The No. 21 Texas A&M softball team will face off against the Sam Houston State Bearkats at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Aggie Softball Complex.
“We always have tight games with [Sam Houston State],” said A&M head coach Jo Evans. “They’ve played well against us. It’s a midweek game where we can’t relax right now. You can’t do that against them, they’re too good and aggressive.”
The Bearkats (22-18, 11-6 Southland) are led by senior outfielder Cecilia Castillo, who is one of six players hitting better than .300 this year. Junior infielder Hillary Adams and sophomore infielder Tiffany Castillo are both approaching double digits in home runs with eight apiece, and the pair leads the team with 26 and 28 RBIs, respectively.
In the circle for SHSU, senior pitcher Shelby Lancaster (7-6, 3.20 ERA) and junior Haley Baros (9-8, 3.26 ERA) have shouldered the majority of the work. The Bearkat pitching staff has tossed a combined five shutouts this season.
The Aggies (28-14, 9-9 SEC) are coming off a series loss against the No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers last weekend. Junior pitcher Rachel Fox threw a complete game on Friday, including eight strikeouts, while senior outfielder Cassie Tysarczyk had two homers during the weekend.
“I think anytime you have anybody come into your house, it’s important to get a ‘W,'” Fox said. “Especially with a team like Sam, we play them all the time. They’re scrappy and well coached. They’re going to come in here and fight until the bitter end.”
The Aggies continue conference ball on Friday, playing the first of a three-game series against the No. 5 Florida Gators at the Aggie Softball Complex. Friday and Saturday’s games will be televised on ESPNU.