After a three game hiatus, the Aggies are back in Texas, but not quite home.
The No. 17 Texas A&M softball team will take on the Houston Cougars Wednesday in Houston in a single game series.
“Houston’s a really good team,” said senior outfielder Cassie Tysarczyk. “They always give us a run for our money.”
The Aggies (26-9, 7-5 SEC) were scheduled to play the Cougars earlier in the season, but the game was rescheduled due to weather. The Aggies are coming off their first three-game sweep of the season, while the Cougars are coming off a three-game sweep of Louisville.
A&M head coach Jo Evans said the sweep of Arkansas could be attributed to improved play from the entire team.
“[It] helps us settle in and have some confidence,” Evans said. “We had Nicole Morgan, who was on fire in the Missouri series and we got some big wins there. We have to be a team that isn’t just relying on one or two individuals. I feel like we took a step back in the next couple of series because we weren’t getting that support from the bottom of our lineup, and in [the Arkansas series], we had contributions from all nine [players] offensively and defensively.”
The Cougars (19-10, 6-0 AAC) sputtered through their non-conference schedule, but have rebounded for a 6-0 start in conference play.
Houston is led by senior catcher Haley Outon, who leads the team with seven home runs, and sophomore outfielder Katie St. Pierre, who is leading the team with a .381 batting average and a .495 on-base percentage.
The Aggies are led by senior catcher Nicole Morgan, who was selected by the Pennsylvania Rebellion in the fifth round of the National Pro Fastpitch Draft Monday night. Morgan has 10 home runs and 40 RBIs on the season.
Freshman designated hitter and pitcher Abby Donnell said the upperclassmen have been vital to the growth of this year’s squad.
“The upperclassmen have been great,” Donnell said . “Most of our starting lineup is upperclassmen so they’re always there being very encouraging.”
The Aggies continue play this weekend when they face the Kentucky Wildcats for a three-game series in Lexington. First pitch is slated for 5 p.m. Friday.