Texas A&M Baseball: Evaluating the Lineup Before the Start of SEC Play

2016 Stats

Austin Homan forced himself into the lineup last year with a red hot stick. Homan hit .356/.392/.431 in 41 starts with 160 at bats last year. He had 11 walks, 27 strikeouts, 7 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run, and 26 RBI. The shortstop stole 5 bases on 7 attempts.

2017 Stats

So far in 2017 Homan has 16 starts with 60 at bats. His slash line has fallen to .217/.351/.267 with 9 walks and 16 strikeouts. He has hit 3 doubles and drive in 12. Homan has 2 successful stolen bases in 3 tries.

How He Fits

Homan wasn’t supposed to a big piece of the offense last season, but he deserves all the credit for his rise to relevance. The senior is the unquestioned leader of this team, which makes his struggles at the plate all the more disheartening. This is a tough guy that you want to root for.

Childress has continued to give him opportunities, but he’s been removed from the top of the lineup as his on base percentage fell. He’s turned things around of late and had a couple multi-hit games headed into conference play.

The mental effect it would have on this team to sit him permanently would be noticeable. Pennington has struggled as well, but his at bats have looked more competitive than Homan’s to this point. Homan’s place in the lineup still feels pretty secure, but he and everyone else are hoping that he snaps out of his funk soon.