garner and Mat- thew Alford are two players to watch, as they both lead the team with 10 and nine RBIs respectively. They likely will be driving in speedster Nick Heath, who is 6-for-7 (.857) in stolen base attempts this season.
Look for Brigham Hill to get the start on the hill Tuesday. In his last start against Houston Baptist, the sophomore went 4 and 2/3 innings, allowing one run on five hits while striking out three. Evan Tidwell is likely to get the nod for NSU, after going six innings and al- lowing no runs on three hits Saturday morning.
“We just have to try and not get too high and not think too much into it,” Birk said. “Just keep working and hopefully it keeps clicking for us.”
Meanwhile, the NSU Demons (6-5) had a good weekend, going 3-1 at the Arizona Tournament in Tucson, where they also beat Pac-12 powerhouse Arizona on their home field.
Daniel Garner and Mat- thew Alford are two players to watch, as they both lead the team with 10 and nine RBIs respectively. They likely will be driving in speedster Nick Heath, who is 6-for-7 (.857) in stolen base attempts this season.
Look for Brigham Hill to get the start on the hill Tuesday. In his last start against Houston Baptist, the sophomore went 4 and 2/3 innings, allowing one run on five hits while striking out three. Evan Tidwell is likely to get the nod for NSU, after going six innings and al- lowing no runs on three hits Saturday morning.
Stephen Kolek is the likely man on the mound for the Aggies Wednesday. In his last start against Prairie View A&M University, Kolek managed four innings and allowed nothing to cross the plate. Turner Larkins pitched stellar relief duty Sunday for A&M, so it is a possibility he might get the start. NSU has not announced a starter for that game at time of press.
The week’s upcoming series will provide A&M with a better look at their pitching staff and the team as a whole, said Larkins.
“I think the next five games are going to tell us a lot about our team,” Larkins said. “I am not really sure how Northwestern State is, but they are probably pretty good and Fresno State is having a good year so far. It will tell us a lot about where we are.”
A&M is 8-1 all-time against the Demons with the lone loss coming in 2010. The two last met in 2013, where A&M swept both games. First pitch is slated for 6:35 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The week’s upcoming series will provide A&M with a better look at their pitching staff and the team as a whole, said Larkins.
“I think the next five games are going to tell us a lot about our team,” Larkins said. “I am not really sure how Northwestern State is, but they are probably pretty good and Fresno State is having a good year so far. It will tell us a lot about where we are.”
A&M is 8-1 all-time against the Demons with the lone loss coming in 2010. The two last met in 2013, where A&M swept both games. First pitch is slated for 6:35 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday.
