After avoiding the sweep last Saturday at LSU, A&M came back to Olsen Field on Tuesday and won a thrilling 11-inning game with a walk-off single from Logan Nottebrok to defeat Texas State 8-7.
The Aggies will look to build on their new momentum this weekend as they travel to Knoxville, Tenn. to take on the Tennessee Volunteers.
Tennessee (18-21, 71-14 SEC) comes off a big series win over South Carolina last weekend. The Volunteers have had an up-and-down year, and several of their games were cancelled or postponed due to weather. Christin Stewart can damage any pitcher’s confidence in an instant. Stewart has logged 12 home runs this year, while picking up 39 RBIs and posting a .652 slugging percentage. A.J. Simcox is a speedster on the bases as well, going 10-for-12 on stolen base attempts.
The Aggies (38-7, 13-7 SEC) come to the plate with some momentum. Logan Taylor’s bat has been hot all year, but other players in the lineup such as Mitchell Nau, Logan Nottebrok and Blake Allemand have stepped up. While Nottebrok had the walk-off Tuesday, and Nau was 2-for-3 in the win with an RBI. Allemand had a fantastic series at LSU last weekend, when he posted the No. 1 play on SportsCenter. The senior leadership is key for A&M coming down the home stretch of the season.
Friday night, Aggie ace Grayson Long will take the hill at 5:05 p.m. Last weekend at LSU, Long worked 6 1/3 innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits, while striking out four. He is 8-0 in 11 starts this year, posting a 2.89 ERA and leads the team in strikeouts (70).
Saturday night, Ryan Hendrix will make his third start of the year. In his last performance, Hendrix rolled to the seventh inning and ran into a barrage of LSU hits, which sparked a four-run inning, and ultimately led LSU to the 9-6 win. He went 6 ⅓, scattering 10 hits and allowing six earned runs to cross the plate. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.
Sunday, A&M has a variety of options for the mound. The starter has not yet been announced, but it looks to be either Matt Kent or Andrew Vinson. After coming in relief during the first inning of the Texas State game, Kent faced 16 batters and set every single one down, recording seven strikeouts along the way. Vinson has an impressive 0.76 ERA in 35 1/3 innings pitched this season. Game time is set for 1:05 p.m.