A&M Baseball prepares to host Arkansas No. 3

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Texas A&M begins the second half of the SEC roster with a three-game series against the No. 3 Arkansas Razorbacks at Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park. Game time for Friday’s opener at the corner of Bush & Olsen is scheduled for 7:32 p.m. The series resumes on Saturday at 2:02 p.m. and ends on Sunday at 1:02 p.m.

ABOUT THE AGGIES

The Aggies are 7-2 this season against teams ranked in the USA Today Coaches Top 25, including 5-2 against teams ranked in the top 10. 8th LSU and then-No. 10 Georgia. They also picked up a midweek road win over then-No. 8 Texas. Most recently, the Aggies won home midweek games against then-No. 15 Texas State and No. 25 Dallas Baptist.

Texas A&M (23-13, 8-7 SEC) outscored their ranked opponents 91-46, hitting .335/.449/597 in nine games with 22 doubles, three trebles and 19 homers. Jack Moss hits .463 (19-for-41) with 11 runs, four doubles, a triple, two homers and 10 RBI. Austin Bost hits .444 (16-for-36) with 11 runs, two doubles, two homers and five RBI. Dylan Rock hits .412 (14 to 34) with 14 runs, three doubles, five homers and 16 RBI. Logan Britt added four homers and 10 RBI and Troy Claunch added 13 RBI against ranked opponents.

Bost enters the competition on an 11-game winning streak, batting .450 (18 to 40) with 11 carries, three doubles, a home run and three RBI across the stretch.

Moss has reached base in 32 straight games and 35 of the Aggies’ 36 games this season.

Rock has reached base in 27 straight games and 34 of the 35 games he has played this season, including reaching base three times with pinch hits in his only plate appearance.

In his five games in April, Brad Rudis played 8.0 innings without a score, straying four hits and a walk while batting 11. During the stretch, he earned a win at Georgia No. 10, a save against Alabama, and a hold at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

RECOGNIZING THE OPPONENT

The Razorbacks enter the fight with an overall score of 30-7, including an 11-4 ledger. The Hogs are on a seven-game winning streak. Arkansas is hitting the plate .285/.396/.497 with 56 home runs and 38 stolen bases in 37 games, averaging 7.78 runs per contest. The Razorbacks have a balanced power line-up and have seven players with at least five home runs. Arkansas pitchers have a 3.31 ERA with an opposing batting average of .216, 1.20 WHIP and 400 strikeouts in 326.0 innings. The weekend rotation of Connor Noland, Hagen Smith and Jaxon Wiggins is a combined 16-3 with 175 strikeouts in 155.1 innings.

SERIES NOTES

The Aggies and Razorbacks met 93 times at the Diamond, with Texas A&M leading the series 47-45-1. The Maroon & White won the diamond for the first time against Arkansas in 1908 when the Aggies won 4-1. The teams did not meet again until 1926, followed by a 48-year hiatus until 1974. Since joining the SEC in 2013, the Ags and Hogs have competed in an annual three-game series.

Last season, Arkansas won the series’ opening game in Fayetteville. 13-0 and then secured the series with a 10-inning, 2-1 win. The Aggies won the Finals 11-10 behind 3-RBI performances from Hunter Coleman and Will Frizzell.

SALES FRIDAY

· 12th Man Centennial Celebration – SEC Fireworks Friday Night – All season long, fans can enjoy a post-game pyrotechnic show after the SEC’s home games on Friday.

· 12th Man Centennial “Ball 5” Baseballs – Free balls for the first 1000 fans at the marketing tables after section 104 and in section 12).

SATURDAY

· Shirt competition – Olsen Magic shirts to the first 500 fans at the marketing desks after Section 104 and into Section 12.

SUNDAY

· Children’s Sunday – Face painting before the game at the playground.

O Buy 1 full price GA ticket ($10) and bring up to 4 children FREE. No advance sale.

O Face painting before the game – Face painting before the game at the playground.

O Pregame Raising Canes Anthem Buddies – Children under 12 can join the Aggies on the national anthem pitch.

O Postgame Kids Run the Bases/Team Autographs – Children have the opportunity to walk the bases and get autographs from the team.

FOLLOW THE AGGIES

Friday’s game will air on SEC Network with Dave Neal (Play-by-Play) and Chris Burke (Color). All three games can be streamed on SEC+. Fans can tune in locally on 1150 AM/93.7 FM or on the 12th Man mobile app.

Visit 12thman.com for more information on Texas A&M baseball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M baseball team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter by following @AggieBaseball.

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