After a three-game series in Georgia, the Texas A&M baseball team returns home Tuesday for an in-state matchup with the No. 10 Houston Cougars at 6:35 p.m. at Olsen Field.
A&M (18-11) is looking for a midweek win after dropping its first two games against Georgia before avoiding the sweep with a late-game rally on Sunday.
Matt Kent is the expected starting pitcher for A&M, and is tasked with shutting down a Cougars team that has won seven of its last eight games.
Kent sports a 2-0 record with a 3.10 ERA in 20.1 innings and has appeared in nine games with two starts.
Part of Kent’s responsibility will be to shut down Cougars sophomore outfielder Kyle Survance, who was named Player of the Week by the American Athletic Conference.
Survance hit safely in his midweek matchup against Rice and in all three games of the team’s series with Memphis this weekend. Survance hit .467 with three multi-hit games and was successful in all seven of his stolen base attempts this week.
Houston (22-5) features a bullpen that includes Tyler Ford (4-0, 0.68 ERA) and Chase Wellbrock (1-0, 6 SV, 0.00 ERA). Ford has yet to allow a walk in 12 appearances and Wellbrock has not allowed a run in 17 innings of work.
The Cougars have played all but four of their 27 games at home. They own a 3-1 record in road contests and are 5-1 in midweek games.
The Aggies are hitting .276 as a team with Patrick McLendon leading the team average at .350. Mitchell Nau, Cole Lankford and Nick Banks are all batting above the .300 mark.
A&M, which is one walk shy of 100 for the year, will face a Houston squad that has drawn a free base 129 times. The Cougars pitching staff walked only 39 opposing hitters this year.
After Tuesday’s game, the Aggies will prepare to face Alabama at home. Head coach Rob Childress recently adjusted the weekend pitching rotation and Daniel Mengden is expected to receive the Friday nod. Grayson Long will carry the load on Saturday for the Aggies as Tyler Stubblefield will take the mound in the series finale.