The first weekend of A&M baseball started with a sputter before picking up momentum in the series win. In a three-game series against Pepperdine at home, A&M hopes any offseason rust has been shaken off.
After dropping the opening game of the season to the University of Illinois at Chicago, A&M recovered to outscore its opponents by a combined margin of 25-9 during its four-game early season win streak.
We always have expectations, senior infielder Mikey Reynolds said. Expectations are high with great talent and we expect to compete.
The No. 24 Aggies (4-1) have had solid outings performances from each of their starting pitchers and bullpen so since the far this season began. As a team, they have not allowed more than three runs in a game and are allowing an average total of less than two runs per game.
They will be tested against a Pepperdine team that started the season winning four straight before losing their most recent game to No. 20 Cal State Fullerton, 6-3.
A&M has seen great performances from its leadoff hitter and shortstop, Mikey Reynolds. Through five games, Reynolds has posted a batting average of .526 and recently went 4-5 with three stolen bases and two runs batted in against Stephen F. Austin. He has been a big part of the offense so far by getting himself into scoring position, recording fivestolen bases this season.
[Reynolds] is very important to our team, head coach Rob Childress said. He is a catalyst at the top of our lineup.
Junior catcher Troy Stein has made an impact on both the defensive and offensive side. Through the four games he has played, Stein has recorded a batting average of .294 with a double and two runs scored. Hehas also been a key piece in the middle of the lineup, recently going 3-5 against SFA, and has been vital behind the plate with some of the younger pitchers.
As a team, Texas A&M has averaged five runs per game, scoring five or more in three straight games. Pepperdine is entering the three-game series averaging over seven runs per game and is looking to bounce back from its first loss of the season.
Were going to score more runs, Stein said. We have got to be better offensively.
In order for the Aggies to have success this weekend, they will have to slow down the Waves first baseman Sam Meyer. During Pepperdines four-game sweep over Western Michigan to start the season, Meyer went 7-15 with three doubles, a home run and eight runs batted in and was named West Coast Conference Player of the Week.
The series opens at 6:35 p.m. on Friday night at Blue Bell Park. The Aggies only loss of the season came from a night game that started at the same time, but have since bounced back to defeat Texas Southern in their second night game, making them 1-1 on the season after dark.