With the end of the regular season quickly approaching, Texas A&M softball looks to continue its momentum into a weekend matchup versus the visiting Missouri Tigers.
After a weekend trip to Oxford, Mississippi, the Aggies will travel back home to face the Tigers from Friday, April 28, to Sunday, April 30, at Davis Diamond.
In a series matchup that dates back to 1981, A&M is currently losing the series versus the Tigers 37-36 and looks to retake the series advantage this upcoming weekend. The Tigers have had the maroon and white’s number, winning eight of the past 10 matchups. The Aggies also look to break a six-game losing streak to Missouri that dates back to April 18, 2019.
The Fightin’ Farmers find themselves with 10 wins and 11 losses in conference play and currently sit seventh in the SEC standings. Missouri is currently struggling in SEC play, sitting in second to last with a conference record of four wins and 14 losses. With conference tournament seeding in play, both teams will look to improve their place in the standings.
Missouri recently won a weekend series over North Texas while only surrendering one run in the three games. This shouldn’t be a worry for the Aggies, as the team has been batting well throughout the season, with five regular starters hitting over .300.
Leading the way for the Aggies, offensively, is junior C Julia Cottrill. Cottrill leads the maroon and white in multiple batting statistics, boasting a batting average of .370 in 127 at-bats with six home runs and a .622 slugging percentage.
Another Aggie leading the way at the plate is junior INF Trinity Cannon. Cannon is currently batting .336 at the plate and has a team-high seven home runs on the year. Cannon is more than just a slugger as she leads the team in walks with 28 and finds herself on base more than any other Aggie with an OBP of .488.
Sophomore INF Koko Wooley has also been quite impressive at the plate for the maroon and white. Wooley has started every game so far this season and leads the team in at-bats with 147. She is currently batting .306 with two home runs, and although she isn’t a power hitter, she leads the team in stolen bases with 18 in 23 attempts.
For the Aggies to retake the series lead, they will have to rely on their pitching to slow down junior OF Alex Honnold. Honnold is currently batting .429, the 25th-best average in the nation, and has 11 home runs, 38 RBI and a 1.409 OBP.
The pitching from coach Trisha Ford’s team has been fantastic throughout the season. Senior RHP Shaylee Ackerman and juniors LHP Emiley Kennedy and RHP Emily Leavitt lead the way for the Aggies on the mound with a combined batting average of .218 and a combined 2.76 ERA. The trio has also only surrendered 205 total hits in a combined 248.2 innings so far this season.
Senior LHP Madison Preston has also been impressive on the mound for the maroon and white. In 37.2 innings pitched this season, Preston has the lowest ERA with 1.86.
For the Aggies to finish conference play strong, the team will need to perform well on all levels. In her first season coaching the Aggies, Ford has the team in solid shape heading into the conference tournament. First, the team needs to focus on defeating the Tigers this weekend.
