Texas A&M softball wrapped up its first conference series of the season last weekend and is set to host its next SEC opponent, No. 23 South Carolina, at Davis Diamond this weekend.
The Aggies went 1-2 against No. 12 LSU in the SEC opener and currently hold an overall record of 20-5.
Despite dropping back-to-back games, A&M head coach Jo Evans said her message to the team was not to be discouraged. Evans tipped her hat to what she said is a talented LSU team and said she’s not surprised the Aggies struggled offensively, as the Tigers have a stacked pitching staff.
With that said, Evans said the team spent a considerable amount of time in the batting cages with hitting coach Craig Snider this week during practice. Evans emphasized the importance of being efficient at the plate in order to take pressure off the pitching staff.
“Now our kids come back and they spend a lot of one-on-one time in the cages with Coach Snider, just getting comfortable, tweaking a swing a little bit, making a few mechanical adjustments,” Evans said. “To be able to have those one-on-ones and getting to talk about those at-bats, and talk about how you were pitched, and how to make adjustments and how you will likely get pitched coming into this weekend I think is really important. [It’s] definitely something we’ve done these past couple of days.”
Heading into this weekend, Evans said the team has a newfound confidence with the first SEC series under its belt and being back on its home field. Additionally, Evans said it’s especially nice to not have had a mid-week, non-conference game earlier this week.
“A Saturday through Monday series is kind of a challenging one because they’re all night games, you’re spending a lot of down time, we get back late and sleep patterns are off,” Evans said. “So to get back and not have a mid-week [game], I thought [that] was really nice for us and hopefully we’ve all caught up on our sleep and are ready to go this weekend. It’s nice to not have to prepare for another opponent before another SEC opponent.”
Looking ahead to this weekend’s opponent, Evans said South Carolina has a handful of great pitchers and a lot of veteran players with considerable experience.
“They’re a team that just goes on momentum, they play the game hard, they know how to swing the bat and score runs,” Evans said. “I think they’re going to be a lot like all the other SEC teams.”
The last matchup between A&M and South Carolina resulted in a 5-3 loss to the Gamecocks at home, but prior to 2018, the Aggies had recorded four consecutive wins.
While the maroon and white have the opportunity to get back in the win column against what Evans deemed to be a ‘power team,’ this weekend will also allow the Aggies to continue settling into a routine, finding their identity and making a name for themselves.
“We’re still trying to figure out, ‘How do we use these pieces most effectively?’” Evans said.
A&M will host South Carolina at Davis Diamond this weekend with the first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Friday, March 27. Game 2 is scheduled for Saturday at 3 p.m. with the series finale being on Sunday at noon.