Texas A&M baseball (3-0) enjoyed a very nice opening weekend with a series sweep of the Fordham Rams. This week the Aggies play SFA, Prairie View and UIC.
Opening the 2019 campaign, Texas A&M baseball had several questions going into the year. A couple that come to mind, would the one-two punch of John Doxakis and Asa Lacy be able to build upon their late 2018 success? Who would emerge as the third weekend starter?
On offense, how would Rob Childress build the lineup around Braden Shewmake, Logan Foster, Will Frizzell and Hunter Coleman?
Through the first weekend of games, I would say Doxakis and Lacy were as advertised. Doxakis went seven innings giving up only one hit while striking out 12 Rams. Lacy followed up Saturday afternoon going five innings giving up three hits while striking out 11. If those lines continue, the Aggies will make a run at a conference title.
The Sunday starter for week one was Jonathan Childress and he also pitched well going 4.2 innings giving up three hits while striking out three batters. The staff pulled him after 68 pitches which makes me think he was on a pitch count. As with the first two guys, if the Sunday starter can pitch into the fifth or sixth inning consistently, this Aggie team will be tough to beat.
Offensively, the weekend star turned out to be Ole Miss transfer Bryce Blaum. Blaum went 6-for-12 scoring six times. Aaron Walters and Mikey Hoehner went a combined 7 for 16. Cam Blake started twice going 4-for-7 with four runs batted in.
The stars of the lineup started slow, Shewmake, Foster, Frizzell and Coleman went a combined 6-for-30. These four will need to carry the offense if this team will be successful.
As for the overall performance, the Aggies outscored Fordham 26-7 over the weekend. Opening night was a shutout thanks to Doxakis and Chandler Jozwiak. Saturday was a little different as the Aggies were gifted several base runners and runs after the Rams committed seven errors. The score was 19-2 before Fordham scored four times in the ninth.
Sunday saw the Aggies trail for the first time even though the Rams lead lasted only a half of an inning. The star that day was reliever Christian Roa who came in relief of Childress and faced 10 batters retiring all of them while striking out five to give the Aggies a chance to wake up the bats. Kasey Kalich came in and pitched the ninth to pick up the save.
Next week’s article will be interesting to see how the coaching staff will manage a five game week. Who will start the two midweek games? Can the offensive stars get going ahead of the following week’s Shriners College Classic at Minute Maid Park in Houston.
In the Perfect Game/Rawlings, Baseball America, and D1Baseball polls, the Aggies are unranked.
The Coaches and NCBWA polls have yet to be released, but expect the Aggies to be unranked in both polls.
The only poll that has the Aggies ranked is the Collegiate Baseball poll, the Aggies are ranked 28th, up one spot from the preseason poll.
This week, the Aggies welcome Stephen F. Austin, Prairie View A&M and Illinois-Chicago to Blue Bell Park.