Texas A&M enters the final stretch of a current eight game home stand when it faces off against No. 16 Mississippi State in a three-game Friday through Sunday series. The Aggies are 3-2 in their first five games of the home stand and hold a 17-5 record at Olsen Field so far this season.
A&M (21-13, 6-6) enters the series one game ahead of the Bulldogs in the SEC West division, but have lost five of their last six conference games dating back March 28. The Aggies have been competitive in recent games, but have failed to score in critical situations. In the last 12 games, A&M has lost four by three runs or less, including a 6-4 extra innings loss to Auburn on April 5.
“We played pretty well the last couple of games,” sophomore third baseman Blake Allemand said. “We just had a few innings get away from us that made the difference in the game.”
The Aggies will look to get continued production from senior outfielder Brandon Wood, who has seen his playing time increase lately. In 24 games this season, Wood has a batting average of .302 with two doubles and nine runs. In his last five games, Wood has hit .333 including a 3-for-3 outing in A&M’s 11-4 victory over UTSA.
Sophomore first baseman Cole Lankford will be key for the Aggies this weekend as well. Like Wood, Lankford has come on strong as of late and has surged to top of the team in major offensive categories. He is currently second on the team in batting average, hitting .368, and leads the team in doubles and runs batted in, with eight and 20 respectively.
“[Cole] has got himself going and has really played well,” head coach Rob Childress said. “He has been really good for us the last three weeks.”
Texas A&M pitching staff will have their hands full as they attempt to quiet the Bulldogs’ streaking catcher and outfielder Hunter Renfroe. Renfroe ranks second in the SEC with 10 home runs and third in the conference with 38 runs batted in.
“[The pitching staff] has done a great job,” Childress said. “They go out and throw strikes and make the other team earn everything they get. It’s been a challenge and it’s going to continue to be that way.”
The A&M offense will also face challenges against the Mississippi State pitching staff, particularly right-handed pitcher Kendall Graveman. Graveman was recently named SEC Pitcher of the Week after shutting out Florida 2-0 and throwing his second complete game in two weekends. On the season, Graveman is 4-2 with a 1.99 earned run average.
Texas A&M is 16-7 against right handed starting pitchers while they are only 5-6 against left handed starters. In SEC play, the Aggies have a team batting average of .288 while averaging just under four and a half runs per game.