Gig Em Gazette
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Texas A&M Baseball: Aggies Head to Austin for a Midweek Rivalry Renewal

By Shelbie Warr

Jun 22, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A bat rests inside a baseball glove at an MLB game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 22, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A bat rests inside a baseball glove at an MLB game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports /
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Texas A&M Baseball will look to continue its five game win streak as they head to Austin on Tuesday to face off with the Texas Longhorns.

This will be the 373rd meeting between the former conference foes. And if last year is any indication, it’s going to be a heated one. Last season, the rivalry renewed during the regular season- at least on the baseball diamond. Texas A&M and Texas faced off in College Station for the first time since the Aggies left the Big 12. Despite a 4-run lead for the good guys heading into the 9th, this one was a close one.

Bottom of the 9th. Tie Game. Full count for Aggie catcher Michael Barash, who is now at Spring Training with the Angels. So of course, Barash does what anyone would do. Launch a ball over the left field wall to win the game.

Texas is 12-6 on the season, riding a five game win streak coming into Tuesday’s matchup. Texas A&M is also on a five game win streak, sitting at 14-3 on the season. Something’s got to give.

The Pitching Matchup

The Aggies will send freshman John Doxakis to the mound against the Longhorns. Doxakis has pitched 14.2 innings on the year over 6 appearances, his ERA sits at 6.14 on the year. The lefty has given up 15 runs, 10 of which were earned. On the positive side, he’s racked up 17 strikeouts. That will be something the Aggies hope to build on Tuesday night.

On the opposite side, the Longhorns will send sophomore Nick Kennedy to the mound. Kennedy is 2-0 on the year with an ERA of 1.92. He has pitched 7 innings over 4 outings so far this season.

The Offensive Side

Through the Horns five game winning streak, they’ve compiled 44 runs on 58 hits. Through 18 games, eight different Longhorns have gone deep for a total of 14 Texas homers. The team is lead by senior Kacy Clemens who is batting .350 with 4 home runs and 13 RBI.

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For the Maroon and White, the Aggie freshman are blowing the cover off the ball. Six Texas A&M freshmen have combined for 63 runs, 18 doubles, 7 triples, 9 home runs and 56 RBI in the first 17 games of the season.

Lead by Braden Shewmake (.397) and Logan Foster (.377), the 2017 class has taken the term “Fab Freshman” to a whole new level.  With these guys pounding the ball, who knows what could happen? Maybe we will get another Logan Foster whammy on Tuesday night.

As a team, the Aggies are hitting .354 and own a .465 on-base percentage with runners in scoring position. Senior Joel Davis is also swinging a hot bat, batting .319 with 2 homers and 18 RBI.

Next: Freshman Duo of Shewmake and Foster Can't be Stopped

This one will boil down to who has the better day on the mound as the Aggies head to Austin for the first time since leaving the Big 12. See you on the other side Ags. BTHU tu.

***STATS FROM AGGIE AND TEXAS ATHLETICS***