No. 19 Texas A&M may have gotten its fourth straight SEC series win last weekend, but the ending was bitter. Nonetheless, washing Sunday’s 14-inning loss to Tennessee will be key in getting back on track as the Aggies (28-13, 10-8 SEC) are set to host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Tuesday night at Olsen Field.
“We just need to have a short-term memory with this, put it behind us and come out Tuesday ready to rock,” senior centerfielder Nick Choruby said after Sunday’s 5-3 defeat.
The Islanders (14-26, 6-12 Southland) have had times of troubles in recent weeks, dropping seven of their last eight games. A&M head coach Rob Childress, however, knows his club must come prepared against a consistently tough mid-week opponent to get back in the win column.
“[I expect to see] their very best,” Childress said of Tuesday’s tilt. “We always get their very best on Tuesday.”
A&M-CC’s bats are headed by outfielders Dalton Stark and Nick Anderson. Stark leads the team with a .312 average, the only Islander batting over .300, and hits (49). The right fielder is coming off a 3-for-4 outing at the plate on Sunday against Stephen F. Austin. Stark also has a knack for extra-base hits, having totaled 12 doubles this season, over double of the next highest player, and has legged out two triple on the year as well.
Anderson on the other hand comes into Tuesday’s contest with a .273 clip, leading the team in RBI (24), triples (3) and is second in home runs (3).
The Aggies have been strong in their mid-week matchups this season, posting a 9-2 record thus far. A&M, however, fell on a weekday for just the second time this year against UT-Arlington last Tuesday in the Metroplex.
In order to get back on track in mid-week games as well, Sunday starter Stephen Kolek added the Aggies must not even worry about falling to the Volunteers.
“You got to be able to flush [Sunday’s loss,] come back tomorrow, don’t even worry about it,” Kolek said after striking out a career-high 11 batters. “Be ready to prepare for next week. We’ve got to be our best on Tuesday.”
The Aggies and Islanders are set for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch and the game will be aired on SEC Network Plus.
